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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy don't Dem candidates want to campaign with Obama?
After all, Obama gave America Obamacare. So shouldn't he be popular?
The problem is math.
Obamacare insured about ten million people who weren't previously insured. That's a good thing! It's a wonderful thing!
On the other hand, it insures those ten million largely by having taxpayers foot the bill, the vast majority of whom already had health insurance. It's costing them money, but not obviously helping them. Personally, I'm much happier about the ten million getting insurance than I'm unhappy about the extra taxes I'll end up paying. But there are likely tens of millions, at least, who are pissed about paying higher taxes to to insure more people in a way that permits docs, pharma, and insurers to make obscene money. Two-thirds of Americans want Medicare for All, which would insure everyone and cost less.
And then there's the big one: most Americans have seen there fortunes cumble with Obama at the helm. They've seen the wealthy get coddled, e.g. the dramatic actions taken to save banker bonuses, 82% of the Bush tax cuts made permanent, and the rest, while their futures, and their children's futures, circle ever closer to the drain. Whether it can rightly be blamed on Obama's actions, or it's a result of the Presidency being a powerless position (as some claim), it's certainly happened under Obama's leadership and hundreds of millions of Americans identify him with the mauling they've received.
Ten million helped by Obamacare vs. hundreds of millions mauled by the economy.
That's the math.
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UTUSN
(70,755 posts)
shraby
(21,946 posts)MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)If so, please correct the record.
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)Manny's still pissed that he was wrong about Obama cutting Social Security.
Sid
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)And I believe that I was correct.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)here is a reason why SS is called 'the third rail' of politics. YOU Are seeing that now in action. ANY Dem who even talks about connecting SS to the Defiicit, which this president knows is a lie, risks what is happening to president. He is the first Democrat who caved to the Right Wingers who have tried to privatize SS for decades.
And just so you understand, the CHAINED CPI, which Obama has also pushed for, would CUT SS. Not to mention that Congress has zero right to do this, SS is the People's Retirement Insurance FUND. It CANNOT BE CUT while it is successfully functioning. And it is.
You appear not to understand the significance of what this president has done regarding SS. But WE, the American do so your shock at Manny's post either shows you have no knowledge of this particular issue here in the US, or you thought that Dems would accept from a Dem President what they have never accepted from a Republican. If you thought that, you have no idea what an important issue is. It's more improtant than the ME, or 'getting' terrorists or just about any other issue.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)mess anger. But you did get a "atta-boy" from Sid.
OilemFirchen
(7,143 posts)Perfect description of a Mannygram!
Number23
(24,544 posts)EVAH. 
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)apparently, his/her computer recognizes B.S.!
Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)I totally forgot about that guy.
Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)shraby
(21,946 posts)
madville
(7,412 posts)Play Charlie Crist yelling "I love Barack Obama!" At a campaign rally in 2012. If the Republican strategy is to associate a Democratic candidate with Obama it makes sense to not have Obama campaigning with/for that candidate.
Send the President out on the campaign trail with Grimes in Kentucky and she would lose by 20 points, without him it's a virtual tie at the moment.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)Crist has made his bed. I so wish we had another dem going up against Scott. Scott is ripe for a beating. Crist has spent a decade making himself vulnerable. The current commercial onslaught is so negative. Painful to watch. At this point I don't think either one thinks they have anything of their own to run on.
Jenoch
(7,720 posts)MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Because the 99% have been savaged.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)than conservatives.
Why is that?
If Obama is a conservative who hates the middle class and poor people, conservatives would flock to him like they flock to Republicans and liberals would despise him. But that isn't the case according to the breakdown of the approval ratings.
Could it be that you're wrong?
Yup.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)People are in pain. They are mad at the leader. They don't know whether the answer is to go right, or left. They just want it to stop hurting.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)They turn to people who want to kill Dodd Frank, the CFPB, Obamacare, environmental regulations and food stamps?
Polls in places like Kentucky and other areas where the middle class is really hurting show that they actually think Obama is actually too liberal. Many think he's an undercover communist.
That's why a Grimes is running to the right of Obama.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)If Obama is so conservative, how come liberals have a much higher approval rating of him than conservatives? Why do conservatives detest Obama if he's actually a conservative?
Why do people in places like Kentucky think Obama is too liberal? Why is Grimes running to the right of Obama and not to the left of Obama?
JustAnotherGen
(31,924 posts)And the way in which you did.
I'm out in the 6th wealthiest county in America - consistently Red - trying to help get elected a female mayor of a small town to the House.
The places where the haves vs have nots are the starkest is in the wealthier areas of this country.
Door by door - they aren't blaming Obama - they are blaming Lance (Leonard) for playing favorites and toeing the line to IndieTeaPublicans that blow up his Facebook page from places like TN, KY, TX, etc etc. They blame him for catering to out of state religious freaks foaming at the mouth about Muslims instead of listening to his district that includes the HQs of many big Pharma companies, and residents who commute to NYC to work in Finance and around the state to work in Telecom.
People in my town who are staunch Republicans like Obamacare and blew up a bi partisan Facebook group over the horror of what happened in Texas last night in regards to the shut down of abortion clinics. And don't get these folks started on illegal aliens. We need these folks to be fully integrated into the local economy so we can grow and prosper and right now - we aren't getting them out of the shadows with the House Republicans.
I would bet - if Obama came to the NJ 7th with Corey Booker - it would be standing room only. Every woman in this district would show up in hot pink and clap for Kovach, Booker, and Obama.
I'm taking today and Monday off to do some work towards the campaign during regular business hours.
I'm not some keyboard warrior waxing dramatic and poetic.
And I do not - do not believe the gloom and doom election polls this year. I've made too many calls, knocked on too many doors and have commitments for too many yard signs in the yards of people who voted for Romney.
tabbycat31
(6,336 posts)And it was standing room only (I went).
Granted it was in blue Asbury Park, but it was still standing room only.
JustAnotherGen
(31,924 posts)On my way to another auto repair and tool and die shop to drop off more yard signs.
My husband having a trade shop himself and those connections are helping us get the blue collar "rich" in Hunterdon County. Wish us luck!
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)counts for less than the anti-Democratic, anonymous postings of an anonymous poster to an anonymous message board ... supposedly dedicated to the promotion and election of Democrats.
JustAnotherGen
(31,924 posts)But I stand by this -
*Big Pharma
*Telecoms
*Finance/Banking
How you make your living will drive your politics to some degree - I firmly believe that. I live it directly.
But we can still see there is something sick in Washington and that fearful bigots who really do NOT care about prosperity (Just how the Muslims are trying to kill them especially that Muslim Kenyan in the White House) are ruining our country. Since Lance is more afraid of some dumb ass in a remote town in Kentucky than he is of the Financial Analyst who is NOT giving to him in this cycle (this woman showed me a returned check to Kovach last weekend) - he deserve what he gets.
sheshe2
(83,940 posts)You said...The leader?
Sure sounds like you are hinting at something that Skinner himself does not approve of. He said so in ATA. You just left out a word before leader.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)for Kentucky.
That's why she's rolling out the liberal lion, Bill Clinton in her ads.
Brilliant.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)while being disembowled.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)...Grimes is running to the right of Obama. She doesn't want to be associated with him because so many Kentuckians think he's a muslimliberalmarxistcommunistsocialstkenyan usurper.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Just that many people associate Obama with bad stuff.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)...because Obama is too conservative and is associated with those policies and that bad stuff.
That's why Grimes is running to the right of Obama on everything from gun control to clean energy and doesn't want to be associated with him.
More brilliant analysis from you.
Again...your post makes little sense.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)or you suck as a reader, but somehow you keep misunderstanding the idea I'm trying to convey
Night-night.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)They think he's too liberal.
Again, you make very little sense.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)in this photo?
I forgot my glasses.
She must be a Third Wayer, yes?
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)If you look at the polls, conservatives don't like Grimes or Obama.
Obama is allegedly a conservative according to you and Grimes is running to the right of him on everything from gun control to the environment.
Why do conservatives hate them both? Why is it that liberals have a high approval of Obama?
Maybe you don't really know what you're talking about.
BeyondGeography
(39,384 posts)See "2008 Democratic primary, Kentucky," to complete the picture.
This really isn't complicated.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)I believe Sen. Warren is pretty far to Obama's left, and is being asked to help candidates even in red states.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)You'll notice the Democratic Senators struggling are in conservative areas. Mary Landrieu and Alison Grimes are running conservative campaigns and are running to Obama's right.
Why are you failing to comprehend this?
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)right?
We can certainly agree that one of us has a comprehension problem, although we might not agree who.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)Warren hasn't received any such treatment.
If she decides to run for President or she becomes more prominent, then they will go after her.
For now, most of those people in Kentucky don't even really know her.
They know Obama and they think Obama is a communistliberalleftwingideologue. That's why Grimes is running to Obama's right.
It's really not complicated.
The fact that you're utterly failing to comprehend this is amusing to say the least. Look and the positions of Grimes and Landrie and look what they have said about Obama recently. It's clear they're running to his right.
Jeff Rosenzweig
(121 posts)I'd say it's less a case of him "failing to comprehend this" than just willfully disregarding the facts, since they run counter to the narrative he works so diligently to craft.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)Welcome to DU, Jeff Rosenzweig.
BeyondGeography
(39,384 posts)There are obviously many Democrats in Kentucky who have an issue with him that transcends ideology. Warren can get through to them in a way that Obama can't even if he gave basically the same speech.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)before realizing it.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)I think mid-argument ... right about here:
Manny realized what is really going on ... but can't go there because it is goes against everything he has ever argued with regard to the anti-Obama sentiment.
pkdu
(3,977 posts)You suck as a writer.
Don't let the salad-tossing fool you.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)I guess that the tens of thousands of people who've purchased my books are due a refund.
pkdu
(3,977 posts)
MineralMan
(146,336 posts)one or more of them, won't you?
Cheers,
Anticipation-Way MineralManny
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)MineralMan
(146,336 posts)Not, of course, that I doubt that you are a published author. I'm one, too, which shows that just about anyone can get published, I suppose.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)When my first book was first published some years ago, (a second is coming out next year), I thought I was a hot @#$%!
Then I walked into a big local book store and saw thousands of books, and realized that most of them stunk. "I guess anyone can get a book published", I thought. That's not quite true -- maybe one in ten people can get published by a real publisher (i.e., not a vanity publisher) -- but very few books make any real scratch. I was told by a publisher that they expect about one in ten books they release to do better than breakeven.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)I started laughing, even before Manny responded with a "No."
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)No, I'm not sharing.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts) MineralMan
(146,336 posts)Manny doesn't have to reveal his name or the titles of his published books. I believe that he has written books. I'd love to read one, but I guess I'll have to forego the pleasure. I don't doubt him for a moment. I'm glad he told us that he's a published author, though. I did not know that previously.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)but I just wonder what the book is about and if political, what section the book is listed in. 
MineralMan
(146,336 posts)OTOH, if you'd like to know who I am, you can just click either link in my signature line. Sadly, I have no current books in print. I have up book writing a number of years ago. It just didn't pay any bills.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)seem to be making a list. This is starting to feel like Family Feud!
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)when a black person cam even be elected to the Presidency of these United States.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)not so. Did you see that asshole making watermelon jokes in the Boston Globe? Post racial my ass.
nationalize the fed
(2,169 posts)
Puzzledtraveller
(5,937 posts)obxhead
(8,434 posts)
frazzled
(18,402 posts)But please keep saying its about Obamacare. Most Democrats are running their campaigns extolling Obamacare.
PS: people aren't paying higher taxes for Obamacare, unless you're a medical device manufacturer. Or (in their heads) Bill O'reilly. O'care was paid for.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)"ObamaCare's cost is estimated at up to net cost of $1.36 trillion dollars by 2023."
http://obamacarefacts.com/costof-obamacare.php
frazzled
(18,402 posts)No money is coming from individual taxpayers pockets. It's from savings to Medicare and Medicaid costs (by not paying extra for private "Advantage" plans, by cutting rates to hospitals, etc.), from penalties paid by individuals and employers who don't adhere to the law, by fees on medical device manufacturers, by the effects on increasing coverage, etc.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/08/30/how-congress-paid-for-obamacare-in-two-charts/
Honestly, only right-wingers are telling people that they're paying to cover other people. It just isn't true. Shame.
PS: Even your link disproves your assertion:
ObamaCare is paid for through collected taxes, penalties, spending cuts and reformations to the health care industry. This money is used to fund the program, subsidized health insurance for tens of millions, to improve Medicare, expand Medicaid to 15 million, and more.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Or am I missing something?
Looks to me that most of it comes either from direct taxes, or from taxes/fees that raise the cost of medical care.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)This is getting embarrassing, the RW talking points never end, do they?
Number23
(24,544 posts)
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)lest I be called "the swarm" for posting facts, rather than rw talking points to a site dedicated to supporting and electing Democrats.
frazzled
(18,402 posts)Jeezus H. Pifco. Try reading your own links; then try reading the explanation from the Washington Post I provided, replete with graphs of exactly where the various funds are coming from.
Plus, not all of the funding is from "collected taxes"--it's also from savings to the system reaped from lower costs due to more people being covered, more efficient payments to Medicare and Medicaid, and new health policies (such as coordinating patients care among doctors).
I am being honest when I say that your argument is straight out of the mouths of misleading Republicans. And I tell you this out of concern for your reputation: I know you don't want to look like a right-wing asshole who tries to convince people that poor people are robbing them blind by costing them tax dollars.
Response to frazzled (Reply #36)
Post removed
zappaman
(20,606 posts) Number23
(24,544 posts) 
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)
Sid
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)... apparently you can post right wing talking points ... but you can't point out when they've been used.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)times the juries don't.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)Which must mean that I'm pretty clever I guess.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)you are not here to use your cleverness to join into a discussion of the OP. Why are you posting in this thread?
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)... snarky OP?
Is that really what you want??
If some one posts an OP framed as this one is, why should anyone take it seriously?
Red state Dems don't want Obama to campaign with them because in their states, he's seen as too LIBERAL.
The OP thinks it's because he's not liberal enough.
It's nonsense. And then, it's framed in a manner the author clearly thinks is "clever".
But you expect others to not reply to it in a similar fashion.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)threads that were hidden. You make a good point: "Red state Dems don't want Obama to campaign with them because in their states, he's seen as too LIBERAL." As I see it, it's a sad state for our party when Democratic candidates shun the Democratic President and his accomplishments. In the OP, it looks like Manny is trying to make the case that apparently the ACA isn't successful enough for Democratic candidates to use to support their candidacies.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)If I think an OP is looking for an honest discussion, I'll engage it that way.
This OP is designed for added outrage value and I feel little obligation to ignore that.
still_one
(92,433 posts)ACA?
ProfessorGAC
(65,228 posts)But, the willfully obtuse wouldn't recognize that simple fact. Would they?
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)I'm sure it is an honest mistake.
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)My personal fortunes were just fine during the Bush years. They crumbled during the Obama years along with my vanished job.
Now I know that that was primarily a result of the actions of the Bush regime, but the actual crumbling was delayed, and a lot of voters aren't going to be that logical - they're just going to say 'I did well under Bush, and things went to Hell for me under Obama'. And then they'll blame Obama.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)Well said!
That's a conservative attack on Obamacare. It plays into fears, even racial fears, that Obama is transferring your money to poor people and minorities.
Not surprising though to see it here on DU, especially considering...
ljm2002
(10,751 posts)You say:
Yet the article you cite shows otherwise:
(...) Another $318 billion is generated by having those who earn a gross income over $200,000 pay 3.8 percent of investment income toward Medicare's hospital insurance. Here's how it all breaks down:
(...)
Most of the taxes, indoor tanning included, are not on small businesses. They're either on individuals -- those who decide to go tanning, or decide not to purchase health insurance -- or on large employers, those with more than 50 workers who decide not to offer coverage. (...)
You also seem to think that "not paying extra for private Advantage plans" has no effect on individual taxpayers. But, of course, it does -- if they want to keep their same level of coverage.
In other words: You'd better get your facts straight.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)frazzled
(18,402 posts)are not what Manny was suggesting: namely, that all of our income tax bills have been raised to pay for this program (meaning: "us hard-working average Joes are paying for those slacker's health care!). It's patently false.
If you want to go so far as to include a tax on tanning-salon services as onerous, then I say you're aligning yourself with the wrong forces. Get your principles straight.
Even individuals earning over $200,000 are not having their "incomes" taxed--just the portion of their income derived from investments. If you consider that a strike against the working man, I have to wonder.
My case stands. This is an issue in the upcoming elections in the same way the "death tax" is an issue: it applies to only a minuscule fraction of Americans. And it's a Republican issue.
ljm2002
(10,751 posts)You said this in a post entitled
If you are going to lead with such a statement, well then, you'd better get your facts straight.
I note that you completely ignored Manny's larger point:
The point is not whether all of this is truly Obama's fault. Although I would argue that the failure to prosecute the financial executives, the protection of their bonuses, and making permanent 82% of the Bush tax cuts, can rightfully be laid at his feet. But the larger point is that how the economy performs is always laid at the feet of the President, regardless of extenuating circumstances.
People are still hurting. We keep hearing about "the recovery", we keep hearing about how great the stock market is doing, and how corporate profits are up, up, up. We hear about how much better the 1% are doing... but most of us are not doing better, and many are doing worse over the last 6-8 years. If you don't think this will affect the election prospects of Democrats in general, and particularly of their 2016 Presidential candidate, think again.
tabbycat31
(6,336 posts)And I'm trying to figure out more about who owns it. It's definitely not an unbiased website.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)around came up with that? Let me ask you, do you think there is a website on the internets THAT ISN'T BIASED?
tabbycat31
(6,336 posts)When it comes to things like Obamacare, the only thing I TRUST is a government site since there's so much misinformation out there about it.
rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)I haven't seen any but maybe you can show me some evidence.
840high
(17,196 posts)
progressoid
(49,999 posts)
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)I refuse to trash President Obama. He gets enough garbage from right-wingers, racists, Libertarians, Sovereign Citizens, the Caucus Room 14, Republicans, etc, etc, etc...
TheVisitor
(173 posts)some people fail to realize what is good for a nation is also good for each individual in that nation... and they miss the big picture...
we fight with this a lot because our society has been conditioned to put 'me' and 'i' ahead of everyone else... but people are weaker as individuals and truthfully we can only be our very best with the support of others around us... regardless of socioeconomic status, we are all stronger with eachother's support...
i honestly don't understand why democrats haven't stepped up and supported obama blatantly in regards to the aca, or in regards to income equality or closing the wage gap... these are all things democrat candidates need to be much more vocal and supportive about...
as for the wealth gap, that is congress mainly that has pushed for it and that is a republican agenda that carried over from both of the george bush presidencies... along with trying to nullify civil rights across the board... we seriously need congress to go blue to see change... i think slowly they are purging the system of criminals, but it is taking time... and when the true report of 9/11 is finally released... it will be one of the biggest bombshells in american history and result in several ex or current politicians spending their time in federal prison...
BuelahWitch
(9,083 posts)and they aren't getting a whole hell of a lot of support. The Me and I people at the top seem to be getting the lion's share, in both the last administration and this one.
Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)When you feel you have no real security, and are living paycheck to paycheck, barely ahead of financial disaster, you have to spend a lot more of your time thinking of your own survival.
When you're secure and not worried about staying alive, it's a lot easier to spend time thinking about other people's survival.
TheVisitor
(173 posts)I agree with you fully, and I think that is a major reason governments use fear and scare tactics to put people into 'fight or flight' mode, so that they can strip their rights away from them while they are more focused on self-preservation.
spanone
(135,892 posts)[URL=
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DonCoquixote
(13,616 posts)In florida, we have the main anti crist attack ad...the content, a loop that is nothing but Crist saying "I love Obama." It is exactly how Rick Scott won his campaign back when the opponent was Alex Sink. The poijnt is, thanks to Fox, Obama, regardless of what DY thinksl is too liberal, and many blue dog bastard want to run from anything that says they are not good ol dixiecrats.
In short, many of the Democrats ducking Obama, like Alison Grimes, like Mary Landrieu, are TO THE RIGHT OF OBAMA.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)I'm not sure why this is so hard for the OP to grasp.
They're running to the right of Obama.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)... help them, because he's viewed as too liberal, seems to elude Manny.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)Now, if she runs ... then they will.
But it is funny that you think conservative dems don't want Obama to come campaign with them because he is too conservative.
That is your point, right?
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)My point is that for whatever reason, most Americans have taken a tremendous hit while Obama was at the helm. It does not make him popular.
As to why they took a hit, we can argue about that as I indicated in my OP. It's interesting though that Warren's so popular in red states, though.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)That's nonsense.
And sure, the red states are clamoring for Liberal democrats. That's why we have so many liberal representatives from those states.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)So you want to blame Obama for a drop that started 2 years before he took office.
Must have used the same time machine he used to put a birth announcement in the Hawaii news paper back in 1961.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts) SidDithers
(44,228 posts)
Sid
zappaman
(20,606 posts)sheshe2
(83,940 posts)sheshe2
(83,940 posts) 
pansypoo53219
(21,004 posts)never mind reporting how the GOP has cockblocked change for america. what? werk? us?
n2doc
(47,953 posts)The only thing I noticed was the expiration of the stimulus tax cuts.
My opinion is that it has to do with the vast campaign to demonize obamacare, and the unwillingness of the party and it's minions to fight back strongly and consistently. The ACA ain't perfect, it may not even be sustainable in its present form, but I can't think of any giant government program that started off perfect. Obstruction prevents any fixes, whatsoever.
On another topic, listening to the President, he really doesn't sound like the man elected in 08. His speech has become very mechanical, filled with pauses. It sounds like he is trying to speak into a speech-to-text translator. Must be a function of stress.
moose65
(3,169 posts)"Ten million helped by Obamacare vs. hundreds of millions mauled by the economy." I think your math is a little off - there are only 300 million people in this country. Maybe you should have said "Millions" instead of "Hundreds of Millions." Your exaggeration is a little over-the-top, dontcha think? Plus, I think that more than 10 million people have insurance now who didn't have it before.
DrDan
(20,411 posts)who took a hit from the economy of the past few years?
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)I'll leave the newly-insureds for you to look up.
Response to MannyGoldstein (Original post)
Post removed
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts) still_one
(92,433 posts)uninsured American went into the emergency room where those tax payers were paying ER rates for their treatment.
It is a very filtered interpretation of things. It doesn't include aspects of the ACA that expanded Medicaid, allowed pre-existing conditions, and other things. As far as your statement that 2/3 of Americans want Medicare for All, they sure don't vote that way, in most cases so something doesn't sync? Incidentally, your state Medicare for All would insure everyone and cost less, who do you think subsidizes that? The taxpayers. In addition, when that was brought up for those 55 and older during the ACA talks these hypothetical democrats who won't campaign with the President didn't have enough votes from Democrats to have it passed, so no matter what your interpretation is, it doesn't hold water, and you can bet that these "two-thirds of Americans who want Medicare for all", when they go to the polls in November they will most likely still vote their same representative in, even though that representative is NOT for medicare for all.
The real issue is that most people in this country are NOT critical thinkers, they believe what the idiot box tells them, they don't read anymore. A perfect example is that from 2008 the economy has improved considerably. A lot of people are still hurting, but it is going the right direction, in spite of Congress fighting against the jobless every inch of the way, an example is not voting for the jobs programs. However, listening to our illustrious media they would have you believe that the economy is even worse than 2008
In my view people have representative that they deserve, and if they vote against their own interests, then the only ones they should complain to is themselves
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Candidates ran away from Carter campaigning for them in the '78 mid-term elections also. Call Pres. Carter... he may have an answer.
still_one
(92,433 posts)thought that ray gun wouldn't hurt them too much.
I guess that didn't work out to well for them
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Senate and congressional leadership, Ted Kennedy, as well as DOJ anti-trust division pushed for that very same act.
still_one
(92,433 posts)
Tuesday Afternoon
(56,912 posts)the outgoing President? Or am I remembering wrongly? While a candidate may campaign on going forward with what was started by an outgoing President, I would think a Candidate would want the focus to be on them and their plans for the future of the country.
11 Bravo
(23,926 posts)message board to say mean things about them?
Feral Child
(2,086 posts)The health care initiative of President Obama is a good thing; the only realistic complaint is that it stooped short. We need nationalized health-care.
I only recently found out that, in Germany, every ambulance responds with an actual doctor on board. So many lives are saved because of that near immediate expert response.
We can afford it. "They" just want to wring every cent out of misery in this country.
dsc
(52,169 posts)Health care costs are going up less than they have in any years since at least the 60's. There are things I would change about Obama care but it has kept costs down.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)Is all I wrote.
dsc
(52,169 posts)They get care even when they don't have insurance they just get it in extremely expensive emergency rooms and when they have expensive and hard to treat things. To take just one example, think of a diabetic who doesn't get regular care and instead has to get an expensive amputation and multiply that by the thousands of people that fall into that category.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)A link would be appreciated. I understand the concept of what you write, I just don't think the costs even come close to canceling.
dsc
(52,169 posts)Many countries spend less to provide health care to their entire populations than we spend on our directly government paid for health care (to veterans, the elderly, and the poor). Many use private insurance to get to that goal (such as Australia and Switzerland to name two). But as to here, the CBO has repeatedly said that Obama care has cut the deficit and that is with the only funding being a realatively small medical device tax, a surcharge on the very wealthy, a large cut to Medicaid Advantage program, and a massive cut to the funds spent to reimburse hospitals for care of the uninsured poor (due to the fact they would have way fewer such people to care for). There were no, as in not any, taxes which were applied to the middle class or even the merely rich.
Here is a link to the specifics of Obama care.
http://obamacarefacts.com/costof-obamacare.php
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Cost of ObamaCare: Obama Care Cost
What Does ObamaCare Cost?
What is the cost of ObamaCare? The new health care law, has a massive impact on health care costs. ObamaCare's cost is estimated at up to net cost of $1.36 trillion dollars by 2023. Although ObamaCare's net costs are in the trillions, the law actually reduces the growth in health care spending by tens of billions each year, reduces health insurance costs for many Americans, helps to insure tens of millions, and is estimated to result in an overall net decrease of the deficit.
Let's take a look at ObamaCare's costs to our country, how it affects taxes, how it affects health insurance costs, health care costs, and how cost assistance can help you, your family, and your business save money.
Obamacare Cost Projections
Obamacare is projected to cut the national deficit by over $200 billion during its first 10 years, and over $1 trillion over the next two decades. This helps offset the estimated $1.36 trillion net cost of ObamaCare. Please be aware the cost estimates are changed on a regular basis and are often quoted as being between $1 and $2.6 trillion. Our cost estimate is taken directly from the front page of the official CBO report on ObamaCare's costs.
How is ObamaCare Paid For?
ObamaCare is paid for through collected taxes, penalties, spending cuts and reformations to the health care industry. This money is used to fund the program, subsidized health insurance for tens of millions, to improve Medicare, expand Medicaid to 15 million, and more.
What Will ObamaCare Cost Me?
ObamaCare will cost most of us between 3% and 9.5% of our income after cost assistance. Cost assistance is given to low-to-middle income Americans who shop on the Health Insurance Marketplace (an online marketplace for insurance that is established by ObamaCare.) Due to cost assistance the average premium of a plan purchased on the marketplace during ObamaCare's first open enrollment period was $82 after cost assistance. See our guide to learn more about signing up for ObamaCare.
Cost of ObamaCare(Cost of ObamaCare Image Public Domain)
Here are some quick bullet points on the cost of ObamaCare:
• ObamaCare is slang for our new health care law the Affordable Care Act or ACA for short. The law doesn't sell health insurance, it just creates a marketplace for Americans to buy regulated, subsidized private insurance.
• Most Americans have to obtain health insurance known as minimum essential coverage and maintain it througout the year, or pay a monthly Shared Responsibility Fee for every month they go without coverage.
• If you don't have coverage, you can use the new health insurance marketplace to buy a private insurance plan.
• Many Americans will qualify for lower costs on monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs via subsidies through the marketplace.
• Cost assistance is based on income.
• The CBO estimates the average marketplace subsidy per subsidized enrollee will be $5,290 in 2014.
• Post open enrollment data shows that the average marketplace plan costs less than $100 a month for nearly 70% of enrollees and less than $50 for over 45% of enrollees after tax credits.
• State-by-state reports on premium growth shows them rising slower than or equal to historic rates, hinting that the ACA is truly curbing the growth of premiums despite concerns that the new benefits, rights, and protections would lead to premium growth.
• Most young people and low-income Americans can get free or very low cost quality health insurance through the marketplace.
• You can only get cost assistance from the Health Insurance Marketplace!
• The average American will pay between 3% - 9.5% of their income on insurance after cost assistance.
• Insurance costing 8% of your income is considered affordable insurance for individuals. 9.5% is considered affordable for job based insurance.
• If you cannot find affordable insurance, after cost assistance, you may be exempt from the fee.
• ObamaCare says health insurance companies can price your insurance based on location, family size, age and smoking status, but not on health status or gender.
A recent study showed the price for a 21-year-old buying a mid-range policy will average about $270 a month before cost assistance. With cost assistance that 21-year-old could pay much less. Over 80% of 21 year olds in the US will be eligible for cost assistance, meaning they will be paying up to 1/10th of that $270 cost per month for quality health insurance and many may even get it for free.
Post open enrollment data showed the average marketplace plan price was $82 after tax credits.
Wondering What ObamaCare Will Cost You? The Average American will qualify for major cost assistance! To qualify for assistance you must use the Health Insurance Marketplace to purchase your insurance!
How Much Will Health Insurance Cost in 2014 / 2015?
Everyone's costs will be different in 2014. As a rule of thumb, the less you make the less you pay (assuming you will be using the Health Insurance Marketplace to shop for health coverage). The average cost after subsidies was $82 per month for those who shopped on the marketplace, while others saw an increase in their premium from previous years under the Affordable Care Act. Moving forward into 2015 premium increases are projected to slow down.
This video will help you understand some of the factors that affect your health insurance costs and the benefits of buying a plan on the exchange:
You can get an estimate of what your health insurance will cost on the marketplace by going to the health insurance premium estimate tool from healthcare.gov.
Obamacare health insurance
Factors that Affect What You Will Pay for ObamaCare Health Insurance
Wondering what you will pay for ObamaCare health insurance? ObamaCare does away with pre-existing conditions and gender discrimination so you can no longer be charged more or denied coverage due to your medical history or gender. Factors that still affect what you will pay for health insurance under ObamaCare are location, income, smoking status, and age.
A case study showing how ObamaCare's costs work in regards to subsidies through the State marketplaces: "Affordable insurance" is capped at a percentage of your taxable income (the less you make, the lower the cap). While age affects the cost of your premium before subsidies are applied, smoking results in a "tobacco surcharge".
In other words a 27 year old non-smoking male, with no pre-existing condition, living in New Haven CT, making 200% of the FPL will pay the same as a 55 year old female, non-smoker, with a pre-existing condition, living in New Haven CT making 200% of the FPL for the same plan on their State's health insurance marketplace (Access Health CT) after premium subsidies are taken into account. (they will have access to the same out-of-pocket cost assistance as well).
The reason their costs are the same is do to the cap on the percentage of income a heath plan bought on the marketplace can cost (in their case the premium cap is 6.3%, since they make 200% of the Federal Poverty Level). Although the premium cost before subsidies would be higher for the older individual premium subsidies paid directly to the insurance company result in their personal payments being the same. However, if one of them smoked that person would pay more since those costs are considered premium surcharges and are added on after subsidies are calculated.
• You can't be charged more for health insurance due to health status or gender, but you can be charged based on income, family size, location, age and smoking status.
• Come 2015 smokers can expect to pay up to 50% more than non-smokers for the same health plans. Subsidies are calculated before the "tobacco surcharge" meaning smokers could find their affordable insurance unaffordable.
The following video will give you a simple explanation of what ObamaCare Subsidies are and how they work:
This video explains how ObamaCare Subsidies work in a little more detail:
The Cost of Health Insurance Plans: Types of Health Insurance Plans Offered on the Marketplace and their Actuarial Value
The cost of ObamaCare plans depends upon the quality of plan you choose to purchase. The least expensive plan, the bronze plan, covers 60% of out of pocket health care costs and offers basic coverage (in other words it has a 60% actuarial value). Plans range from the basic "Bronze" (60%) to "Silver" (70%) to "Gold" (80%) and "Platinum" (90%) level plans. Each plan has progressively better benefits and networks and is also progressively more expensive. High-end plans carry a 40% excise tax which helps pay for the program.
The average nationwide price of a Bronze plan is about $250 a month before cost-assistance and 82$ after. The total annual fee for not buying insurance can't be more than the average price of a Bronze plan. Learn more about the Individual Mandate.
Please note that the health insurance costs under ObamaCare represented below are the base cost of premiums before subsidies for a Bronze plan. 6 in 10 uninsured Americans will pay $100 or less for their plan and many will qualify for free coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
obamacare cost
How Much Does ObamaCare Cost The Average American?
"Bronze" plans for individuals are expected to cost between $4,500 and $5,800 a year in 2016. But if you make less than 4 times the Federal poverty line (about $45,000 for an individual in 2012), you’ll pay less by virtue of receiving tax credits. Someone making up to 133% of the FPL will get credits so that his net payment will be only 2% of income, while those making 300% to 400% of FPL will pay 9.5% of FPL. Please see the FPL chart below for more details.
Please note that while ObamaCare regulates insurance companies, you will still be purchasing private insurance (unless you choose to pay the penalty or are already covered).
You can use the quote tool below to get an idea of what a marketplace coverage will cost you and to request health insurance quotes. Learn more about how to buy health insurance for 2014.
ObamaCare Quotes by ObamaCareFacts.com
Costs of ObamaCare for Small Businesses
While most people and small businesses in the United States will benefit from Obamacare, Obamacare will cost employers with over 50 full-time employees a penalty if they do not choose to provide their workers with affordable, quality health care. The tax is $2000 per worker or $3000 if they buy insurance through the exchange.
This system is like the current unemployment tax already in effect, which requires American businesses to pay a modest and fair tax to aid the state run unemployment and workers compensation programs. With ObamaCare, the penalty helps pay for workers who will buy insurance through the exchange or need emergency services, both which will drive the cost of health care up for the rest of us.
premium and cost sharing subsidies
Types of ObamaCare Cost Assistance: Marketplace Cost Assistance
There are three types of cost assistance offered through the Health Insurance Marketplace tho those making under a certain amount of income who don't have access to employer based insurance. Medicaid / CHIP for those making less than 138% of the Federal poverty level (FPL), help with out-of-pocket costs for those making up to 250% of the FPL and premium tax credits for those making up to 400% of the FPL. You may qualify for both premium and cost-sharing subsidies as they are not mutually exclusive. Cost assistance is only available through your State's health insurance marketplace.
Who Qualifies for Help With ObamaCare Insurance Costs?
The following chart will help you to find out who qualifies with help with insurance costs on the health insurance exchanges under The Affordable Care Act.
Types of Cost Assistance: Health Insurance Financing Individual Annual Income Family of Four Annual Income
Medicaid health coverage, if your state decides to offer it Up to $15,302 Up to $31,155
Help to pay your premium, if you buy in your state's online marketplace Between $11,505-$46,021 Between $23,425-$93,700
Subsidies for out-of-pocket costs, if you buy in your state's online marketplace Up to $28,763 Up to $58,564
Many American families will see a cost reduction under ObamaCare and many more will qualify for Medicare and Medicaid due to the expansion of the program. When the online marketplace opened on OCT 1st, 2013 an easy to use form, cost calculator and an easy to use comparison of insurance options will help you pick the right plan for you and your family.
Employers with under 25 full time employees may qualify for tax credits and tax breaks.
In order to ease the burden of Obama Care's, cost 19 million Americans will receive tax credits to help pay for healthcare.
If you are making over 400% of the poverty line, you can expect to pay just about what you do now, but receive better coverage. If your income is below the poverty line you will most likely save on health insurance costs. Individuals making between $50k and $75k annual gross income (9% of Americans) who don't want insurance and will have to pay the 2.5% penalty (by 2016) will most likely be hit the hardest.
See our page on Calculating Premium Tax Credits for detailed information on how the process of calculating credits works.
ObamaCare Cost-Sharing Reduction: Health Insurance Marketplace Cost-Sharing Subsidies
Cost-sharing subsidies protect lower income people with health insurance from high out-of-pocket costs at the point of service. ObamaCare provides for reduced cost sharing for families with incomes at or below 250% of poverty by making them eligible to enroll in health plans with higher actuarial values. The premium tax credits, discussed above, generally are based on a plan with an actuarial value of 70%. ObamaCare provides that people with lower incomes have their cost sharing reduced so that plan on average pays a greater share of covered benefits. The amount of additional protection varies with income, as follows:
Income Level Actuarial Value
100-150% FPL 94%
150-200% FPL 87%
200-250% FPL 73%
Please use our updated 2014 federal poverty level chart to see if you qualify for out-of-pocket cost assistance.
Cost-sharing reduction lowers the amount you have to pay for out-of-pocket costs like deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. These are costs you have to pay when you get care.
This video explains how cost sharing works and points out that many preventative services (including your check-ups are covered with no cost-sharing on all new health plans).
ObamaCare Tax Credits: What Are Marketplace Premium Tax Credits?
When and your family apply for health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace you'll be made aware if you are eligible for premium tax credits. Tax credits help to subsidize your premium costs resulting in lower monthly premiums for you and your family. The amount you receive in tax credits is based off of your previous years Federal tax return. Tax credits are automatically paid to your insurance provider and are adjusted on your year end taxes based off of change in income for that year. In other words if your income increases, you will be responsible for a larger share of your premium and that will be reflected on your year-end Federal tax returns.
How to Calculate Cost Assistance for Insurance Purchased on the ObamaCare Health Insurance Marketplace
Wondering how to calculate cost assistance offered on the Health Insurance Marketplace. The following chart will help you to understand how cost sharing subsidies and tax credits are calculated. Those between 133% of the federal poverty level and 400% will be eligible for cost assistance. The following chart will give you an idea of what type of cost assistance is available for an average family of four on the "Silver plan". Please use our updated 2014 federal poverty level chart for a more accurate idea of who will qualify for cost-assistance on the marketplace.
Health Insurance Premiums and Cost Sharing under PPACA for Average Family of 4 For "Silver Plan" Income % of federal poverty level Premium Cap as a Share of Income Income $ (family of 4) Max Annual Out-of-Pocket Premium Premium Savings Additional Cost-Sharing Subsidy
133% 3% of income $31,900 $992 $10,345 $5,040
150% 4% of income $33,075 $1,323 $9,918 $5,040
200% 6.3% of income $44,100 $2,778 $8,366 $4,000
250% 8.05% of income $55,125 $4,438 $6,597 $1,930
300% 9.5% of income $66,150 $6,284 $4,628 $1,480
350% 9.5% of income $77,175 $7,332 $3,512 $1,480
400% 9.5% of income $88,200 $8,379 $2,395 $1,480
In 2016, the FPL is projected to equal about $11,800 for a single person and about $24,000 for family of four. Use the Kaiser ObamaCare Cost Calculator or this updated Cost Calculator from Covered California for more information. DHHS and CBO estimate the average annual premium cost in 2014 to be $11,328 for family of 4 without the reform. Source: Wikipedia
ObamaCare Cost Calculator
Use this ObamaCare Cost Calculator from the Kaiser Foundation to get an idea of the estimated cost of ObamaCare for you and your family after subsidies. Please be aware this is a basic estimate for the cost of a "Silver plan" (the second tier plan, as opposed to the basic "Bronze plan" on the Exchange). Also note, the total cost is greatly affected by "regional cost factor" (increasing or decreasing the premium by 20%). Further subsidies may be available depending on a number of other factors.
Please note that the ObamaCare Cost Calculator uses modified adjusted gross income and not total gross income or net income to figure out cost assistance and insurance cost estimates of the "Silver plan"
Also note that as little as a $1 difference in income can exclude you from receiving a subsidy.
Check out the CBO's report on the effects on direct spending and revenues for health care programs to understand how ObamaCare helps to reduce the growth in health care spending by tens of billions each year.
ObamaCare Cost for the Average Family
We know statistics on the cost of ObamaCare for the average family until the marketplaces have been open for at least a month. Common estimates for an average family of 4 range from around $7,000 a year to $30,000 a year depending on factors such as age, health status and region. To get a more in depth look please refer to our sections on the Health Insurance Exchanges, ObamaCare Premiums, ObamaCare Taxes and our study of the recent IRS report on ObamaCare.
Here is a case study of a family of four using the Kaiser Subsidy Calculator. The family has two adults who smoke and two children who don't smoke. They make 149% of the Federal Poverty Level ($35,000). This shows a"Silver plan" costs $4,391 a year (due to cost savings on their premium via tax credits) and has 95% actuarial value (due to out-of-pocket cost assistance). Remember the two types of cost assistance offered through the marketplace are help with out-of-pocket costs and help with premium costs. The family could pay less for a "Bronze plan" for $2,501, but have higher out-of-pocket costs or more could pay more for a "Gold plan" and still receive subsidies. In their case, due to the way subsidies work, a "Sliver plan" probably makes sense since their out-of-pocket assistance drops significantly with a "Bronze plan" (it only pays 60% of out-of-pocket costs) and doesn't increase with a "Gold plan" (although other benefits offered would).
Household income in 2014:
$35,000 which is 149% of poverty level
Unsubsidized annual health insurance premium in 2014:
$12,887 total
$3,018 of which is due to a tobacco surcharge
Maximum % of income you have to pay for the non-tobacco premium, if eligible for a subsidy:
3.92%
(before accounting for the tobacco surcharge)
Amount you pay for the premium:
$4,391 per year
(which equals 12.54% of your household income and covers 34% of the overall premium)
You could receive a government tax credit subsidy of up to:
$8,497
(which covers 66% of the overall premium)
Your out-of-pocket maximum for a Silver plan (not including the premium) can be no more than $4,500. Whether you reach this maximum level will depend on the amount of health care services you use. Currently, about one in four people use no health care services in any given year.
You are guaranteed access to a Silver plan with an actuarial value of 94%. This means that for all enrollees in a typical population, the plan will pay for 94% of expenses in total for covered benefits, with enrollees responsible for the rest. If you choose to enroll in a Bronze plan, the actuarial value will be 60%, meaning your out-of-pocket costs when you use services will likely be higher. Regardless of which level of coverage you choose, deductibles and copayments will vary from plan to plan, and out-of-pocket costs will depend on your health care expenses. Preventive services will be covered with no cost sharing required.
Cost of Health InsuranceCost of ObamaCare: What is Considered Affordable Health Insurance?
Currently, the average American family pays 20% of their income for health insurance. ObamaCare deems insurance that costs 8% of a family's income as "affordable". The less money you and your family make the smaller percentage of your income you will have to pay due to subsidies offered through the Health Insurance Marketplace. The average family's costs are projected to decrease between 7% and 9% due to ObamaCare. We have seen costs range from free to an excess of $30,000 for an older, high-risk, high-income family of 5 in a state with high regional costs.
Graph represents combined health care costs for employees and employers. Employer Based Health care costs for a family of four have doubled in less than a decade from $9,235 in 2002 to over $19,000 in 2011.
The cost of insurance 2007 to 2010, per-capita health care spending rose just 1.8 percent annually. Since then, the annual increase has slowed even further, to 1.3 percent. While the Affordable Care Act has reduced the growth in healthcare spending as intended many attribute some of this reduction to "the weak economy".
Affordable Insurance: How Age and Subsidies Affect Your Insurance Costs
Let's take a look at two case studies. In one scenario a 40 year old single male who makes 250% of the federal poverty level is looking to buy insurance, in the next scenario we see a 60 year old single male who makes 250% of the federal poverty level. As you can see age increases the cost of premiums before subsidies considerably, however since both men have the same amount of income their cost after subsidies will be the same.
The following chart shows what a single 40-year old making 250% FPL will pay a month in 2014 both before and after subsidies. Remember age is a factor when pricing insurance, younger people can expect lower rates while older people, who don't yet qualify for Medicare, should expect higher rates.
obamacare insurance costs
This next chart shows what a single 60-year old making 250% FPL will pay a month in 2014 both before and after subsidies. Remember age is a factor when pricing insurance, younger people can expect lower rates while older people, who don't yet qualify for Medicare, should expect higher rates before subsidies.
obamacare insurance cost
ObamaCare Cost for The Federal Government / Tax Payers
ObamaCare's net cost is estimated to be $1.36 trillion. This number is an updated estimate by a CBO report on ObamaCare's costs from May 2013. However, a number of factors including taxes, fees and penalties will actually reduce the federal deficits by $210 billion over the 2012-2021 period.
Gross additional costs of ObamaCare include $1.5 trillion for Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), as well as tax credits and other subsidies for subsidized marketplace plans for individuals, families, and small businesses, among other things. These costs are offset by penalty payments, health care cost cuts, new health care industry taxes, and a 2018 excise tax on high-premium insurance plans.
About one-fifth of federal spending for the major health care programs (i.e. Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and marketplace subsidies for individuals, families, and small businesses) will finance care for able-bodied non-elderly people; about one-fifth will go toward care for blind and disabled people; and about three-fifths will go to care for other people who are age 65 or older.
If you want to know more about the cost of ObamaCare check out the CBO Budget 2013-2014 or our resources page for more official documents detailing ObamaCare's costs and how they fit into the US budget.
Update: A CBO report on the Affordable Care Act from December 2013 shows that over the past five years the Affordable Care Act has actually helped to decrease the growth in healthcare spending (one of the primary goals of the law). Medicare, Medicaid, and Subsidy spending are all projected to be substantially lower than initially projected.
healthcare costs after aca
Update as of April 17th, 2014 on the affects of the ACA on healthcare costs from whitehouse.gov:
Health care costs are growing at the slowest level on record: Since the law passed, real per capita health care spending is estimated to have grown at the lowest rate on record for any three-year period and less than one-third the long-term historical average stretching back to 1960. This slower growth in spending is reflected in Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance.
CBO projects the deficit will shrink more and premiums will be lower than expected: CBO previously estimated that the ACA will reduce the deficit by $1.7 trillion over two decades, and, just this week, CBO concluded that lower-than-expected Marketplace premiums and other recent developments will cut $104 billion from our deficit over the next ten years. The CBO report also projects that lower-than-expected premiums will help to save $5 billion this year, and that lower premiums will persist in the years ahead, remaining 15 percent below projections by 2016 (the only year in which CBO provides a precise estimate).
Medicare spending growth is down: Medicare per capita spending is growing at historically low rates. This week, for the fifth straight year, the CBO reduced its projections for Medicare spending over the next 10 years – this time by $106 billion. CBO projects that Medicare and Medicaid costs in 2020 will be $180 billion below its 2010 estimates. Recent economic research suggests that the ACA’s reforms to Medicare may have “spillover effects” that reduce costs and improve quality across the health care system, not just in Medicare.
How Do We Pay For ObamaCare Costs?
Many sections of the Affordable Health Care Act cover the cost of Obamacare and how we will pay for national healthcare reform over the next decade. Here are some of the measures that will help pay for the Obama's healthcare reform:
• First, in order to help pay for the cost of Obamacare businesses and families will pay an additional .9% tax on taxable income and 3.8% capital gains exceeding $200,000 / $250,000.
• Fees for not purchasing insurance will help to cover some of the cost of the law. If you choose not to purchase insurance (and can afford it) there is a 1% tax in 2014, it raises to a 2.5% tax in 2016 and adjusts for inflation. This tax is the "income tax" you may hear about, and is the only income tax hike in ObamaCare and the only tax most Americans will pay.
• Businesses with over 50 full-time equivalent employees will also pay a fee for not insuring full-time workers starting 2015.
• ObamaCare also cuts $716 billion from Medicare and invests it back into Medicaid, Medicare and the healthcare system, so a lot of the money is coming from cutting waste, not just in Medicare, but in the health care industry as a whole.
• We already pay Medicare and Medicaid taxes, these and other healthcare taxes that are already in place also help to fund the law.
• There is also a $63 dollar fee on insurance plans (it decreases every month until 2017) that covers high-risk pools for pre-existing conditions.
• There are taxes on insurance companies. So all the new policies obtained will help to pay for the cost of ObamaCare.
• Most of the other funding for ObamaCare comes from taxes on the healthcare industry including a tax on companies who manufacturer non-generic drugs and some medical device manufacturers. Read the complete list of ObamaCare taxes and their costs.
• Many American families, making under 400% of the Federal poverty level, will see a reduction in their healthcare costs after tax credits and other subsidies. Of course, the more you make the less you save. The quality of your healthcare and the security of knowing you can't be dropped for being sick or denied for a pre-existing condition is a protection most Americans couldn't rely on before ObamaCare.
• In order to ease the burden of Obama Care's cost, 19 million Americans will receive tax credits to help pay for healthcare.
The cost of not having ObamaCare?: In a study by FamiliesUSA reported that each week 502 Americans die due to a lack of health insurance. That is 2,175 Americans dead each month. The true cost of Obamacare isn't in healthcare costs and taxes, it's in the lives of Americans like you and me.
The same study showed that between 2005 and 2010 that the number of people who died prematurely due to a lack of health coverage a year rose from 20,350 to 26,100.
(These figures are from 2010, Obamacare was signed on Oct. 1, 2010 and made its first steps toward providing quality affordable health insurance to individuals and families struggling with rising health care costs.)
So while there are costs, it is both economic reform and healthcare reform that will decrease payments of many Americans and only impact those who can afford to pay a little more.
The cost of not having ObamaCare isn't just a human issue. ObamaCare helps to reduce health care spending. Currently the $2.8 trillion U.S. healthcare system costs nearly $9,000 a year for every man, woman and child. Growth in health care spending has long outpaced inflation by wide margins, and following the U.S. recession of 2008 and 2009 has contributed to weak job creation, low expansion of wages and a high level of personal bankruptcies.
The True Cost of ObamaCare Health Care Reform
So what is the true cost of ObamaCare? In many cases ObamaCare costs what people can afford. For many Americans this means better coverage for less money. For many it means coverage over no or poor coverage. For others it means paying a little more to ensure healthcare for millions of uninsured Americans. Let us know what ObamaCare costs you and we'll share your story.
Zorra
(27,670 posts)republican President in the history of the US?
