Its a long one....if youre not interested, dont have the time or you simply love the healthcare system as it exists NOW....dont bother reading this Jerry Maguire style dissertation...just sayin. Obamacare…. To qualify for the Subsidies --- For a household with 2 people to qualify the cap is under 62K a year in total household income. Obviously that equates to 31K a year income ea. (or any other derivative) Which equates to at least 16 dollars an hour. If you make over 62K a year in household income (a lot of citizens do) you do not qualify for any subsidies so you’re forced to go with a much MUCH higher payment in the marketplace or you must go to a private policy. You also don’t qualify for the tax incentives…and as it has not hit yet, I’m sure we’ll see a horrible spike in taxes as a result when it does hit. Subsidies can be a substantial help to folks who qualify. A monthly payment of some $430 with subsidies can go down as low as $80 a month. Now that sounds great doesn’t it….however I have to wonder where the $350 in savings will come from……I realize it’s federally funded (in other words Uncle Sam picks up that tab) but where is it really coming from? And when you stop to think, if a few hundred thousand people are getting these high subsidies, my god that certainly starts to add up into some very high numbers. Insurance companies (being the huge evil empires that they are) have gotten wise to all of this and are maneuvering to cover their profit margins…I have to wonder WHY didn’t Washington factor this kind of maneuvering. WHY didn’t they make sure that the insurance companies weren’t going to gouge their customers as a result of the changes in guidelines and requirements imposed by Obamacare? Could it be they are serving some other interest than the citizens who elected them? Ultimately (In my opinion) what this is saying to the American Public is that it’s EASIER to sit back and make a conscious effort NOT to be successful….because it costs too much when you are. Much easier to sit back, take that minimum wage job…get a ton of subsidiaries, government assistance and tax benefits…..and just coast through life with no real contribution to society. Some folks actually believe these kinds of benefits are a “Right” or that it’s “Owed” to them. It does however make some sense this kind of entitled way of thinking is going on as we do not teach or encourage an entrepreneurial way of life in this country. Rather encouraging citizens to depend on others to make their living or complaining when “Jobs” are not given to them. If this all sounds negative, sorry….it seems this is what is going on so “it is what it is.” I am speaking from the position of a small business owner who has seen healthcare costs more than double in the last year alone…..I know so many other business owners and privately employed folks are seeing this happen in far larger numbers than I am seeing. I’m sure this is effecting job growth….as it costs drastically more to employ folks than it did before this program. However I know some businesses brought this on themselves when they side-stepped their responsibilities to provide their employees with good benefits. As all this is going on….I understand that some people are benefitting greatly. People who were previously unable to purchase insurance at all HAVE it now. Great…..but is Obamacare sustainable? I don’t think so “no.” This is not a partisan – screw the president type of decision…it’s just a common sense observance. Obamacare DOES address the need to get some folks insured, absolutely. However with all the good that it is doing (which is a false representation of GOOD – In my opinion) it still leaves all of the other issues untouched…..our healthcare system is still drastically overpriced and screwed up….nothing that Obamacare does addresses anything about “reforming” our system as a whole. At its core It really just provides for people through government assistance. People in need--->one of the richest countries in the world...ok it makes some sense but.... - It does nothing to tell doctors to stop overcharging for procedures - It does nothing to stop hospitals from bankrupting people when and if they need extended services - It does nothing to ensure that insurance companies (who are FAR TOO powerful) don’t gouge and screw their customers AT WILL. And on top of it all…If you say “To hell with the insurance companies” then your government will stick you with a fine equal to 2% of your income…and this is ok…..why? Obamacare is a Knee Jerk solution to the problem of baby boomers coming of age and using the healthcare more as they start to develop health issues. I agree something had to be done and here we are. But now with a shift in power in Washington I’m looking forward to a reworked version of this flawed unsustainable system as soon as possible! Something that actually works without depending on hand-outs to function! And something that punches these insurance companies right in the nose, and takes the gigantic amount of power and influence away from them and gives it back to the people who fund it! (will this happen? – I don’t know – I hope so - I hope someone in Washington “grows a pair” stops looking at all this from the standpoint of how it will benefit their personal bank account and actually does something for the people who they are supposed to represent!!) I say - Engage the Federal Government to reform the system itself….using that power and influence to bring down costs to a reasonable level. Make the entire system more affordable, stop gouging the public – if you do this it seems there would be no need for “subsidies” as the service itself would be more affordable for EVERYONE. Government should not be in the business of selling Healthcare (I realize the government does not provide it) but they are peddling it. With consequences if you don’t buy it…..”Consequences if you don’t buy it “ that sounds like something out of the Godfather doesn’t it? ex•tor•tion/ikˈstôrSH(ə)n/ noun 1. the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats. Government most certainly should not be able to penalize ANY CITIZEN for not buying a product they are peddling or anyone’s product for that matter. This seems to me represents the true power that insurance companies wield…..a power that needs to be knocked down!! It’s ridiculous to think that Insurance companies can sway the Federal Government or change the system and the rules to their benefit. The same goes for any large corporation, business, organization, energy conglomerate or rich Billionaire class! Sorry for the long post….I’ve been (needless to say) thinking a lot about it :)
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 19:37:55 +0000
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