Healthcare.
It affects all of us, this new bill they just passed. I have mixed thoughts on this, and your own opinion may be the same or different depending on what kind of tax bracket you are in, and where your morals stand.
I am in my early 20's. Before this bill was passed, if I graduated college & didn't get a job right away with benefits, I would get kicked off my parent's insurance plan & would have to go for my own individual plan.
PRO: Now, even if I don't get a job right out of college, with this bill I can stay on my parent's plan until I am 26. CON: However, if I get a job and somehow have a "Cadillac" insurance plan provided by my employer (a very nice, very covered plan), once the bill is in full affect in 2014, the government will tax my employer 40% of the cost the my insurance package...great. I do believe that is the opposite of encouraging companies to provide nice group benefits.
PRO: This bill requires everyone in the U.S. to purchase health insurance, including people with pre-existing conditions (insurance companies can no longer reject them starting in 2014). Insurance companies also cannot drop someone from their policy if they get sick, or raise their rates due to illness. CON: Even though there is now a cap on out-of-pocket medical expenses annually, the government did not place a cap on what insurance companies can charge us for policies, sky's the limit. They have to charge equally, therefore everyone could end up having to pay more.'
If you cannot afford health insurance:
The penalty will be phased in, starting at $95 or 1 percent of income in 2014, whichever is higher, and rising to $695 or 2.5 percent of income in 2016. But families would not pay more than $2,085.
American Indians don’t have to buy insurance. Those with religious objections or a financial hardship can also avoid the requirement. And if you would pay more than 8 percent of your income for the cheapest available plan, you will not be penalized for failing to buy coverage.
Those who are exempt, or under 30, can buy a policy that only pays for catastrophic medical costs. It must allow for three primary care visits a year as well. (nytimes.com)
If you are refused coverage because of your health, you can get insurance from a new high-risk pool.
- The pool will be established within six months and will operate until 2014, when insurance companies can no longer refuse applicants with pre-existing health problems. Annual out-of-pocket medical costs will be capped at $5,950 for individuals and $11,900 for families. (nytimes.com)
- Families making more than $250,000 – would pay several thousand dollars more in Medicare payroll taxes starting in 2018. Their unearned income, now exempt from the payroll tax, would also be subject to a 3.8 percent levy. (nytimes.com)
The thought that abortion could be covered by health insurance sickens me...
- Health plans on exchanges can offer abortion coverage. If you receive subsidies and enroll in a health plan that covers abortion, you will have to pay a separate premium for that coverage. And states could prohibit abortion coverage by these plans. (nytimes.com)
At the end of the day, I question why each of us did not get to vote on this bill...oh because it probably wouldn't have gotten passed....portions of it, probably. But not the whole thing. In the years to come I will be interested to see how this bill pans out for America....
(All comments are moderated. Any comments including a link, especially containing inappropriate material, will not be accepted)
