If you’ve been paying attention, you know that the beloved Internal Revenue Service is front and center in the national news, at least on some media outlets. In all too many others, it’s a non-story.
It’s important that you keep in mind as the story unfolds that the IRS has a major role in implementing and enforcing Obamacare. We can hear your shouts of joy. Imagine having a colonoscopy at the same time you’re filling out your Income Tax form, and you’ll have some idea of how thrilling the prospects are. The thought of an IRS Audit takes on a whole new level of excitement.
To help you comprehend the wonder of it all, we’re passing along an article we just read in The Weekly Standard. It’s appropriately titled “A Toxic Combination.”
Herewith a few passages to peak your curiosity:
Price, a doctor, sensibly writes, “When it comes to . . . health care decisions, no American should be required to answer to the IRS—an agency that just forfeited its claim to a reputation of impartiality.”
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To quote from the Treasury audit:
Section 9007 [of Obamacare] requires charitable hospitals to conduct a community health needs assessment at least once every three years and adopt an implementation strategy to meet the community needs identified through the assessment. The IRS is responsible for reviewing, at least once every three years, the community benefit activities of each hospital affected by this provision.
So the judge of whether hospitals are meeting community needs will be the IRS. What could possibly go wrong?
We could be wrong, but we take the term “charitable hospitals” above to mean those designated “non-profit,” which we believe both of ours in Brunswick are. So they can expect "help” from the IRS soon; we hope they enjoy it. We trust it will make our future health care experiences all that much more delightful.
And another passage:
Moreover, Obamacare will require Americans to update the IRS regularly on what’s going on in their lives. Marriages, divorces, job changes, moves, pay raises, even changes in numbers of hours worked—these are all things on which the IRS will expect to be kept well informed. During congressional testimony last summer, Rep. Tim Walberg (R.-Mich.) asked IRS official Nina Olson, “Do you believe that most Americans are going to update the IRS or state exchanges when they change jobs, get married, move states, whatever?” “I think it’s going to be a very great learning curve,” Olson replied. “I think it will be a surprise to taxpayers if they don’t update their information.
You’ll have to admit, this sheds a whole new light on the concept of “playing doctor.” One thing is for sure, loyal readers.
Child’s play this ain’t. Be afraid; be very afraid.
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