The truth about health care

The truth about health care

Columbus Dispatch: How refreshing to see the Obama administration starting to tell the truth about the health-care overhaul enacted in the spring by the Democratic majority in Congress.

The constitutionality of that law, which includes a mandate upon every American either to buy health insurance or to pay a penalty to the Internal Revenue Service, has been challenged by 20 states and several private organizations.

In response to the legal challenge, the Justice Department has admitted that the individual mandate is indeed a tax, something President Barack Obama has denied repeatedly.

And it’s a serious tax, too. The Congressional Budget Office projects it will squeeze $4 billion a year out of those who fail to comply with the requirement.

Sad to say, the president’s embrace of the truth did not come willingly. In the absence of a lawsuit challenging the overhaul, he still would be claiming that the mandate is not a tax.