This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.
"$19,000 Premiums, Up 4x Since Passage": The 'Crippling Effect' Of Obamacare On The Middle Class
The past month has seen a veritable litany of reports that have slammed Obamacare, from sources on both the left and the right. Some examples:
- In Latest Obamacare Fiasco, Most Low-Income Workers Can't Afford "Affordable Care Act"
- The Stunning "Explanation" An Insurance Company Just Used To Boost Health Premiums By 60%
- Your Health Insurance Premiums Are About To Go Through The Roof -The Stunning Reason Why
- Obama Promised Healthcare Premiums Would Fall $2,500 Per Family; They Have Climbed $4,865
- Largest Health Insurer On Colorado Exchange Abruptly Collapses
- Co-Op Insurers Across America Are Collapsing, And Now There Is Fraud
As we have warned over the years, all of this was expected, and is precisely what happens when the government tries to take over a critical industry. It may have had "good intentions" but the result has been a total failure.
And nowhere is it seen better than from the laments of those whom it was supposed to benefit, such as Ed Elliott, who has laid out precisely what the "Affordable Care Act" means for the US: "This is crippling effect of ACA on small biz owners & middle class. $19000/yr premiums up 4x since passage."
This is crippling effect of ACA on small biz owners & middle class. $19000/yr premiums up 4x since passage. #tyranny pic.twitter.com/irHW4Oms2m
— Ed Elliott (@gunsntoolz) October 30, 2015
Still curious why the US middle class is expiring (even as the 1% are thriving), and has no discretionary income left at all? Simple: all of said "discretionary income" was spent to cover a soaring tax which was supposed to make life better for everyone.
h/t @noalpha_allbeta
- 611 reads
- Printer-friendly version
- Send to friend
- advertisements -


We ACA'D some folks
it is honestly sickening.. Europe healthcare is free.. yeah might wait a bit. but its free.. that 19k is money not going into the economy,, just going into a blackhole that are healthcare insurance companies.. the underwriters plan is designed to retain premium and bonuses are paid to those who pay the least amount of premium out.. It is a pile of shyt. 5000$ premiums basically means you pay for all expenses out of pocket unless you are terribly ill or run over by a bus.
from 2014-
Insurance Companies To Strenuously Fight Republican Efforts To Overturn ObamacareThe plan is working. Pretty soon they'll be begging for single payer.
more slushies
That 1% fine ... sorry, "tax" for no coverage looks better and better every day
Let see if Boris is understand Medical portion of convoluted Amerikansky Dream, you are to take best health care system in world (circa 2008) and create unsustainable financial arrangement between federal government, medical provider, and insurer (in case you are wonder, Boris is leave out "patient" because obvious is no one care about patient), and then Supreme Court of USA (SCOITUS) is write new law to enable further collapse, and now ultimate status is that private citizen is better just pay tax-fine-tax-no-fine-oh-whatever and opt out?
... Boris is confuse!
They had to pass it so YOU could find out whaaaat's in it. snicker snicker.
One time Boris is eating large meal with family of cousin (not same cousin who is father of fat nephew on couch if you are wonder) and is feel something is not chew, but is go down throat. Is taste nasty, but is hurting something awful! So Boris is go to neighbor who is possess x-ray machine and is get x-Ray. Is look like strange device, but is not sure.
Okay, now is time to go to doctor. Maybe is extract with some scope device or induce vomit. But, no, is charge Boris 150 Ruble and tell Boris in few day it will appear in toilet, basically, "You must pass it to find out what is in it."
This is seem same for Obamacare, is just one long painful bowel movement with result of crap at end.
Da!!!
From personal experience I can tell you tha the $19K health plan doesn't pay for anything until you are out of pocket $5K for each member of the family. It then only pays 70% of the remainder up to infinity. A friend had a heart attack and now owes $90K. And while all of this is going on you will receive cubic meters of bills and round the clock bill collectors calling. That's a Cadillac health plan.
my brother with 3 dependents (4 total insured) was quoted $1900 for gold plan in california (on the healthcare.gov website) which equals 22,800 per year plus the small co-pays.
that is up from the 1100 he paid to a union as an employer for his personal family coverage, because he no longer employees people, he's on the open exchange.
another friend in nevada was quoted $600/month for bronze they never even used (up from 350). this person makes 35,000K ... what the fuck does she do? go without issurance and file a phony exemption on her income tax was my advice.
but the minorities all get medicaid or get on a relatives medicaid or use each others ID ....they never pay. or they go to an indian reservation...a free clinic for the needy, etc.....all the while holding down jobs and paying zero for medical care. there is a whole network of handouts,if you belong to a racial minority of any color.
No, everyone is switching to short term non aca plans. Mine costs $280/no for a family of 5 in San Francisco area. Sureit only pays out if there is a real problem, but we are healthy and just need catastrophic coverage, not these full plans.
Look them up they are a deal
zap, I thought the plans had to include similar coverage like ACA for Silver Gold Platinum. If they did not then werre deemed unacceptable and the Penalty would apply. I used to carry something like you mentioned. It was a Catastrophic Care plan that covered just the big events. That is no longer acceptable according to ACA
Mr. Beeblebrox, if you are average citizen, then it is obviuos what is happen, Amerika is essentially no insurance and same people (fat, lazy, fat, unhealthy, diabetic, fat, lazy, etc.) who is not afford health insurance before (circa 2008) is enroll in unsustainable health plan that is subsidize by tax penalty, or ever-increase debt ceiling and ultimate collapse...?
So, what are you call this? Ploward-Cliven?
My Catastrophic Care plan was discontinued because it didn't cover vaginas.
Maybe you are next time purchase health insurance in lingerie department!
My Catastrophic Care plan was discontinued because it didn't cover vaginas.
You are say that again!
But that "280" is still getting a subsidy aka a form of welfare to pay the insurance premium. Then if you use it, you'll pay and pay and pay until actual insurance kicks in.
manwhile in Australia everyone is covered with health insurance (I am told by my Australian friends - I am ony visiting) and their tax free allowance is 18200 AUD. (about twice as much as in teh USA) So they seem to pay less tax and get more benefits
you work you pay a tiny percent on wage to medicare
if you also take private cover you get concessions as youre easing the public health system
and if you arent working you still get decent public care(beats the hell outta ussa from what I hear) emergency etc immedate care
dental and non life threatening you do get into a waiting list ie some surgery hip replacments etc
script meds are watchdogged for ripoffs
the poor get a flat rate subsidised rate, so they dont get sicker! and end up costing society more in the long run
however..YOUR crappy private med cos are moving in like sharks to screw us over.
and the TPP is another nail in the coffin if it gets past our senate
a LOT of us are lobbying to ensure the pollies do NOT pass it.
I joined a "legal" sharing ministry.
Funny thing is that Republicans will be the ones that will be in power when it is approved.
Single Payer was a non starter in the Oblama years, and now the Trumpster will achieve Single Payer as a Republican President.
Doesn't matter who the next Criminal-in-Chief turns out to be, taxpayers cannot afford to keep the current system going. Democrat or Republican, el nouveau presidente does not have the money to keep the scam going.
I wouldn't wish a Clinton presidency on Iran (they would never tolerate her lying anyway), but it would be funny if she were forced to cancel centrally planned health care just like a real banana republic.
Trump will order the IRS to disregard all Obamacare nonsense and halt all enforcement efforts. He'll put on a big show of standing up to Washington criminality, and Congress (having exempted themselves already) won't have a leg to stand on.
But whomever will cancel Obamacare because Uncle Sam has no choice. Beggars might say they chose not to buy a Mercedes to save face, but truth is they can't afford it.
Europe is essentially bankrupt, with the UK and Norway no longer having oil royalties to bankroll their government health systems (Norway just starting to have problems, UK's NHS is already bankrupt). And Europe's health care costs a lot less than the USA's.
Single payer is cheaper and more effective. Why would anybody want the health insurance that benefits only the insurance companies?
You always hear about the "wait", as if this is fatal or a reason to reject single payer. No wait means the insurance gets its money faster, with no attendant in health benefits for the citizens. In America, a lot of the procedure you get without a wait cause more deaths than waiting forever.
Even if you have an ObamaCare card in your wallet, a huge deductible and 20% co-pay means you lose your house and your life savings when you get sick or injured. How is this different from no insurance?
Single payer is cheaper? When was a monopoly EVER cheaper for consumers? And the whole argument is based on pooled risk and forced participation. Which isn't Constitutional (regardless of what those 9 fucktards opine). As the prices go higher, more Americans will be willing to 'knuckle up'. When that occurs, we'll all be playing the game in a very different dimension of risk/reward.
Excuse me... 5 Fucktards lead by the Chief Fucktard ... the baby raping fag Roberts.
Government Need
Europeans pay less for comparable or better health care costs than in the USA.
(Arguably, so do Cubans.)
Public monopolies make sense over banking, roads, electricity, water, etc.
Economies of scale advantages do exist. There are other reasons as well.
The bloated sickcare industry is now one area needing such.
Democratic or democratic representative government is a better alternative
in such areas of general interest than an
expectation that the singular materialistic goal of profit-driven corporations
can determine best for society, humanity, and the ecology/environment.
Faith in profits over people is a sad reflection of our sick society.
Give me an example of what you believe Europeans pay less for, and I'll take the time to show you (to the limit of public info) how that argument is false. Whenever .gov gets involved, needless inefficiency is created. These days, there is also a fat layer of graft on top of the needless inefficiency.
https://www.oecd.org/health/health-systems/Focus-Health-Spending-2015.pdf
Figure 2. Healthcare as a % of GDP. If the US system is so much more efficient than the European, why are our costs so much higher as % of GDP?
If single payer is so great, why not give people the choice whether to pay for it or not?
Toady
OBAMAcare was written by the insurance and pharma industries.
It was NOT "their" plan to have single-payer.
The general public should have been "begging" for less costly single payer all along.
Nothing is free. European medical care, including European death panels, is paid for by taxes. And that is why, among other things, that Europe is slowly circling the drain hole.
yes. you are correct. but they also produce less. turned into club med
Europe's health care cost less
because a significant portion does NOT
have to subsidize bloated insurance and pharma industries.
Somewhat healthier lifestyles, foods, environment, and also less medical
costs as result of avoiding an excessively punitive US-style 'war on drugs'. . . all helps.
Avoiding medical costs for veterans from excessive overseas militarism helps.
Word games about the word "free" prove nothing.
Without the FDA's cock-blocking of new drugs and technologies, US consumers would NOT pay a premium price to elsewhere. And drugs/technology is 2nd behind staff expense in terms of overall magnitude of healthcare facility expenses. The wage scale is equally bloated. That's not going to make nurses happy, when they have to compete with folks from Thailand and the Philippines. Also, Europe has few niggers and wetbacks who stats show are less healthy and live shorter lives. Cuz 'scrimination, of course.
Haha
Death panels.. You guys really believe that...
Americans are so dumb
I've watched people die slowly in the USA and in Canada and I'll take Canada for 100 Alex.
Unless Canada can sell more and more oil to the suckers on their southern border, your days of dying slowly on tax-payer funded Canadian care are limited.
And to give you an idea of the intelligence level you are selling to (depending on to fund your health care system) -- six days after TransCanada officially canceled the XL pipeline, Obama rejected it.
We the no-longer free also subsidize all your drug development costs. Wait till we go bankrupt and you get the bill for that!!!
You had better build a new pipeline to paying customers in Asia, or you better cancel Canada's health system. Your choice.
Wow, at least three Canadians don't want to admit how dependent their country is on selling oil and natgas to fund their not-really-free health system.
Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, apparently it runs through Quebec as well...
Would that be the panel the UK that denied my aunt an operation whoch she would have had performed in the US in a week, back in the mid 2000's?
She of course is dead now.
The illiterate like to throw the term "death panels" around and scare other illiterate people. Nobody has insurance that pays for experimental and unproven drugs and procedures. Nobody.. It has always been that way.
you, as an american, don't pay tax?
"Europe healthcare is free"..are you really that stupid?
perhaps
what is even more ridiculous is that the usa funds the shitty healthcare plans of europe. if 75% of the qe is going to european banks and they are qe'ing money/credit that keeps the european gov 'solvent' then the usa is funding their welfare/med plans.
when the liquidity stops, watch europe literally melt down.
Presumably you are referring to the same "Shitty Healthcare" that delivers far, FAR better outcomes than your costly, profit-led, and therefore INEFFICIENT sysem??
American "Healthcare" is quite the misnomer. a "Healthcare" model that is designed to financially exploit, and where "keeping them alive no matter whether the quality of life is abysmal" seems the accepted model.
Working closely with colleagues in Palliative / Hospice Care, you better believe me when I tell you QUALITY of life is far, FAR more important to our dying Patients than any residual "Quantity".
Just another example where Europe and almost everywhere else is miles ahead of your "system". Even relatively backward Australia has recognised that Quality is more important than Quantity, and it's not a "cost issue", since end-of-life management can be quite costly in terms of nursing and clinical commitment.
5-7% of the US population consumes half of the healthcare reseources. The distribution within that group probably isn't uniform, so 2% of the population may be consuming 25% of the healthcare. Can we incentivize them to STOP doing that? How about putting a cap on what the public will spend to keep any given person alive, say a million dollars? It's worth it to me and the dozen other taxpayers who will spend ALL of their tax contributions to keep one cheeto eating TV watcher alive, of course, but if we could do that for less I would be thrilled.
No, we cannot do that. The medical-pharmaceutical-insurance complex is too deeply entrenched, controls too much of the apparatus of the State. This monster is not driven by compassion, not by reason, or any human impulse. It exists solely to extract wealth and power from those poor souls (like you and me) that happen to live (as best we can) within its reach.
You sir, hit the nail on the head. And that is why they needed more "premium payers", so they forced everyone to get health insurance whether they wanted it or not.
not replacing knees on fat asses who never worked a day in their lives? no new hips for 90 year olds?
You're a complete idiot if you think Europe has free healthcare. Europe's healthcare is paid for by the US.
This is a false. The US DOES NOT pay the wages of the European healthcare professional. The US DOES NOT pay the price for the drugs and technology. The ONLY accurate aspect of your argument is drug and device pricing, which is a fraction of the 2nd largest healthcare expense pie, following healthcare provider salaries, wages, and benefits. The socialized healthcare systems have a lovely taxation system which spreads the wealth around to the healthcare consumers. THAT is how European heathcare gets paid for.
US drug/device prices are higher for 2 reasons: (1) Americans can pay, and as a producer of a product, you want to charge the max a consumer will pay for something; and (2) Americans are still largely a captive market (altho medical tourism, where US citizens go OUS to receive treatment, grows >20% annually). Finally, the FDA is a cockblock to equalizing prices for drugs and devices. There should be informed consent whereby any American can choose any treatment. If that happened, prices would decline dramatically. Once again, .gov is in the way, propping up 'Big Pharma' profit margins.
Different crippling taxes.
Its not free, but it is much cheaper. For example, i live in belgium. A docter visit wil cost about 25€ and the state health system pays about 20€ back.
No middle man to pay, IOW no private insurers looking to profit.
Where does the 20 euro come from. I want some of that free euro.
Of course it comes from taxes. The thing is it's not a profit driven system.
You're entiteled to take out private health care if you wish (unlike Amerika where you're forced to do so) but there is no obligation.
In Australia we pay roughly 1.5% of income to medicare - this covers everything. Period. If you want to get into hotel hospitals and straight in the next day you can go private at a few hundred a month. The fees the US pays are absolutely astounding to anyone on the planet (most with better health care) outside of the US.
Sure it's a profit driven system. Every administrator in your single payer system seeks to maximize their own gain. All single payer systems are constantly battling major fraud and graft issues.
"it is honestly sickening.. Europe healthcare is free"
Um, no, it's not "free"
I'm definitely moving to Europe!!! You guys have the most altruistic and charitable nurses, doctors and entire hospitals that do shit for free!! All of them doctors must not get paid by anyone, they have all won the lottery and spend it willy nilly on their nurses paying for the hospital bills, the drugs the lights, shit you got it good.
In other news NOTHING IS FUCKING FREE! The taxpayers get to pay for all the self inflicted alcoholism, diabetes, obese fuckers who overeat, smokers, drug users, and all around slovenly assholes who refuse to look after themselves. And if you get sick which happens to most of us, why should you not pay for it out of pocket. You pay for your fucking cars, trucks, vacations, booze, pot, smokes, igadgets, clothes and the food you eat. Healthcare is a service, so pay up. You can't eat for free, so pay up. Stupid fucking comment.
And no I am no fan of Obamacare, then don't pay it. Save your money and attend to hospitals and physicians that will take cash from you. I guarantee you it will turn out to be much cheaper.
One of the reasons I emigrated to Europe is healthcare. Yes, taxes are higher, doctors are not so fancy like is in US, but it is free, at all free, no coopay, all drugs are low fix price, ALL DRUGS! And drugs are free for kids, pregnant, elders!
And doctors smile and treat you as a human patient, not as ensurance holder they can get as many tests as would be covered..
HedgeAccordingly - "Europe healthcare is free.."
You can't really be that ignorant, right? You were speaking sarcastically. There is nothing free in this world. Something or someone has to pay. Europe has free healthcare? Come on Hedge. The wheels are coming off the European economy and have been since long before this American manufactured refugee crisis. The new American model for healthcare which is basically fascism doesn't work and neither does the European model which is socialism. Take third parties out the mix and restore the relationship between the patient and the physician. That's the fix. I spent 25 years in the healthcare industry and costs went up in proportion to government involvement and exploitation by insurance companies with their convoluted "products" like HMO's, PPO's, capitation and "managed care". More like mangled care. It's only a matter of time before dems and repubs push single payer in this country and then everyone is doomed. I want government telling my physician how to treat me as much as I do Jeffrey Dahmer telling me what I should eat.
@HedgeAccordingly:
I don't want to sugar coat this for idiots like yourself.
NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE. Got that dumb ass? NOTHING IS FREE
Doctors in Europe do not work for free. Taxes pay them. Band-aids are not free, taxes pay for those too. x-ray machines, blood pressure monitors... all the goodies are paid for by taxes.
In many European countries (and Canada), oil royalties pay a huge part of those taxes. Taxpayers (rich, middle class and poor) pay the rest.
Stop committing fraud you stupid loser. You are not getting health care for free.
As for victims in the USA, lets remember that European trains generally run on time (outside of England). In the USA, Amtrak just presented its 40th "Five Year Plan" to stop constant losses and become self-sufficient.
Nothing is free.
Right. As in, 40-60% of your pay cheque free, whether you utilize any of those "services" or not. This is not a defense of the Fascist medical system in the USA. It's merely a reminder, that no, Europe's healthcare is not free, let alone a bargain.
"Europe healthcare is free.."
Really? So, the doctors, nurses and all other health care employees donate their time? That could explain the wait, I guess.
Is it really free? Or, is it a single-payer system with closely controlled cost structures? I wonder if maybe it is paid for through a tax on the good citizens of the European nations?
I guess that using the same metric, all of our interstate highways here are "free", the defense department operates "free", and those on foodtsamps are getting their benefit for "free" too.
"Europe healthcare is free"- no, you pay for it through taxes. You are still paying for it. Europe has many countries, and not all utilitze socialized healthcare schemes either.
"5000$ premiums basically means you pay for all expenses out of pocket unless you are terribly ill or run over by a bus" - this is literally how insurance is supposed to work. Throughout history, and in every other case of insurance except healthcare, the insurance only kicks in when there has been an unexpected loss. HSA plans in healthcare work this way, but they've been weakened under ACA - I prefer an HSA plan because our family is healthy and the premiums are roughly half the amount of full coverage. We pay for maintenance items and small repairs out of pocket.
I am an ins agent this whole thing has been a scam from the start my tax bill has been reduced to zero. They have destroyed the whole thing. I cant even get insurance through the exchanges . Uninsured brefore and now. Whats the difference. I just found out I was denied. Fuck them and I wish this country would wake the hell up allready. Been waiting for this for 6 yeRs here we are
Fun article to reflect on from January 31, 2013.
They were only off by $1,000.
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/irs-cheapest-obamacare-plan-will-be-...
A poverty trap that will catch everybody in the middle class,just as planned.
You really need your head examined if you think $19k per year is remotely 'affordable'. WTF. That just torpedoes any hope for anyone middle class. Don't enroll, adjust your withholding so you never get a refund and tell them to fuck off with their 1% income penalty (on a tax).
KY lube sales are gonna soar !
I promise is only an endoscope(for a whale).
Not going to hurt (me) at all.
Doctor Allenby: This won't hurt a bit.
[Sticks Chance with a needle]
Chance the Gardener: It did hurt.
Just check the box on the tax return. Make them catch it and come after your for the tax.
Personally, I'd rather pay the fine. I can't afford health insurance, and I definitely can't afford Obamacare.
If the fine gets too big, I guess I'll have to leave the country. There's no way I'll stick around for a shakedown.
Why not get Medicaid?
Worst thing for this system is for people to get on Medicaid and then actually use it to cover well visits and treat conditions.
If you can't comfortablly pay for medical care, get on it and get healthy. Give yourself a fighting chance, you only have one body.
Maybe because in many states there is a gap in income between poor enough to get Medicaid and makes enough to get subsidized coverage on the exchange.
My friend in Texas said fewer then 12% of orthopedic doctors now accept Medicaid since they cannot afford to get paid 5 cents on the dollar. Obamacare is turning into a nightmare in the same way but worse because it FORCES people to pay for insurance but you do not get the coverage since fewer and fewer doctors accept it.
Obamacare is one of the most disastrous "Legacies" of Barry, Pelosi, and Reed. We are going to pay the penalty next year and forego paying for non-coverage Obamacare. Stay healthy and if you are unfortunate enough to need it for cancer, similar, then sign up for it then.
My dad Loki may look at one of those Christian insurance coverage things since everyone raves about them.
12% seems very high to me.
In the north east (New England states), very few doctors of any specialty will accept new patients "covered" by medicare/medicaid. Almost none.
The few doctors that do get overwhelmed with newcomers, find out Uncle Sam is a dead beat, try to over-charge paying customers (who then leave). The medical practice quickly turns into a public housing project.
The thing to do will be to suffer with grace or go out when it is your time like our Parents and Grand-Parents and Great-Grandparents did.
You go broke getting a strep culture or having them poison you for a couple years until you die of cancer.
Morphine and aspirin are cheap, enriching the healthcare demons will wipe out 3 generations of assets, as it was designed to do.
Time to fight and live or die with dignity America.
Don't look now, but the folks in Washington just admitted that Social Security and Medicare cannot meet their promises.
Its not news that they cannot meet their promises, but it is news that they are finally admitting so.
Medicaid "coverage" is the same as having no coverage, except for all the forms you have to fill out on medicaid. Just try to find a doctor who will accept new patients on Medicare/medicaid.
RE
The govt doesn't control the industry. The health insurers, big pharma, and big hospitals do. The govt is just paid by them to enforce their monopolies and their "profits".
bullish suicide...its cheaper than the ACA
Middle-aged Whites are checking out of the asylum; is it any wonder?
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/03/health/death-rate-middle-age-white-americans/index.html
"The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater." Frank Zappa
Didn't he die young ??
Also known as NegroNomics!
What middle class......either you have money or are apart of the free shit army.
Where is this alleged "free shit" that you speak of? I see only shit.
This has always been the plan of The Commie In Chief and his Socialist cronies from the Looney Left to get America to a European style single payer systems so we can suck as much as them.
How many liberal idiots have actually visited a European country and received taxpayer funded "single payer" system care? Because most of the EU is in SERIOUS financial problems right now.
England's National Health System (NHS) is going bankrupt because they can no longer collect North Sea oil royalties to make up the losses.
A Decade ago, employers had to ask people if they wanted to work for them, everybody could buy a house and if you got sick it wasn'r even worth thinking about it.
Now you have to beg for a job, you can't buy a house unless you already own one and if you get sick bad days are comming.
These days, if you don't own 5 million in the bank, nobody thinks you're worth a dime.
Right, and the wife could stay home and raise the kids and they would grow up happy and rooted and didn't expect to pee in the bathrooms of the opposite sexes.
A decade ago was 2005, and if you bought RE, you paid a overly-proud price.
The messiah lied.
Gee, what a shame that I live outside of the U.S. and am not "required" to participate.
don't worry
FINRA will catch up to you some how
probably buried in TPP some where
The TTP is very very bad
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20151106/07051932731/full-text-tpp-rel...
Watch out when Democrats constantly claim to be for the "middle class" at the expense of the "rich."
The reality is the middle class is getting soaked to buy the votes of the poor as the rich congratulate themselves in their gated communites. Obamacare is a perfect example.
We taxed some stupid folks.
Some stupid folks are about to get the tax boot.
How can anyone defend this bullshit anymore?
You have to be completely fucking retarded to support Obamacare.
So the hedge here is what, go long insurance companies?
Amazing that no one has blown barry's head clear off his shoulders.
cACA. pronounced: kaka.
Got my notice this week from my insurer. Self employed small biz owner. My premium (just me) goes from $683 per month to $1350 month. $6850 out of pocket max costs. Fucking joke, I'll die of cancer or heart attack before I pay that. They can all suck my cock. I've fucking had it with this country and the ignorant fuckers that populate it. They swing all over Obama's sack while he bombs brown people spending billions and billions on free shit for the chronically lazy. Cannot even find help anymore, most of them so fucking stupid they can't count to 10 but dept of education budget is growing every year. Fuck You
Meanwhile this cunt Bernanke and Yellen are stealing my life's work. I'm tapping into savings every month now because I get no interest anymore. Fuck You Ben, come and see me and I'll beat you fucking silly you cunt fucker
Not sure he is actually a Cunt fucker
Someone should collect ZH rants and put them in a book.
Or just have weekly/daily rant threads. God knows I could write a few dozen rants in sleep at this point.
Inthemix96 would be a star in that book!
We could call it the Two Minutes Hate.
Oh, sorry, that's already been taken:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Minutes_Hate
Emmanuel Goldstein lives!
Time to shrug.
Go off grid, get your savings into something tangible, go into the lowest cash burn mode you can go, and just left this beast of a government die.
I've kicked my plans into high gear for this. So far I'm planning to stay in country, but I've been toying with the idea of expat life.
Any expats have feedback on how dating life is outside the US?
Are you looking for some '2 dolla suckey suckey'?
I'm in the same boat as you -almost identical. I've been unisured for 9 months - may have heart problems and have 8 days to opt into Obamacare again for next year. Screw it - Don't trust fucking doctors anyway. I'll probably live longer stating away from them.
I take it that you are angry ??
Self employed here too. 2016 is the year we don't haev health insurance. Had the cheapest possible plan, from UHC. Just got a note in the mail about 'benefit changes'. See, the new rate is 88% higher than the old one.
I asked myself if we could raise our rates by 88% to compensate. Then I thought "since the govenrment doesn't have a gun to MY customers' heads, then the answer is no".
Damn, I should have started a health insurance company. Then my customers would pay whatever I demand (and that can be quite a lot), instead of taking their business elsewhere like they'd do if I raised my prices like that.
I haven't received a 'tax refund' (more BS) in 15 years. I pay FIT every quarter, so their penalty means jack shit to me TBH.
It won't stop until massive numbers of us just say "NO" and refuse to comply. It can start with this health care mafia bullshit, then proceed to the income tax mafia bullshit next.
If 30% of Americans refused to pay what would the IRS do? 50%?
They couldn't do shit. What they would have to do is start pretending they never worked there, or be getting sized for new neck tie.
Mississippi windchimes, from sea to shining sea baby.
FUCK YEAH!
There are "legal" sharing ministries.
Yes there are - and some kind soul on this site pointed me to one - which I'm afraid I have been dragging my feet on.
http://www.chministries.org/
That's what I joined, but there are others. My insurance was cancelled 2 years ago.
The Healthcare "market" isn't a free market at all because sickness usually requires urgent relief, there is nothing "voluntary" in the marketplace except cosmetic surgery.
Then of course the barriers to entry are massive.
For this reason health markets are regulated, otherwise the industry wil operate to optimise itself to extract your last dollar with your last breath.
like most so called good intentioned regulations, the reality turns the industry into a government sanctioned cartel that seeks to extract your last dollar, BUT MAKES COMPETITION AGAINST IT, OR REFUSING TO PARTICIPATE, ILLEGAL......BY THREAT OF FORCE
This was never "good intentioned"; it was always a trick to fuck the middle class right in their assets.
How does this ignorant fucker even pay his crack dealer with his math skills. Fuck You Obama
The form I filled out onour taxes for an exemption because my family is in a christian medical bill sharring group was very easty to fill out, only a couple of check marks and thats it. There was no proof of coverage or anything to back up my claim and we were exempted from any penalty. My suggestion to others who are in the same boat is to "join" a christian bill sharring group and exempt yourself and your family from this unconstitutional law...
See my comment above :
http://www.chministries.org/
Which is probably the smart thing for us to do. But at the moment we are living outside the US and not subject to Obamacare.
When we left the States we were paying something like $500 USD for very good coverage for one of us under COBRA and another roughly $500 USD for some sort of coverage for people with 'pre-existing' conditions, for the other. THAT plan was a government supported plan. I just don't understand why they stopped offering that sort of coverage rather than upsetting everyone's life's.
$500/mo. For COBRA!? Where the hell did you live, above the arctic circle in Alaska?
Florida. We had really good coverage as an employee - which cost us very little out of the paycheck. I don't know how COBRA pricing works - does the employer contribute to some of the cost ?
I will add this - for at least a couple years I setup a new seperate account at our US brokerage and each month deposited money we saved on all our various insurances (health, flood, wind, home, auto) and taxes (real estate) and expenses (water, electic, etc). It is mind-numbing how much that account grew.
Crazy cheap. You got it dicked! Mine was $900 5years ago.
Remember you get to pay your premiums with after tax dollars, so to pay 19,000 per year you have to earn 27000...
If you like your communism, you can keep you communism.
Edit: More like fascism at this point but getting really close to that next step. Jumped the gun on that one.
The only real difference is that the Nazis were snappy dressers.
But it's all about state power over the individual and nothing else, no matter what sort of gift wrapping is on the outside.
Hugo Boss made some beautiful black uniforms
The Lufwaffe uniforms he disigned were even better.
Black is the new look for SATAN and his disciples
The solution to this and most other problems in the USA, eg entitlement program spending explosion to 70%+ of all government spending, FED crushing interest rates to over-stimulate the economy to get every last peasant, compessino, crack head, zombie, etc employed,
is to just terminate/recycle every person who cannot fully pay for all their own expenses on what they earn, and end ALL entitlement programs and all taxes and other confiscations that support these parasite subsidy programs.
The economy will BOOM.
Just checked for 2016 obamacare my wife and I would send in about 900-950 per month for a silver plan. Lost our real affodable coverage (that I paid for) in 2012 when obama and his democrat thugs made it illegal. Wife and I havent had insurance since. So I guesse in a way I have saved over 30K and each month it increase another thousand dollars... I refuse to pay the penalty...
Hard to say what they will do about the Penalty. IRS is not chasing people now but once Barry leaves office and elections over the hunting will begin. Millions of people owing penalties with accrued interest and the penalties escalate every year. Before one knows it they could owe Thousands in penalties over a 3 year time period. IRS not going to let that go and Barry the Thief/liar is gone.
Obamacare resulted in the cancellation of my existing private insurance policy and put me into Medicaid because I have no income except SS. (My money is in cash, gold and IRA's.) So, ironically, my health insurance is free even though I am not poor. Never see doctors, though. Wine is the only drug I will touch, although if pot is legalized...
Thank you for your admission. You will be hearing from us soon.
Oh,,, and alcohol adds 20%.
ACA
I did not want Medicaid because it is horrible insurance. The ACA would not sell me a policy. They said Medicaid was my only option unless I wanted to leave the system. Given I never use doctors and it was free, I figured, why bother? Another year, and I'll be in Medicare.
If you like your current health insurance, you can keep your current health insurance.
-Lying Turd Obama
my hero
Interesting to compare our current US human healthcare system with the veterinary medical care industry, which really is pretty much a free market with no government healthcare programs or insurance involvement. Yeah I know they're pets not people but for a few thousand bucks your dog can have a kidney transplant, heart surgery, etc. with MRIs and state of the art meds and all the technology you'd find in a human hospital for maybe 100X more money ....that's what government involvement gets you. Also check out how competition has brought down the cost of uninsured procedures like lasik.
We have lived outside the US for a few years now. We have insurance through our local governement. When we need to we pay out of pocket for something. Sometimes I do feel like an animal when waiting for a doctor - BUT - I am an animal. I really don't need valet parking, TV in the lobby, old magazines etc. I just need someone who understands their job.
I have found Thailand to be fair priced, depending on the exchange rate and what your in the market for, you should at least get a free vacation out of the deal if not save 10 grand. The West can try to run Thailands medical tourist industry down all they want they do great work. The hospitals there are full of Americans, Europeans, Australians and even US military. I know many people who have had major surgeries (heart surgery, new boobs, back surgery etc) there and it worked out just fine, you can even get a new pecker there or a third leg if you want.
Some hospitals are no doubt better than others. I got a grip of great dental work there done at about 20% the US rate and came away from a great trip and still was in the positive. Thailand is one of the many reasons why this system is being forced on us.
If you think you're going to magically get rid of the private insurance monopoly- through some sort of " collapse"- and arrive at single payer- you are DELUSIONAL.
Health insurance is a protection racket...just wanted to say that.
To those responsible for Barry's election,,, twice,,, How do you like that free healthcare?
Gonna make the problems with Social Security pale in comparison.
That's just it, they like it just fine. I just had one idiot I know declare that "Obamacare is the best thing that ever happened to this country". He is S corporation that pays no taxes, makes tons of money and gets below the wire because he is a crook. I don't mind somebody who gets away from the man until they try to saddle my ass with their bills... I secretly hope he gets nailed. The only way these people will get a clue is if they get raped on their taxes and try to use the healthcare in the same year and have to drop 20,000.... dumb fucks!