Then the system we had prior to ACA was just fine, other than the tax part. We were all paying for their “free” emergency room care via the rates we paid for actual care provided (either out of pocket or via our insurance plan premiums)
Eh? Where else are they getting money other than in the form of premiums?
Previously, we had the most costly system for providing healthcare in the world while achieving mediocre results. The ACA will substantially lower our costs.
You and I have different definitions of “just fine.”
ETA: Any system that moves people from incidental emergency care to preventive services along with emergency coverage will be superior to what we had.
The tax refund is your money that you’ve given to the Feds, interest free, for the entire year. It’s foolish to “save” money in this manner. Much better off having your deductions set at rates where you break even, or have to pay a marginal amount and place your savings in a place where you receive a return in investment income.
The ACA will do nothing to reduce our costs at current healthcare standards.
What about mortgage interest deductions.
Also, you just called many many people in America foolish.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
As for the mortgage interest deduction, it’s already largely gone and built into the standard deduction.
The CBO begs to differ.
People too poor to buy it will get subsidies to cover most or all of the price of insurance (warning: PDF).
Remember the Medicaid expansion fight? The one the SCOTUS deemed unconstitutional and so states with Republican dominated statehouses decided to screw their poor and not expand it to cover their most vulnerable citizens? That option covers people up to 138% of the federal poverty level. That’s also the same plan that the Federal Government will cover 100% of for the first 3 years, dropping off to 90% until 2020.
See the chart in the link. Depending on your income level up to 400% of the poverty level, you get thousands a year to subsidize your health care. So I put in some basic information for the California exchange, and looked at what it would cost me up if I made 400% of the poverty level ($11490 for the contiguous 48 states in 2013). According to Covered California, I have bronze level care starting as low as $178 per month, silver at $213, and gold at $271.
The Kaiser chart says that “The amount of the tax credit that a person can receive is based on the premium for the second lowest cost silver plan in
the exchange and area where the person is eligible to purchase coverage”. That silver plan looks like $241, so $2892 per year. My tax credit would be 9.5% of income, which if we’re looking at 400% of poverty level ($45960) would be $4366. Therefore, for someone like me, the 2nd lower silver plan would be completely subsidized.
This is why its better than the current system we have. It doesn’t matter if I get cancer tomorrow or get into an accident that will require lifetime care. I would be covered completely from the day I buy my insurance to the day I die. I cannot be denied coverage due to my pre-existing condition. I cannot be kicked off because I’ve reached my lifetime cap. I can cover a child up to 26 years old under the same plan by paying ($2892 x 2 people = $5784 minus $4366 = $118 per month)
And under this plan I have $0 for preventive health doctor visits, immunization, and screenings. Lab tests are only $45, generic drugs are $19, and ER visits are only 20% of copay after deductible. And I’ll have this plan for LIFE, and so will everyone in my situation. You damn well bet this would be a godsend to most people. So yeah, if Obama lied to get this, I would give him a hug and a handshake for it and tell him to keep up the good job
Ok chief. Well one of us is insulting a large percentage of people in America right now, and it ain’t me. If you want to be that guy, I won’t stand in your way, but I don’t really think its that good of an idea to go through life looking down on so many people. I would think it would tend to result in a pretty lonely life.
Exactly. It’s also a bad idea to overpay your taxes, since IRS certainly doesn’t pay you interest on it (at least not in short term). So - if you don’t want to pay Obamacare fine, all you do is NOT overpay your taxes. Poof! No fine.
Not once, in the last 20 years or so, have I gotten a “tax refund”. Overpaying your taxes is giving an undeserved gift to the federal government.
Anyone who intentionally overpays their taxes because he “has a desire to have a tax refund” is a fool.
What’s insulting is a large % of the people thinking it’s a good idea to provide the Government an interest free loan for the year instead of taking care of their own finances.
Bingo
My, you guys certainly hold a lot of your fellow Americans in contempt don’t you?
That’s really not much different than “You shouldn’t have been happy with your crappy insurance.”
All well and good, but what you don’t mention is what the deductible is on those plans. Even if they do receive s subsidy to cover the cost of the insurance, how are they going to cover the costs of the deductible (which I understand is significant) So it would seem to me, we’re still back to square one. - a large % of the population saying screw this and opting for no coverage & free care at the emergency room
People whose income is below that require to file are exempt from the mandate. People whose income is such that the cost of the lowest available premium is greater than 8% of their income are exempt from the mandate.
Overall, the price is lower. They will cover it by using the money saved from not having to be on a more expensive or less comprehensive plan.
So we’ve come full cycle it would seem.
People aren’t allowed to make poor choices when it comes to bare-bones insurance, but when it comes to making foolish decisions regarding your personal tax deductions, somehow that’s entirely different :rolleyes:
Yes it is, because the crappy insurance policies cost everyone and hurt society as a whole.
A persons tax decisions only affect them.
Either way I never referred to a large percentage of people in America as fools.