So, is Obamacare a tax or isn't it a tax?

Individual penalty for failure to maintain health insurance
Beginning in 2014, the law imposes a penalty on any individual who fails to maintain “minimum essential coverage” for health care. When fully phased in by 2016, the penalty is the greater of:
•2.5 percent of the taxpayer’s household income over the threshold for filing a 1040 for that year, or
•$695 per uninsured adult plus half of that amount per uninsured child under age 18, but capped at $2,085 per household
During the 2014–2015 phase-in period, the penalty is 1 percent of household income for 2014 and 2 percent for 2015. The per-uninsured penalty is $95 for 2014 and $325 for 2015, and half those amounts per uninsured under 18.

There is an overall limit on the penalty, equal to the national average premium for the “bronze level” of health insurance offered through the insurance exchange for the family size (“bronze” refers to coverage that is actuarially equivalent to 60 percent of full coverage).

The penalty will be included with the Form 1040. But the IRS may not impose interest on any late payment, nor is the failure to pay subject to criminal prosecution or assessment, and the IRS may not file a lien or levy on the property of the taxpayer.

To avoid the penalty, an individual must maintain “minimum essential health care coverage” under one of the following:

•Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, veterans’ care, or other governmental programs
•An employer-sponsored group plan that is either a governmental plan or any other offered in the group market within the state
•A grandfathered health plan, based on an individual’s right to maintain existing coverage
•Any other coverage, such as a state health risk pool, recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services
There are exemptions to the penalty for individuals whose income indicates they cannot afford coverage (defined as a required health care premium exceeding 8 percent of household income) and those with income below the tax return filing threshold. Members of Indian tribes and those with coverage gaps less than three months are also exempt.

i don't think it is but if so what difference does it make? r tax dollars go 2 all sorts of crazy things:

1. Museum Where Neon Signs Go to Die – $1.8 Million

Did you ever wonder where the flashy and colorful signs in Las Vegas go when they die? The city of Las Vegas has received a $5.2 million federal grant to build the Neon Boneyard Park and Museum, including $1.8 million in 2010.

2. “Free” Grateful Dead Archive – $615,000

Grateful Dead chose a public institution to archive the band‘s memorabilia ―because the whole idea of it being public and free was important to them,‖ yet taxpayers are paying $615,000 to make the band‘s archives ― free and ―public. Where? In Santa Cruz, California, of course.

3. Poems in Zoos – $997,766

Our nation currently faces many challenges; a shortage of poetry in our nation‘s zoos, however, is rarely cited as one of them. A federal grant program has directed a million dollars from the public coffers to infuse zoos around the United States with snippets of poetry.

4. “Critter Crossing” – $150,000

The Monkton, Vermont Conservation Commission received $150,000 in federal grant money to build a critter crossing, to save the lives of thousands of migrating salamanders and other amphibians that would otherwise be slaughtered by vehicle traffic on a major roadway.

5. Internet Dating Study – $239,100

The National Science Foundation directed nearly a quarter million dollars to a Stanford University professor‘s study of how Americans use the Internet to find love.

6. Census Super Bowl Commercial Too Ironic to be Understood – $2.5 Million

U.S. taxpayers watched their money vanish quicker at the Super Bowl than those who bet on Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts to win the game. The U.S. Census Bureau lost a $2.5 million bet when its ―Snapshot of Americ ad tanked when it ran during a commercial break in the third quarter. Media critics agreed the multi-million dollar advertisement ranked as one of the worst during the Super Bowl.

7. Studying Male Prostitutes in Vietnam – $442,340

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent nearly $442,340 million to study the number of male 124 prostitutes in Vietnam and their social setting.

8. Zoo Receives Federal Funding to Develop Online Video Game, “Wolfquest‟ – $609,160

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded over $600,000 to the Minnesota Zoo to create a wolf avata video game called WolfQuest

9. Teaching South African Men How to Wash Their Genitalia – $823,200

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) secured a grant for $800,000 in stimulus funds to study the effects of a genital-washing program in Orange Farm, South Africa. Investigators will attempt to teach uncircumcised African men how to wash their genitals after having sex and hope doing so will prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

10. Gold-Plated Potties in the Woods – $1.49 Million

The Denali National Park in Alaska recently built new restrooms at the Teklanika campground to replace chemical toilets with a sweet smelling toilet facility at a cost of nearly $1.5 million to taxpayers. The park will be spending more than $41,000 to replace each of the 36 toilets.

11. A Recession-Inspired Video Game – $137,530

If you have ever wondered what it would be like to fire someone, a new video game is available to help you get in on the fun! One Dartmouth professor received a federal grant to create a recession-inspired video game called Layoff, a puzzle-style game in which players fire as many people as they can as quickly as possible.

12. NSF Studies Political Talk Shows on Fox News and MSNBC – $66,638

Bill O‘Reilly and Rachel Maddow are not to blame for polarizing American politics, at least according to one researcher. The National Science Foundation (NSF) provided a $66,638 grant to Temple University political scientist Kevin Arceneaux to study the influence of political programming in mass media. He set out to test the claim that cable television shows allow the public to insulate themselves from opposing viewpoints—polarizing the electorate.

13. Alcohol, College Students, Foreign Countries, and Your Money – $41,380

Breaking news! College students studying abroad tend to drink more alcoholic beverages. Thanks to research funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, taxpayers now know study abroad students double the amount they drink while away.

14. Pedestrian Bridge Built Steps from Another Pedestrian Bridge – $260,000

The Puget Sound Regional Council (Washington state) spent $260,000 building a pedestrian bridge across the North Creek, just 20 paces from an existing sidewalk crossing the river. Part of a larger $1.1297 million stimulus grant to improve Bothell Trail, this project has been described by locals as embarrassing, not needed, and not the best place.

15. Banjo Player Honored in Museum – $1.5 Million

Taxpayers may not quite get the twang for their buck from this project. The North Carolina county hopes a $1.5 million federal grant for a museum honoring a local bluegrass singer will provide an economic boost.

16. Studying Wild Blue Monkey‟s Business – $168,766

The National Science Foundation awarded a $168,766 federal grant to Columbia University researchers to study the sexual behavior of wild blue monkeys by analyzing monkey feces in Africa.

17. NIH Promotes Awareness for Non-Existent Vaccine – $55,000

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent $55,000 to promote HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, even though no vaccine exists.

18. Renovating Pizzeria with New Vertical Garden Entry Way – $60,000

Taxpayers who visit Tony‘s Trattoria in Waterloo, Iowa may literally get to taste the results of a federal grant. The pizzeria received $60,000 in federal funding to improve the property‘s façade and give it a more inviting feel. Specifically, customers using the back entrance will now be greeted by a vertical garden, which will ―provide the restaurant herbs such as basil, cilantro and rosemary.

19. Storm Surge Signs Frighten Local Residents – $42,544

Some Texas residents are unhappy and with over $42,544433 in federal funds being allocated towards posting 400 frightening signs showing how high the storm surge would be in a major hurricane. The signs are intended to show how deep the water would be if there were a 25-foot storm surge.

20. City Gets Funding for “Slightly Different” Bike Signage – $900,000

Why have one bike sign when you can have two? Portland, Oregon spent $900,000 in federal stimulus funds on a new bike signage project even though the city already has similar bike signs, which it plans to leave up. The new signs—which include arrows, distance, and travel times to key destinations— have a slightly different design than existing ones.

y r u guys not upset about all these types of things that go on year after year?

Hey, these neocons are in on it too. It was a Repub.- appointed Justice who swung the vote today. (And no, Romney cannot repeal Obamacare, unless he does so by executive order illegally, which is a possibility I suppose, since we have allowed that precedent to be set over and over.)

Universal healthcare is a great idea, I agree. It works great on Star Trek. But even Roddenberry, even given an entire fantasy world of science fiction, could not get us from here to there. The problem is with the politicians in charge, as you say. And, since the problem is with the politicians, where in the heck is anybody getting the idea that we should put all of our eggs in that corrupt/incompetent basket?

And since when has any government produced a better product or service than could be provided by a private business? Gov. services are not better than other things, they are only better than nothing at all, when there is NO other service at all, and that happens when the government outlawed every alternative! cha-ching for those politicians and the global corporations behind them.

Corporatism is being fostered from both sides of the aisle. They both want to expand federal gov. power, esp lone executive "king" power, and they both ignore the flawed foundational monetary policy and foreign policy which is fueled by the monetary policy, b/c those policies are very good for these politicians' short term pocketbooks. They both are in bed with the few elite corporations which are allowed by the gov. to provide ALL things and services and write law that crushes any attempt at alternative. This gov. is out for itself, and politicians are out for their buddies and only see in the short term-- that is the nature of governments and politicians. The only diff. btwn the mainstream of the parties today is that some of their buddies have different names.