I thought that we could all look up what we would have to pay, but, as I should have known, it\u2019s more complicated than that.\u00a0 It looks like you have to start an account and enter all kinds of information before you can even see the different plans and how much they cost.<\/p>\n
Some of you, though, have to go through this.\u00a0 I\u2019d very much like to hear from any of you who are uninsured.\u00a0 Can you afford these premiums?\u00a0 Do you find this a helpful program, or do you resent the federal government forcing you to buy a product at the cost of a big chunk of your monthly budget?\u00a0 Or both?<\/p>\n
\n
My thoughts after the jump.<\/p>\n
(1)\u00a0 People with what we might call \u201cgood jobs\u201d already get health insurance from their employers and so aren\u2019t supposed to be directly affected (but see #4, below).<\/p>\n
(2)\u00a0 People without \u201cgood jobs\u201d probably don\u2019t get \u201cgood salaries,\u201d and so they will find compulsory health insurance very expensive.<\/p>\n
(3)\u00a0 People without \u201cgood salaries\u201d will qualify for federal subsidies, which will make the insurance premiums much more affordable, sometimes to the point of costing nothing.\u00a0 Possibly most people in the exchanges will get a subsidy. (I read somewhere that couples that make as much as $90,000 a year will get federal help.)\u00a0 This is going to be enormously expensive for taxpayers.<\/p>\n
(4)\u00a0 Lots of companies that provide \u201cgood jobs,\u201d \u201cgood salaries,\u201d and health insurance\u00a0 but that have fewer than 55 employees would love to get out of the business of health benefits.\u00a0 Expect many of them to drop coverage\u2013possibly with a salary sweetener\u2013and to let their employees buy coverage on the exchange.<\/p>\n
(5) Since companies with fewer than 55 employees are exempt from the requirement that they provide health insurance,\u00a0 expect many companies to trim the number of employees by turning full-time jobs into part-time jobs (since employees who work fewer than 30 hours aren\u2019t entitled to company-paid insurance).<\/p>\n
(6) One group I see this\u00a0 program possibly helping is early retirees.\u00a0 A person might be entitled to Social Security at age 62, but unable to qualify for Medicare until age 66.\u00a0 An Obamacare policy might bridge the gap and make it possible to retire early.<\/p>\n
What else\u2013good or bad, intended or unintended\u2013do you think will happen?<\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Today the Obamacare insurance exchanges go live.\u00a0 Everyone without health insurance must buy some, under penalty of law, from a list of approved companies. Here is the website where the uninsured must sign up:\u00a0 Health Insurance Marketplace, Affordable Care Act | HealthCare.gov. I thought that we could all look up what we would have to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,19,26,30],"tags":[2446,1614,2794],"class_list":["post-16751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economics","category-government","category-law","category-medicine","tag-health-insurance","tag-obamacare","tag-obamacare-insurance-mandate"],"yoast_head":"\n
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