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A Staunch Republican Tries Obamacare ... And Discovers That It's Actually Pretty Awesome
http://www.businessinsider.com ^ | october 3, 2013 | Henry Blodget

Posted on 10/05/2013 7:13:13 PM PDT by lowbridge

One mystery of the government shutdown is why Republicans are so apoplectic about the Affordable Care Act, a piece of legislation that aims to make health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans.

One theory is that the Republican leadership is scared that Obamacare actually won't be as bad as they have been saying it will be — that, in fact, Americans (including Republican constituents) will quite like it.

If Americans like Obamacare, the theory goes, this will be a big blow to the Republicans' big sales pitch over the past 30 years, which is that more government is always bad. (This despite the popularity of Medicare, Social Security, and other programs that even many Republicans support.) And this, in turn, the theory goes, will be a big blow to the Republican Party.

Well, it seems at least one Republican is pleasantly surprised by the reality of Obamacare.

Sy Mukherjee of ThinkProgress caught up with Butch Matthews, a 61-year-old former small business owner from Little Rock, Arkansas. Matthews, a diehard Republican, was skeptical of Obamacare. But the new law has already allowed him to buy insurance that is both much better, and much cheaper, than the astronomically expensive pre-Obamacare plan he was clinging to from Blue Cross Blue Shield.

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


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abortion; deathpanels; gop4romneycare; healthcare; obamacare; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; romneyagenda; romneycare; romneycare4all; zerocare
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To: lowbridge
Try it, Mr. Boehner! You might like it!

Mr. Boehner is required try it, even though he gets 75% paid for.

How did Mathews have a bronze plan before?

81 posted on 10/05/2013 8:34:01 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Right Wing Yahoos taking Over the GOP --YAHOO!)
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To: lowbridge

If be were truly a “staunch Republican” he wouldn’t care that it’s free to him; he would care deeply that big government is in charge of it.


82 posted on 10/05/2013 8:41:11 PM PDT by informavoracious (We're being "punished" with Stanley Ann's baby. Obamacare: shovel-ready healthcare.)
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To: CommieCutter
Oh this gets even cuter!

If your employer offers an insurance plan , and you decline to take it because you can’t afford the premiums, you are NOT eligiable for subsidies under Obamacare.

No matter your income level.

All those mean old corporate demons who are cutting back hours and not offering their employees “employer provided insurance” are doing people a favor.

Think people!
The reason the Unions are screaming is that if an employer offers a great “platinum level” insurance plan, and pays over 50 % of the premiums, the employee is soon going to be taxed on that plan, as earned income.

Gee, you think somebody would have read the bill before they signed it.....

83 posted on 10/05/2013 8:42:04 PM PDT by sarasmom (Extortion 17. A large number of Navy SEALs died on that mission. Ask why.)
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To: informavoracious

It’s so outrageous someone writes something like this with all of the disasters affecting real people - millions and millions - of people - as though they haven’t been happening and he hasn’t heard anything of it.


84 posted on 10/05/2013 8:47:27 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: Innovative
yet, because he doesn’t have wage income,

To qualify for ACA subsidy you must make at least 100% Poverty level, otherwise you can either use Obamacare and get no subsidy or go into Medic-Aid after you have sold all your stuff. I Call BS

85 posted on 10/05/2013 8:50:32 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Right Wing Yahoos taking Over the GOP --YAHOO!)
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To: AZLiberty
Under Obamacare, because of his lack of income, the guy gets health insurance worth over $20K/year (including premium and deductible) for $750 (deductible only). What’s not to like?

With no income you are not eligible for an ACA subsidy.

Fun With Numbers:
http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/

86 posted on 10/05/2013 8:57:42 PM PDT by Mike Darancette (Right Wing Yahoos taking Over the GOP --YAHOO!)
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To: Spunky

Right - doesn’t ring true. Given how inaccurate the rest of this story is - either through ignorance or dishonesty - it wouldn’t surprise me if the entire thing is made up. The author just writes people might just like Obamacare - right - how about interviewing someone, “staunch Republican” or otherwise, who got a notice in the mail that their coverage is being eliminated because of the law, or someone who’s premiums are increasing by 200% because of the law, an elderly couple being forced to pay big bucks for coverage for pregnancy and child birth, someone who had their hours at work cut dramatically or were laid off, will be affected by providers cutting back healthcare services, etc. and see how much “people quite like it” in those situations. The author just writes the piece as though he hasn’t heard of those things happening to countless numbers of people.


87 posted on 10/05/2013 8:58:42 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: lowbridge

Yeah - “staunch Republican” - I’ve heard that one before.....


88 posted on 10/05/2013 9:03:13 PM PDT by Intolerant in NJ
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To: Mr. K

I don’t think that’s the same guy - that one that gave the donations is from New Mexico.


89 posted on 10/05/2013 9:04:10 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: lowbridge

Big deductible, big co-pay, limited provider network means pay up at the time of service. You deal with the insurance company.


90 posted on 10/05/2013 9:13:31 PM PDT by grumpygresh (Democrats delenda est. New US economy: Fascism on top, Socialism on the bottom.)
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To: lowbridge

I don’t believe this man. If he was able to afford 1068.00
insurance premium then he does not have a salary that would be subsidized. maybe it’s true but I don’t think so.


91 posted on 10/05/2013 9:20:02 PM PDT by funfan
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To: smoothsailing

At 65 this idiot would be on Medicare anyway, I have said a million
times before, if you are poor there has always been medical!! The whole
system being turned on its head because they want control, NO OTHER
REASON!!! Communism at its best!!!


92 posted on 10/05/2013 9:21:51 PM PDT by Kit cat (OBummer must go)
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To: Innovative

I suspect if the government finds out about his “assets” his premium will be going from zero to way up.


93 posted on 10/05/2013 10:12:19 PM PDT by VerySadAmerican (".....Barrack, and the horse Mohammed rode in on.")
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To: lowbridge

Hutch must be guy who enrolled. A Forbes article today pointed out that since enrollment started four days ago, the number of Americans across the country signing-on was a single figure.


94 posted on 10/05/2013 10:20:18 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: All armed conservatives.)
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To: tumblindice

Hutch=Butch Whatever.
It’s BS anyway.


95 posted on 10/05/2013 10:21:41 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: All armed conservatives.)
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To: lowbridge

More bovine scatology from the progressive liberal rag, the Business Insider.


96 posted on 10/05/2013 10:28:19 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (The DemocRAT Pahtay! Spending our grandchildren's future, today!)
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To: ansel12

“Isn’t “Butch Matthews” Mitt Romney’s pen name?”

Actually, it’s Hillary’s.


97 posted on 10/06/2013 1:32:17 AM PDT by ScottinVA (Obama is so far in over his head, even his ears are beneath the water level.)
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To: ScottinVA

Romney, Hillary

Hillary, Romney

Romney, Obama


98 posted on 10/06/2013 1:51:21 AM PDT by ansel12 ( 'I'm on That New Obama Diet... Every Day I Let Vladimir Putin Eat My Lunch' .)
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To: lowbridge
If he is a Republican, he is an unprincipled one, who isn't concerned that this is Socialism.

Ofcourse, the MSM is going to find these Quislings.

99 posted on 10/06/2013 1:58:48 AM PDT by fortheDeclaration (Pr 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation:but sin is a reproach to any people)
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To: lowbridge

I ran some numbers through the formula Kaiser had on their web site and it looked like this

63 years old
6 figure income
tobacco user (can’t quit that damn snuff)

It came to 6400 a year with no subsidy
My current plan runs me 5200 a year with a 5000 deductable and a 20 dollar copay.

I changed the income level to 28,000
It came back 6400 a year with a 4,400 a year subsidy.

The only ones that benefit are those of low income. Nobody in their right mind with means will purchase it, so just how does it plan to pay for it’self and the answer is it can’t. It’s going to go broke faster than a blind man in a poker game. I tried to explain this to my liberal sister and she looked at me like a chicken watching a card trick.


100 posted on 10/06/2013 3:24:37 AM PDT by Dusty Road
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