Now that we know that it is OK for the government to “tax” people who refuse to do something that the government wants them to do, I suppose it will not be long before we see new “taxes” on other things we might not want to do. Here are some possible candidates for the new taxes:
- A tax on not eating broccoli
- A tax on not eating enough tofu and other meat-substitutes
- A tax on drinking fewer than 8 full glasses of water every day
- A tax on not working out at least 3 times a week
- A tax on not doing enough cardio exercises, to complement work on the heavy weights
- A tax on missing your annual routine physical exam – and it is no excuse if you skip it because you are over 65 and, because of ObamaCare, there are no remaining internists in your city who are willing to take Medicare patients
- A tax on refusing to purchase books recommended by the President’s commission on literacy
- A tax on not going to enough movies starring George Clooney or other approved actors
- A tax on failing to vote for candidates selected by the President’s Political Action Committee
Better be careful… you’ll wind up with a tax on not speaking highly about the president’s excellent Committee on Raising Taxes on Those Who Deserve It!
Valid point. I would not suggest denying the ER the discretion to take someone’s word for it, in a case such as you indicate. The ER should be able to construct its admission forms in such a way as to address such a situation – for example, the form might indicate that the sign-up for a healthcare-insurance policy would only take effect if it eventually turned out that the patient was mistaken (or lying) and was not really insured.