For folks wanting the details of the working of the penalty under the mandate to have health insurance, here is a link to a newly released (July 2) Congressional Research Service analysis. The typical penalty for the typical family might be capped in the $2000 range but very wealthy individuals would be subject to a penalty that would have a ceiling equal to the national average premium for Bronze plans – those that cover 60% of the actuarial value of minimum essential health benefits. The document estimates that at $12,000.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R41331.pdf