Sunday, August 16, 2009

The IRS and Your Health Care

William Jacobson shines the light on a provision in draft health care legislation that would put the IRS at the epicenter of the healthcare system:

Under both the House and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee bills released to the public, the Internal Revenue Service will play a key role in monitoring and enforcing health care mandates against individual taxpayers. Yet the introduction of the IRS into the health care system has received scant attention.


The Senate bill imposes a new requirement that all persons who provide health care coverage to others must file a return with the IRS listing the names, addresses, social security numbers, and the coverage period for each person, and "such other information as the Secretary [of Health and Human Services] may prescribe." (Section 161(b) starting at page 107). The bill does not limit what information the Secretary may request, so it is conceivable and likely that information as to the nature of the coverage, the family members included, and other details will be reported to the IRS.

Read the whole thing. Would you want the IRS to be monitoring your health care and have the power to decide whether you have paid properly for care received?

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