So.

[kyburg]

We got another dish of legislative sausage we really don't know what its got in it, but damn if it ain't tasty!

Side order of chili fries for those who don't like sausage, extra spicy.

You can only imagine what an employer like Jim's is feeling right now. Like, OMG SO HAPPY. Jim works for one of the largest HMOs in the country, and one of the oldest. They can come in to provide everything on the lowest dime around...and gee, think they might consider expanding again? You can has Kaiser nationwide, ya think?

I like Kaiser. You pay premiums, you pay for hospitals and medical offices as well as the time of your trained, licensed professionals. You're not paying for someone to decide you only get 30% of your bill back that you had to pay up front for because you 'weren't in-network' or something.

The trick now is to ramp it up sufficiently so you aren't waiting forever. Which, right now? Is a defining feature.

Are you going to have to pay a penalty? Well, according to what reannon found for me, not so much (per NBC, which she quotes):

• If you make $30,000 or less, Medicaid will cover you as of 2014.
• If you make between $30,000 and $88,000, you will get government subsidies to help pay for your insurance.
• If you make between $88,000 and $100,000, there are no penalties for not having insurance, but you don't get government subsidies.
• If you make over $100,000 and don't have insurance, then you get a fine of up to $2250.

Does anyone making over $100,000 not have insurance? You tell me. (You making six figures by yourself and you can't afford a policy of some kind, you got some explaining to do, Lucy.)

For me, I can't wait to see the pre-existing bullshit leave the building. Wonder how much this is going to do to reduce the high cost of hiring Americans to do make stuff for Americans. You know, versus countries that have socialized health care like that.

Comments

[caitlin.livejournal.com]

I miss Kaiser!

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I predict you won't be in less than five years.

[caitlin.livejournal.com]

Won't be missing them? Why? They're going to expand into the area? The nearest place they are to me is in Cleveland. In Ohio. 3 states over. although I think they're in colorado too...

Unless you figure they're going to vanish...

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Nope. They're going to grow. Like weeds. They're going to be everywhere. Very soon, I predict.

[terredancer.livejournal.com]

Well, I actually found out through some looking that they have Kaiser out in Cleveland, which surprised me. caitlin has spoken highly of them, and I saw an Ohio-based place with them as a sponsor, so I went to have a looksee. It's just a shame that it's not here, for whatever reason.

Everything I've heard regarding this bill that's just passed - the real information, that is - leaves me feeling like this is a good thing. *nods*

As for the pre-existing bullshit? Ditto.

[eyelid.livejournal.com]

• If you make $30,000 or less, Medicaid will cover you as of 2014.

I'm not sure where that's coming from... my info is that medicaid will cover people who earn up to 133% of the federal poverty line. the poverty line for 2010 is $10,830 for a single individual. So you'll only get medicaid if you're earning $14,400 or less. Which is kind of a hilariously small amount. A family of four can have a combined income of almost $30,000...

If you make between $88,000 and $100,000, there are no penalties for not having insurance, but you don't get government subsidies.

I don't think that's accurate either. I believe you only don't get penalized if you're low-income.

[reannon.livejournal.com]

The $14,400 is what it is now. NBC's roundup on the bill says Medicaid will expand to cover everyone making $30,000 or less beginning in 2014.

[zoethe.livejournal.com]

Health care is so expensive that I do know self-employed people making around $100k a year who have to seriously sacrifice to have health insurance. My hope is that this will lower those costs of insurance to something reasonable.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Self-employment is a whole 'nother chart to do calculations on - you actually have to 'clear' that amount, as a salary...not just make it. In self-employement, that's only one line item, not the whole return.

Self-employment - the biggest employment scam of the 80's - in my humble opinion, of course.

[zoethe.livejournal.com]

Scam? I'm sorry, what?

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind I was married to an aerospace engineer who was working salaried, hourly - what have you - prior to Bush I, which, along with Reagan, did more to make hiring 'contractors' so appealing you couldn't be employed without being one!

Whether you liked it or not. The sell was 'be your own boss! Make all this dough! We'll give you a 1099, we don't have to pay your taxes, so we'll pass the savings on to you!'

Until you found out what you actually had to return to the IRS, Medicare and so forth...and it didn't add up to what you were making prior as a salaried employee. The spiel then turned to 'those dirty crooks!' And I've watched the spin ever since.

They never looked back to see the profitable company get even more profitable with a raft full of contractors, while they lost job securities, benefits...and had a ton of extra paperwork and administrative bull they had to manage themselves tossed on.

No, no. It was all the huge, bloated government who wasted their money.

And then they all decided China needed more jobs than we did.

[zoethe.livejournal.com]

Ah, the hiving people off to "independent contractor" status. THAT was bullshit, no doubt.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

*fistbumps*

[murphymom.livejournal.com]

Nice to see a reasonable reaction to the whole thing. As for me, I keep telling folks who are complaining about it not being "everything on a waffle" that it's, at the very least, a foot in the door, and it will be very hard to shut the door again. Those on the other side ("teabaggers" and the like) I just have no patience with any more.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I now identify as 'reasonable and well-behaved' as a political association. It's about time.

[stronae.livejournal.com]

For me, I can't wait to see the pre-existing bullshit leave the building

Amen, sister. I find it disgusting that I'm punished for getting a Ph.D., since I will re-enter the workforce, have to pick up different insurance (since I can't have student insurance when I'm no longer a student), and have all the preexisting crap trigger. Students four years from now will not have this fate, and for this, I celebrate.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I was married to a type I diabetic. I may have to go on a bender just to get it out of my system for good and always.

You have no idea.