Don't Mess With Taxes

Are you ready for tomorrow's big health care act ruling?

One Senate candidate is prepared. Richard Mourdock recorded three responses, planning to post the one that fit what the Supreme Court decides on the insurance purchase mandate portion of President Obama's signature legislation, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

One problem. Someone on his staff jumped the gun and Mourdock's "healthcare is unconstitutional" video hit the Internet early.

That gave faux conservative Stephen Colbert an idea, always a dangerous, and hilarious, thing. Check out the Comedy Central funny man's own health care ruling "presponses."

While it was unfortunate (and embarrassing) for Mourdock that his pretaped responses were posted early, the idea was sound. It was the execution that failed.

Possible rulings: And Mourdock and Colbert are correct that the court could rule in a number of ways.

Legal eagles say the court will take one of five decision routes:

1. Uphold the full health care act.
2. Throw out the entire law.
3. Overturn only the mandate requiring individuals buy health insurance.
4. Overturn the mandate and some other of the law's provisions.
5. Do nothing since the individual mandate doesn't take effect until 2014.

Supreme Court watchers also expect Chief Justice John Roberts to write the majority opinion, whatever that turns out to be.

We'll find out who's right tomorrow.

In the meantime, you can refresh your memory as to what tax-related health care law provisions are already in effect, such as:

• Employer-provided health care coverage for workers' older children;
• Limitation of flexible spending account (FSA) reimbursements for over-the-counter medications;
• Tanning bed excise tax; and
• Small business health care tax credit.

If Obamacare in its entirety is declared unconstitutional, those parts of the law will no longer be in effect.

Tanning bed operators obviously will celebrate. But I know a lot of parents who last year added their kids to their current health insurance and neither the kids or moms and dads will be happy.

You also might find these items of interest:

• Tax provisions in the health care bill
• Health care reform taxes, redux
• Don't fall for health care tax rumors