DOUGLASFOTOS wrote:
Here is a solution to your problem...Don't get the insurance..which will cost you...thousands of dollars...a year...

just let them tax you at the end of the year...$113.00

But what if you get a heart attack or stroke, and then need 24hr care, and then the bills just keep piling on.

Sandra Vixen wrote:

But what if you get a heart attack or stroke, and then need 24hr care, and then the bills just keep piling on.

the bills are going to pile on anyway. I had health insurance through my old employer, and they would barely cover ANYTHING. It was shameful. Either way we're getting screwed

Sandra Vixen wrote:

But what if you get a heart attack or stroke, and then need 24hr care, and then the bills just keep piling on.

there is zero hospital that will not take you if you have a serious problem..they can't turn u away...

DOUGLASFOTOS wrote:
Here is a solution to your problem...Don't get the insurance..which will cost you...thousands of dollars...a year...

just let them tax you at the end of the year...$113.00 

How simplistic is that. My job is done here.

*like*

i hope they only charge me $113 for not being able to afford medical coverage.

DOUGLASFOTOS wrote:
Here is a solution to your problem...Don't get the insurance..which will cost you...thousands of dollars...a year...

just let them tax you at the end of the year...$113.00 

How simplistic is that. My job is done here.

it's not gonna be as cheap for next year or the one after that. i might go with this but i also want to have insurance. hell, a visit to the clinic is a lot cheaper than what i'd be be paying for the insurance. just started a new job so i am gonna see what they got.

Paolo Diavolo wrote:

*like*

i hope they only charge me $113 for not being able to afford medical coverage.

the fine is based on how much you made last year.

Wicked Photos wrote:
the fine is based on how much you made last year.

Here's a simple calculator that will show you your penalty for 2014, 2015 and 2016:

http://taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/acacalculator.cfm

So, for example a single person with an AGI of $70K it would be:

2014: $699
2015: $1394
2016: $1736

Mark Salo wrote:
My mother always said that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Mine always said "help the poor and your life will be richer".

Wicked Photos wrote:
so i did my taxes today and had a penalty of $113 because i didnt have health care last year. i had it for about 3 months but it wasnt enough i guess. i am gonna try and fight it though. did this happen to any body else?

after i came back to reality, i went online and researched some prices and plans. HOLY SHIT, it's pretty expensive. even the lowest plan was about $330/month.  yes i know i can get a break and it'd be lower but for something i dont use often. ugh, i dont really need all this extra bullshit now.

what is your experience with the Obamacare? paying an arm/leg for it?

Sorry, but this has the potential of getting soap-boxy.

My 2014 Obamacare insurance costs me about $2,500 less per year than what I paid in 2013, mostly because Obamacare tells insurance companies that they can't deny coverage for folks with pre-existing conditions, like my diabetes type II.  I'm 60 something, and I used it a lot, for cardiac conditions, a colonoscopy, an investigation into a kidney problem, plus the regular diabetes care -- I had a deductible that was met in May -- still, I had a high level of care for $2,500 less.  So, I'm still here, and I am thrilled that Obamacare is here, too.

In general, I'm a big believer in contingency planning, and I think insurance is usually a good (or even an essential) deal for pretty much everyone.  The thing about insurance is you don't know you need it until it's too late.  Your $330 a month might seem to be a lot, but if you are involved in a major car accident or contract a serious illness, it'll seem trivial.  Not having insurance is a risk.  Your $330 a month is about $4000 a year, which doesn't seem to be much.  Or your $113 fine -- that's a deal for you -- you are saving $3900-ish per year.  And of course, if you are scraped out of a wrecked car & receive emergency health care, all of us get to pay for it -- that's extra bullshit, too.

My suggestion:  save your original post & review in a few decades from now and see if you still feel the same way.

Sandra Vixen wrote:
But what if you get a heart attack or stroke, and then need 24hr care, and then the bills just keep piling on.

DOUGLASFOTOS wrote:
there is zero hospital that will not take you if you have a serious problem..they can't turn u away...

I'm not sure that's true.  My understanding (which admittedly can be flawed) is that no hospital will turn you away from emergency care, but once you are stabilized, you are on your own.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
I'm not sure that's true.  My understanding (which admittedly can be flawed) is that no hospital will turn you away from emergency care, but once you are stabilized, you are on your own.

They can not turn you away for critical care, but what they **can**, and often will do, is turn your bill into a collection agency. Wanna buy a house? How about a new car? Need a small loan? Check out your credit report after the collection agency starts to do their thing. It ain't gonna be pretty

The consequences go far beyond the hospital bill and can last years (unless, of course, you want to spend the bucks to file bankruptcy - in which case, well, the consequences can still go far beyond the hospital bill and last years).

GRMACK wrote:
Wait until you get a medical bill for $850,000 in your mailbox like I did.  What a nightmare.

Kind of makes the IRS folk look like the good guys, huh?

** runs and hides **

Lohkee wrote:

Kind of makes the IRS folk look like the good guys, huh?

** runs and hides **

Nice try!!!

Nytowa wrote:
I don't have a job and its too expensive. I couldn't qualify because I didn't have a job. I think its dumb that they would tax a person who doesn't have a job a fee...

If you have no income, and have to pay a tax, doesn't that put you in the highest tax bracket of all? It must be that the government figures people with free time are richer than people with money.  Lunacy is so fun.

Red Sky Photography wrote:
at least they can't deny you for pre existing conditions.

I hated the old system.

...  I was hired by a Fortune 50 company straight out of grad school.
...  I worked there for ~25 years.
...  They had terrific healthcare -- not very expensive (company got a deal) with tons of stuff covered.
...  Was healthy for 20 years -- my only charges during those decades were regular checkups & an
     appendectomy.
...  During those decades, the insurance company made a big honkin' lot of money off of me.
...  Then in quick order, I was diagnosed with diabetes type II, and I get laid off (4 months before I
      could have qualified for early retirement).
...  With COBRA, I took over payments to the company's health plan, at the same rate I was paying.
...  After COBRA ran out, no one would insure me because of my pre-existing condition (diabetes).
...  My state had a program for people who otherwise couldn't get insurance, at twice the rate.
...  It was a good plan, but it was expensive.

My question:  Why couldn't COBRA last forever (as long as I made the payments)?  Who loses?  Doesn't 25 years of paying into a plan more than I took out count for anything?

Like I said, with the "pre-existing condition" thingy gone, I was able to find a much better plan that was significantly cheaper.  So, I like the Affordable Care Act.

Nytowa wrote:
I don't have a job and its too expensive. I couldn't qualify because I didn't have a job. I think its dumb that they would tax a person who doesn't have a job a fee...

Jay Dezelic wrote:
If you have no income, and have to pay a tax, doesn't that put you in the highest tax bracket of all? It must be that the government figures people with free time are richer than people with money.  Lunacy is so fun.

There are exemptions to the ACA tax penalty for not having health coverage.

https://www.healthcare.gov/fees-exempti … m-the-fee/

Nytowa wrote:
I don't have a job and its too expensive. I couldn't qualify because I didn't have a job. I think its dumb that they would tax a person who doesn't have a job a fee. If I get taxed I will be so confused about that. The fee also rises each year for the next 3 years so two more years that fee will rise above 113$. The thing is some of us can't afford it and its considered low when I don't have a job. I think its suppose to work with your job and how much you make but its unrealistic to like my phone payments, car payments, car insurance. like their are other things I have to pay when I get a job besides health care. It doesn't make sense for people to have to pay so much. People should have to take like 30$ out of their taxes or something and put it in a fund for future medical expenses.

Yeah, I don't think I understand this post.

...  If you don't have a job, how do you pay for room & board, your phone, your car, etc.?
...  Why is car insurance a higher priority than health insurance?
...  Why is it okay for the gubbermint to require car insurance but not okay for them to require health insurance?
...  There's nothing stopping you to create your own savings account for future medical expenses?  Why should
     the gubbermint do that for you?

I note you are 26, which means you can still be added to your parents' insurance.  There also are subsidies available, aren't there?

Looknsee Photography wrote:

Yeah, I don't think I understand this post.

...  If you don't have a job, how do you pay for room & board, your phone, your car, etc.?
...  Why is car insurance a higher priority than health insurance?
...  Why is it okay for the gubbermint to require car insurance but not okay for them to require health insurance?
...  There's nothing stopping you to create your own savings account for future medical expenses?  Why should
     the gubbermint do that for you?

I note you are 26, which means you can still be added to your parents' insurance.  There also are subsidies available, aren't there?

The government doesn't require everyone to have car insurance. I don't drive, have never owned a car and therefore have never paid for car insurance. Comparing that to health insurance makes no sense. I can't say more because that would get me in trouble;)

Isis22 wrote:
The government doesn't require everyone to have car insurance. I don't drive, have never owned a car and therefore have never paid for car insurance. Comparing that to health insurance makes no sense. I can't say more because that would get me in trouble;)

The comparison makes perfect sense.

Since you don't own a car or drive, yes you are exempt from paying into the auto liability insurance pool.

However...

You are alive and one day, sooner or later, you will need medical care.  Very few people go though their entire lives and suddenly just die without needing some form of costly medical care.  So, you should be paying into the health insurance pool like everyone else should be. 

Who exactly do you expect to pick up the tab when you do need medical care?

ernst tischler wrote:

The comparison makes perfect sense.

Since you don't own a car or drive, yes you are exempt from paying into the auto liability insurance pool.

However...

You are alive and one day, sooner or later, you will need medical care.  Very few people go though their entire lives and suddenly just die without needing some form of costly medical care.  So, you should be paying into the health insurance pool like everyone else should be. 

Who exactly do you expect to pick up the tab when you do need medical care?

Is auto insurance provided by the government, run by the government? I thought it was all private? I was under the impression it was only required by the government. If that is true then there is no "pool" to pay in to.

Isis22 wrote:
Is auto insurance provided by the government, run by the government? I thought it was all private? I was under the impression it was only required by the government. If that is true then there is no "pool" to pay in to.

Every company that sells auto liability insurance has a "pool", that's how insurance works.  Every policy holder pays into the pool, the company invests the money in the pool and later pays claims out of the money in the pool.  Insurance is nothing more than a large group of people sharing risk by everyone paying an amount into the pool.

The health insurance policies for sale in the ACA Marketplace or for sale in the open market are also run by companies, not the government.  The government is involved in health insurance because it pays subsidies on policies for those who qualify, but their policy is still with a company, not the government.  Just like auto liability insurance, every company that sells health insurance has a "pool"...the premiums pay into the pool, the company invests the money in the pool and later pays claims out of the pool.  Shared risk...same concept.

So if you don't want to purchase health insurance, please tell me, who is going to pay for your medical expenses when you need healthcare?

Looknsee Photography wrote:
I thought proof of insurance was required in order to license the car, and that makes sense to me.  You don't need car insurance to have a drivers license -- that's a different thing.  I live downtown with good public transportation.  I gave up my car six years ago, but I still have a drivers license (for Zip Car and its ilk). 

I note, however, that in order to participate in a ride sharing service (like Zip Car), you are required to have liability insurance -- I believe you'd need insurance if you wanted to rent a car, too.  Finally, I will also note that my liability insurance bill for a year costs less than my parking fee for a month.

In Texas, you must have liability insurance to renew your driver license, vehicle safety inspection and renew the vehicle's tags.

Looknsee Photography wrote:
I would love a much more simplified tax process.  Maybe all those complications in the tax code are there to make taxing more fair, but I tend to believe that the tax code complications are there so that the richest people can pay less taxes.

Most of them were put in to either help people (mortgage interest deductions for example) or to "encourage" certain activity... like deductions for solar panels and so on.

The problem is that no one comes back years or decades later to take away the ones that don't make sense any more, so we wind up with tax code that just keeps getting more and more complicated.