They will give them tax credits(also known as subsidies). Why do you think the IRS is running the show? Tell me something, a person makes $30k a year working two part-time jobs that don't offer health insurance. He has to pay for it through the exchange. Does he get a full subsidy? And he will have to pay the premium each month, then get a tax credit at end of year that'll only partly recoup his cost. Alot has been said about how people going to the ER drive up costs for everyone. Well won't paying for everything for all the poor drive up costs too? And who pays for it? The taxpayer, there isn't a free lunch. Well our $30k worker will make too much to get a subsidy, or maybe he'll get some. But he's on the hook for copays and deductibles. And if something serious happens he'll be on the hook for alot more because he can't afford the Platinum plan with 90% coverage. There is no free lunch. If the poor are going to have everything paid for then many like our $30k guy will work less because what's the point of working more in his pay range if you are going to have to give it to the insurance company or the government anyways? By the way, if he opts out the penalty by 2016 is $695 per adult or 2.5% of income, whichever is greater, with a cap of $2028 per family(if I remember right on the family). So our $30k guy would pay $750 to the government for the right to not pay a monthly premium he can't afford. And no, didn't get this on FOX, just came up with this example after reading numerous websites, including CBS just a few minutes ago.