Posted on 05/30/2013 12:19:48 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
After I graduated college and before I landed my first real-deal job that included insurance benefits, I took out my own independent health insurance plan that covered all of the bases a young and healthy person like myself might need. It cost me about ninety dollars a month, and seeing as how I didn’t have any regular health care needs, it was pretty much just catastrophe insurance in case I happened to break my leg or get into a car accident or catch malaria or some other relatively unlikely scenario. I felt secure about the situation, knowing that I would be covered in case of a mega-emergency but that I wasn’t paying out the nose for a health care policy I wouldn’t need to use very often.
In order to work, of course, ObamaCare desperately needs young and healthy people to start paying into the system for an outsized portion of the benefits they’re likely to not use very often — which is precisely why some people with the type of bare-bones insurance that I had are about to get forcibly kicked off of their plans. That kind of thing doesn’t quite jibe with our minimum requirements, you see, says the all-knowing ObamaCare law from on high — but don’t worry, because there will be plenty of available benefits and subsidies to make up the difference, we swear!
Fox News reports on the increasingly apparent scenario many Americans are going to facing in the near future: Pending rules mean that a whole lot of individuals (and some small businesses) with personal insurance plans could be receiving cancellation notices as early as this fall as insurance plans that don’t meet the core requirements are are discontinued:
In fact, state insurance commissioners largely are giving insurers the option of canceling existing plans or changing them to comply with new federal requirements. …
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners says it is hearing that many carriers will cancel policies and issue new ones because administratively that is easier than changing existing plans.
About 14 million Americans currently purchase their health policies individually, a number expected to more than double eventually because of the new law’s subsidies and one-stop insurance markets. …
Nationally a considerable number of people could be affected by cancellations. Information from insurers is still dribbling in to state regulators. …
“You’re going to be forcibly upgraded,” said Bob Laszewski, a health care industry consultant. “It’s like showing up at the airline counter and being told, ‘You have no choice, $300 please. You’re getting a first-class ticket, why are you complaining?’”
In other words, a bunch of individuals and small businesses are going to lose their plans and instead have to find replacement plans (or pay the penalty) that meet the law’s basic standards; but obviously, the administration is touting this as them doing everybody else a big fat favor, even if they don’t know it yet:
But supporters of the overhaul are betting that consumers won’t object once they realize the coverage they will get under the new law is superior to current bare-bones insurance. For example, insurers will no longer be able to turn people down because of medical problems. …
The Obama administration did not respond directly to questions about the potential fallout from cancellation notices. Instead, Health and Human Services spokeswoman Joanne Peters released a prepared statement saying: “Beginning in October, individuals and small businesses will be able to shop for insurance in the marketplace, where we are already seeing that increased competition and transparency are leading to a range of options for quality, affordable plans.”
So, by “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it,” what Obama really meant to say was, “If we like your health care plan, you can keep it.” As Philip Klein explains at the Washington Examiner, in order for insurers to be able to afford taking on these riskier insurance pools, they are going to be directly relying on luring younger and more profitable people into them:
That means much of the burden of the law will be on the hipster generation of Americans in their 20s and 30s, who will have to choose between paying a tax or paying for insurance they may not want. …
Under current law, a 25-year-old hipster living in San Francisco’s Mission District could purchase plans for as cheap as $95 per month through the website eHealthInsurance.com.
But according to Covered California, the entity that runs the California exchanges, in 2014, the cheapest qualifying plan in the state will be $162 per month — or nearly 60 percent higher.
Younger individuals would stop being eligible for subsidies after earning $32,000 per year. At 26, they would no longer have the option of remaining on their parents’ insurance policies, and at 30, they could no longer legally purchase cheaper, catastrophic health insurance.
You got what you voted for, Obamabots.
That’s what we should have told Chicago— if you like it, you can keep it.
I really liked my company’s “Buy Up” medical insurance plan, which allowed for lower copays and additional coverage for a higher monthly premium.
The Obama regime called the “Buy Up” a “cadillac, gold plated” policy, which is why my company is discontinuing it. I certainly don’t blame my company, which already pays the vast majority of my premiums as a “benefit,” since they needed to avoid the 40% tax the regime was going to hit them with.
As usual, any time the government names something, like “affordable,” you can take to the bank it’s going to be far LESS affordable. In my case, I’ll be spending at least an additional $4000 a year in medical expenses, which used to be covered. But at least it should allow me to take the medical deduction on my taxes next year, even though they raised the minimum you have to spend in order to deduct it, as well as the amount you can deduct.
Thanks to Nan, Harry, and of course, Barkey, I won’t be participating in the economic recovery next year!
Mark
10,000 a year here and not only is the premium going up, but my deductible is going up with it.
When I lose my policy, I will not sign up for the exchanges. When they send the fine, I will not pay it. Eventually, they MUST issue a warrant to arrest me for not paying the fines and when they do, I will ignore its command. Eventually, they will have to act to enforce that warrant and then they will knock on my door, when they do I will not answer it. Eventually, they will be forced to kick the door in and when they do they will be met with resistance and they will pay a price.
Of course, I know that I will pay the ultimate price, but they must be willing to shoot me dead in order to mandate their health insurance utopia. It is that way with every one of their desires, but this one is my bright line.
I'd like a link to that info. All I've read is that they are authorized to garnish income tax refunds.
What's the big deal? These are the same people who will be expected to finance social security, medicare, and the national debt... Thanks much, we older people really appreciate you taking on the burden by voting for Barkey and the dems. That's very generous of you...
Mark
Eventually the IRS will come after you to imprison you. Just ask Wesley Snipes.
Mark
So this is your opinion, and not based on the current law?
Just trying to clarify.
0bamacare is Unconstitutional. Why should Americans comply with something that’s Unconstitutional? The evil of John Roberts’ decision cannot be overstated. I applaud your stance!
“I’d like a link to that info. All I’ve read is that they are authorized to garnish income tax refunds.”
There is no link, it is the only way that ANY law can be enforced. Every law is only valid because of government guns. In addition, I do not pay extra throughout the year, so I do not get refunds.
Ya, free health care for all. Now go and find a doctor or a hospital.
What we need is for hundreds of thousands of you to do the same thing.
They won’t be able to enforce it.
{I’d like a link to that info. All I’ve read is that they are authorized to garnish income tax refunds. }
It’s really implicit in the law, not explicit. Once you have say $100 billion in uncollected Obamacare taxes, the IRS will be forced to start Gulags.
http://www.futurnamics.com/gulag.php
brought = bought
We’re in the midst of learning we are under a Dictatorship. No doubt Holder dragged out some manila folders on Roberts..
Thanks. That passage has inspired me and only strengthens my resolve.
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