Post #3290661

@stefanie@social.anoxinon.de @jeffowski@mastodon.world When Obamacare was passed, to get it through Congress required promising the American people that nobody could ever be prosecuted for noncompliance. The militia movement (closest to them you have is probably AfD) spread rumors that 10,000 armed IRS agents were going to be hired to enforce the individual mandate tax penalty, and the resulting uproar forced the removal of all powers to collect that tax other than by deducting from government checks. Obamacare has survived the outright removal of the individual mandate, but now the GOP wants to also remove the subsidies, so tens of millions will likely soon be dropping coverage after their bills double or triple. Problem is, few of these folks have my self-care capabilities. One runaway dental infection is all it takes to kill someone in that situation especially if ERs close due to being inundated with patients with neither insurance nor money. Still, passing an individual mandate backed by jail time is all the way off the table in the US and I am damned glad it is. More cops more laws more jails isn't OK for anything in my book. Putting poor people in prison for not buying health insurance will never happen here. Imagine the bad press if a police raid on someone's house for not paying health insurance bills detonated into a gun battle. There is a good reason that in the heavily armed US, neither Hillery Clinton nor Barrack Obama ever seemed to consider using jail to enforce an individual mandate. FinalIy, don't know about your country but here if you are deemed to be unemployed by choice you do NOT get unemployment benefits. This could potentially include quitting after SA by your boss and not being able to prove it in court!