Healthcare.gov

[XtremeJibber2001]

Of course, many public and private plans will adjust to minimize or avoid the tax, fulfilling the very purpose of the tax to begin with.

By adjust, do you mean reduce benefits?

By adjust, most Vermont taxpayers would probably mean reduce costs. The particular plan benefits provided above the minimum will be determined by the marketplace.

I don't know the inner workings of my employers costs, but I know my out-of-pocket costs. Generally, my out-of-pocket increases if I pick a better plan for my family. So if my employer had to reduce costs on the plans to avoid the tax, wouldn't this also (at least generally) lead to reduced benefits or higher out-of-pockets costs for my family?

/rant
It's just a difference in points-of-view, Coydog. It's hard for me and my family to get behind anything where we pay more so others can pay less. We can't help but feel frustrated when we're penalized for being successful (or in this case, have great benefits, which come with being successful). There has to be some give and take - both groups need some skin in the game. It's hard for me to understand your point-of-view as you seem to be okay with the "wealthy" paying their fair share and letting off the "poor" without responsibility to the "system". At some point, this process has to stop.
/rant

[Rime & Reason]

I'd also kill off the nonsense in the COBRA act that requires emergency rooms to take anybody who walks in. If you're an illegal or if you're a moron who opts out of paying the premiums, you die a painful death on the sidewalk.

Do the illegal and/or moronic children deserve a painful death on the sidewalk too, or are you just talking about their parents?

[Bubba]

From today's New York Times

Harvard Ideas on Health Care Hit Home, Hard

For years, Harvard’s experts on health economics and policy have advised presidents and Congress on how to provide health benefits to the nation at a reasonable cost. But those remedies will now be applied to the Harvard faculty, and the professors are in an uproar.

Members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the heart of the 378-year-old university, voted overwhelmingly in November to oppose changes that would require them and thousands of other Harvard employees to pay more for health care. The university says the increases are in part a result of the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act, which many Harvard professors championed.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/us/he ... 74587&_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Bloomberg article on the same subject

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2 ... cmpid=yhoo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[XtremeJibber2001]

You've made your bed, time to lay in it.

[freeski]

I listen to talk radio when I go to bed at night. For the last month there has been an ad urging you to sign up for the ACA. It is a message from your pet that if you sign up for the ACA you will still have money to buy them treats. How cool is that?

[Mister Moose]

Members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the heart of the 378-year-old university, voted overwhelmingly in November to oppose changes that would require them and thousands of other Harvard employees to pay more for health care. The university says the increases are in part a result of the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act, which many Harvard professors championed.

I wonder if those Harvard faculty of Native American descent are granted an exemption.

[f.a.s.t.]

I lost my health care coverage I had through my wife's employment. I called 3 carriers here in NH and the exchange, they wanted to rob me $1250 a month with a $6000 deductible and 30% after that up to $10,000. It paid for virtually nothing. If I got in an accident and had a $20,000 hospital bill it would cost me $14,000 for the yearly premium (A TAX) plus $6000 deductible plus $900. That's $20,900 out of pocket it would cost me to be covered by B.O. Care. If anyone thinks this is health insurance or is affordable or is a good thing, well you're quite simply very naïve.

Because I lost my health insurance, I applied for and was granted a B.O. care waiver; the IRS can not fine me. I now have a catastrophic policy that I'm not crazy about but it's better than B.O. care. It cost $235 a month with a $5,000 deductible. That same $20,000 hospital bill will now cost me the $2,820 yearly premium plus $5000 = $7,820 a savings of $15,900 versus B.O. care.

It was very annoying calling the three carriers to compare prices in order to be robbed by them. You had to give them all kinds of personal information including how much my wife makes in order to pay tax to B.O. care, not to pay for health insurance. Even worse, that still disturbs me to no end, is when I called the B.O. Exchange directly. A worthless Federal employee woman with a very strong accent that I could hardly understand answered the phone. It took twice as long as it should have to give the idiot woman the info she needed because I couldn't understand half of what she said. Even worse, in the back ground I could hear people laughing practically the whole time I was on the phone with the loser. I asked the dumb ass what was so funny, she said that she's not allowed to say why those people are laughing. What a disgrace Anyone behind B.O. Care-you are a loser too just like that woman that answered the phone.

[madhatter]

Greg Gutfeld sums it up nicely...

Greg Gutfeld pointed out the utter hypocrisy of the Harvard faculty members who expressed outrage over the changes to their healthcare plan — changes mandated by Obamacare — which they so strongly supported and helped create.

“Harvard professors have their cardigans in a clump over increases in their health premiums, all due to Obamacare, the same monstrosity these jackasses foisted on America…

…Here’s why the professors are ticked: their average salary is almost two-hundred thousand dollars and they’re stuck with a two-hundred and fifty dollar deductible.

Think about what that means, that the singular marking of a modern academic is greed, that paying their fair share means not paying at all. As liberals, they accrue luxuries they happily deny others. No wonder they’re so upset: sunlight burns a vampire.”

http://www.ijreview.com/2015/01/228716- ... =Obamacare" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bubba]

The real cost of Obamacare is starting to become known. Here's a really good commentary from CNBC:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102330644?__sour ... =102330644" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And 60 Minutes did a story on it last night as well:

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/dissecting-obamacare/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bubba]

Obama slams Staples. Staples fires back.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/obama-sla ... 21073.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[XtremeJibber2001]

Obama slams Staples. Staples fires back.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/obama-sla ... 21073.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

$620 million in net profit for FY14 and billions of dollars in net profit is nearly the same thing I suppose. Staples is a public company beholden to shareholders, they're not going to cut into their profits to adhere to the ACA. The shame of it all is this will hurt the very people the ACA was designed to help - low-income earners.

[Bubba]

Another opinion on Obamacare. The article makes some good points but still leaves many unanswered questions.

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/2 ... 03-2015|NA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bubba]

It's tax season, and the Obamacare tax is starting to hit folks where it hurts.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102585597" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[XtremeJibber2001]

It's tax season, and the Obamacare tax is starting to hit folks where it hurts.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102585597" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So you're saying ACA doesn't really fix the problems it set out to fix? Shouldn't surprise anyone that lower-income individuals are focused more on day-to-day cash flow (e.g., lower premiums) than future cash flow (e.g., deductibles). That's a small part of why those in the lower classes generally don't get into the middle/upper classes. Lots of focus on standardized testing in secondary education, but lets not worry about how little graduating students know about general finance.

[Bubba]

Obamacare's big overhead costs to top $270B

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102707721" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;