AMAC: The IRS scandal undermines the implementation of Obamacare

NEW YORK - May 17, 2013 - PRLog -- BOHEMIA, NY – The IRS already has the power to intrude into the personal lives of every American, and its ability to do so going forward will be significantly enhanced by the implementation of Obamacare this year and next, according to Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens.

“The law gives the Internal Revenue Service new, unfettered access to sensitive medical records.  It’s a pretty scary thought considering the revelations of misconduct.  You’ve got to ask yourself this question: Do we want the IRS to be in control of our medical histories?”

The IRS plays a key role in the operations of Obamacare.  It is responsible for managing the law’s financial provisions, including tax credits and tax increases, and for making sure that employers, employees and all Americans are in compliance with the law’s provisions by collecting specific data regarding medical coverage.

“But, if the Affordable Care Act was a train-wreck in the making, as Democratic Senator Max Baucus called it before the IRS scandal broke this week, it is now revealed that the  legislation, in fact, may contain the seeds of its self-destruction,” Weber said.  

“The scandal,” he added, “has fired up lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.  Perhaps they will get mad enough to do something to thwart the agency’s ability to provide oversight and enforcement of Obamacare.”  

There is agreement among some observers that the IRS does not have enough of a budget to take on what they call “the gargantuan task” of administering Obamacare and, they say, the latest discovery of misconduct is not likely to win them any new friends in Congress.  Thus, the Internal Revenue Service’s budget deficiencies will hamper, if not prevent the IRS from adequately fulfilling its critical role under Obamacare, particularly if the agency cannot get the levels of funding it needs.

Floyd Williams, a former legislative affairs director for the IRS who is now with a private Washington public policy strategies firm told the online news service, The Fiscal Times, that “when people look at funding the IRS they’re going to take into account everything that’s out there.”  He added that “it’s no secret some in Congress have been trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act, let alone limit IRS funding for enforcement.”  And, he pointed out, that the “IRS has already suffered the past three years with a status quo budget, which basically is a reduction, especially if you look at people who retired and haven’t been able to be replaced. Now, you have sequestration coming up. All of that added together spells trouble for the IRS and tax law enforcement.”

In other words, the scandal could derail the Affordable Care Act, Weber noted, adding that it has “enhanced” mistrust of the agency among lawmakers who feel it should not be the sole repository of an individual’s most important information—one’s financial condition and one’s medical condition.

“The IRS admittedly used its authority to target Conservative organizations.  It was a blatantly partisan breach of faith and, hopefully, upcoming Congressional hearings will uncover just how high up in the hierarchies of the agency and the Obama administration did the conspiracy originate,” Weber said.  “If we were skeptical about the ability of government bureaucrats to keep the faith with the tax-paying public before the IRS confessed to its corruption, how much more distrustful are we now as the agency gets ready to administer the rules and regulations of Obamacare.”

Weber concluded: “To paraphrase Ben Franklin, nothing in this life is certain except death and taxes.  The Internal Revenue Service has always controlled how and when we pay taxes and now, under Obamacare, it would have the power to oversee the ways and means we deal with the task of avoiding death.”

NOTE TO EDITORS: Dan Weber is available for telephone interviews on this issue.  Editors/reporters may contact John Grimaldi at 917-846-8485 or jpgrimaldi@verizon.net to set up a call.

ABOUT AMAC
The Association of Mature American Citizens [http://www.amac.us] is a vibrant, vital and conservative alternative to those organizations, such as AARP, that dominate the choices for mature Americans who want a say in the future of the nation.  Where those other organizations may boast of their power to set the agendas for their memberships, AMAC takes its marching orders from its members.  We act and speak on their behalf, protecting their interests, and offering a conservative insight on how to best solve the problems they face today.