Want to make the Affordable Care Act actually affordable again? Two quick changes: remove mandatory maternity coverage, and reinstate the proper differential rates for men and women. And whamo, you slice through the cost of coverage.
Because those are the two demons in PelosiCare - mandatory coverage for maternity which was optional coverage in the past, and different rates for men and women (since, you know, the are actually physically different.)
Instead, it is liberal dream world - men and women are entirely equal, maternity coverage for everyone (how many 40 year olds really need maternity coverage anyway? How about 70 year olds?)
So there’s no way in the world that rates will ever drop. It will just increase by incredible amounts each year (and likely will increase BEFORE coverage even begins on January 1st...) All because of the kitchen sink mentality of what liberals imagine coverage should be.
I’ve had a round of discussions about this thing over the weekend with various Actual Americans, and the consensus seems to be that Official Washington will delay the Individual Mandate, as they have the Employer Mandate, for a year ... IF a face-saving way to do that can be devised.
If that happens, expect a stripped-down Obamacare a year hence, with lower premiums and directed more toward the poor, not those who can afford, and already have, insurance.
And, presumably, a website that actually works.
I checked what my Obamacare rates would be here in California, and for the cheapest plan I’d pay $880 a month. This is about 2.5 times what I was paying for a similar plan about 8 months ago.
Check it out for yourself with the Kaiser Family Foundation ObamaCare calculator. KFF ObamaCare Calculator (KFF supports an ObamaCare. It's certainly not a rightwing critic.)
The calculator is already filled in with an income of $62040 at the link. Add one marginal dollar of income, and the marginal income tax goes up by $7446.
If your family uses ObamaCare insurance in 2014 and your adjusted gross income is in the vicinity of $62,000, you'd better pay close attention to this fact.
Its allowed, but what you are doing is forcing some other taxpayer to pay for it.
COOL.
In CA a 60 Y/O couple making 71,500 can take 11,500 IRA deduction to reduce income to $60,000 which makes them eligible for a $7,645 subsidy. With an income of $71,500 the subsidy would be $0. Don’t forget about $3,000 tax adjustment to gross income as well.
I haven’t had a problem making LESS money during the Obama administration; the administration, along with the state of Maryland, has effectively killed many of my clients.
All of Obama’s peeps are in on the scam. The computer glitch gives cover to them using paper forms. They put in whatever low income number they want and no one checks because the income check isn’t ready. He said the first year would be on the honor system.
No honor among thieves.
The Acorn folks will navigate white middle class tea party types into the high end plans while their pals will be navigated into how to lie to make their plans free.
A scam that works for them on many levels and ultimatley kills the middlecalss economically
I used to try to tell folks when I worked for the military, “Managing is for paper clips, people have to be led.”. No one listens, though. I would tell folks to think a “thought experiment”. Think of a sandbox with small hills and gullies. Now if I pour water on it from a flower shower can the water will immediately find all the low spots. Water doesn’t even have a brain. How in the world do you think you can manage PEOPLE with policies and regulations? Before you can even upend your “watering can” people will have figured out where the “low spots” are and will have already dealt with them. Ultimately, this is where socialism fails. YOU CANNOT MANAGE PEOPLE. You might be able to herd cats, I don’t know.
Punish success. Reward failure. Everyone loses.
This is exactly what the whole “fundamentally transform America” meant... bring it to it’s knees and destroy it.
Third world America is not far away... there’s still hope but it’s fading fast.
Yeah, but at least they can say “I’m not racist, I voted for Obama!”