Step 1. Join a religious organization (preferably an old fashioned one like Mormonism).
Step 2. Don’t get any health care plan.
Step 3. If you do get really sick, just buy any health insurance plan (they won’t be able to deny you), get the care you need, then opt out.
The best part is, you will not have to pay the additional 2,5% income tax, because Section 501 of H.R. 3962 exempts you:
Subsection (a) shall not apply to any individual (and any qualifying child residing with such individual) for any period if such individual has in effect an exemption which certifies that such individual is a member of a recognized religious sect or division thereof described in section 1402(g)(1) and an adherent of established tenets or teachings of such sect or division as described in such section.
I hope they don’t fix this giant loophole. (Note: I still have to figure out what this section 1402(g)(1) is.)
With the real unemployment (under employed, part time, those that gave up) rate close to 23% they need to build a shitload of debtor’s prisons or change this un-American piece of shit legislation.
Loophole, where the head is placed in the noose.
In Australia, there is a 1 year wait for pre-existing conditions when you join a private health insurer. After you’ve been with them for more than 1 year, they cant deny claims on pre-exisitings. Wouldn’t that close the loophole?
The religious exemptions, on the other hand, are a rort.
@1 “they need to build a shitload of debtor’s prisons”
Haha, I love it!
Environmentalism is now a recognized religion. So all you have to do is recycle your newspapers and you get cheap health care.
#4 – oh, BTW, for those younger than 30, a “newspaper” is like Google News, but in print form, with extra ads and without the Search feature.
[…and you can wrap mullet and paper the bottom of your birdcage with it. – ed.]
Great comments! Makes me laugh… Let me decide what I want and don’t want. lp.org
Isn’t this more for 7th day Adventist and scientologist?
do they provide a list of “recognized religious sects”? Anyone got a list of them or will pretty much any religion count. I’d like to know. Also wondering if Islam is counted as a recognized religion.
where’s the list of “recognized religious sect or division thereof”?
how does a religion get added to the list?
is Russell’s Teapot or Flying Spaghetti Monster on the list?
Can I start my own religion and get exempted?
I mean, look at the advantages! Smoke the “holy weed”, enjoy peyote, tax exempt, and now insurance exempt!
I already have name for it:
“The Flying High Brotherhood of the Eternal Tax Dodgers”.
Hey God Dammit! I’m part of a religious sect and I deserve these kind of breaks. You all don’t expect me to put up with this bogus bullshit for nothing, do you?
Ok now – let’s all sing some songs, pray, donate money and shit. Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m not Mother fucking Theresa.
/hitting that sacramental wine tonight
Section 1402(g)(1) is at http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00001402—-000-.html#g_1.
You can use the same method to get out of paying Social Security or Medicare Taxes.
The sect or religious group must have a documented objection to insurance, and must have been in existence since 1950.
Not much of a loophole, I say.
This is another reason why we need single payer basic health care, paid for from the general fund.
Before the tea-baggers start screaming about this.. remember that THEY support a similar loop hole.
1) Don’t buy healtcare, claiming you are a rugged individualist who never gets sick, anyway.
2) On the inevitable day you get sick, go to the emergency room, rack up huge debts.
3) Declare bankruptcy and stiff the public for your bills.
This is the current conservative health care “loop hole” that the tea baggers think is so fantastic that they are threatening armed revolt if we dare change it.
so the us has recognized religious sect s??? this needs to be stopped..
Here is another name for my religion:
S C I E N T O L O G Y
#14, Keep screaming it. Eventually people will start to believe you.
14, The general welfare clause in the Constitution has been reinterpreted today with a liberal spin to justify government-run health care. There is nothing in the Constitution which promises health care nor is it an entitlement to be provided for by government. This is an enumerated powers issue.
The analogy to auto insurance the President gave the other day to justify sending someone to prison for refusing to pay into government-run health care is stupid for two reasons.
1. If you don’t drive an automobile you’re not required to get auto insurance.
2. Auto insurance is to protect other drivers from yourself.
“You can use the same method to get out of paying Social Security or Medicare Taxes.
The sect or religious group must have a documented objection to insurance, and must have been in existence since 1950.”
Mormon here … sorry, we would not qualify. We do not have any objection to insurance. In fact, our church tells us to have proper insurance and to support the government. We also have programs to support those in need, especially members.
Any Mormon that leaches off the system is not a true Mormon.
#18
While it is true a person can decide not to drive an automobile, they can even decide not to get pregnant, but I’m still waiting for the day they can opt out of getting cancer, heart disease, or just getting old.
20, The point was that mandatory health care insurance is not analogous to auto insurance. The premise for each differs.
If you want to make paying into government-run health care mandatory with punishment as high as jail time, then fine do so. But don’t compare that to auto insurance as though the logic has the same basis.
Be that as it may, there is no right to Health Care under the Constitution. Am I saying you can’t have it or get it? Nope. Just that the Federal Government isn’t supposed to have that power to give.
http://tinyurl.com/yz3dxmr
So if my imaginary friend in the sky says government health care is bad, I can get out of it.
If my individual logic and reason says it’s a bad thing, I’m screwed.
Does that sum it up?
For all those who think government-run health care is so terrible, corporate & insurance-run health care has a lot of problems, too. My dad retired with a promise of continued health coverage equal to that which he had while he was working. Well, in less than ten years he lost dental, vision coverage and his 20% co-pay became 80%.
#12, link is not working.
Link to SS 1402 (g)(1): http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00001402—-000-.html