The title of a recently released Fox News article is: "Health Care Reform ASSUMES Millions WOULD RATHER PAY FINES Rather than Get Coverage". This is most likely Republicans making stuff up, but IF this is true, whoever contributed to this idea and/or follows it/carries it out is crazy.

The sub-title is: "The nonpartisan (?) Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated in its study last week that the House health care bill would bring in $167 billion over 10 years in penalties for those who don't (or even refuse) to get coverage". People who refuse to get coverage are clearly in the minority. For the majority of reasonable people, this idea that the government is trying to make money off of people getting sick or refusing coverage when they are offered it is insane. If the Congressional Budget Office, they are clearly NOT "nonpartisan" or bipartisan. THIS IS AN OLD REPUBLICAN IDEA.

Ernest Istook, a former Republican Congressman from Oklahoma, starts off: "If you say people would rather pay $167 billion in penalties rather than buy insurance under your new plan, what's wrong with your new plan?" Again, the crazy people who would rather pay fines rather than get health insurance that could save their lives in the future are in the minority. As far as the answer to Istook's question is concerned, he answers this himself: "   IT'S EXPENSIVE", but it's necessary. How many times are we going to hear the same old argument about cost? GIVE IT A REST. Think of some other reasons/rational explanations. This is precisely why Istook is no longer in power anymore: OLD, OUTDATED IDEAS.

Robert Zirkelbach, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, goes down this same old path: "If you don't get everybody in, the market reforms don't work and PREMIUMS SKYROCKET FOR EVERYBODY". There's the old cost argument again. "MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE COVERAGE AFFORDABLE". Surely, President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are working on this.

Finally, according to Stephanie Lundberg, a spokeswoman for House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, "There's just going to be SOME PEOPLE (including some nurses and other medical professionals) who CHOOSE TO PAY (the fine) rather than to pay for health care" which is NECESSARY, because emergencies can happen anywhere and without warning. Also, it costs less to pay for a policy with one fee for a whole bunch of stuff instead of having to pay for each doctor's visit. "There's just going to be SOME people who PHILOSOPHICALLY don't want to buy health care". However, for reasonable people, "It expands coverage substantially".