Without Taxpayer Subsidies, Obamacare Is Really Expensive

In other news, water is wet

(Jacksonville Business Journal) Unless your coverage is subsidized by taxpayers, health insurance on the individual market is much more expensive under health care reform.

That’s the takeaway from a new index compiled by eHealth Inc., which tracked how much people are paying for insurance through its private online health insurance exchange. Individuals who don’t buy coverage through the federal government’s HealthCare.gov or state-run insurance exchanges aren’t eligible for premium subsidies available to many low- and middle-income Americans. (snip)

The average premium for an individual health plan selected through eHealth was $274 a month, as of Feb. 24. That’s 39 percent higher than the average premium before the ACA’s requirements went into effect.

The average family plan cost $663 per month, up 56 percent from a year ago.

Remember, that’s just the cost of premiums. This isn’t even taking into account the cost of the deductibles. But, hey, fortunately the “Affordable” Care Act is causing problems with restaurants and their menus

(Fox News) Tucked deep in the Affordable Care Act is language requiring all restaurants with at least 20 locations to list nutritional information alongside each and every item on their menu.

That edict is now creating headaches for small business owners across the country, particularly pizza chains.

Take Domino’s. There are 34 million different pizza combinations available at the chain, when all crusts and cheeses and toppings are factored in.

Now imagine walking into a Domino’s and navigating a menu board with 34 million different options on it.

That won’t raise costs or anything.

Oh, hey, look, the LA Times is pimping narrower networks

Most Americans would rather pay more for a health insurance plan that allows them to get treatment from a wide range of doctors and hospitals, a new survey finds.

But in a finding that could prove important for President Obama’s health law, working-age consumers who don’t get health benefits through an employer favor health plans with narrower provider networks that cost less.

Less costs when Someone Else is pay a good chunk of the premium. But just wait till people attempt to use the insurance and realize how much they will pay up front. But, hey, Doge memes!

Remember, these are the same people who are in charge of your health insurance and health care.

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11 Responses to “Without Taxpayer Subsidies, Obamacare Is Really Expensive”

  1. Nighthawk says:

    Again, people said I was nuts last year when I found that if I am forced into the exchanges my out of pocket health expenses would be about $19,000 a year. An almost 700% increase of what I currently pay.

  2. Jeffery says:

    nighthawk,

    That’s outrageous! So your out of pocket will jump from about $2500 to $19,000! Where were you able to find healthcare for you family for $2500 a year. That’s an awesome price!

    In the US (where we pay twice as much for healthcare per person as most other advanced nations) the average total cost per capita is about $8000 – so a family of four averages $32,000 a year. Of course, much of that is covered by employer subsidies (which are actually gov’t subsidies because of tax breaks) and government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

  3. Jeffery says:

    “Without Taxpayer Subsidies, Obamacare is Really Expensive”

    Also, just as true, “Without Taxpayer Subsidies, Employer Health Insurance is Really Expensive”

    The American taxpayer subsidizes the middle class and wealthy class to the tune of almost $300 billion a year. Part of many employees’ compensation is employer subsidized insurance which cost treasury almost as much as Medicaid or Medicare.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/15/the-huge-health-care-subsidy-everyone-is-ignoring/

  4. Trish Mac says:

    Jeffy is channelling Hary Reid. Calling Nighthawk a LIAR…

  5. Nighthawk says:

    Jeffery,

    My insurance is employer provided and is very, very good. My monthly premiums, which did just increase, are now about 2500 a year. My max out of pocket is capped at 1000, 500 deductible and 80/20 to a max of 500 then insurance picks up 100%. Of course, this will be considered a Cadillac plan and come 2016 my employer will start being penalized for providing such a plan so I completely expect my premiums to skyrocket or our plans to be changed or simply dropped. I am not currently paying that 700% increase. That is only IF I am forced into the exchanges which may well happen soon. Regarding recent reports and that my wife has Lupus, that 700% is a very low ball estimate of what could happen to me and my family.

  6. Jeffery says:

    Trash,

    I did not call anyone a liar. You don’t object to requesting a bit more detail do you?

  7. Trish Mac says:

    “Where were you able to find healthcare for you family for $2500 a year. That’s an awesome price!”
    Sarcasm then? Regarding a serious subject, the cost of healthcare.
    And don’t call me Trash. You have no idea who I am, nor do you know one single thing about me.

  8. Jeffery says:

    Trish,

    So you like calling others names, but you object to being called names. That’s interesting.

    $2500 a year is an awesome price for health insurance for a family. And as he pointed out, it was heavily subsidized by his employer (whom was heavily subsidized by the government).

    So, as I understand it, middle class and wealthy folks don’t like the prospect of losing some of their government subsidies for their “Cadillac” healthcare insurance.

    The author was trying to mislead you into thinking his insurance was going to jump from $2500 to $19,000 when in fact it wasn’t.

    Let’s say your employer pays $20,000 per year for your family insurance but you only pay $2500 of that to the employer. You’re getting $17,500 of UNTAXED compensation. How cool is that? If that compensation was viewed as salary you might have to pay some $5000 in income tax on it. In addition, your employer deducts it as a business expense, reducing their taxes. That is a huge subsidy from the government for your healthcare – and all hidden nicely in the tax code. But it costs almost $300 billion a year in lost revenue. Of course, by its very nature, this taxpayer subsidy is rigged to benefit the middle class on up.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/15/the-huge-health-care-subsidy-everyone-is-ignoring/

  9. Nighthawk says:

    Jeffy,

    What is interesting is that you insist that you weren’t calling me a liar and then come right out and say that I was misleading in my first post. So, in fact, you were calling me a liar.

    No matter how you try and spin it, what I said in my post is the absolute truth. If forced into the exchanges, my out of pocket will go up by at least 700%. Tax breaks my company gets has no bearing on what will be taken from my family.

    Now to really make your head explode. Since my wife has Lupus and oCare won’t pay for the medications and treatments, the actual increase I am looking at is more like 8000% or over $300,000 a year.

  10. Jeffery says:

    nightie,

    Liar is such a harsh word, when all you were doing was advocating your political position.

    Why would you be “forced” on the exchanges? How much of a subsidy would you get for premiums if you were “forced” on the exchange?

    Before the ACA, if you lost your insurance, you would be out of luck trying to find private insurance for your wife. Of course now, she could receive coverage. Why do you believe that the ACA policies would not cover lupus?

  11. Aw, this was a really nice post. Finding the time and actual effort
    to make a really good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate
    a lot and never manage to get anything done.

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