Good news Obamacare gets even better!

[Gardenarian]

Yes, it forces individuals to purchase a commercial product they may not want, and at levels they may not need. The additional burden of taxation based upon the absence of that purchase is assessed for the failure to engage in commerce, which sounds suspiciously like a fine rather than a tax.

Thank you, that clarifies things for me, and does make sense.
I have been looking at it from the rather narrow point of view that "Hey, it's good for ME!" (and a lot of other people I know) but of course that doesn't make it a good thing on a larger scale.

Food for thought.

Which is not to say that I think government health care is bad; I do think a universal, national health care system would be more equitable.