And certainly haven't kept up on all things obamacare. But doesn't this mean that if you're poor and can't afford insurance, you get fined for being poor? Isn't that the exact opposite that Obamacare was put in place for?
Here is an (overly) simplified explanation.
The intention is if you're poor and you can't afford insurance, you qualify for either healthcare through a government-run program OR the government will subsidize your purchase of private health insurance, making it more affordable for you.
If you can afford insurance and you're just choosing not to purchase it (the suspected bulk of the "millions of uninsured" ), you have to pay the penalty.
Roland00 has a more thorough explanation, and I am not getting into the government's definition of "poor" or "can afford it" or whether the penalty will actually act as incentive/disincentive, but this should answer your question.
"The trophy problem has become extreme."