Yikes

This tweet from the News-Leader's Chad Livengood about the House Democrats' health care bill got my heart racing yesterday:

Under House health care bill, failure to buy insurance will become a felony w/ 5-year jail time: http://tinyurl.com/ykhk3k3

This makes about as much sense as saying there are new criminal penalties in Missouri for yoga instructors, or that having a job is a crime in America because you have to pay income taxes.

The provided link takes you to this press release from Michigan Republican Dave Camp, titled "PELOSI: Buy a $15,000 Policy or Go to Jail." Camp is predictably upset about the fines/taxes that would be imposed in the health plan for individuals that do not purchase health insurance. The goal, of course, is to encourage everyone to get coverage. But like with any sort of tax, if you willfully refuse to evade your taxes, you get in trouble.  

The nonpartisan PolitiFact.com dissected this line of argument a few weeks ago, and their analysis ("Barely True" was their verdict) can be read in full here. Simply put, failure to buy insurance brings about a tax, not jail time.  Media Matters and The American Chronicle also detailed the problems with the claim yesterday.