If You Like Your Exemption, Keep It: 90% Of Uninsured Won't Pay Obamacare Penalties

No insurance, no penalty appears to be Obamacare's new meme as The Wall Street Journal reports almost 90% of the nation's 30 million uninsured won't pay a penalty in 2016 because of a growing batch of exemptions to the health-coverage requirement. In the interests of socialism, the Obama administration has provided 14 ways people can avoid the fine (on top of exemptions carved out under the 2010 law for groups including illegal immigrants, members of Native American tribes and certain religious sects). The list of exemptions runs deep but one exemption for people who "experienced another hardship obtaining health insurance" (requiring documentation if possible but not requiring it) has been notably criticized as too broad. The exemptions are worrying insurers, as they could make it easier for younger, healthier people to forgo coverage, leaving the pools overly filled with old people or those with health problems. That, in turn, could cause premiums to rise.

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