News
Obama: Health insurance mandate no tax increase
By: yahoo.comPosted On: 09/21/2009 3:36 P
Tweet
President Barack Obama says requiring people to get health insurance and fining them if they don't would not amount to a backhanded tax increase.
President Barack Obama says requiring people to get health insurance and fining them if they don't would not amount to a backhanded tax increase.
"I absolutely reject that notion," the president said. Blanketing most of the Sunday TV news shows, Obama defended his proposed health care overhaul, including a key point of the various health care bills on Capitol Hill: mandating that people get health insurance to share the cost burden fairly among all. Those who failed to get coverage would face financial penalties.
Obama said other elements of the plan would make insurance affordable for people, from a new comparison-shopping "exchange" to tax credits.
Telling people to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase, Obama told ABC's "This Week."
"What it's saying is, is that we're not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore," said Obama. "Right now everybody in America, just about, has to get auto insurance. Nobody considers that a tax increase."
Obama faces an enormous political and communications challenge in selling his health care plan as Congress debates how to pay for it all.
He told CBS' "Face the Nation" that he will keep his pledge not to raise taxes on families earning up to $250,000, and that much of the final bill
Latest VLogs
iLoveMakonnen "Loudest of the Loud Tour - On the Road Pt. 2"
Life With Ty Dolla $ign (Ep. 7)
