What does the IRS have to do with health care? Very little today. However, if one presidential candidate gets his wish, the IRS will be intimately involved in health care.
Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) proposes that under his version of socialized medicine, Americans would have to submit proof of health insurance with their annual tax filings. If you didn’t have insurance, the IRS would notify a newly created federal/regional bureaucracy; that individual would be required to obtain insurance (but would get a tax credit to help with his payments).
Now, I’ve probably got some of the details garbled, but I’m not apologizing for that. The IRS has enough difficulties administering taxes. Getting them involved in health care is a prescription for a headache that we’d all be sharing.