[Dwight Schrute]

One of the main portions of the Health Care Mandate has been ruled unconstitutional by a Virginia Federal Judge. The key issue is whether the government has the authority to mandate that private citizens must purchase a private commodity such as health insurance.

Virginia judge rules health care mandate unconstitutional - CNN.com

Count on this one heading up to the Supreme Court.

[JerryLove]

Three courts have ruled on this. Two have found the objections to the law legally insufficient, this most recent one ruled against a single provision.

That this was going ot SCotUS was a given,

[Dwight Schrute]

any predictions as to how the SCouUS will weigh in?

[JerryLove]

I think they will be annoyingly narrow.

There's a bigger problem here that there will be great tap-dancing to avoid: Medicare is basically the same thing. I predict the ruling will be 5-4.

[Dwight Schrute]

Originally Posted by JerryLove

I think they will be annoyingly narrow.

There's a bigger problem here that there will be great tap-dancing to avoid: Medicare is basically the same thing. I predict the ruling will be 5-4.

I view medicare more as a government service that is taxed for now and possibly accessed later in life if necessary, much like social security. whereas this is mandating that someone purchase a product from a private company now, or else face some sort of penalty. on that level, at least, they appear very different. also, if you don't have an income, you don't put money into medicare or social security - at least giving individuals some level of choice. don't want to be taxed? don't work.

[JerryLove]

Originally Posted by MisterDominator

I view medicare more as a government service that is taxed for now and possibly accessed later in life if necessary, much like social security. whereas this is mandating that someone purchase a product from a private company now, or else face some sort of penalty. on that level, at least, they appear very different.

Medicare penalizes you for not having medicare (charges a tax) and then buys health insurance for you (buys medicare, but only if you are old enough)

UHC lets you avoid the UHC tax by choosing your own healthcare and buying it for yourself.

We could just tax and assign healthcare, making it just like medicare; except that we didn't want to end employer-sponsored healthcare (and that would).

I'm sorry. There's no real difference. Both are mandates. If anything: medicare is the worse of the two.

also, if you don't have an income, you don't put money into medicare or social security - at least giving individuals some level of choice. don't want to be taxed? don't work.

People with no income are not charged for healthcare under UHC either.