Obamacare Navigator: 'No One Really Has to Pay a Penalty'

An Obamacare navigator tells the Chicago Tribune that the much-feared Obamacare penalty is not something most people should worry about. 

The Tribune says Community Counseling Centers of Chicago navigator Tim van Alstyne said, “he tells people that between the state’s broader Medicaid options (thanks to its decision to expand the program) and the available tax credits, ‘no one really has to pay a penalty.'” 

The government says that Americans who choose to opt-out of Obamacare must pay a fine of $95 or 1% of their modified adjusted household income, depending on which is higher.

The original March 31 Obamacare deadline has now been extended until mid-April and will be run on the “honor system” for those who claim they tried but were unable to enroll before the deadline–a direct reversal of assurances embattled Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius gave members of Congress during congressional testimony.

Obamacare remains deeply unpopular. The RealClearPolitics average of polls finds that just 39% of Americans now support President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement.