Will Low Income Actually Sign Up?

[RayNY]

My Dad used to say "Security only keeps honest people honest".

The laws have changed LGilmore. That makes a difference to those people that follow them. They change the tax rates, and people pay them. They require seatbelts and disallow cellphones while driving and people comply, not necessarily because they agree with the concept, but because they abide by the law.

Of course, nothing you can do will change the minds of people that don't care, why do you think there are still murderers and ponzi schemes?

 

[Yagents]

But the penalties for no seatbelt and cell phone usage are very high, in fact higher than the penalty for not owning insurance.

 

[RayNY]

I don't know about you, but a seatbelt ticket is definitely not 1% of my income....Let alone 2-2.5% like the PPACA penalty will be in '15/'16. I still wear it so I don't have an inconvenience.

 

[Quotebroker]

I don't know about you, but a seatbelt ticket is definitely not 1% of my income....Let alone 2-2.5% like the PPACA penalty will be in '15/'16. I still wear it so I don't have an inconvenience.

For those at the lowest level, the penalty is $95. Traffic tickets can exceed this.

 

[Norwayguy]

For those at the lowest level, the penalty is $95. Traffic tickets can exceed this.

I thought it was the greater of?

 

[LGilmore]

"I don't know about you, but a seatbelt ticket is definitely not 1% of my income....Let alone 2-2.5% like the PPACA penalty will be in '15/'16. I still wear it so I don't have an inconvenience"

Ray? You're making my point for me. "We" comply because we have something of value that they can take away. When you have nothing of value, what can you take away as a penalty?

This is the same reason Afghanistan is Afghanistan. How do you bomb people "back" to the stone age when they never left?

People are making all sorts of assumptions on how things will be different under Obamacare based on what they'd do. They are not low income people, they don't live a low income lives.

 

[Ann H]

I thought it was the greater of?

Yes, it is the greater of. In 2014, it is the greater of $95 per adult (and half for children) in the family, up to 1% of household AGI, capped at the price of the lowest cost bronze plan in their location. And it's a graded scale that goes up in future years.

 

[Norwayguy]

Yes, it is the greater of. In 2014, it is the greater of $95 per adult (and half for children) in the family, up to 1% of household AGI, capped at the price of the lowest cost bronze plan in their location. And it's a graded scale that goes up in future years.

I haven't been following this as there is no IFP market really in Maine...Capped at bronze cost is it monthly or annual cost?

 

[Ann H]

I haven't been following this as there is no IFP market really in Maine...Capped at bronze cost is it monthly or annual cost?

The annual penalty is capped at the annual bronze plan premium.

 

[RayNY]

Some of us have lived, or are living, low-income lives. Don't assume others are talking out of their asses because they don't act like life is hard.

Yes, some people will never take on the extra cost of health insurance, even if it's $10 a month. I'd wager a lot of the people who get a heavy subsidy will end up getting coverage because it's the right thing to do. In my experience, most people do the right thing.

Don't underestimate the power of the government to harass you into buying healthcare. Don't be surprised to hear about Obamaphones ringing with navigators day and night until they sign up. Don't be shocked to see food stamps and SS disability require health insurance as a prerequisite. Wait until the media and advertising blitz starts, and tell me you think people will ignore it.