The Same as MA Healthcare Premiums, the ACA Premiums are too Costly . . .

by Run75441

The Same as MA Healthcare Premiums, the ACA Premiums are too Costly . . .

clip_image001
Chicken Little, Courtesy of “EW.Com Entertainment Weekly”


I have listened to many  stating the MA subsidies do not go far enough in alleviating the costs of healthcare for a family not covered by an Employer Subsidized Healthcare plan. Even with my pointing out the subsidies in the ACA exceed that of the MA plan, there still has been quite a bit of doubt.

Maggie Mahar at the resurrected Health Beat Blog http://www.healthbeatblog.com/2012/07/what-will-the-supreme-courts-decision-mean-for-the-november-election-part-1/ pointed to a new Kaiser Family Foundation subsidy calculator in her article as well as other informative points; “What Will the Supreme Court Decision Mean In November?” The ACA Premium Calculator is found here: Healthcare Reform Subsidy Calculator.



Using the KFF Calculator, a person can calculate what they will pay in premiums under the ACA in 2014. Further on down this post, there is a short discussion of the Mandate and a link to another KFF site to determine what the mandated penalty might be per year for an individual and a family. The last chart by “The Incidental Economist” touches upon the relative size of the Mandate in comparison to taxes historically. As a mandated penalty, Obamacare is a middle of the pack tax.

With the KFF calculator, assuming we are discussing Median Household Income, and making an addition assumption Household Median Income increases from the ~$51,000 in 2011 to ~$55,000 in 2013, this is what a family of 4 might pay in 2014:

– Income (family of 4) $55,000 (235% of Poverty)
– Policyholder Age: 45
– ESI: None Available
– Regional Cost Factor: Median
– Unsubsidized Healthcare Premium: $14,425
– Government Tax Credit: $10,110
– Out of Pocket Premium: $4,125
– 2014 Maximum Out of Pocket Expenses: $6,250

Mandate/Tax Penalty is huge? And what if an individual does not buy insurance from the state insurance exchanges; the individual would pay a Mandate Penalty in 2014 of $95/adult and $47.50 per child (or 1% of income, whichever is greater). In 2016, the mandate would be $695/adult and 50% for children (or 2.5% of income, whichever is greater). http://healthreform.kff.org/the-basics/Requirement-to-buy-coverage-flowchart.aspx “The Requirement to Buy Healthcare Coverage” For those who wish to argue Mandate versus Tax, please remember all laws are open to interpretation which does not change the initial intent of the Act passed by Congress.

ACA is the Biggest Tax Ever? It does not even come close to the tax Truman passed to cover WWII costs or even the Reagan Tax Increases of 1982. http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/obamacare-is-the-biggest-tax-increase-in-history-if-you-ignore-history/ Incidental Economist “Obamacare is the Biggest Tax Ever, If You Ignore History”


clip_image003

Austin Frakt, The Incidental Economist,Obamacare is the biggest tax increase in history … if you ignore history

Maybe the sky is not falling with SCOTUS declaring the ACA is constitutional?