Nov 4th is coming, I expect a flood of such articles and posts before that date extolling the wonders of the ACA. Very "timely". C'mon, who are we trying to "help the most . . . ?"
That's great. Somebody is paying. TANSTAAFL. So, I'll wait to see the evenhanded article that covers that. But until then, it's bread and circuses.The 10 million (or maybe much more per MichaelB's post) formerly uninsured and the people like me who had insurance but still couldn't afford to pay ~$50K for medical costs alone per year?
That's great. Somebody is paying. TANSTAAFL. So, I'll wait to see the evenhanded article that covers that. But until then, it's bread and circuses.
The number is greater. This website (here) has tracked enrollments (including non-payment dropouts) by state exchange and type of coverage since the rollout. They record 11m new Medicaid, 7.3M policies from exchanges, another 8M policies directly from insurers, and another 1M "other". Their estimate is between 19-25m newly insured individuals. Their spreadsheets can be downloaded.
I agree the blog owner is partisan, that is annoying, and also the reason I didn't link the site until now. The data is not suspect, unless you can provide another source with similar (scrutinized) breakdowns and sources showing different numbers. It's probably the best overall (and most heavily scrutinized) source of ACA data to be found anywhere - and it does distinguish paid vs not paid. It also carries a monthly count by exchange, so we can see month to month changes by program by state. The data sources are the state exchanges, the state insurance oversight agencies, and many insurers around the country.BTW- The website you link is.....interesting. The concept of a website following HI trends is great, but the presentation is annoyingly partisan and the underlying data are suspect. The global stats in site's headline come from the site's spreadsheet, yet the SS figures often do not match those reported by official sources... even sources cited in the site's own blog. Such as for CA where the SS shows 1.38M Paid Exchange QHPs (Qual Health Plan), yet the blog quotes CA officials as stating that number at 1.12M. Similar issue for CO stats where state officials quoted in the blog state 114K paid Exchange plans but SS shows 131k.
Everyone should take advantage of whatever program is available to them. If you can, I don't see any reason to not suppress taxable income to get the subsidy. There is also no "fair" tax rate the "rich" should pay. There is no reason not to take advantage of any benefits available in the tax code. I have personally decided it's not worth going for the subsidy. I think I'm better off doing Roth conversions aggressively in my pre-RMD years.The whole 'millionaire subsidy' issue (discussed ad nauseam on this forum) has allowed me to re-evaluate my view on work/life balance and what I used to derisively call 'handouts'.
Everyone should take advantage of whatever program is available to them. If you can, I don't see any reason to not suppress taxable income to get the subsidy.
Everyone should take advantage of whatever program is available to them. If you can, I don't see any reason to not suppress taxable income to get the subsidy. There is also no "fair" tax rate the "rich" should pay. There is no reason not to take advantage of any benefits available in the tax code. I have personally decided it's not worth going for the subsidy. I think I'm better off doing Roth conversions aggressively in my pre-RMD years.
Taxpayers are now paying for the tide of new Medicaid and subsidized health plans. People love "free" even if it isn't.
Nope. $55,000
My nephew came home recently and found his toddler with an open bottle of Tylenol. Taking no chances, he took the kid to ER and they gave the kid a test to see if he had taken any capsules, then kept him overnight for observation. The bill was $55,000.
Amazing - where do they come up with these numbers?
Last summer I had a three-day stay in the hospital, two in cardiac care and one in ICU and had two stents put in a heart artery. Bill to the insurance company was $45k.
By law, huh? I guess we know who paid for that legislature.In my state, by law, if an auto accident occurs, the auto insurer must pay full retail rates to the hospitals.
When a patient shows up in an emergency room, they ask quite a few times if an automobile was involved...
-gauss
Amazing - where do they come up with these numbers?
Last summer I had a three-day stay in the hospital, two in cardiac care and one in ICU and had two stents put in a heart artery. Bill to the insurance company was $45k.
Sheesh! Even the brand-new state of Iraq, of all countries, the one we spent incalculable resources to create, has a constitutional guarantee of universal health care. Yet, oddly enough, from what I could find, not a constitutional right to keep and bear arms.Almost all other developed countries seem to be able to afford some form of universal healthcare:....
"The only developed outliers are a few still-troubled Balkan states, the Soviet-style autocracy of Belarus, and the U.S. of A., the richest nation in the world."
....
Sheesh! Even the brand-new state of Iraq, of all countries, the one we spent incalculable resources to create, has a constitutional guarantee of universal health care. Yet, oddly enough, from what I could find, not a constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
.... How can a middle class family making $50K a year, with preACA type faux insurance, afford to pay $40K - $50K in medical costs in one year?
The surgery in our family last year was $150K without insurance, and under $50K with insurance company negotiated rates for most of the bills. It is a legalized scam to make the uninsured pay many times over what insurance companies pay.