Last weekend when President Obama was making the rounds on the Sunday talk shows, he told George Stephanopoulos that forcing people to get health insurance isn’t a tax.  You can agree or disagree with the facts on if it is a tax or not.  However, if you fail to enroll in health care, you will be charged with an excise tax which is included in the Obamacare bill put together by Max Baucus.

Violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and could face up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty…

Senator John Ensign asked Thomas Barthold, chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, what happens to a person refuses to pay the excise tax.  Barthold told Ensign that the failure to pay the excise tax would result in up to a year in jail or a $25,000 penalty.  So it would seem that Obamacare will force you to purchase health insurance or go to jail.

Hot Air has the details of the exchange and a copy of the note that Barthold sent to Ensign.

This is exactly why our representatives and the American people need to be familiar with the contents of the bill.  Some people in congress seem to believe that if a bill was put forth by somebody in your party, you should just vote for it.

Do the American people really want to put people in jail for refusing to purchase health insurance and pay a fine?  On the plus side, those violators would receive tax payer funded health care while in jail.  One way or the other, Obama will make sure that everybody is covered.