As the 2015 tax season kicks off, the House Ways and Means Committee is helping people navigate this year’s “convoluted process” under ObamaCare — and using it to argue that the entire law should be repealed.
The tax-writing committee sent a lengthy email Tuesday laying out each step of filing under ObamaCare, complete with three screenshots of the new forms and a slew of technical jargon.
{mosads}“Only after sorting through Forms 8965, 1095-A, and 8962 (and all the instructions and worksheets), can the taxpayer return to their Form 1040 to reconcile — on lines 46 and 69 — what they owe or are owed from the government,” committee spokesman Brendan Buck explains.
But the email from the GOP-led committee also raises red flags about the new mandates that could potentially drive up costs. It warns that individuals who lack adequate insurance will be forced to pay hefty fines and even those with coverage may have to pay more back to make up for their government subsidies.
“Many families are in for a rude awakening,” Buck wrote in the email. “All the more reason to repeal the law and replace it with patient-centered reforms.”
This year’s tax season is the first time people who lack insurance will be forced to pay the government fine.
Tuesday’s message is a reminder that the committee’s Republicans, led by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), remain staunchly opposed to ObamaCare, although they will help people follow the new rules.
Ryan criticized the healthcare law in an op-ed published by USA Today earlier this month, warning that this year’s tax season “will be even more stressful than usual” and calling the law unworkable.