I think Lots of People Will Stay Uninsured by Choice

Now this is not much of a choice for a young person just starting work.

Under the Senate bill, people who don't buy coverage would face a maximum penalty of $95 beginning in 2014. That would jump in 2016 to $750 or 2% of their annual income up to the cost of the cheapest health plan, whichever is greater. In the House bill, violators would pay as much as 2.5% of their annual income up to the cost of the cheapest plan beginning in 2013.

When people buy health insurance on their own rather than through employers, the average cost in 2016 is projected to be $5,500 for an individual policy and $13,100 for family coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

So the choice is whether to pay a $95 - $750 fine or $5,500 - $13,000 for insurance. I can see many young people choosing to pay the fine instead of shelling out the big money. The problem is that these young people paying into the plan are what is supposed to "bend the cost curve." Also what will happen if you don't pay the fine? Will you be sent to jail as a tax cheat?