Jail if you don't pay for health care?

The health care debate continues in Washington where lawmakers are considering possible jail time for people who don't have insurance.

FOX 35 spoke with Senator Bill Nelson Wednesday and asked him if he supports a plan like that. "The goal is to get health costs under control and make health insurance available to our people and where it's available, make it affordable."

In order to insure everyone and keep costs down, the house version of the bill would make it mandatory for everyone to get insurance even if you don't want it. It makes penalties of fines and even threatens putting people in jail if they can afford insurance, but don't buy it. Senator Nelson wouldn't go that far, but says there need to be some penalty because those people do eventually get sick, get care, and drive up costs for everyone who does have insurance.

“They don't have to have it, but if were going to end up paying for them, then there has to be some kind of penalty…that is a very minor penalty, a fee they would have to pay if they choose not to buy the health insurance,” said Nelson.

When asked no threat of jail time Nelson responded, “of course not."

And that penalty will likely not end up in whatever plan the senate eventually votes on.

Senator Nelson expects to start debating the senate's version of healthcare reform after lawmakers return to Washington following thanksgiving break and he has this prediction: "We'll pass it. The version in the Senate is much more main stream, much more moderate then the House provision."

That's because unlike the narrow vote in the house, the senate needs 60 votes out of the 100 senators to pass anything.