Chris Woodward (OneNewsNow.com) Friday, April 03, 2015
There's still time for people facing tax penalties for not having health insurance to avoid paying fines next year, but one policy analyst says some people may keep paying.
An estimated four million people are eligible for a special sign-up opportunity that runs through April 30. This is for people paying a tax penalty this year for not having health insurance in 2014.
Still, of the four million that are reportedly eligible, the Obama administration said this week that only 36,000 people have signed up.
While we have seen last-minute filers in the last two enrollment periods, Hadley Heath Manning of the Independent Women's Forum says the Obama administration needs to face the facts.
"There are some people, when faced with the decision to buy an ObamaCare plan, they're choosing to pay the penalty because they don't see a good value in the ObamaCare plan that's offered to them," she observes.
Others are also weighing the penalty against the price tag of ObamaCare and a subsidy, which may not be enough or they may not qualify for it.
Earlier this year, at least three senior House Democrats urged the Obama administration to grant a special sign-up opportunity. According to them, people facing tax penalties deserve a second chance.
Republicans and ObamaCare opponents argue that Democrats are trying to avoid the political fallout from people who were unaware of the tax penalties.
The penalty for not having health insurance is scheduled to increase in the coming years.
Manning says she would not be surprised to see another special "sign-up opportunity."