How Obamacare Actually Works

The Affordable Health Care Act was written in part by big insurance and drug companies. There are many provisions in it that are there to protect the profits of these companies in the expense of the rest of us. Over one million people in California alone lost their existing health care coverage due to the ACA. The ACA also has policies intended to put the squeeze on Heath Care Savings Accounts in an attempt to force people out of them and onto the ACA.

Both the Dems and GOP knew what they where passed the ACA and the consequences of passing the law. They did it anyway because they where being paid to do so. Also in the US surgery techniques and pharmaceuticals can be copy written and thanks to a large chunk of the Trans-Pacific Partnership being leaked, the US is attempting to push these copy writes onto other countries.

I'm all for a new Health Care system, but this is a fucking joke. My place of employment has cut peoples' hours because of political bullshit the public are willingly sucking with a smile. If anyone has over thirty-five hours and not a full-time employee, we get fined if we don't provide insurance--which I kind of understand, but this isn't good for a small business. Let's also not forget about 3.5 million Americans that have gotten their cancellation letters for a plan they liked … but they could keep it, right?

My sister got a cute letter in the mail, canceling her good insurance and she now has to settle for shit insurance that costs MORE. Her original cost was $821 per month and it was a great plan. This is quoted from her letter, to wit: “As a convenience to you, we're transitioning you to a health care reform compliant plan...This new plan, ANTHEM ESSENTIAL DIRECTACCESS-CBCE is available at $1,316.06.”

Seems to me and hundreds of people with common sense, the only people that agree with any of this bullshit from Washington are the morons that haven't been affected, yet.

I do think we need Health Care reform but Jesus creeping shit ... let's get intelligent people to do it instead of paid off crooks that people cheer and applaud without any critical thought.

When insurance companies are involved you're doing it wrong. This is still sadly true of Canadian healthcare in most cases. Conservatives should be ashamed of themselves - and then they should all be shot.

Flesh420 said:

I'm all for a new Health Care system, but this is a fucking joke. My place of employment has cut peoples' hours because of political bullshit the public are willingly sucking with a smile. If anyone has over thirty-five hours and not a full-time employee, we get fined if we don't provide insurance--which I kind of understand, but this isn't good for a small business.

Businesses with less than 50 employees are exempt from the new policy. How "small" is your business?

My sister got a cute letter in the mail, canceling her good insurance and she now has to settle for shit insurance that costs MORE. Her original cost was $821 per month and it was a great plan. This is quoted from her letter, to wit: “As a convenience to you, we're transitioning you to a health care reform compliant plan...This new plan, ANTHEM ESSENTIAL DIRECTACCESS-CBCE is available at $1,316.06.”

She might want to hit up the marketplace. Her provider is probably hoping she doesn't clue in to the opportunity to shop for cheaper coverage.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/insurance-companies-misleading-letters-obamacare

Aliotroph? said:

they should all be shot.

Okay, that's Stalinist Communism.

Flesh420 said:

My sister got a cute letter in the mail, canceling her good insurance and she now has to settle for shit insurance that costs MORE. Her original cost was $821 per month and it was a great plan. This is quoted from her letter, to wit: “As a convenience to you, we're transitioning you to a health care reform compliant plan...This new plan, ANTHEM ESSENTIAL DIRECTACCESS-CBCE is available at $1,316.06.”

That line right there, "As a convenience to you" is the bullshit that you are being fed. Nowhere in the letter do they say required or even mention that you have to do this. And like Bucket said nor do they mention that other plans are available in the marketplace. They're just being the kind hearted insurers they've always been, providing you with this "convenience" of a plan that happened to be $500 more expensive than the previous one

I don't get it...isn't the USA the Land of the Free where you can do as you wish with your own money? E.g. if you decide that you need no healthcare plan and that you'll simply put your money in a bank or invest it and use it when and IF you get sick, as you consider this to be more cost-effective on the long run, can't you do it? Or is there compulsory insurance there, too? :-(

Kontra Kommando said:

Okay, that's Stalinist Communism.

Actually, esteemed colleague, I would be divided between Pol-Potist and Hoxhist, with an aftertaste of Kimjongilist.

Aliotroph? said:

they should all be shot.

Yeah

Maes said:

I don't get it...isn't the USA the Land of the Free where you can do as you wish with your own money? E.g. if you decide that you need no healthcare plan and that you'll simply put your money in a bank or invest it and use it when and IF you get sick, as you consider this to be more cost-effective on the long run, can't you do it? Or is there compulsory insurance there, too? :-(

That was a possible course of action you were free to take. But soon, it will be required for everyone to purchase health insurance, or suffer a penalty; that's another part of the act of disagree with.

Bucket said:

Businesses with less than 50 employees are exempt from the new policy. How "small" is your business?

50-100 employees is still a small business and generally where a sudden "oh congrats you now have this massive new cost" means not making payroll and lay offs.

P.S. The cheapest plan I can get right now through Covered California is still MORE MONEY FOR WORSE COVERAGE than what I had before.

Kontra Kommando said:

That was a possible course of action you were free to take. But soon, it will be required for everyone to purchase health insurance, or suffer a penalty; that's another part of the act of disagree with.

What's that penalty? Because one because one staple of antiamerican propaganda each Greek schoolboy (or anyone skeptical of our pension/welfare system) was that "in the USA, there is no healthcare/welfare/pensions, and sick people/old people die on the street alone, that's how bad it is!".

Is it actually worse than that? Like will there be someone proactively chasing down uninsured people and putting them to jail or something? I remember once reading that in the USA, cops have the right to kill you on the spot if you are uninsured, but that was probably (?) propaganda.

Also, WTF @ some quotes mentioned here....based on my understanding, $1000 is practically minimum/typical wage today, how is someone expected to pay more than 100% of that on healthcare alone? Aren't there different classes of service/pricing?

Maes said:

What's that penalty? Because one because one staple of antiamerican propaganda each Greek schoolboy (or anyone skeptical of our pension/welfare system) was that "in the USA, there is no healthcare/welfare/pensions, and sick people/old people die on the street alone, that's how bad it is!".

Is it actually worse than that? Like will there be someone proactively chasing down uninsured people and putting them to jail or something? I remember once reading that in the USA, cops have the right to kill you on the spot if you are uninsured, but that was probably (?) propaganda.

Also, WTF @ some quotes mentioned here....based on my understanding, $1000 is practically minimum/typical wage today, how is someone expected to pay more than 100% of that on healthcare alone? Aren't there different classes of service/pricing?

From what I read, it's an $800 penalty for citizens who fail to purchase healthcare. However the fee will be waived if you're absolutely destitute/not possible to pay.

As for healthcare service, it is illegal for doctors to not treat patience in need. However, they will be murdered financial with the cost. Even with healthcare, you can be a victim of unscrupulous business practices, like double charging ppl; offices losing paper work; failing to properly follow the process by missing certain nuances. Etc. I have probably some of the best healthcare because of my job, but I've been subject to all of that aforementioned bs. It's important to keep a copy of absolutely everything, to throw it right back in their faces when they try to pull a fast one on ppl.

Well, that sucks. So much for "Liberty". Next time vote for the GOP, kthx.

The law does try to tighten rules on insurance companies so more people can buy insurance (eg. they can't refuse you now just because you have a chronic condition), but the way these companies deal with it is by offering less coverage or by charging everybody more.

Ted Kennedy should have done that deal with Nixon for universal healthcare. :/

Nixon actually proposed to dole out $1000 a year to each American citizen. But that was shot down, because the dems thought it was too little. Moreover Nixon helped to created the environmental protection agency. However it is suggested that the EPA was created to stimulate industrial outsourcing; Nixon also opened the door to china for US companies.

Maes said:

What's that penalty?

For 2014, it's $95 per person or 1% of whatever you make a year, whichever is more. For 2015, it goes up to $325 per person or 2% of whatever you make (again, whichever is more). For 2016, it goes up again to $695 per person or 3% of whatever you make (again, whichever is more). From there the penalty is adjusted for inflation.

Maes said:

Is it actually worse than that? Like will there be someone proactively chasing down uninsured people and putting them to jail or something?

You pay the penalty when you pay your taxes. So unless you want to take the chance of the IRS possibly auditing your ass and making your life miserable, you pay it. The government is using the IRS as a bullying tactic, basically.

Maes said:

Also, WTF @ some quotes mentioned here....based on my understanding, $1000 is practically minimum/typical wage today, how is someone expected to pay more than 100% of that on healthcare alone? Aren't there different classes of service/pricing?

$7.25 an hour is the federal minimum wage in the US. The US taxpayers government will give subsidies to people with a family income between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. At 100% of the poverty level, you'll only have to spend 2% of your income on health insurance, the government will pay the rest. The amount you have to spend slowly rises as the amount you make increases, up to spending 9.5% of your income on health insurance if you're at 400% of the federal poverty level, with the government paying the rest.

If you make over 400% of the federal poverty level, you're considered "rich, bitch!" and you're on your own.

If you make less than 100% of the federal poverty level, then you are exempt and aren't required to have health insurance.

Nuxius said:

At 100% of the poverty level, you'll only have to spend 2% of your income on health insurance, the government will pay the rest.

This sounds fair on paper, but I can see a lot of room for abuse, jury rigging and loopholes.

For one, what insurance company will offer a minimum wager truly affordable care? It's much more probable that they will start offering "healthcare plans" that will only be such on paper, and will be there just so poor sods can avoid the IRS penalty. God Forbid if you really require health services and try to use such a "healthcare plan" though. In this way, "affordable care" is reduced to yet another tax in disguise, for a service that most "contributors" won't be able to enjoy due to various technicalities, anyway.

darknation said:

I apologize to everyone reading this.

Apology accepted.