Posted: Sep 30, 2013 8:58 am Post subject: Health Care Exchanges
So, how many of you have looked at the health care exchanges being set up? How does it compare to your current situation?
I've been looking at it and doing some comparison to see how it works out. From what I can tell, the plan that most closely matches what I have now prices out at about $200 more a month than I pay right now, not counting any tax credits. The tax credit portion doesn't seem real clear, so I'm not sure exactly how that would play out. _________________ If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
From what I understand the tax credits are based on income up to 400% of poverty level, which is 46K for individual and 94k for family of 4. _________________ Is President Obama a Keynesian?
It should also be mentioned that I could not have gotten that plan before, as I would have been (and was, previously) rejected for pre-existing. _________________
I guess what I am driving at is why can't it be handled just like homeowners, or auto insurance? There is an individual mandate on auto and mortgage holders mandate homeowners.
Doesn't make any sense to me to have it associated with employment, in fact it becomes counter productive when an employer is looking to cut costs. I don't get why this isn't a point in the disscusion. _________________ Is President Obama a Keynesian?
I agree, the two topics ideally should be segregated. It is, however, in the general interest of the employer to have a healthy workforce, but I digress. _________________
From what I understand the tax credits are based on income up to 400% of poverty level, which is 46K for individual and 94k for family of 4.
What doesn't seem clear to me is whether is is progressive or just a flat rate within that range. _________________ If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
Thanks. It looks like even considering any subsidies, the cost would be higher than what I'm paying now. I'm interested to see what my employer decides to do this year and in coming years. _________________ If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
I'm not eligible for subsidies and have no idea what my HC insurance costs as it is a negotiated part of my compensation. _________________ If I agreed with you we would both be wrong.
You have no idea what your insurance costs. Your employer has been willing to absorb the ongoing increases and good for you. In reality a portion of that money could be in your pocket. _________________ Is President Obama a Keynesian?
I'm insulated from the costs but doubt my employer would pay me any portion of that money if he didn't need to offer it as part of my overall benefits package. _________________ If I agreed with you we would both be wrong.
I am sure it wouldn't go down as simple as No Healthcare, More Pay.
Also, I am sure there is a competative group of employers in your field and healthcare is "standard" as compensation. If healthcare was stripped from the compensation all the workers would expect pay to buy comparable healthcare, or some would move on.
It is an economic fact that more price information moves prices downward.
I would draw a comparison of not knowing the cost of healthcare to people with direct deposit of there payroll checks. I dare anyone to look at there gross payroll check and net payroll check then tell me they are in favor of more taxes. _________________ Is President Obama a Keynesian?
Of course nobody would say they are in favor. Of course, most people aren't bright enough to figure out what their actual net tax is and blindly pay whatever their employer tells them is right. These are the same people that think their tax refund is some sort of magic bonus money from the feds. _________________
I've been laughing at all the comments I'm seeing (and "news" reports) about the supposed exemption. _________________ If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
It is an economic fact that more price information moves prices downward.
I would draw a comparison of not knowing the cost of healthcare to people with direct deposit of there payroll checks. I dare anyone to look at there gross payroll check and net payroll check then tell me they are in favor of more taxes.
I don't disagree and believe that cost transparency is needed in the medical field beyond Healthcare Insurance schemes. Procedural cost by hospital/doctor ect, would go a long way at eliminating some unnecessary costs that the medical field's God complex has prevented the general public from seeing. _________________ If I agreed with you we would both be wrong.
chavez, I'll be filing a class action today against the government for my pro rata share of tax dollars for each day of the shut down. _________________ If I agreed with you we would both be wrong.
Actually, I do know how much my insurance costs and how much my company pays. They have been sending out information to us for a couple of months that lays out what we have with our current company plan vs going through an exchange. They have also projected thru 2018 to show how things are going to change.
In 2018, I'm either going to lose my insurance plan or it's going to go way up in cost. In fact, not a single plan offered by our company is not a cadilac plan. So, because we are successful, we get punished. A$$HOLES!!!!! _________________ Work SUX!
Pardon me if I am skeptical, but you are telling me that your employer's plan options are all over 10,500/individual or 27,500/family?
I mentioned earlier that I felt our plan from my wife's district was something I would call a "cadillac" plan. It is a 0 deductible low copay very little out of pocket plan. I could go in for a heart transplant and it would cost us $150 out of pocket.
That said, the plan is about $18k/year, and we pay 12k of that 18k. IOW - we are nearly 10k below what would be considered a "cadillac" plan (which would be subject to the tax on the amount over 27.5k).
So again, I must say that I am highly skeptical of your claim. Were you only looking at the individual threshold? _________________
So I looked at the bronze plan and it appears I would be paying around $350. Now if I set up a company provided plan, would the individual rate carry over to each of my employees? Also, how would my company qualify for the 50% tax deduction? The way I see it, I could offer individual full coverage and see a $175 tax right off per employee per month. Not too shabby assuming most persons would fall about the same rate as I. _________________ jt09 wrote:
I used to get all happy when the girlie would make a colonic appointment. That meant she was going to be breaking out the "fine china" soon.
Chavez - you may be correct. I think they were only discussing the individual threshold. I'm basing this off of what I have been given as literature from my company. It's not easy to wade through it all, but I'm working on it.
I want to know how all those people that don't use the internet are going to sign up. You have to have an e-mail account to sign up, from what I read yesterday. There are many people that have no idea how to get an e-mail address. This is going to be UGLY.
Also, I've been seeing where most young folks are just going to pay the $95 penalty instead of signing up. No reason to sign up now. If you get hurt, just sign up on the way to the hospital. _________________ Work SUX!
By Marc A. Thiessen, Monday, October 14, 9:52 AM
Obamacare is imploding. But thanks to the government shutdown, everyone is talking about the implosion of the GOP instead.
The shutdown drama has distracted from the fact that Obamacare’s debut is worse than many realize — and it threatens the fundamental viability of the law itself. The administration claims the Obamacare online exchanges crashed because the Web site got more than 8 million hits in the first week. Please. You know how many people visit Amazon.com every week? More than 70 million. The difference is: 1.) Amazon seldom crashes, and 2.) on Amazon, people actually buy something.
It appears virtually no one is buying Obamacare. While administration officials brag about how many visitors the site is getting, they refuse to divulge how many people actually signed up. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was asked that directly by Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show.” “Fully enrolled?” Sebelius stuttered. “I can’t tell you. Because I don’t know.” That is a frightening admission of incompetence. If the Obama administration can’t even track how many people signed up, how on earth is it going to verify whether those people are eligible for subsidies? How will it protect against fraud?
The Post reported this past weekend that the failure of the Web site is worse than previously known: “Even when consumers have been able to sign up, insurers sometimes can’t tell who their new customers are because of a separate set of computer defects.” It turns out that in some 99 percent of applications, the Obamacare site did not provide insurers with enough verifiable information to enroll people in their plans.
Computer experts say the problems with the site are not because of heavy traffic but are the result of structural flaws in system architecture. It is going to take months to rebuild it. That raises a question: If the federal government can’t manage a simple Web site, how on earth is it going to manage the health care of millions of Americans?
It also means that President Obama may have no choice but to delay the individual mandate. As my American Enterprise Institute colleague, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, points out, how can Obama penalize people for not having health insurance if the government’s Web site to provide that insurance doesn’t work?
Without the individual mandate, Obamacare unravels. The only way the law works is if the government forces young, healthy people into it by threatening them with penalties for not carrying health insurance. But if there is no penalty for not signing up, then fewer Americans will sign up.
Even if the administration manages to fix the Web site and finally implement the individual mandate, people still may not join — because the plans being offered are so unattractive. To entice people to join the exchanges, the administration forced insurers to offer low monthly premiums and cover people with preexisting conditions. Insurers have responded by increasing deductibles — the out-of-pocket costs people must pay before insurance benefits kick in — to stratospheric levels.
According to an analysis this weekend by the president’s hometown paper, the Chicago Tribune, “21 of the 22 lowest-priced plans offered on the Illinois health insurance exchange for Cook County have annual deductibles of more than $4,000 for an individual and $8,000 for family coverage. . . . Plans with the least expensive monthly premiums — highlighted by state and federal officials as proof the new law will keep costs low for consumers — have deductibles as high as $6,350 for individuals and $12,700 for families.” Even with federal subsidies, few Americans will bother to buy insurance with a $4,000 to $12,700 deductible — and millions won’t even be eligible for the subsidies.
If enough Americans don’t join the exchanges, Obamacare collapses. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the administration needs at least 7 million people to join the exchanges for Obamacare to be financially viable. While the administration won’t reveal sign-up rates, London’s Daily Mail reported that total sign-ups in the first week were just 51,000 people. If accurate, that would mean they have just 6,949,000 more to go to break even.
Bottom line: It turns out Obamacare is blowing itself up just fine without Republican help. Far from a few “glitches,” the president’s signature program is in free fall after only a week. But instead of focusing on the Obamacare debacle, the news is filled with stories about . . . the government shutdown. The irony is, the shutdown was intended to stop Obamacare. Instead, it is rescuing Obama from his own incompetence.
_________________
Rhawn wrote:
You should have a less retarded friend read over your posts before you hit "Submit"
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Stats
Favorites
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
