New “Bennies” Under the ACA

| October 9, 2013

Well, it seems we’re still learning how bad taxpayers got shafted new things about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) nearly 2 1/2 years after It passed.  I guess we really did have to “pass it to see what’s in it”.

Here’s yet another bit of “good news” for Federal taxpayers contained therein.

It seems that the ACA makes able-bodied males with incomes under the poverty level eligible for Federal healthcare assistance.  Specifically, it makes them eligible for Medicaid.

Under the ACA, it also seems that’s true even if they’re incarcerated in a local or county jail, or in a state prison.  So states participating in Medicaid just got a major “freebie” – and the US taxpayer gets stuck with the bill.

Now, the US taxpayer will be picking up a chunk of the costs for prisoner healthcare in state/county/local jails.  Previously that was a state/local responsibility previously – which it should be.

Welcome to Bizzaro World, folks.

Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Health Care debate

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Flagwaver

I wonder how many people are going to “opt out” of their American citizenship to keep more of their money? You know, move to a country that treats its tax payers better… like Greece or Russia…

MCPO NYC USN (Ret.)

Let me net this one out:

All non-tax paying hood rats and slackers get FREE healthcare paid in full by me and you!

Grimmy

Look up “navigators” in ACA. Look at who’s gonna be such, the complete lack of safe guards and all the personal information they’re given access to.

Green Thumb

Give it a few years and get ready for the boatload of taxes that will be imposed to pay for the ACA.

Odd that no one is concerned/speaking about that now.

Just wait.

OWB

And I just heard a report that the website cost $634M to develop!

Egads.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

No way this could end badly, right?

Green Thumb

@6.

Not at all.

pigmypuncher

The plan isn’t what you think (free healthcare for $hitbirds), the plan is to bankrupt every from of current healthcare models faster so that when it all fails, the .gov will HAVE to step in and push single payor.

2/17 Air Cav

What positively baffles me is how ANYONE could have possibly have thought that the Emperor and the democritters would provide health care to the country at a reduced cost. Their motto: Take from those who do and give to those who don’t. That’s what this clown has been about from day one. Or did you perhaps think that his intention to radically change America meant something good?

OWB

Yep, single payer has always been the goal. Since we fought them on it, they are making it as painful as possible.

The signs have been there for a very long time. For instance, what legitimate reason is there for issuing a SSAN to a newborn? There is none – it is just a numeric tag for tracking another serf.

Ex-PH2

I got this by e-mail from Nicki this morning, from her blog.

http://thelibertyzone.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/the-imperial-schadenfreude/

It seems that not only is the ACA website not working at all well, despite claims to the contrary, the premiums at the exchanges are far higher than they are supposed to be, which is causing many people to drop coverage for their families because they simply cannot afford it, period.

By far higher, I mean a family coverage policy that cost $2,000 a month is now $10,000 per month. As one very frustrated person pointed out, that is disposable income that could be used on other things like food and clothing. What does this mean in real terms? It means you literally have to choose between coverage for yourself and family, or eating.

I’d take food. Screw the ACA.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

$10,000 a month? What the h#ll?

the median income in the US is $51,000 per year….even $2k a month won’t fly for a normal family even with a small mortgage…

Ex-PH2

I’m damned serious, VOV.

I should have copied the link to that article. I may be able to find it again. If I can find it, I will post it. It focused on both the frustration people are having with the ACA website and the extreme rise in premium rates. This is an outrage, and my cynical side knew when ACA was passed, because I was in the insurance business for 5 years, that this kind of thing is exactly what would happen.

Health insurance is not like homeowners coverage or an vehicle comprehensive/collision policy with coverage to protect you, the insured, from uninsured/underinsured drivers. Health insurance rates are based on the statistics in risk pools, just as HO coverage is, but the risks are higher and therefore the premiums are higher.

Before ACA became effective, a single person comprehensive policy (as opposed to group coverage) went from $525 in 2005 to $725 in 2012. Employers could offer lower rates because employee groups are considered pooled coverage.

That now appears to be completely gone by the wayside, and guess what? The higher premiums will paying for coverage for other people, not for your coverage.

This is probably going to turn into the biggest boondoggle financial disaster we’ve seen in a long time. I think the premum assistance (derived from the higher premium rates) for those who can’t afford coverage starts at $95, or something – have to look it up – but you tell me where you can possibly find even basic coverage for $95/month. I paid that in 1981, when I was freelancing in graphic arts and photography. Then I got coverage through the Chicago Artists’ Coalition for about $175 to $250 per month, depending on what level of coverage I wanted.

Now? Can you hear me laughing?

Veritas Omnia Vincit

I’m thinking those numbers are yearly numbers but still 10k a year is 20% of the gross income of the median wage earner. Which means it’s more than double what the average family can currently save, which means most folks are hosed. Which means the nation is hosed, which means all the folks like those of us here p1ssing and moaning about this bill for the last almost 4 years are proving to be correct in our analysis of not trusting the phony baloney numbers provided to and by the CBO when entertaining the cost of this giant goat fuck of a bill…

ACA is the drain that will take away the last bit of profit and recovery that might have been getting started in this economy…thanks to this bill thousands of Americans have seen their hours cut so the employer doesn’t have to pay the penalty, so those folks have even less money to afford this.

With progress like this you might be seeing the median income actually go down instead of up slightly…nice job Mr. President once again you and the people who have as little experience as you do in the managing of massive business enterprises are revealing their complete and utter lack of basic business comprehension skills.

Just f#cking the folks with more money doesn’t work for stuff like this, you took a pretty decent 1st world health care system and managed to completely f@ck it up. 2016 can’t come quick enough for me…let’s hope this lazy, stupid electorate can at least make a little progress in 2014 toward correcting this giant pile of sh1t Obama will leave behind.

DefendUSA

I have been called a liar several times today. So, I’m just gonna go effing postal, here and now.

Fuck any goddamned leftminded thinker who does not believe that now my self-employed premium for 6 is going to be 1500/month add on the drugs that have no generics 500./month.
It is a 200% fucking increase in my life. The equivalent of another effing mortgage payment. I get nothing more but I am paying out the ass.

So, I am without but wait, I owe a tax so effing prisoners can now mooch some more? Color me fucking pissed.

DefendUSA

#Obama/Congress=DICKWEEDS.

Ex-PH2

Here is a Forbes Magazine article from January this year, regarding the rise in premiums, which was predicted by the insurance industry.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2013/01/12/insurance-analysts-obamacare-to-increase-out-of-pocket-premium-costs-despite-lavish-subsidies/

This is from an Ohio newspaper: http://www.examiner.com/article/lt-gov-taylor-blames-aca-for-41-rise-ohio-healthcare-premiums

If a family is large, this premium rise covers more than just two people or one person. The subsidies are going to come from WHERE? The increases in premium rates. It’s not that hard to figure out. Medicaid is just one of the directions this will be taking.

Ex-PH2

I knew if I looked far enough, I would find the actual numbers. This is an actuarial study by the Society of Actuaries on the premium rates. Scroll down to the rates per state for non group premiums.

http://cdn-files.soa.org/web/research-cost-aca-report.pdf

Here is the Millman Report, which is the source of the actuarial study.

http://www.ahip.org/MillimanReportACA2013/

Millman expects a 32% increase in premiums. The actual increases reported by those trying to get non-group coverage are higher than 32%.

Cacti35

Since the “shutdown” will do little if anything to repeal the ACA, I think the GOP would be wise to let the Dems wear that big turd right into the next election.

MickeyGSM

If you are in the minority of Americans not already unalterably opposed to Obamacare, keep in mind that the only reason the government is shut down right now is that Democrats refuse to fund the government if they are required to live under Obamacare.

That’s how good it is!

NHSparky

Frankly, I don’t know how anyone could have supported this had they merely taken a look at Masscare (passed under then Governor Romney) and seeing what it did to wait times, premiums, etc., in that state.

But hey, we’re all mushrooms in the eyes of the politicians–just keep us in the dark and feed us lots of bullshit.

GunzRunner

The hits keep on rollin…… Fuck Me To Tears