Posted on 04/22/2016 10:11:45 PM PDT by Crucial
The ObamaCare tax penalty for 2016 is egregious. It seems it was created to cripple the economy of the next incoming president by hamstringing American taxpayers. The ObamaCare tax penalty for 2016 is either the average cost of a bronze plan for however many months you didn't have coverage or 2.5% of your income, whichever is greater. I used an online ObamaCare tax penalty calculator. So if you are a married couple making $50,000 per year and you couldn't afford the marketplace premiums for the whole year, you would pay $2,085. That's a pretty big payment just for insurance and it is money that won't go back into the economy. This amount is assuming the price of these plans stays at their present levels which we all know they won't.
So my question is how long will it take Trump to repeal ObamaCare? Can he not suspend the ObamaCare tax without Congressional approval?
There are even plenty of single college students who would appreciate not having to pay this tax as well as young people not in in college. Yet, Trump just says he's going to replace it with something wonderful and gives no timetable. I think it's time to flesh out a plan before running against the Hildebeast.
Trump will keep it and expand it ‘cause we “people are dying in the streets”, dontcha know? He’s a liberal from the word GO
You didn't answer my questions so let me try again. To begin with let's agree that insurance companies can do business across state lines otherwise companies like Cigna or Blue Cross wouldn't be in business. But in order to do so they have to meet the regulatory requirements of the states they are doing business in and yes, those requirements can vary from state to state. But to just pass a law saying that an insurance company not registered in Missouri can now sell me insurance and say that will solve the problem through greater competition ignores the way insurance companies do business.
I have insurance through my Cigna. It's great coverage and I'm happy with it but say I found a South Dakota company not doing business in Missouri and I find that I like the premium they offer better. The argument is I should be free to pursue the lower premium and that competition will lower costs as a whole. But the reality is that I would be an idiot for buying that policy and the South Dakota company has no motivation to sell to me. And it's because of the way insurance companies do business.
If I go to my doctor then as long as they are part of the Cigna network I pay a $15 or $20 copay. I have a fairly low deductible and pay 20% of the costs of medical work until the deductible is met. I have a total out-of-pocket expense of about $2000. Like I said, it's great insurance and as long as I stay with in-network providers then it meets my needs and my expected medical costs for the year are very predictable. From Cigna's standpoint they can predict their expenses with a fair amount of accuracy because they have negotiated set prices for all the services their network provides. So they can set their premiums based on that. It's win/win for both sides.
But now I go to the South Dakota company and all bets are off. To begin with I'm still going to go to my local doctors and not travel to South Dakota. But the South Dakota company has no network of providers in Missouri; why should they since until today they did no business here? My co-pay is no longer $15 for a normal office visit but it's 20% of whatever my doctor charges. My share of medical procedures is no longer 20% it's now 30%. My deductible is no longer $2000 it's $6000. My out of pocket costs have gone way up so my premium had better be pretty low to make up for it. But will it be? The South Dakota company based their premium on their known costs and expected payouts. But without a network in Missouri then they have no negotiated rates for services. Setting up networks are expensive and they certainly will not go through the time and expense for one, or even a handful of customers. So they will have to pay whatever the doctor or hospital cares to charge. Their cost structure is no longer valid and unless they want to lose money then they will have to charge me a much higher rate than their other customers. There goes my savings.
To say that selling insurance across state lines is a solution for health insurance costs is fantasy. It will do nothing. There is no incentive for me to buy and even less incentive for companies to sell.
One of her first edicts will be confiscations of guns. Obamacare will become Hillary care and the govt will own the medical industry just like that.
Trump can order it shut down if he wants by executive order. No one will stop him.
Can someone tell me what Cruz’s magic solution is?
Healthcare isn’t even addressed in the “Issues” section of his website.
Really? If we go on the assumption that Trump's plan is supposed to be better than Obamacare, that it will provide low cost health insurance with better features than Obamacare at lower costs and without creating a massive new government entitlement then let's take a look at each point and see if it will do that.
1. Completely repeal Obamacare. Cruz is for that, too, but is wise enough to not propose an alternative. But Trump wants to make it better and repealing Obamacare as a first step will also end two very popular features of it; care for pre-existing conditions and coverage for children up to age 25. Those are gone and Trump does not propose retaining them. People won't like that.
2. Modify existing law that inhibits the sale of health insurance across state lines. I'll refer you to my reply 102 for my explanation why this will do little or nothing to reduce health care costs. Suffice it to say there is little incentive for me to buy across state lines and no incentive for the company to sell to me.
3. Allow individuals to fully deduct health insurance premium payments from their tax returns under the current tax system. A good idea but if the goal is to make insurance more affordable for middle and lower income people then it's useless. Under Trump's tax plan any family with an income of less than $50,000 pay no taxes to begin with so what will another deduction do for them? Keep in mind this is a deduction and not a tax credit.
4. Allow individuals to use Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Health savings accounts already exist and have existed for a number of years. People can get them through employers or set them up on their own.
5. Require price transparency from all healthcare providers, especially doctors and healthcare organizations like clinics and hospitals. Already exists. The government provides pricing information. All you have to do is look for it, and it isn't hard to find.
6. Block-grant Medicaid to the states. One feature of Obamacare was to expand Medicaid in the states to cover those unable to afford coverage. Even with the government covering most of the costs, around half the states refused to participate. Why should Trump think that would change?
7. Remove barriers to entry into free markets for drug providers that offer safe, reliable and cheaper products. Once a drug has entered into the generic market than multiple companies can make it and costs do go down. But while the patents are in place then only the company that developed it can manufacture it and they can charge whatever they want. Will Trump end that? Is that what he's talking about here?
Long and short of it is that Trumps solution is no solution at all. Cruz has the correct view. End Obamacare because short of a single-payer government program there is nothing the government can do to provide healthcare at a reasonable cost and it shouldn't be trying.
Repeal, period. Cruz is intelligent enough to know that there isn't anything the government can do to provide healthcare for all that would work, or do anything but make the matter worse.
Trump will keep Obamacare until such time as he convice Congress to go full Socialist with Single Payer. Trump has constantly praised Single Payer, totally government run medicine.
Trump is to the LEFT of Obama on health care.
Repeal and replace with nothing? That’s some pretty good boob bait for conservative bubbas, but as a practical matter it will never fly.
Obamacare will have to be replaced with something; the American people will demand it. You can’t just take away people’s Obamacare insurance, however crappy, and leave them with nothing.
That’s one of my problems with Cruz. Ideologically, nobody throws out the red meat better than Cruz. But he has no workable plans for any of it.
And at the same time that Cruz has no workable plans, Cruz supporters are here excoriating Trump because of his lack of specifics.
I despise intellectual dishonesty.
I'd argue with that but assuming you're correct then how does Trump's plan replace Obamacare insurance? He offers no subsidies, no healthcare exchanges, no coverage for pre-existing conditions or children past 21, none of the things that Obamacare does. And what he does offer either is already available or won't do anything to provide coverage for those who can't afford it.
And at the same time that Cruz has no workable plans, Cruz supporters are here excoriating Trump because of his lack of specifics.
You say Cruz offers no workable plan. Trump offers a plan that isn't workable. And the difference is?
I despise intellectual dishonesty.
There is nothing dishonest about it. Cruz recognizes that this is a problem that government can't solve short of taking over the healthcare industry. There is nothing dishonest in that. What's dishonest is offering a plan that does nothing and calling it a solution.
I’m going to make a suggestion to you. Don’t get me wrong please.
Simplify your outline a little and make it a little bit more easy to read.
Put it in a letter and mail it to Donald Trump tell him what you think and ask him to pay you $185,000 a year to work on implementing what you think will work.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he hired you. Don’t send it to teddy though because you’re one of the little people to him.
and he hates our guts. You may think I’m kidding I’m not. You might want to East Coast your language a little bit throwing a few “amazings” and a few “it’s true” here or “it’s true” there and judicious addition of statements like “what a disaster” here and there might also be helpful for communication purposes.
that’s how they make deals.
For all I know you are the virtual Carl Icahn of health insurance. Your odds of getting Donald Trump to listen to your insurance plans are much higher they never getting within a thousand feet of Ted Cruz to tell him what you think about insurance.
I’ll try and take a look a little more at what you wrote tomorrow evening for now I got to catch a few Winks of sleep. Goodnight or good morning.
TrumpCare. Price stays the same as obammycare, but you get free spray tans for life....
Evidently, a free pass to Planned Parenthood also.
The 'next guy (it ain't gonna be the hildabeast) in the Office' just needs to ensure that the 'back door' supplemental funding stops. OBozoCare dies a natural death.
When you can’t refute what someone says then that all you have to resort to is sarcasm. Not surprising because if there is one thing I’ve noticed about Trump true believers is that they question nothing and the last thing they would ever say to a Trump promise is “How?”.
What’s dishonest is Cruz posing and pontificating as the great conservative savior when he damn well knows half of the things he proposes, however vaguely, on his website will never come to pass.
Meanwhile, his supporters excoriate Trump because his proposed solutions aren’t an instant fixit to all the country’s ills. At least he’s put forth a few concrete proposals for people to take pot shots at. Cruz hasn’t even had the courage to do that. He’s too afraid he might actually have to fix something instead of just “fighting” for it.
Obamacare will be replaced with something. At the very least allowing insurance to be sold across state lines will be a market-based improvement.
Ain’t gonna happen.
He’s a coward and when his ego takes a little hit he’ll collapse like a wet cardboard box.
Depends - doubt he can EO it or even would since he would want the weight of actual Congressional Law behind it to make it more durable. Some will wisecrack about “Trump Care” but what he has said on the topic makes sense - take care f our Vets (it’s obnoxious we need such as PVA/Wounded Warrior and other projects to help take care of what the government should be doing for them. He also says we need to take care of those who really can’t take care of themselves - but with the caveat that they don’t get all the bells and whistles as those who actually pay for their care - it would be cheaper and more manageable than the monstrosity we have.
And that differs from the proposals on Trump's website how?
Meanwhile, his supporters excoriate Trump because his proposed solutions aren’t an instant fixit to all the country’s ills. At least he’s put forth a few concrete proposals for people to take pot shots at.
His proposals are hardly new or concrete, and I laid out in my post 105.
Cruz hasn’t even had the courage to do that. He’s too afraid he might actually have to fix something instead of just “fighting” for it.
Unlike Trump, Cruz is aware that there is nothing that the government can do to cover everyone with healthcare that wouldn't be prohibitively expensive or wouldn't just make things worse. Trump chooses to propose ideas that are either already available or which would do nothing.
Obamacare will be replaced with something. At the very least allowing insurance to be sold across state lines will be a market-based improvement.
How? In my reply 102 I questioned why I would want to buy insurance under those conditions and why companies would want to sell to me. Please tell me where I'm wrong.
Let’s jope he keeps his Magic Don Wand to himself and Melania.
I actually lean towards Trump. I used to support Cruz bit see him as more of a liar than Trump and I think there’s something to this North American Union stuff. His wife plays a big part in it. Trump is very malleable and although I would much prefer someone with conservative principles, my strategu is to attack Trump to see how far he can be influenced.
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