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Unemployed workers are hit with another shock: Many owe the government money for health insurance
Washington Post (democracy dies with democrats) ^ | 3/05/21 | Heather Long

Posted on 03/05/2021 10:58:48 PM PST by Libloather

Preschool teacher Michele Ryan was nearly in tears when she filled out her 2020 taxes and learned that she owes the government more than $3,100 despite being unemployed for a significant portion of last year. She owes about $1,000 in taxes on unemployment income, but the bulk of her bill - $2,100 - is to repay some of the subsidy she received to buy health insurance last year.

According to the federal government, Ryan earned too much money on unemployment. It was more money than she would have made working as a preschool teacher, and it bumped her into a different income bracket that reduced her Affordable Care Act insurance subsidy. She’s desperate to keep health insurance in the middle of the pandemic and is trying to figure out how to pay the hefty bill.

“Where do I come up with all of this money to pay them back during the pandemic?” said Ryan, 50, who lives in Bergen County, N.J. “What did they expect us to do? Drop Obamacare during the pandemic?”

Ryan is among the millions of Americans encountering surprisingly large tax bills in the midst of a global health crisis. She was finally able to go back to work at a day-care center, but she says she doesn’t have $3,100. She used what savings she had to move from Pennsylvania to New Jersey when a job opened up in her field.

**SNIP**

Congress is trying to fix this problem so that low-income Americans don’t drop their health insurance because they can’t afford it. The $1.9 trillion stimulus package that is expected to pass by mid-March would forgive these tax bills. (Under a deal reached late Friday, households earning under $150,000 would also be spared taxes on the first $10,200 in unemployment income.)

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Conspiracy; Health/Medicine; Local News
KEYWORDS: health; insurance; money; unemployed
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“We’re just trying to get back on our feet, and we’re now slammed with all these bills we owe,” said Ryan, who lives with her boyfriend.

Husseincare strikes again.


1 posted on 03/05/2021 10:58:48 PM PST by Libloather
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To: Libloather

Lesson 1: Read the fine print.


2 posted on 03/05/2021 11:00:33 PM PST by glorgau
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To: Libloather

We’re from the guvmint and we’re here to help.


3 posted on 03/05/2021 11:00:35 PM PST by Kevmo (So America gets what America deserves - - the destruction of its Constitution. ~Leo Donofrio, 6/1/09)
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To: Libloather

When you make more money on unemployment than you would have made working, of course you have to pay more tax.


4 posted on 03/05/2021 11:06:43 PM PST by doc maverick
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To: Libloather

She earned more on unemployment than her job would pay, shocker! But this is an easy fix; the IRS can be instructed to ignore these minor transgressions and imo justifiably so given the mass confusion and mass hysteria.


5 posted on 03/05/2021 11:10:54 PM PST by monkeyshine (live and let live is dead)
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To: Libloather

Stimulus coming up shortly that will help


6 posted on 03/05/2021 11:13:21 PM PST by Reno89519 (Buy American, Hire American! End All Worker Visa Programs. Replace Visa Workers w/ American Worker)
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To: Libloather

The simple truth is that if you are on øbamacare, you have to report changes in income to the marketplace. Or you get hot when you reconcile actual income to the estimate you gave when you took out the policy.


7 posted on 03/05/2021 11:14:53 PM PST by NonValueAdded (March comes in like an emu and goes out like a tapir. And they don't even know what that means!)
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To: NonValueAdded

Hit, not hot


8 posted on 03/05/2021 11:15:34 PM PST by NonValueAdded (March comes in like an emu and goes out like a tapir. And they don't even know what that means!)
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To: NonValueAdded

Been uninsured since April. I hope the hell nothing happens medically (I was forced to stop cancer treatments in April, as my CORBA being $5600 a month to continue... )


9 posted on 03/05/2021 11:36:27 PM PST by Starcitizen (To the filthy Indian trash snowflakes that cried my tagline, eff you and your filthy country. )
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To: Starcitizen

If you are a member of a church, you would qualify for one of the insurance alternatives.


10 posted on 03/05/2021 11:42:22 PM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: NonValueAdded

Well it sounds like she got hot when she got the bill.

Hot = angry.

Not Hot = you owe money, but look at how hot you are beautiful.


11 posted on 03/06/2021 12:00:38 AM PST by DannyTN
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To: Libloather

Unemployment insurance has always been fully taxable as income.


12 posted on 03/06/2021 12:05:30 AM PST by Hootowl
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To: ConservativeMind

Looked into the Christian medi-share and others. Couldn’t even afford the monthly premiums. My AGI for 2019 was too high to qualify for any free government health care, or paid insurance without huge deductibles.


13 posted on 03/06/2021 12:20:36 AM PST by Starcitizen (To the filthy Indian trash snowflakes that cried my tagline, eff you and your filthy country. )
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To: ConservativeMind

Medishare and similar programs are very lucky who they insure. If you had cancer or have cancer forget it

They also do not cover preexisting conditions


14 posted on 03/06/2021 1:55:34 AM PST by setter
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To: setter

Lucky= picky.


15 posted on 03/06/2021 1:56:32 AM PST by setter
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To: Libloather

I qualify for Medicare Part B next month, but I’m still on my wife’s plan, and I have no clue what to do......my wife swears we’ll save money if I go ahead and opt up for it, but I have a lot of pre-existing conditions, and I don’t want to
lose my existing primary doctor or watch the cost of some of my meds skyrocket. Suggestions?


16 posted on 03/06/2021 2:01:17 AM PST by Viking2002 (The revolution won't need to be televised. It'll be on your doorstep.)
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To: monkeyshine

I do kind of side with you on that.

There was mass confusion, mass hysteria, the federal bumps in unemployment compensation and the constantly moving financial government targets....It’s a mess.

And even now I have not filed my own taxes, because the tax laws are going to change less than a month before they are due!?

Extension time to file here we all come again this year!


17 posted on 03/06/2021 2:35:22 AM PST by EBH (How they did it? Social Contagion and Social Media is the mechanism)
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To: Libloather

Just think about all that Covid Stimulus money sent to other countries and other non-American things.

How about all that money we spend on supporting illegal aliens that work under the table not reporting their true income.

I guess none of that matters, American lives don’t matter.


18 posted on 03/06/2021 2:49:27 AM PST by DEPcom (Impeach Illegitimate Biden/Harris )
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To: Libloather

Should have paid taxes immediately on the unemployment benefits and paid attention to the income limits for Obama care. She’s lucky she’s not stuck with the entire bill for insurance which can easily be $1K per month for single person.


19 posted on 03/06/2021 3:36:50 AM PST by NWFree (Socialism is legalized plunder)
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To: NWFree

I early retired and have to supplement my retirement income with savings to avoid full insurance costs till 65.


20 posted on 03/06/2021 3:39:36 AM PST by NWFree (Socialism is legalized plunder)
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