- Feb 12, 2007
- 59,439
- 24,108
- 2,290
To provide context, this is the first time I have independently applied for health coverage.
My parents earn above the threshold for the ACA (or around 120k), so they have to pay for their coverage - minus the employer contribution.
Also I found out that I am outside the threshold for the ACA, so I will also have to pay for my own coverage with no subsidies whatsoever.
When I had a look, a basic plan was around $188-191 (before tax) a month, for my own medical needs (like the off chance accident of being run over by a car, and visiting the doctor for a check up every six months).
How can part-time workers (that make up 40%+ of Americans) that work below the $16,000 threshold afford decent healthcare coverage, when they are excluded from the ACA, and Medicaid is so restrictive that the poor can't get access?
Also, what about those earning above the 48-60k threshold (depending on the state) who probably can't afford decent healthcare coverage, given the costs of accommodation, education, and general living expenses, yet are excluded from the ACA simply on the basis they 'earn too much'?
If you don't buy coverage you get a $500-600 fine a year, and if you do get coverage you are having to pay $188+ a month just for basic coverage. There is a subsidy if you earn around 48-60k, but what about the other 60%+ of Americans that get nothing from the ACA but are forced to pay taxes for the 16-60k'ers?
That means that the 16-60k bracket get subsidies from taxes from the poor, the upper middle class, and the rich. We hear about the 1% but who is really taking advantage of the tax system, is it really those earning above 60k or below 16k - or the small percentage of Americans (say 20-30%) that are given subsidies at the expense of everyone else in America that gets nothing?
You're missing the point.
The purpose of the ACA is to enrich Big Insurance companies and to expand Federal government power over our private lives.
For most ACA enrollees, the tiny provider networks combined with enormously high deductibles mean they won't use any health care except for extreme emergencies.