2015 Archive

Finally Real Insurance – Story

Posted by on April 22, 2015 in ObamaCare Stories Archive

At my place of work it was the employers idea to find the cheapest insurance ever. The employer would go into any state or any place that offered the lowest rate. I had an insurance that would pay for your physical unless they found something wrong with you. Then it was all you. I had dental were the insurance company would pay to have my teeth cleaned but if the dentist found anything wrong with my teeth I had to handle that. Same with eyes. This sounds like a joke but these were the insurance agents my company used to lower their insurance bill. It was a nightmare of scare us employees to death about Obama care and how it was just going to-ruin this company and cause us to lose pay.

Once it came the insurance company sent a nice young woman to explain the horrible effect Obama care was going to reek on our checks and how it was going to harm the insurance companies. Being I can read I ask how getting thousands of new clients and only 3% of the people actually using it that Obama care could be a bad thing for them or us as it should lower cost. I was ignored and frowned upon as ignorant to economical conditions.

Now that we have it our boss has figured out how to make us pay more while lowering his cost. Over all it has helped me ad I am glad it is in place as I hope it stays and is amended for the other parts to help Americans even more. Now my Uncle is a hard liner republican and say his insurance cost is far out their and he showed me his cost. He seems to be right and I can’t figure out why as he is a truck driver and not part of the rich. This is what he sent me: Virgil Lowers “The savings”?? I pay 80% more now and my deductible went to $6000 from $2500. I pay regular price at Wal-Mart for my prescriptions because it would cost twice as much if I used my “benefits”. The health care system was just fine before, only the government didn’t have total control over it. By the way, 37 million Americans still don’t have health insurance coverage. But now these are mostly workers instead of indigents. Who deserves health insurance more, those who are productive or those who aren’t? If you can tell me why their is so glaring a price increase and I can relay it to him I would be thankful for the help.

Denied Medicaid By Florida – Story

Posted by on in ObamaCare Stories Archive

I was advised after having obamacare for 1 year that I was no longer eligible for the program because my spouse lost his job and we did not meet the income requirements for the subsidy.I myself am disabled and receive social security benefits which fall about two hundred dollars short for obamacare and medicaid thru my state is advising me that I am on a shared cost plan of $899.00 per month. Between my prescriptions and once a month doctor visit I do not meet medically needy. According to the state of fl I am over income with my $1,100.00 social security disability payments monthly. At this point I am at a dead end because obamacare will not provide coverage and the state will only pay if I meet $899.00 monthly. I hope this message reaches someone who can do something about this gap and messed up system.

Unconstitutional and Illegal Socialistic Program – Story

Posted by on in ObamaCare Stories Archive

What ever happened to freedom to choose? Where are the peoples rights? Why must we yield to these demands or be subject to fines or persecution?

I have not had insurance since 2009. I work for a living and pay my doctor and hospital bills same as I pay for groceries. I pay for it when I need it. I do not depend on insurance companies that will fail you. I put my faith in God to provide for me when I need it. He has never failed. Nuff said.

At a hospital, for Tylenol they charge about $18.00. An aspirin tablet can be as high as 80 bucks. I’ve spent plenty time in hospitals and I paid insurance companies 280 to 400 a month depending on my marriage status. Its cheaper to not be married so I’m not sure what the Gay community is fussing about. I just saw an online post about a bag of 12 dollar saline costing the customer/ins co 800 dollars at the hospital. Sounds as outrageous as the 100 dollar hammers Uncle Sam use to buy. Insurance companies love to play this game and 800 bucks for any charge at a doctors office, clinic or hospital is cheap, cheap, cheap considering they are being paid 200 to 500 or more from the client every month. Biggest rip off scam in the history of our once great nation is the monkey the government has put on our backs. Please post this with my name if you want too. If you have the balls to expose the truth.

The extra tax the IRS has imposed on me for not having insurance is absurd. I would greatly appreciate the stolen money being returned to me. I want not part of your insurance your scams your lies your deceitful ways. Stay out of my business and let me provide my own care. Your HELP is killing me.

Florida Medicaid Expansion

Posted by on in ObamaCare Opinions, Op-ed, and Other Articles

Florida continues it’s battle over Medicaid expansion under the ACA. Over 800,000 Floridians could get covered, but GOP opposition remains strong as the Federal Government pushes Florida toward expansion under Governor Rick Scott… and Rick Scott threatens to sue to Federal Government for “coercion tactics” because of it).

We cover all of that below, but first let’s do a little review of Medicaid expansion and why the GOP in Florida and elsewhere doesn’t like it.

What is Medicaid Expansion and Why Does it Matter?

Under the ACA Medicaid (a public healthcare program to provide free or low-cost coverage to low-income Americans) was supposed to be expanded to all single adults under the 138% Federal Poverty Level starting on Jan 1, 2014. Expansion is covered by the Federal Government at 100% to start and then 90% as time goes on, meaning states don’t have to foot the bill (although taxpayers as a whole do).

This mattered because in many states only parents, expecting or pregnant mothers, children, and sometimes the very poor have access to Medicaid. In many states this leaves working poor adults with no healthcare options (or “in the Medicaid gap” between Marketplace coverage and non-expansion eligibility). This in turn leads to billions of dollars of uncompensated care written off by hospitals (ie billions in lost revenue for states) and of course a lack of access to care for millions of low-income adults.

After a supreme court decision in 2012, states were given the opportunity to opt-out… and opt-out they did. When 2014 hit nearly every state with a Republican Governor at the time (and Vermont) opt-ed out.

Why Did they Opt-Out?

The basic claim by the GOP (including Florida) is that expanding Medicaid is too expensive, Medicaid isn’t good, and big Government isn’t good. It works like this:

  1. They don’t trust the Government to pay their 90% – 100%.
  2. They don’t trust the Government to do a good job with Medicaid.
  3. They don’t trust the Government (please disregard the irony in the fact that this message is literally coming from the Government).
  4. They don’t want higher taxes and more government control. So less safety net, more tax cuts.

To sum it up, it’s really a matter of ideology and confidence (although we argue it should be a matter of healthcare).

All the claims have truth to them. While some states have shown expanding Medicaid to actually improve state budgets, GOP states (like Tennessee have had a history of Medicaid breaking state budgets). Also depending upon the region and doctor payments in the area, Medicaid can really be a “sub-par” coverage type. The experince and ideology differs a bit from state-to-state, but in general Florida’s outlook isn’t much different than the other non-expansion states.

Despite all of this many states have stepped up to the plate and expanded Medicaid under their own alternatives. Something that Florida almost started to do, but pulled back on due to a little head-butting with the Federal Government.

The Florida Medicaid Showdown

So now we get to Florida, and their battle with the Federal Government specifically. Essentially Florida democrats, hospitals, and some conservatives want to pass expansion. However, the majority of Florida conservatives wanted tax cuts attached to the expansion.

When Florida started pulling back on expansion the Federal Government said, “we aren’t going to pay your other Medicaid bills if you don’t expand”, so Florida’s like, “see we knew we couldn’t trust you to pay the bills, and we already covered the fact you can’t force us to do this in the supreme court battle, that is coercion, F this we are suing you.” From there things unraveled into a heated battle.

The thing is, that Florida is a big state, so next to “non-expansion Texas” it is the most important of the 50 states to get on board with expanding Medicaid. No further headway has been made. But we shall keep you updated. In the meantime check out this great explanation of what is going on from the New York Times.

Who is Rick Scott? Rick Scott is an ex-Navy, Florida Governor since 2011, who spent most of his career in the healthcare industry (typically on the venture capitalist side of things). In June 2011, Scott signed a bill requiring those seeking welfare under the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to submit to drug screenings. He is skeptic of climate change (or as they call it in Florida “…”), stood in the way of preventing gerrymandering (redistricting for the purposes of tampering with elections), and is often tied to Koch brothers backed groups like Americans for Prosperity. He has changed his mind on Medicaid expansion continually since he got into office, sometimes at the disapproval of groups like Americans for Prosperity. Read more about Rick Scott here.

The “Doc Fix” Is In

Posted by on April 17, 2015 in ObamaCare News Archive

The Medicare“doc fix” bill, officially called the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) passed 92-8 fixing the Sustainable Growth Rate formula. This fix happened at the last moment before Medicare doc cuts of 21% went into effect under the old formula.

The fix also extended CHIP for two years, raised premiums for high income seniors, and cut Medigap spending. You can learn all about the changes on our Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) page.

ObamaCare Taxes Due April 15

Posted by on April 13, 2015 in ObamaCare News Archive

Here are some last minute tax tips for ObamaCare about claiming tax credits, claiming exemptions, using your 1095-A form, and filing for extensions.

If you still need direction, try using the handy guide from the IRS re-published below:

IF YOU…

THEN YOU…
And everyone in your tax householdhad health coverage for the entire year Will simply check the box on line 61 of Form 1040, line 38 of Form 1040-A, or line 11 of Form 1040-EZ
Enrolled in health insurance throughthe Marketplace Should receive a Form 1095-A Health Insurance Marketplace Statement from the Marketplace
Received a Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement,showing you received the benefit of advance payments of the premium tax credit in 2014 Must file a tax return in 2015 and reconcile the advance payments with the amount of the premium tax credit allowed on your return
Need to reconcile the advance payments of the credit with the credit allowed Make the calculations using IRS Form 8962 Premium Tax Credit (PTC)
Must repay any excess advance payments of the premium tax credit Must report the information on line 46 Form 1040 or line 29 of Form1040-A, and cannot file Form 1040-EZ
Are claiming the premium tax credit and did not benefit from advance payments of the premium tax credit Must file a tax return and IRS Form 8962, Premium Tax Credit (PTC)
Did not receive a Form 1095-A,Healthcare Insurance Marketplace Statement, from the Marketplace Should contact the state or federalMarketplace through which you enrolled
Are claiming an exemption from the requirement to have health coverage for anyone on your tax return Will complete Form 8965, Health Coverage Exemptions, and submit it with your tax return
Still need to obtain a religious conscience exemption or a hardship exemption that can only be granted by the Marketplace Should file an application with the Marketplace and follow the instructions below about how to report exemptions from the Marketplace on your tax return
Obtained an exemption from the Marketplace, and received your unique Exemption Certificate Number Will enter the Exemption Certificate Number in Part I of Form 8965, Health Coverage Exemptions, and submit the form with your return
Applied for an exemption from the Marketplace, but do not currently have an Exemption Certificate Number Will enter ‘PENDING’ in Part I of Form 8965 Health Coverage Exemptions, and submit the form with your return
Are claiming an exemption that can be granted only from the IRS Will not need an Exemption Certificate Number, but will complete Parts II and III of Form 8965, Health Coverage Exemptions, and submit the form with your return
Are able to obtain the exemptionfrom either the IRS or the Marketplace Should obtain the exemption from the IRS by completing Part II and III of Form 8965, Health Coverage Exemptions, and attach this form to your federal tax return when you file
Are making a shared responsibility payment because you did not have health coverage or qualify for an exemption for any month in 2014 Will enter the payment amount on line 61 of Form 1040, line 38 of Form 1040-A, or line 11 of Form 1040-EZ

US Uninsured Rate Drops 11.9% in First Quarter 2015

Posted by on in ObamaCare News Archive

Under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) the uninsured rate dropped to 11.9% for Q1 of 2015. This is down about 1% from last quarter and 5.2% since 2013.

Here are some facts about the new uninsured rate according to Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index published in April 2015. These results are based on more than 43,500 interviews conducted from Jan. 2 to March 31, 2015:

  • Uninsured rate down one percentage point from fourth quarter of 2014
  • Uninsured rate lowest since Gallup and Healthways began tracking in 2008
  • Down most among lower-income Americans and Hispanics
  • ObamaCare is working in regard to lowering the uninsured rate

uninsured-subgroup-gallup-april-2015 uninsured-types-gallup-april-2015

  • The uninsured rate has fallen by about 1% each quarter (during open enrollment) since a 2013 high of 18%. This is not what happened before the Marketplaces opened up.
  • The percentage of uninsured Americans climbed from the 14% range in early 2008 to over 17% in 2011, and peaked at 18.0% in the third quarter of 2013. The 18% number included plan drops going into open enrollment 2014. However, the 14% was indicative of a pre-ACA norm (the math of that is about 44.8 million uninsured).
  • The uninsured rate could drop further in the months ahead since the Obama administration established a special enrollment period for March 15 through April 30, aimed at signing up those who realize, while paying their taxes, that they must pay a fine for not obtaining healthcare coverage in 2014.
  • The uninsured rate will also almost surely fluctuate over the year as people drop their plans, get covered under Medicaid and Medicare, and take advantage of the many special enrollment opportunities.

Learn more about the uninsured rate and ObamaCare.

Learn more about ObamaCare enrollment numbers.

 

Will Florida Expand Medicaid?

Posted by on April 9, 2015 in ObamaCare Opinions, Op-ed, and Other Articles

Florida currently offers no coverage options to single adults below the 100% poverty line, expanding Medicaid could cover all those people. The federal government pays the majority of the costs (100% at first, 90% over time). Florida can even come up with their own Medicaid expansion alternative. See updates on Expansion states here.

The General Battle Between Small Government and Smart Government

As of April 9th, 2015 Florida has not expanded Medicaid. Meanwhile the Medicaid battle rages on as Libertarians push for small Government, Republicans reject of anything Democrat, and Liberals fight tooth over nail to ensure millions of Americans have access to coverage (even if that coverage might not be perfect and will come with a bill). The battle isn’t just happening in Florida, it’s happening around the country. It’s perhaps nowhere more apparent than in Montana where expanding Medicaid and helping ensure all Montanans are taken care of has support and concerns from both the small Government and smart Government sides (Montana is all about doing their own thing, and tend not to fit in political boxes much to frustration of some Libertarians, Republicans, and Democrats).

Just remember non-expansion states. This isn’t about left and right, this is about your constituents and state budgets. If you don’t think the way the federal Government expanded Medicaid is the right way, file your waiver, create your alternative, and prove that you can do it better. Thinking the federal government might pull funding down the road isn’t unfounded, but it isn’t a reason to put your head in the sand. “No” doesn’t cut it when hardworking Americans are left without access to care due to political battles. Remember for every person without coverage it’s a potential unpaid hospital bill, written off, and that means less state revenue.

Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Levels

To view the modified adjusted gross income (MAGI)-based eligibility levels, expressed as a percentage of the federal poverty level (FPL) and by monthly dollar amount and family size for Medicaid and CHIP, visit the National Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Levels page for more information.

State MedicaidExpansion Children – Medicaid Separate CHIP Pregnant Women Parents3 Other Adults
Ages 0-11 Ages 1-52 Ages 6-182 Medicaid CHIP
Florida N 206% 140% 133% 210% (1-18) 191% N/A 30% 0%6

See full chart from Medicaid.Gov

Why Florida Isn’t Expanding

Reading the above you may say, “why would Florida not do it?”. Your answer would be two fold 1) Cost / a distrust the Federal Government will actually foot the bill over time 2) Government / a distrust that the Federal Government can effectively use tax dollars (the conclusion being taxes must be cut and spending reigned in, small Government regardless of the human cost). Expanding Medicaid is hard to describe as small Government.

“The short version of the dispute is as follows. Florida has been negotiating with the Obama administration over expanding Medicaid in the state to some 800,000 people under the Affordable Care Act. But Governor Rick Scott seriously complicated things the other day when he pulled back his previous support for the expansion.

Scott did this in reaction to the fact that the federal government is on the verge of ending some of the billions in Medicaid funding for another program — the Low-Income Pool, or LIP — which funnels money to hospitals for low-income patients. The feds have said Florida should transition over to getting that money from the Medicaid expansion. ButScott argued that, because the feds are pulling back funding for LIP, that shows they can’t be trusted to follow through in providing federal money for the Medicaid expansion, which will eventually mean the state will be on the hook for its cost.” – WashingtonPost.com

Find out more about Rick Scott and Florida’s Medicaid Expansion from WashingtonPost.com. It isn’t required reading, but about 800,000 Floridians could have access to care for the first time if awareness is spread. So do feel guilty if you skip over the article. Also feel guilty if you want a tax cut at the expense of Medicaid expansion, seriously that is 800,000 of your neighbors Boca and Palm springs. Don’t want to foot the whole bill in the future? We get that. So let’s get to working on the alternative, this isn’t about Rick Scott Vs the Federal Government, this is about 800,000 Floridians (many of which are hard working Americans who simply have household incomes below the 100% Federal Poverty Line).

State State Medicaid & CHIP Enrollment National
Total Medicaid & CHIP Enrollment (January 2015) (Preliminary) Comparison of January 2015data to July-September 2013 Average Enrollment Total Medicaid & CHIP Enrollment, all States (January 2015) (Preliminary) Comparison of January 2015data to July-September 2013 Average Enrollment
Net Change % Change Net Change % Change
Florida 3,404,156 299,160 9.63% 69,975,289 11,151,468 19.29%

Rand Paul & ObamaCare

Posted by on April 8, 2015 in ObamaCare Opinions, Op-ed, and Other Articles

Rand Paul announced he is running for President, but didn’t mention ObamaCare. What cuts would Rand Paul make to the safety net and federal programs?

What Changes Would Rand Paul Make to ObamaCare As President?

We don’t know what changes Rand would make to the Affordable Care Act for sure, but luckily we don’t have to speculate much. Rand is very vocal about his policy ideas and how the budget should look. We know from his past budget proposals that decimating ObamaCare, Medicare, Social Security, and pretty much cutting back on every federal program is on the table. In fact his detailed budgets and vocal personality can give us a lot of insight into the the future of the ACA and the country under theoretical Libertarian(ish) President Paul. Below we use some smart current sources, and Rand’s own work to show his sometimes radical, sometimes Libertarian, and increasingly Conservative views.

This must-watch video does a great job explaining what cuts Rand might make to safety net programs like the Affordable Care Act:

Rand Paul has perhaps the most extensively documented national policy positions of any 2016 contender. He is the only candidate in the race to have prepared his own detailed federal budget — three times, in fact, in fiscal years 2012, 2013, and 2014. The budgets, put together, represent the most radical vision of limited government ever presented by a major American presidential candidate (apart, perhaps, from Paul’s father, Ron Paul). – Vox

If we judge Rand Paul based on his past claims we can assume the following programs will see cuts or elimination (Content below is from Vox. Read more at Vox):

  • CDC Center of Disease Control is cut by 20 percent
  • National Institutes of Health is cut by 20 percent (“much of the research and development undertaken by the NIH provides direct subsidies to the pharmaceutical industry”).
  • Food and Drug Administration is cut by 20 percent (“new FDA powers granted by the recent Food Safety Modernization Act grant the government further intrusion into the nation’s food supply”).
  • NASA is cut by 25 percent (“with the presence of private industries involved in space exploration and space tourism, it is time for NASA to look at ways to reduce spending … since President Obama has determined to realign the goals of NASA away from human space exploration to science and ‘global warming’ research, there is also a need to realign the agency’s funding”).
  • US Geological Survey is cut by 20 percent (“though these are important activities, they can be given to state researchers at our colleges and universities”).
  • Bureau of Reclamation is eliminated (“owning a majority block of energy and water resources is not the business of the federal government”).
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs is eliminated (“swindled and mismanaged billions of dollars in Indian trust funds”).
  • National Parks are cut by 30 percent (“returning these public lands back to the states and or the private sector would allow an increase in quality, safety and a reduction in government spending each year”).
  • Indian Health Services is cut by 20 percent (“notoriously wrought with fraud”).
  • Government Printing Office is eliminated (“every government office and agency should budget for their own printing costs”).

All told, CRFB finds that the FY2012 Paul budget massively reduces the budgets of numerous Cabinet departments:

  • National Science Foundation is cut by 62 percent.
  • State Department is cut by 71 percent.
  • Interior Department cut by 78 percent.
  • Department of Energy is eliminated (except for nuclear energy programs, which are transferred to the Defense Department).
  • General Services Administration is cut by 85 percent.
  • Transportation Department is cut by 49 percent.
  • Department of Agriculture is cut by 49 percent.
  • Department of Health and Human Services is cut by 26 percent.
  • Justice Department is cut by 28 percent.
  • Environmental Protection Agency is cut by 29 percent.

The list goes on. Paul’s budget is heavy on massive cuts to discretionary spending and departmental functions. Some of them are mentioned only in early budgets (like the CDC and NIH cuts), but many — including the NASA, US Geological Survey, and National Parks cuts — are also in the FY2014 budget.

A third party might “fix” things? It really comes down to what you mean by “fix”.

Other changes include:

  • A flat tax (the implications of this are vast. It could lead to the elimination or privatization of most government programs (including Medicare, Social Security), stifle the middle class, and widen the gap in income inequality. Learn all about the pros and cons of a flat tax from investopedia)
  • Eliminating section 8 housing vouchers
  • Eliminating K-12 Education funding
  • Eliminating earned income tax credit
  • Eliminating child tax credit
  • Cutting foreign aid, including Israel
  • Cutting defense budgets
  • A ban on cats being cute (kidding, everything else though is very true)

While the above may seem like a jab at Rand Paul, we are simply gleaning information from a Vox article. That article was responded to by Rand’s team and the above has been updated to reflect the comments of Paul spokesperson Jillian Lane to Vox.

So Does ObamaCare Survive President Rand?

There is little chance that the ACA doesn’t get gutted under Rand.

There is this idea that “Libertarian” means third non-Conservative, non-Liberal, party of freedom, and smart-small Government in-line with the Constitution. But, in reality Rand is kind of like an extreme right-wing guy from all we can tell. And not in a way you expect, in a sort of renegade tea party way that may disappoint even his fellow right wingers.

Any fuzzy ideas you have of Jello Biafra, Punk Rock, and Ron Paul are best left in the scrapbook if you are the type of person who thinks that dismantling the safety net, cutting healthcare, education, and defense spending, cutting back taxes on the 1%, and eliminating non-discrimination laws sound like awful ideas to you.

The concepts of liberty and freedom are awesome. Unfortunately Conservative-Libertarians might not mean liberty and freedom in the same way you understand them. Or maybe they do? Do you stand with Rand? Do you want to take our country back, or do you want to move our country forward? Voice your opinions below.

Insurance Agent Fraud – Story

Posted by on in ObamaCare Stories Archive

My families health Insurance thru HEALTHCARE MARKETPLACE: BC/BS of NC has been Fraudulently CANCELLED by the Licensed Independent Agent that originally set it up in May of 2014.

Background information:
I contacted a recommended Authorized Licensed Agent in May of 2014 to see if my family would qualify for insurance thru the Healthcare Marketplace. We did and with his assistance we began our coverage with a subsidy in June of 2014. In October of 2014 I received a flyer from BC/BS with that same agent’s information stamped on it discussing renewal for 2015. I went online I determined that I could do our renewal myself and did for 2015. Everything was fine with our 2015 coverage and we were receiving a subsidy in the amount of 702.00. Our monthly premium was 78.00. Which was paid monthly on time and never late.

On March 13th 2015 I received a call from the agent asking me if I wanted to renew our coverage. I explained to him that I had completed the renewal online. He did not seem to like that answer at the time but I did not think anything else about it.

**Please keep in mind that was the first time I had spoken to the agent on the phone or in any other way since our original enrollment back in May/June 2014.**

Incident:
On March 30th, I went to my pharmacy to pick up my Blood pressure medicine and was told that my insurance had been cancelled. I had just paid the monthly premium online on the 21st of March. I went home and called BC/BS. They directed me to call the Healthcare Marketplace at 800.318.2596. I did and finally spoke with a supervisor named Selena. She went over everything and I mentioned the call from the agent on the 13th. After looking over all records, she explained that the system showed that I had called on March 11th 2015 at 9:32 am and cancelled my coverage. I did NOT call on March 11th and cancel my coverage. I pulled up my call log from my only phone and it had NO calls to Healthcare Marketplace for that day or even at all! She then stated that on that same day someone had tried to do a “Life Status Change” on our account. She determined (the agent) had probably gone into the system and canceled our policy ((since he is the ONLY person that would have policy number and all of our demographics)) it appeared he had then gone back in to attempt the “Life Status change” so that he could renew our policy but not before adding his VPN number to get credit. However, she said he must not have realized the open enrollment was over so he could therefore not renew the policy. She stated that is why is out of the blue he called us on the 13th ( just 2 days later) trying to get us to enroll thru him. If I had not tried to get my prescription filled I would not even know this had happened.

Result:
As a result of this, we are now without Health Insurance, even though the month of April is paid in full. They are renewing the policy effective May 1st 2015. . As of right now, our new subsidy is 452.00 making our new premium 402.00 per month verses our 78.00 prior to this nightmare. For the 2nd time our case is being sent to the Escalation/Resolution division to have our insurance reinstated and retroactive. Currently they are now saying that could take up to 30 days. During which time our subsidy has been cut in half due to doing a 2nd renewal Per (– Supervisor with Healthcare Marketplace) We have also been unable to go to the Doctor for needed care due to being uninsured. Throughout all of this they are not guaranteeing that our policy will be retroactive or that our subsidy will go back to 702.00. I just cannot believe that a Licensed agent would do something so unethical over greed and thus my family is having to pay such a price for it. We have had to pay out of pocket for medications that are costing hundreds. We do not have that kind of money and that is why we sought health care thru the marketplace to begin with.

PLEASE PLEASE HELP US., WE are absolutely overwhelmed at the violation that has taken place against us. This person pretended to be me and used my personal HIPPA protected information to cancel our insurance just so he could renew it and get credit. I have not called this person as badly as I have wanted to because I do not want to give him a chance to hide any evidence of his crime. I will guarantee if he did this to us, there are others!

Please help us. We did everything we were supposed to and yet we are now uninsured and looking at a new policy we cannot afford.

I , Catherine N, did NOT call HEALTHCARE MARKETPLACE or BC/BS of NC and request our Health Insurance be canceled. This person has committed a crime by pretending to be me and use my private information for personal gain.

Thank you for ANY help that you can provide my family

Cathy

ObamaCare 2015 Re-Cap

Posted by on in ObamaCare Opinions, Op-ed, and Other Articles

A recap of Jan 2015 – April 2015 on ObamaCare’s tax forms, special enrollment periods, Rand, Cruz, Medicaid expansion, King V Burwell, signups, jobs, and more.

For 2015 there is lots of good, millions with coverage, some forms, the looming threat of GOP ideology, and lawsuits from Conservative-Libertarian think-tanks. Ie. just another day with the Affordable Care Act.

Below are some highlights of what is going on with ObamaCare in 2015:

  • Taxes are due April 15th. If you got Marketplace cost assistance, you’ll need to file form 8962 – Premium Tax Credit and to do that you’ll need your form 1095-A – Proof of Insurance. If you didn’t get it or had a hiccup, you should read about double checking for an incorrect 1095-A and what to do if you didn’t get one. Luckily the treasury department announced that those who filed based on incorrect forms won’t be penalized. If you missed at least one full month of coverage for 2014 you need to fill out the 8965 – Exemptions form. If you had minimum essential coverage all year just check off the box on line 61 of your 1040 (different on an EZ or A). If you are confused and need more time, simply file for an automatic extension and estimate at least 90% of your payment. See our how to file taxes for ObamaCare page for a comprehensive list of guides, tips, and tricks.
  • If you didn’t have coverage last year, and you were confused about open enrollment for 2015 you can still enroll in the Marketplace. Learn more about the special ObamaCare special enrollment period for tax filers which ends April 30th.
  • Both Ted Cruz and Rand Paul have announced they are running for President. Both expressed support for the repeal of ObamaCare in the past, but neither has come out with a strong repeal message since. ObamaCareFacts.com will continue to keep an eye on the GOP hopefuls to better understand their position on reforming healthcare.
  • On another front, despite strong support from constituents. state’s like Alabama and Tennessee continue to reject Medicaid expansion funding leaving hundreds of thousands without coverage. Still others like Pennsylvania and Indiana are embracing the program.
  • By the end of open enrollment 2015 about 16.4 million got coverage under the Affordable Care Act, counting both the Marketplace and sign ups for young adults. This doesn’t count the 10.8 million who got Medicaid and CHIP coverage, but to be fair getting a correct tally of the enrollment numbers considering plan drops and other details is always difficult. Suffice to say millions more now have health insurance.
  • The Affordable Care Act is costing less than projected. The last CBO report pegged the net ten year cost at 1.207 billion!
  • And it’s worth noting job growth is up (3 million in 2014 compared to 3.1 million in 1999), healthcare costs are the lowest in 50 years, and wasteful spending is down.
  • Love it or hate it, the future of the ACA hinges on King V Burwell (the subsidy lawsuit which will see a ruling in June) and the next Presidential election. Keep your ear to the internet for updates to the future of the Affordable Care Act… be it more enrollments, more reforms, or a complete repeal of the program.

1095-A Form Updates from Treasury and IRS April

Posted by on April 6, 2015 in ObamaCare News Archive

Get the latest 1095-A information from the Treasury department and IRS released on April 3rd, 2015. Those who filed won’t be penalized, but can amend their tax return with the correct information if it benefits them. Those who haven’t filed yet should file Form 4868 to request an automatic extension until October 15.

If you identify errors on your own or have questions about your form, reach out to the Federally-facilitated Marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596 or your State-based Marketplace.

Summary of the Treasury and IRS Updates

Here is a quick overview of what the Treasury statement and IRS FAQ (reprinted below):

  • Those who got Marketplace tax credits need the 1095-A to file form 8962 – Premium Tax Credit. Stand-alone dental plans and catastrophic plans do not qualify for the premium tax credit and thus don’t require a 1095-A. All non-Marketplace 1095 forms are deferred until next year.
  • On February 20, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that about 800,000 tax filers who purchased health insurance from the Federally-facilitated Marketplace during 2014 received a Form 1095-A with incorrect information on it.
  • The part of the 1095-A form that was incorrect was the price of the second lowest cost Silver plan (often referred to as the benchmark plan). If you want to double check that your 1095-A form has the correct information you can use the second lowest cost silver plan tax tool. As long as you have a 1095-A you can file.
  • On February 24, 2015, the Department of the Treasury issued a statement concluding: “If you already field using an incorrect 1095-A, you don’t need to amend it.” The IRS will not pursue the collection of any additional taxes from individuals who filed based on updated information in the corrected forms. On March 20, 2015, Treasury expanded that relief to apply to additional situations faced by tax filers.
  • If you didn’t file yet and are still having issues you should file Form 4868 (request for an automatic extension) with the IRS by April 15. Treasury and IRS intend to release guidance shortly implementing penalty relief for individuals in this situation as long as they file a return by October 15. If you pay at least 90% of your taxes when you file form 4868 then you are considered to have “reasonable cause” and won’t owe a penalty. This can be paid through withholding, estimated tax payments, or payments made with Form 4868.
  • If a taxpayer receives their Form 1095-A before April 15 and is able to file using the form before the deadline, they should do so.
  • Although it is not advised by the IRS or Treasury department in the statements, a person would be able to find all the information on a 1095-A themselves. You can learn more about finding your 1095-A information here. The IRS may not accept your return until your 1095-A is officially filed by the marketplace on your behalf, however finding your own 1095-A info will allow you to complete your 1040 so you aren’t waiting until the last minute. You may way to file an extension, and use a self filed 1095-A to help you estimate your return.
  • Individuals also may want to consult with their tax preparers to determine if they would benefit from amending.Typically using the incorrect 1095-A data won’t throw off return amounts by much, and will actually benefit the filer. However, some will benefit from amending their return depending on their Modified Adjusted Gross Income.

Clarification on “should I file with an incorrect 1095-A, should I correct my own, or should I wait?”: Reading through the Q&A it seems that if you have a 1095-A you can simply double check the information and file. The Treasury statements eludes to waiting for the correct form, but IRS Q&A answer A6 says, “If you have not yet filed your income tax return you should file by April 15 using either the Form 1095-A that you have received or the corrected form, if available. If you file based on this original Form 1095-A, you will not need to amend your income tax return when you receive the corrected Form 1095-A.  Nonetheless, you may choose to file an amended return. Alternatively, you may file for an extension of time to file.”)

Statement from a Treasury Spokesperson on Forms 1095-A

The information below is from a Treasury department statement issued on April 3rd, 2015.

4/3/2015

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of the Treasury and the IRS are announcing penalty relief for individuals enrolled in qualifying Marketplace coverage who are unable to file an accurate tax return by April 15 due to problems related to a Marketplace tax statement  (Form 1095-A). Taxpayers in this situation should file Form 4868 (request for an automatic extension) with the IRS by April 15.  When taxpayers receive their Form 1095-A, they should file their return using the information from the form.  Treasury and IRS intend to release guidance shortly implementing penalty relief for individuals in this situation as long as they file a return by October 15.   If a taxpayer receives their Form 1095-A before April 15 and is able to file using the form before the deadline, they should do so.

This builds on previously announced relief that any individual who enrolled in qualifying Marketplace coverage, received an incorrect Form 1095-A, and filed his or her tax return based on that form does not need to file an amended tax return.  The IRS will not pursue the collection of any additional taxes from these individuals based on updated information in the corrected forms.  Some individuals may choose to file amended returns.  Individuals also may want to consult with their tax preparers to determine if they would benefit from amending.

Only a small fraction of tax filers received incorrect Forms 1095-A.  Treasury estimates that in the vast majority of these cases, the impact on an individual’s tax liability will be very small.

IRS 1095-A FAQ

The following information is from an IRS published article Questions and Answers – Incorrect Forms 1095-A and the Premium Tax Credit

On February 20, 2015, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that about 800,000 tax filers who purchased health insurance from the Federally-facilitated Marketplace during 2014 received a Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, that contained an error related to the second lowest cost Silver plan (often referred to as the benchmark plan). On February 24, 2015, the Department of the Treasury issued a statement concluding that those affected taxpayers who had already filed an income tax return using the incorrect form do need not amend their income tax return. On March 20, 2015, Treasury expanded that relief to apply to additional situations faced by tax filers.  Treasury and IRS now intend to provide penalty relief for  individuals who are unable to file a complete and accurate return by April 15 due to a delayed Form 1095-A or a Form 1095-A that the taxpayer believes to be incorrect.

The March 20, 2015, guidance was in the form of frequently asked questions, which are incorporated into the FAQs below.  Additional FAQs have been added to the original to provide further details about it how the rules apply to specific circumstances.

Question 1: What relief was announced on March 20, 2015?

Answer 1: On March 20, in light of CMS’s announcement of additional incorrect information on certain Marketplace tax statements (Forms 1095-A), the Department of the Treasury expanded the relief it announced previously on February 24.  If you were enrolled in qualifying Marketplace coverage, filed your return using information from your Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, and you later learn that the information on that form was incorrect, you do not need to file an amended return. This is true even if additional taxes would be owed based on the new information.  Under the relief provided, the IRS will not pursue the collection of any additional taxes from you based on updated information in the corrected form. This relief applies to tax filers who enrolled through the Federally-facilitated Marketplace or a State-based Marketplace. Even though you are not required to file an amended tax return, some taxpayers may choose to do so if the updated information is in their favor. You may want to consider consulting with a tax preparer to determine if you want to file an amended return.

Question 2: What additional relief is being announced?

Answer 2: In light of some tax filers not receiving their correct Forms 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, in time, the Treasury Department and IRS plan to release guidance providing penalty relief for individuals who are unable to file an accurate return by April 15. Generally, in order to qualify for this relief, taxpayers must file either Form 1040 (series) or Form 4868  (requesting an automatic extension) by April 15.   A return must be filed by Oct. 15.  More specifics on the relief will be included in the upcoming guidance.

Question 3 How will I know if my Form 1095-A is wrong or delayed?

Answer 3: If you received your coverage through a Marketplace, you may have received an incorrect Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, or your form may have been delayed. If you are affected, the Marketplace will notify you by email, phone, or through your Marketplace account.  The Marketplaces have been notifying individuals who are affected by these additional errors. If you identify errors on your own have questions about your form, reach out to the Federally-facilitated Marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596 or your State-based Marketplace.

Taxpayers who have not yet filed their 2014 income tax return

Q4. I received a Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, but I have not filed my income tax return. The Marketplace notified me that it would issue me a corrected Form 1095-A, but I have not yet received it.  What should I do?

A4.  If you have not yet filed your income tax return you should file by April 15 using either the Form 1095-A that you have received or the corrected form, if available.  If you file based on this original Form 1095-A, you will not need to amend your income tax return when you receive the corrected Forms 1095-A. Nonetheless, you may choose to file an amended return.   Alternatively, you may also file for an extension of time to file.  See question 16 for additional information about filing an amended return.

Q5. I received a Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, but I have not filed my income tax return. The Marketplace notified me that the Form 1095-A was issued to me in error and should be disregarded.  What should I do?

A5.  If you were told to disregard a Form 1095-A, you should file your tax return by April 15 and should not include information from that 1095-A on your return. The premium tax credit is available only for eligible taxpayers who enrolled in qualifying Marketplace coverage.  If you never paid premiums for your coverage then you were not enrolled in coverage. In addition, stand-alone dental plans and catastrophic plans do not qualify for the premium tax credit.

Q6. I noticed an error on my Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, and called my Marketplace.  My Marketplace is currently reviewing the issue and informed me that they may be issuing a corrected Form 1095-A, but I have not heard back. I did not yet file my income tax return. What should I do?

A6. If you have not yet filed your income tax return you should file by April 15 using either the Form 1095-A that you have received or the corrected form, if available.  If you file based on this original Form 1095-A, you will not need to amend your income tax return when you receive the corrected Form 1095-A.  Nonetheless, you may choose to file an amended return.  Alternatively, you may file for an extension of time to file.  See question 8 for additional information about requesting an extension.

Q7. I noticed an error on my Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, and have not yet called my Marketplace.  What should I do?

A7. If you believe there may be an error on your Form 1095-A, you should contact your Marketplace about your concerns.  However, it is uncertain when the issue will be resolved. If you have not yet filed your income tax return, you should file by April 15 using either the Form 1095-A that you have received or the corrected form, if available.  If you file based on this original Form 1095-A, you will not need to amend your income tax return when you receive the corrected Form 1095-A.  Alternatively, you may file for an extension of time to file.  See question 8 for additional information about requesting an extension.

Q8. I purchased qualifying Marketplace coverage, and advance payments of the premium tax credit were made to an insurance provider on my behalf.  I have not received a Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, and have not yet filed my income tax return.  Should I wait to file my return until I receive a Form 1095-A?

A8. If you have not yet filed your income tax return, you should file Form 4868 (request for an automatic extension) by April 15.  Then, once you receive your Form 1095-A, you should file your tax return using the information from the form. Please note that if you file a Form 4868, you have an extended time to file, but not an extension to pay any tax you owe. Form 4868 provides further information. Form 4868 is available on IRS.gov, through tax software or from a tax professional.  Of course, if you receive your Form 1095-A before April 15 and are able to file using the form, you are encouraged to do so.

Q9. I purchased qualifying Marketplace coverage, and advance payments of the premium tax credit were made to an insurance provider on my behalf.  I just got my Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, and cannot file by April 15.  What should I do?

A9.If you cannot file your income tax return by April 15, you should file Form 4868 (request for an automatic extension) by April 15.  Then, as soon as you can, you should file your tax return, using the information from your Form 1095-A.  Please note that if you file a Form 4868, you have an extended time to file, but not an extension to pay any tax you owe. Form 4868 provides further information. Form 4868 is available on IRS.gov, through tax software or from a tax professional.

Q10.  I purchased qualifying Marketplace coverage and advance payments of the premium tax credit were made to an insurance provider on my behalf.  I did not receive a Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, or received my Form 1095-A late, and therefore was unable to file my income tax return by April 15. I filed a Form 4868 for a six-month extension and made a payment with that form. When I get my Form 1095-A and file my income tax return, will I be subject to penalties for paying my income taxes late?

A10.  No.  You are considered to have reasonable cause for the period covered by this automatic extension if you paid at least 90 percent of the taxes you owed for 2014 before the regular due date. This can be paid through withholding, estimated tax payments, or payments made with Form 4868. Most taxpayers in this circumstance will qualify for reasonable cause.  If you do not meet these requirements for reasonable cause, Treasury and IRS intend to provide additional penalty relief for taxpayers who received a delayed Form 1095-A or a Form 1095-A that they believed to be incorrect and consequently were unable to pay the taxes they owed by April 15.

Taxpayers who have filed their 2014 return

Q11.  I enrolled in qualifying Marketplace coverage, received a Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, and filed my federal income tax return using this Form 1095-A. I received a notice that the Form 1095-A I used had incorrect information. Do I need to file an amended return?

A11. No.  If you enrolled in qualifying Marketplace coverage, received a Form 1095-A, and filed your tax return based on that form, you do not need to file an amended return based on your corrected Form 1095-A.  This is true even if additional taxes would be owed based on the new information.  Nonetheless, you may choose to file an amended return.  You should consider consulting with a tax advisor to determine if you want to file an amended return.

Q12.  The information in my corrected Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, would cause my federal income tax payment to decrease or my refund to increase.  Can I file an amended return since this change is in my favor?

A12.  Yes.  In some cases, the information on the corrected Form 1095-A may be in your favor – it may decrease the amount of taxes you owe or increase your refund.  Taxpayers have the option of filing an amended return if they choose. Generally, taxpayers have up to three years from the date they filed their return, or two years from the date they paid the tax, whichever is later, to file an amended return.  You should consider consulting with a tax advisor to determine if you want to file an amended return.

Q13. I received a Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, which I used to file my income tax return and claim the premium tax credit. After I filed, the Marketplace notified me that the Form 1095-A was issued in error because I never completed enrollment or because the Form 1095-A was incorrectly issued for coverage that does not qualify for the premium tax credit.  Should I file an amended return?

A13. Yes, you should file an amended return. The premium tax credit is available only for eligible taxpayers who enrolled in qualifying Marketplace coverage.  If you never paid premiums for your coverage then you were not enrolled in coverage. In addition, stand-alone dental plans and catastrophic plans do not qualify for the premium tax credit.  If you filed and incorrectly claimed a premium tax credit based on these forms, and you do not amend your return, the IRS may contact you about additional tax due.

Q14. I purchased qualifying Marketplace coverage, and advance payments of the premium tax credit were made to an insurance provider on my behalf. I filed without receiving my Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, and did not include that information when I filed my taxes. Should I file an amended return?

A14. Yes, you should file an amended return. You are required to reconcile advance payments of the premium tax credit made to your insurer on your behalf through the Marketplace to ensure you receive the correct amount of tax credits. You agreed to this process when you enrolled in the Marketplace.  If you filed an income tax return and failed to reconcile your credits, you should file an amended return, using the information on your Form 1095-A.  If you do not have a copy of your Form 1095-A, reach out to the Federally-facilitated Marketplace call center at 1-800-318-2596 or your State-based Marketplace. See question 16 for additional information about filing an amended return.

Q15. I purchased qualifying Marketplace coverage, and advance payments of the premium tax credit were made to an insurance provider on my behalf. I filed without receiving my Form 1095-A, Health Insurance Marketplace Statement, and did not include the necessary information about my Marketplace coverage on my return.  I received a letter from the IRS saying I need to reconcile my tax credits using Form 8962. What should I do?

A15. Follow the instructions in the letter from the IRS.  If you do not have a copy of your Form 1095-A, request one from your Marketplace.

Q16.  How do I file an amended return?

A16.  Use Form 1040-X to amend your return.  You can do so by using software, with the assistance of a tax preparer, or by submitting Form1040-X to the IRS. Generally, taxpayers have up to three years from the date they filed their return, or two years from the date they paid the tax, whichever is later, to file an amended return.  You should consider consulting with a tax advisor to determine if you want to file an amended return.  More information about filing an amended return is available on irs.gov.

More Information From ObamaCareFacts.com

If you still have questions you can see our 1095 overview page, our page on filing without a 1095-A, or more information on incorrect filing with an incorrect 1095-A.

Switching on or off a Marketplace Plan?

Posted by on April 2, 2015 in ObamaCare Opinions, Op-ed, and Other Articles

If you are switching on or off a Marketplace plan, because you lost or gained income, you should be aware cost assistance is based on annual income.

A few of our readers have been confused about how ObamaCare’s cost assistance works when getting or losing a job. We break down how cost assistance works with changes to income in detail here, but here is the quick version.

  • Cost assistance is based on annual household income, not monthly. (That is your Modified Adjusted Gross Income or MAGI plus your families Adjusted Gross Income or AGI for the entire upcoming year).
  • If you lose a job, you can enroll in the Marketplace via special enrollment.
  • If you think you will get a job later in the year you can enroll in a Marketplace plan now.
  • You can get cost assistance when you enroll in a Marketplace plan, but don’t project income based on upcoming months alone, use total annual household income including money you already made.
  • If you take too many tax credits up front you could end up having to repay them.
  • You can choose not to take tax credits up-front, or to only take part up front. You can then claim net tax credits at the end of the year using IRS form 8962.
  • Silver plans are super flexible and qualify for all types of cost assistance, you can adjust assistance amounts on a monthly basis.
  • Medicaid can help people who don’t have income now, but think that will change over the year.
  • You don’t have to pay back cost sharing subsidies or Medicaid, but you do have to pay back tax credits. So don’t worry about getting cost sharing or Medicaid assistance.

Remember you can contact the Marketplace today and adjust cost assistance amounts. Don’t wait to pay it back at the end of the year. If you do, remember that you are simply repaying amounts you should have owed.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers & ObamaCare

Posted by on April 1, 2015 in ObamaCare Opinions, Op-ed, and Other Articles

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash used her GOP clout to fish for ObamaCare horror stories, but came up with success stories instead.

She dismissed the positive comments by telling her fellow Spokanites in The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Washington, (paraphrasing) “the comments were only referring to the good parts of ObamaCare that there is bipartisan support for like young adults staying on their plan until 26”.

However, this statement is misleading. The GOP has consistently called for a “full repeal” leading the conversation away from the idea of bipartisan support and instead focusing on a negative message (although here in 2016 Cathy, Ryan, and the GOP now have their Better Way Plan).

The problem, as expressed by the comments and Rodgers’ reaction, is that the national GOP-led conversation has come to focus on negative feelings pertaining to costs and mandate, while the actual sentiment felt toward many of the ACA’s provisions is neutral or positive.

For the 1 in 2 Americans who were considered to have a preexisting condition under the law, or the millions who were helped by Medicaid expansion, or many others helped by the law ObamaCare hasn’t been a horror story, it has been a blessing.

Here is the real Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

The problem with Cathy’s stance isn’t that she pointed out the good the law has done, or sought to connect with those who are rightfully frustrated by its sticking points, it is that she has stood lock-step with the GOP in repealing 100% of ObamaCare since day one.

The full repeal talking point is easy to repeat, but it fails to properly address the needs of those who are benefiting from the law and overplays the fears and worries of those who frankly have yet to read its 1,000 pages.

In terms of Eastern Washington, this includes real people who depend on the law, but otherwise couldn’t care much about politics in the other Washington.

Suffice to say, Cathy McMorris Rodgers has been calling for a repeal… and that language clearly suggests repealing things like the young adults on their plan until 26 rule along with the rest of the law. But this isn’t just a Cathy thing, this is a GOP thing. All the GOP ObamaCare alternatives in the past of gutted the sub-26 rule, the mandate, subsidies, and all the parts that work to support popular provisions like no more preexisting conditions (and this i still somewhat frustratingly true for the Better Way plan).

Simply, while Cathy and her Republican base are not alone in their frustrations, but they should not assume that the tens of millions helped by the law would share their sentiment. This is especially in Eastern Washington which as an awesome network of hospitals and providers succeeding under the ACA, and where the ACA is helping to cover Washington’s uninsured (the uninsured rate dropped by 8.65% after open enrollment 2014 to less than 9% total in the state and must be considerably lower now).

“While the debate over health care continues, I want you to know one thing: your access to quality and affordable health care matters to me,” she wrote. “So I will continue to advance solutions that improve the quality of your care — no matter where you live, how much money you make, or what challenges you face. Your health care is not political — it is personal. And I will continue to fight to make it better.” – Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a study in BS political rhetoric.

According to VOX on March 26, 2015:

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chair of the House GOP conference, took to Facebook to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act by asking to hear real-life horror stories from real people.

This week marks the 5th anniversary of #Obamacare being signed into law. Whether it’s turned your tax filing into a nightmare, you’re facing skyrocketing premiums, or your employer has reduced your work hours, I want to hear about it.

Please share your story with me so that I can better understand the challenges you’re facing: http://mcmorris.house.gov/your-story/

Instead she got this:

mcmorris-rodgers-facebook-comments

From Seattle PI

Press releases from McMorris Rodgers’ office speak — uniformly — about how each of her actions help the people of Eastern Washington.

Yet, the congresswoman represents a district with higher-than-national average unemployment, a greater percentage of people receiving food stamps and income levels lower than the national average.

She votes and argues the party line, however, and has what pundits describe as a “safe” seat.

On Thursday, however, there was a rare show of defiance from those Eastern Washington constituents.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers debating Joe Pakootas. She has won past elections against him, but do you really think she won this debate? Your call.

Supreme Court Won’t Hear “Death Panel” Challenge

Posted by on March 31, 2015 in ObamaCare News Archive

The Supreme Court won’t hear a lawsuit, which among other things, challenged the legality of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB).

The IPAB is a 15-member government panel created by the ACA. The IPAB is sometimes referred to as “death panel” by Republicans because it makes decisions in regard to Medicare spending. It is one of the more important programs in regards to curbing Medicare costs.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit were Arizona-based business owner Nick Coons and Dr. Eric Novack, an orthopedic surgeon. They were represented by the Phoenix-based conservative Goldwater Institute.

The plaintiff’s claims included the idea that the IPAB could potentially reduce Novak’s Medicare reimbursements. The claims were rejected due to the fact that the plaintiffs couldn’t show any damages, as the IPAB won’t take any action until 2019 at the earliest if action is taken at all. You can learn more about how the IPAB works here.

The lawsuit also challenged “the individual mandate” that requires Americans to obtain health insurance, or an exemption, or pay a fee. The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the individual mandate in 2012 in another Conservative group backed lawsuit, NFIB V Sebelius.

As of Monday, March 30th, 2015 the plaintiff’s claims have been rejected by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court will now get back to ruling on yet another Conservative group backed lawsuit to make subsidies illegal King V. Burwell.

A ruling on King V. Burwell is expected in June.

Read more at Reuters.

Why ObamaCare is Not Socialism

Posted by on March 30, 2015 in ObamaCare Opinions, Op-ed, and Other Articles

Is ObamaCare Socialism or Socialized Healthcare?

ObamaCare isn’t “socialism“. Under ObamaCare we have a regulated private health care industry that uses a mix of public and private funding. This is best described as a “quasi-private” healthcare system, or more technically, “a quasi-private, regulated, free-market-based insurance and delivery system, that uses subsidization, regulation, and taxation (sort of a mash-up of capitalism, socialism, and corporatism)”.

This is different than the more common single payer system other countries use, or the more market-based system we used in America before Medicare and Medicaid were created by LBJ’s Social Security Amendments of 1965.

The main problem with boiling down American healthcare reform under the PPACA to buzzwords is that terms like socialism only broadly define a philosophical economic/political theory. American politics is much more complicated than this. Below we separate the facts from the myths, and the rhetoric from reality.

The term “socialized medicine” has been thrown around for over a century, typically used by opponents of healthcare reform as a way of scaring people into standing against healthcare reform.

FACT: ObamaCare, like everything we do in America, is a mix of “center left” or “center right” ideas. Those ideas create a uniquely American version of regulated free-market capitalism that aims to create profits for corporations and people, while ensuring access to healthcare.
FACT: Funnily enough, insurance is itself is a group fund (which is pretty “socialist”), be it for profit or not. With that said, the trillions made off the healthcare system for private companies doesn’t exactly scream socialism the philosophy or socialism as presented by the media.

Myth: ObamaCare is Socialism

Socialism is a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole. ObamaCare is a law that regulates key parts of the same quasi-private and regulated healthcare system we had before the law was passed.

Under ObamaCare we have a regulated private health care industry with a mix of public and private funding. This is best described as a “quasi-private” healthcare system.

A pure “socialist” healthcare system would have total public funding and care (or would at least regulate every aspect of funding and care).

Even a single payer system isn’t “socialist” because single payer denotes public funding, not public delivery. In other words not only is the current system not “socialist”, but nothing we have ever really discussed in America, including the more left leaning single payer, is socialist.

Want to learn more about what Socialism actually is? (NOTE: it’s about as far from a talking point as possible, enter the rabbit hole of political theory at your own risk.)

Insurance is Kind of Socialist In the First Place

The truth is insurance is “a collective group fund that mitigates individual risk” in the first place. This means insurance, be it private or publicly funded, is probably the most socialist thing about American healthcare. You could argue that using tax payer funded subsidies or regulations on private industry is “socialist”, but it would be much easier to simply argue that this is just part of our American brand of regulated capitalism.

What people tend to confuse socialism with communism: the idea that everyone is equal on every level and those who work harder shouldn’t be rewarded with “more”. In truth, socialism and communism are distinctly different.

We shouldn’t lose sight of the idea that insurance is a group fund in the first place. No matter how you run that fund, it’s still a single group fund.

Socialism Versus Communism

People often confuse socialism with communism. Communism is more of what we don’t like in America, and what we don’t want. Communism is a collective ownership of everything, with complete government control, and the absence of social classes, states, and money.

Socialism on the other had is a range of economic and social systems characterized by social ownership and democratic control of the means of production. If we apply socialism to healthcare we get single payer (public fund, regulated private care), if we apply communism we would likely get state controlled fund and healthcare delivery system. This is the gist, they are two different things, socialism-lite has a proven track record with common goods like healthcare in other countries, communism has zero success stories so far throughout history.

To make life simple we won’t get into the philosophical ideas behind communism or the different types of communism, but rather just point out that in practice communism has been historically used to create an oligarchical system that was unlike anything we want for our American democracy. Meanwhile socialism, when applied to healthcare, is something most of the other western countries have already implemented without sacrificing their democracy or markets.

Suffice to say, communism is sort of like a radical socialism, and is pretty much the opposite of capitalism. If America is about a balance of powers then neither total free-market or communism should be on the table, but democratic socialism could be.

Right wing-ers in America like to bunch communism and socialism into the same group to attack different political views, but the truth is our brand of governing really just borrows ideas from all over the place to create something uniquely American. If it has a bunch of hyphens in it, like mixed-market-quasi-public funding and delivery, then its a good sign we are on the right track.

Witch hunts are never cool. The more we split apart, the less we focus on the united factor of being American. The truth is rhetoric can be dangerous, this video shows just how dangerous rhetoric and fear can be.

Socialism Versus a Regulated Free-Market

Socialism is a philosophy, a regulated free-market is a completely different idea (and is something that is actually happening in America). A regulated free market is different than socialism because the primary goal is a free market and government (officials elected by the people, in America at least) only regulates when deemed necessary. Important things like money, climate, healthcare, labor laws, discrimination laws, etc are regulated and the rest is left to the free market. Socialism suggests that all things are regulated and controlled by the government and little to nothing is left to the free-market.

Because socialism can go “overboard” if left unchecked, when we discuss it in America we typically discuss it only for the common good (healthcare, education, etc) and then mix it with capitalism. So we could call something like this “Democratic socialism”. The idea that markets, democracy, and strong social programs can all co-exist side-by-side.

Ideally We the People Create Rules to Protect We the People

Ideological labels aside, the point of the Affordable Care Act (and most other like-minded laws) is to regulate private business to protect the majority.

Who wants to play a game without rules? Who wants to play a game where there are no winners? Not anyone we know. America is about nuanced solutions, not extremes. Just because we do something together as a society, doesn’t mean it’s “socialism”… especially when related to healthcare, education, and climate. These things affect all of us and all our families.

It can actually feel good to take on a little extra responsibility to know that 1 in 10 (ish) people you meet on the street now have access to affordable coverage for the first time.

Socialism Is Mostly Just Used as a Buzzword to Turn People Against any Progressive Idea

In the US “socialism” has been used as a buzz word by the right for at least 100 years now. The idea has been purposely lumped in with communism and turned into a dirty word in order to turn people away from any idea that leans to the left like Medicare, Medicaid, Unions, labor laws, ObamaCare, etc. Don’t confuse scary buzzwords with being a good person and taking care of your neighbor. And don’t jump on the “use socialism as a dirty word” band wagon without looking at the damage this term has done throughout US history. Remember it wasn’t long ago we were blacklisting “communists” based on fear over fact.

Myth: ObamaCare Subsidies are a Handout to Lazy people that Don’t Work

Marketplace subsides only help those with incomes between 100% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level. To have an income of 100% of the poverty level means your family works hard, contributes to society, and could probably use the extra help. Often people can find someone even in their own family who qualifies for cost assistance programs based on income, often someone you have respect for and don’t have the personal money laying around to take care of yourself.

Persons in
Household		 2014 Federal
Poverty Level
threshold
100% FPL		 Medicaid
eligibility*
threshold
138% FPL		 CSR* &
Premium Cap
eligibility
threshold
150% FPL		 CSR
eligibility
threshold
250% FPL		 PTC*
eligibility
threshold
400% FPL
1 $11,670 $16,105 $17,505 $29,175 $46,680
2 $15,730 $21,707 $23,595 $39,325 $62,920
3 $19,790 $27,310 $29,685 $49,475 $79,160
4 $23,850 $32,913 $35,775 $59,625 $95,400
5 $27,910 $38,516 $41,865 $69,775 $111,640
6 $31,970 $44,119 $47,955 $79,925 $127,880
7 $36,030 $49,721 $54,045 $90,075 $144,120
8 $40,090 $55,324 $60,135 $100,225 $160,360
*Medicaid eligibility is different in states that did not expand Medicaid.
Federal Poverty Guidelines are different in Hawaii and Alaska.
*CSR Cost Sharing Reduction subsidy
*PTC or Premium Tax Credits

Also remember, subsidies are based on what you make in that year… not your lifetime. That means that you can do really well, and then need help ten years later because you got hurt or got laid off in a bad economy. The safety net helps people bounce back, the idea isn’t a net you throw over someone to keep them down, it’s supposed to catch them when they fall so they can get back up.

In Conclusion

We could probably go on about why smart and fair rule sets are a good idea for anything from Dungeons and Dragons, to the economy, to football, to healthcare but really all we want to point out is that 1) the Affordable Care Act isn’t “socialism” and 2) the term “socialism” has been used to split our society part into warring factions for over a century and 3) “socialism” probably isn’t what you think it is in the first place.

Don’t get caught up in the rhetoric, flip your mental script and start looking at what the ACA gets right. If we come together as a people we can make a difference and ensure we are all participating in the conversation about how to do a better job at our American brand of quasi-capitalism. The more we get distracted, the more politicians pander, and the less reals solutions we see brought to the table.

At the end of the day if we call everything that favors people or uses regulations or taxes “socialist” we are going to have a long road ahead of us. Stay educated, stay away from talking points, and take a refresher on what the Affordable Care Act actually does and what other programs like single payer really would mean for America.

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) Fails Simple Multiplication

Posted by on March 27, 2015 in ObamaCare Opinions, Op-ed, and Other Articles

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) claimed 108 billion divided by 12 million equals 5 million, however the actual number was 5 thousand. We prove it with math.

Pete Sessions – Republican Math: 108,000,000,000 ÷ 12,000,000 = 5,000,000 (that is million)
Real Math – CBO Estimate of actual GROSS cost of Marketplace subsidies in 2015 divided by those who actually got subsidies: 45,000,000,000  ÷ 9,000,000 = $5,000 per enrollee who got subsidies (net costs are $32 billion and would be $3,555 if factored that way)
According to CBO estimates ObamaCare’s Marketplace subsidies cost on average $3,5000 per enrollee with subsidies, while Medicaid and CHIP subsidies cost $4,500 on average. We only get larger numbers when we factor in those who didn’t get subsidies, but used the Marketplace. See our ObamaCare subsidy spending page here.

Fact-checker Glenn Kessler from WashingtonPost.com was the first to point out what should have been obvious to everyone immediately, Pete Sessions actually had no clue what he was talking about when he tried to show how expensive it was to expand coverage to 12 million Americans.

The problem is that it doesn’t cost 5 million per person helped by the ACA, it costs about $9,000 (and that’s according to his 108 billion dollar estimate, not the 45 billion dollar gross estimate from the CBO). 108 billion divided by 12 million equals 9 thousand.

Interestingly enough $9,000 is about what the healthcare system costs for each American in general. Dividing the $3 trillion dollar system by 320 million (it’s actually $9,375 per person).

Actual math of the estimate which was incorrect in the first place: 108,000,000,000 ÷ 12,000,000 = 9,000

Cost of healthcare industry (estimated) divided by US population (estimated): 3,000,000,000,000 ÷  320,000,000,000 = 9,375

Republican Math: 108,000,000,000 ÷ 12,000,000 = 5,000,000 (that is million)

Also: Just throwing it out there. The CBO projected the cost of coverage provisions to be $76 billion (pg 117 this includes $47 billion for Medicaid and CHIP and $2 billion in small business tax credits) $45 billion gross and $32 billion net (pg 122) in January 2015. They were assuming 12 million would enroll, while 9 million would get subsidies.

CBO Estimate of total spending on coverage provisions for 2015 (net including Medicaid and CHIP, and small business) versus all enrollees (but not counting Medicaid and employees of small businesses for some odd reason, probably just to ensure a big number): 76,000,000,000  ÷ 12,000,000 = $6,333 per enrollee in general (including 3 million without subsidies)

CBO Estimate of actual GROSS costs of subsidies in 2015 divided by those who actually got subsidies: 45,000,000,000  ÷ 9,000,000 = $5,000 per enrollee who got subsidies

CBO Estimate of actual NET costs divided by those who actually got subsidies: 32,000,000,000  ÷ 9,000,000 = $3,555 per enrollee who got subsidies

“If you just do simple multiplication, 12 million [insured individuals] into $108 billion, we are talking literally every single [Obamacare] recipient would be costing this government more than $5 million per person for their insurance. It’s staggering….$108 billion for 12 million people is immoral. It’s unconscionable. ”

– Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.), statement on the House floor, March 24, 2015

Read more from the Washington Post.

Insurance Company Denied Claims – Story

Posted by on in ObamaCare Stories Archive

I am a male who is 51 years old and a father of three teenagers.

I went through a preventive Colonoscopy and Endoscopy after my gastroenterologist discussed over the phone the procedure with the assigned doctor from Coventry, my insurance provider, prior to the procedure being performed.

Now, Coventry is denying the claim. They are not complying with the Affordable Care Act. The reason I went through the procedure because of their approval and because of the information on the Affordable Act. If they did not approve it, I would not have done it.

Do you have any resources that I can use to demonstrate to Coventry (or any insurance provider) that this is incorrect?

ObamaCare Helped Me Finally Get Affordable Coverage

Posted by on in ObamaCare Stories Archive

I have spent the last ten years paying more for less coverage, till my HMO added up to a nice car payment. After losing my job for the first time in thirty years, I had no coverage. Due to the changes president Obama has made I was able to get affordable PPO insurance. One month later I broke my ankle falling off a ladder. I was in tears, the first quote they have me was over five thousand, or no surgery with a complexity displaced bone. I called my insurance if only had for one month, the quote was wrong my co pay was 250.00. I’m tired of people out of touch with the middle class using cheap political reteric, to make Obama Care sound like something we don’t need. It was a god send for me, as well as the person who told me about it. Thank you for being what I believe is the most brave president in my life time.

Was Unable to Get Insurance Told to Wait – Story

Posted by on in ObamaCare Stories Archive

I have had the worst experience trying to get health insurance coverage as a single woman professional. I don’t know how this new health insurance system helps people get coverage because so far it has set me up to fail in getting the coverage I need for my health.

I just started a new job as an independent contractor and am trying to set up health insurance for my self. I was told that I would not be able to sign up for coverage until next November 9 months from now as I had missed the deadline. Now I am afraid and thinking I will have a gigantic tax bill at the end of 2015 because I could not get the health insurance that is required and that I need. I see the government of setting this up so that they get huge tax payouts and the people do not get the care they need. How does this benefit me?!!!

Ted Cruz’s Latest Stunt: Ted Cruz Get’s ObamaCare

Posted by on March 26, 2015 in ObamaCare Opinions, Op-ed, and Other Articles

Ted Cruz may “get ObamaCare” or as we like to call it “buying health insurance”. Ted Cruz is a showman and we expect he’ll use this experince as a stunt, if he does decide to go through with it.

The Texas Senator later said, “he wasn’t going to use cost assistance and was going to pick the best plan for his family”, so gears may have already been switched between media blip A and media blip B. Depending upon the plans offered in his region, the best plan without cost assistance may or may not be on the Marketplace.

The Video of Ted Cruz Saying He Will Get ObamaCare

In this Video the Senator discusses using the Marketplace and getting covered through his employer like the rest of America. It strikes the host and the listener as odd at first, then he throws in a jab at the Congress exclusion myth (the exclusion was meant for staffers not for Congresspeople). It leaves us questioning if he is simply acting more Presidential or if he has a plan up his sleeve to show how bad ObamaCare is. Considering this is the guy who spent 12 hours grandstanding during a Government shutdown reading Dr. Seuss it’s hard not to not lean toward the “plan up his sleeve” theory.

Ted Cruz and The Health insurance Marketplace

First it’s important to note that ObamaCare is slang for the PPACA and all Ted is really saying his that he is going to use the Health Insurance Marketplace (which was created by one of the hundreds of provisions in the law) to shop for private insurance.

If his family plans to claim between 100% – 400% of the Federal Poverty Line in Texas for 2016 they would be eligible for cost assistance (subsidies were established as another provision in the law). Although, as we said he doesn’t plan to take cost assistance.

Aside from a few website related technically difficulties he may or may not experince, the bulk of his experince will be purchasing private coverage in a regulated free market system. It’ll be interesting to see, if does use the exchanges, what parts of his experince he attributes to ObamaCare and what parts he correctly attributes to the rest of the healthcare system. This could be an opportunity to show why we need further reform, but will most likely just be a set-up for another good ol’ Ted Cruz publicity stunt.

How Ted Cruz Can Have a Good Experince

If Ted Cruz wants to shop smart either on or off the Marketplace he will need to do the same thing:

  • Figure out his families medical costs and needs by looking at past history and knowledge of what they will need this year.
  • Choose a plan that has smart cost sharing amounts based on what services they think they will need and treats services they will need as “covered benefits”
  • Make sure he chooses a network that will have providers in his area and probably go with a multi-state PPO to ensure he is covered when he travels. He may also consider having some cost sharing limits out-of-network.

The Take-away

Ted Cruz post Presidential announcement seems like less of a showman and more of a person. He still hasn’t dropped the far-right political views, but even if it was only for CNN he expressed the very smart far-right view of saying “I think we should follow every law, even the ones I don’t agree with”. Maybe Ted is stepping up to the plate and trying to appeal to the rest of America, or perhaps he is using his charisma and intellect to throw us off our game while he makes a big set-up for proving his repeal the safety net for a smaller Government stance.

What Do Real People Think About the ACA?

Posted by on March 25, 2015 in ObamaCare News Archive

Want to know what real people think about the ACA, well here is your chance. Over open enrollment 2015 624 of our users took our ObamaCareFacts.com poll. We will be breaking down the results soon, but we wanted to share the raw data with everyone first.

We ask’d you what you thought about the healthcare marketplace, subsidies, and lawsuits and you answered.

Here is what you said. Check it out the results of our 2015 open enrollment poll here.

Healthcare Startups Boom Under ObamaCare

Posted by on in ObamaCare News Archive

According to PwC more than 90 new companies related to healthcare have been created since the ACA was signed into law. As more people get access to healthcare new companies are entering the nearly $3 trillion health care market.

Learn more about new entrants into the healthcare Market at PwC or read the PwC report Healthcare reform: Five trends to watch as the Affordable Care Act turns five.

Here are some highlights from the report:

The ACA dedicates more than $31 billion to boost primary care. As spending ramps up from consumers and the Affordable Care Act new companies are springing up to help meet the new demands of the healthcare industry. Primary care teams have long been seen as the best value across the US health system. The ACA recognized this dedicating billions more to keep primary clinicians engaged and increase consumers’ access to their services.

aca-spending-pcp-2015

“More than 90 new health-care companies employing as many as 6,200 people have been created in the U.S. since Obamacare became law, a level of entrepreneurial activity that participants say may be unprecedented for the industry.” (Bloomberg)

Among the 90 new healthcare startups:

  • 29 firms specializing in telehealth, with platforms that let patients consult physicians or nurses over the Internet.
  • 15 are working in patient education and transparency.
  • 14 are targeting the field of healthcare process improvement, from optimizing quality reporting to improving communications for chronic disease.
  • 9 are patient connector companies, trying to link patients, doctors and support networks.
  • 9 are focused on health and wellness incentive programs.
  • 7 help deliver new health care delivery and payment models.
  • 7 are healthcare analytics companies.

More on healthcare startups:

  • The increased need for “shopping for health plans and shopping around for healthcare” has led to startups creating comparison tools for both the individual and family market.
  • Group wellness programs that reward workers, like smoking-cessation programs, have creating an interesting opportunity as small business health care tax credits and the employer mandate increase workplace coverage.
  • The American Action Forum, a nonprofit advocacy group that opposes the law, has blamed it for reducing pay at businesses with 20 to 99 employees by about $22.6 billion annually.
  • On March 6, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the U.S. added 295,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent, the lowest level in about seven years. The economy has added at least 200,000 jobs for 12 straight months, the best run since a 19-month stretch that ended in March 1995.
  • The Affordable Care Act has “provided funding for us to make more investments in data and make that data available to the private sector to help find solutions to some of our biggest challenges through innovation,” (HHS Secretary Burwell)
  • Some companies give only partial credit to the Affordable Care Act. They also were formed because of a related law passed a year earlier that provided federal money for hospitals and doctors’ offices to buy electronic record systems, as well as advancements in mobile and wireless computing technology. (Bloomberg)

 

Unpaid Medical Bills Reduced By ACA

Posted by on March 23, 2015 in ObamaCare News Archive

According to HHS the expansion of Medicaid and the increased coverage under the ACA has led to a reduction in unpaid medical bills saving taxpayers and hospitals billions.

Highlights from the factsheets can be found below (for a list of citations see page 3 of this PDF).

NOTE: This information is from a 2015 report. Logically however it should be true moving forward that the ACA has led to a reduction in unpaid medical bills due primarily to Medicaid expansion (as Medicaid remains expanded). Thus this information is relevant in 2019 and beyond, even though it is from 2015.

Unpaid Hospital Bill Reduction Under the ACA

The Commonwealth Fund studied the relationship between the ACA’s Medicaid Expansion and hospital’s uncompensated care. Their study found that Medicaid expansion reduced the cost of uncompensated care in expansion state hospitals by $6.2 million. Only 0.3 to 0.4 percentage points were saved in non-expansion states.

Based on estimated coverage gains in 2014, ASPE estimates that hospital uncompensated care costs were $7.4 billion lower in 2014 than they would have been had coverage remained at its 2013 level, at $27.3 billion versus $34.7 billion. This represents a 21 percent reduction in uncompensated care spending.

• $5.0 billion of this reduction comes from the 28 Medicaid expansion states plus Washington DC, representing a 26% reduction in uncompensated care spending and 68% of total savings. $2.4 billion comes from the 22 Medicaid non-expansion states, representing a 16% reduction in uncompensated care spending and 32% of total savings.

• If non-expansion states had proportionately as large increases in Medicaid coverage as did expansion states, their uncompensated care costs would have declined by an additional $1.4 billion.

Positive Effects of Medicaid Expansion on People

Medicaid is the third largest poverty-reducing program in the country and the second-largest program in reducing the rate of Americans in extreme poverty (<50% of the federal poverty level).

• In the Oregon Medicaid experiment, researchers found a 25% decline in the probability of having an unpaid medical bill sent to a collection agency and almost eliminated catastrophic out-of-pocket medical costs.

• Pre-ACA Medicaid expansions have been associated with reductions in bankruptcy rates.

Positive Effects of Medicaid Expansion on States

Despite the talking points, studies have shown that expanding Medicaid can benefit states, and not just due to federal funding.

• States that choose not to expand their Medicaid programs as of July 2014 will forego an estimated $88 billion in federal funding from 2014-2016 and will reduce the Nation’s economic output by approximately $66 billion through 2017.

• States have gained savings from reductions in expenditures on behavioral health programs (mental health and substance abuse services).

• In Kentucky, the first state to release a post-expansion study with updated estimates on the impact of their Medicaid expansion, the estimated economic contribution is projected to be $30.1 billion from 2014 to 2021. Their report also finds that there will be a net positive impact on their state budget of $919.1 million and job growth of 12,000 jobs in the state fiscal years 2014 and 40,000 jobs from the state fiscal years 2014 to 2021.

From ASPE.HHS.Gov

“Expanding Medicaid has positive economic effects. These two fact sheets highlight information on the economic impact of Medicaid expansion on individuals’ financial circumstances, uncompensated care costs and state Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Research confirms that expanding Medicaid will benefit states both directly and indirectly by generating additional federal revenue, increasing jobs and earnings, increasing Gross State Product (GSP), increasing state and local revenues (via provider taxes and fees and increased prescription drug rebates), and reducing uncompensated care and hospital costs.”

Economic Impact of the Medicaid Expansion (PDF-3 Pages)

Insurance Expansion, Hospital Uncompensated Care, and the Affordable Care Act (PDF-1 Page)

Forced to Have Coverage, Can’t Afford It – Story

Posted by on in ObamaCare Stories Archive

I was forced to take Obama care after leaving a full time job to run our family business and take care of my parents. The premiums are 40% of my take home pay. I live in NJ, so I also have the highest car insurance, property taxes and retail costs in the nation. I do not qualify for Medicaid I make $500 too much. This was a total payoff to the insurance companies, and to low income democratic voters. There is no reward for working, if I was unemployed I could get Medicaid and never pay a dime. I could give a false ss# and never pay a dime.

The Senate and Congress have gold level plans that don’t cost them a dime. We pay for them, for the uninsured, and for us. What incentive is there to work?

I fully expect this to get deleted, I understand that this was a useless waste of time for me to write. I will be voting against any pro obama-care politician at any level. I had to make a choice to help my family, or improve my financial situation, unfortunately I chose family and I am paying for it and everyone else.

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