SocraticGadfly: #Obamacare problem — glitch, or bait and switch?

February 12, 2013

#Obamacare problem — glitch, or bait and switch?

Here's the problem. Some families may not be able to afford employer-based health care, at least not a full package, but may not be eligible for subsidies for open-market insurance, either.
The problem seems to be the way the law defined affordable. 

Congress said affordable coverage can't cost more than 9.5 percent of family income. People with coverage the law considers affordable cannot get subsidies to go into the new insurance markets. The purpose of that restriction was to prevent a stampede away from employer coverage. 

Congress went on to say that what counts as affordable is keyed to the cost of self-only coverage offered to an individual worker, not his or her family. A typical workplace plan costs about $5,600 for an individual worker. But the cost of family coverage is nearly three times higher, about $15,700, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. 
And, that may not be the only "issue." Yahoo notes others are coming into sharper focus.

Folks, never forget that Obamacare was a bill written by health insurers for health insurers.

As long as you remember that bottom line, you won't get your hopes up too much.

That's why I'm surprised that insurance companies aren't pressing red states, who might be even more susceptible to conservative big-biz lobbying, to set up state level, state organized insurance exchanges rather than defaulting to the feds.

I guess America's Health Insurance Plans hasn't been visiting places like Austin, Atlanta, etc. often enough.

And, I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked! AHIP is falling down on the job.

No comments: