...or could be forgiven for wondering, how far it is from this...
Families who fail to get health insurance could be fined up to $3,800 under a health care reform plan proposed by a top Senate negotiator....to the lead starting to fly. Exemptions and such notwithstanding, these people are getting more brazen by the day, almost. Better that this be settled at the ballot box, but sometimes I wonder.
Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., who as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee is leading talks among the "Gang of Six" senators to hammer out a bipartisan compromise, offered what he described on Tuesday as a "framework" and not a "final product."
...
The framework of Baucus' proposal, a copy of which was obtained by FOX News, includes what amounts to a no-choice option. It would make health insurance mandatory, like auto insurance.
The plan would provide tax credits to help small employers and help cover the cost for households making up to three times the federal poverty level. That's about $66,000 for a family of four, and $32,000 for an individual.
Those who still don't sign up would face hefty fines, starting at $750 a year for individuals and $1,500 for families -- for those making up to three times the poverty level.
For those who make more than that, the penalty on individuals would jump to $950 and the penalty on families would jump to $3,800.
UPDATE: My brother-in-arms Borepatch, yet again, in comments:
In a nobler and less degenerate time, the People of this Fair Republic would have horsewhipped their congressmen through the streets for less.
Indeed they would have. How far we have fallen.
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