The IRS Will Be Involved In Health Care Under House Democrats Bill

What could possibly go wrong?

Section 431(a) of the bill says that the IRS must divulge taxpayer identity information, including the filing status, the modified adjusted gross income, the number of dependents, and "other information as is prescribed by" regulation. That information will be provided to the new Health Choices Commissioner and state health programs and used to determine who qualifies for "affordability credits."

Section 245(b)(2)(A) says the IRS must divulge tax return details -- there's no specified limit on what's available or unavailable -- to the Health Choices Commissioner. The purpose, again, is to verify "affordability credits."

Section 1801(a) says that the Social Security Administration can obtain tax return data on anyone who may be eligible for a "low-income prescription drug subsidy" but has not applied for it.

Over at the Institute for Policy Innovation (a free-market think tank and presumably no fan of Obamacare), Tom Giovanetti argues that: "How many thousands of federal employees will have access to your records? The privacy of your health records will be only as good as the most nosy, most dishonest and most malcontented federal employee.... So say good-bye to privacy from the federal government. It was fun while it lasted for 233 years."

"Health Choices Commissioner"? Doesn't that sound like such a friendly, helpful person? Just someone looking out for your health, wanting to make sure you have choices? And oh yeah, give them complete access to your personal information. Or else.

As Mark Steyn has repeatedly said, turning your health over to the government reconfigures the relationship between the state and the individual. Once the state is responsible for your physical well being, there is simply no aspect of your life that is off limits.

But hey, we should do it for Teddy!

I'm very late getting around to reading Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism but it strikes me this would be the perfect symbol for the office of "Health Choices Commissioner"

posted by DrewM. at 11:10 AM

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