So, what happens if you are not

[madmom]

signed up for insurance by tonight? I am curious, I don't know, haven't been following because I have insurance through by husband's employer. I am wondering what happens to the person who can't get signed up by midnight tonight because of glitches or otherwise.

[HereSince1628]

1. The black helicopters come and take

your neighbor away in the middle of the night, because the NSA can't keep street addresses straight.

[JimDandy]

2. You aren't insured starting in Jan -That's all.

If you sign up after today, you are covered starting 1 Feb 2014.

ETA: You can sign up as late as March, before you are fined for not getting insurance.

[PowerToThePeople]

5. Let them try to fine me.

We'll see how that goes. Canada is looking better and better.

[JimDandy]

9. Umm, ookay... I think post 1 was meant for you. n/t

[PowerToThePeople]

10. will they fine you or not?

very simple question.

People who will not get insurance because they can not afford it can not afford to pay a fine either. You can not get blood from a stone.

[HereSince1628]

12. Don't worry, Uncle Sam will put a lien on your body parts.

Actually, that was tossed around as a proposal by a Wisconsin legislator...WI want's back all the medicaid money they spend on you by the time you are buried.

[HereSince1628]

53. Yes, I agree, I've looked at the costs for bronze plans for 60 year olds in WI

WI poor are just raw material for Walker to grind down to prove his ideological baptist/conservative credentials as needed for his presidential aspirations.

[Tien1985]

13. Won't they just take it

Out of our taxes?

[JimDandy]

15. I have insurance, so no, they won't fine me,

but I know where you're coming from. I'm a single-payer advocate.

Even having insurance doesn't mean you actually can get health care, because of the high deductibles and co-pays. It's all a sick (pun intended) illusion, except for those with chronic or catastrophic condition.

[jwirr]

34. Even if you are correct about ACA you are forgetting history. Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare

and most other large federal government programs started out with problems - this one is no different.

It was designed to stop the high cost of medical care in the US. You are right about single payer. It is the next step in correcting this program but we can never do it as long as we have the rethugs blasting every change we make. In the meantime we have added many people to health care insurance. A plan that Harry Truman wanted to implement. Finally we are just about there.

It all started with HST's wish for universal health care. We started with smaller state health programs. Medicaid is those state programs federalized. Medicare was the next step and now we have ACA. This is a process not a final act. I and my family are supporting it. If you do not want to I guess you will find out what happens to those who do not want it but remember one thing - you are now siding with the rethugs. They have never wanted government health care.

[Motown_Johnny]

22. There are hardship exemptions

also religious exemptions


and now exemptions for people who had their policy canceled



I had the ability to choose a silver plan that was $0.14 a month. Yes, fourteen cents a month.

The only possible issues will be in states where Medicaid was not expanded and even then most people will be able to buy something.



Besides that, the fines are only if you don't have insurance for more than three months in any given year. So anyone who signs up by April first, and doesn't drop it anytime this year, will be fine..err.. not fined.. you know what I mean.

[2naSalit]

59. Actually...

I think it is on page 132 of the Affordable Care Act that states how people who cannot afford or wish not to participate will be (sort of) fined but that the fine cannot be collected and action on collecting the fine will not be pursued.

So you will not be parting with that $95 that is the fine for not participating for whatever reasons.

So you can find something else to be alarmed about like, maybe, the fact that there will probably be food riots or something in this country in the next couple years no matter who is in office since we are reaching the carrying capacity of the planetary biosphere in the very near future.

[PowerToThePeople]

60. I had read (on this board)

That the fine started small in 2014 but got to be more as years went on. Let me see if i can search it out before posting....

Ok, found one. Not on this site, but should be reputable.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/20/news/economy/obamacare-penalty/

Ya, the fine does not seem to be much (500$). So, I may be overreacting in regards to the fine. Breathe .. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5..

Ok, I am calm.

Thanks

P.S. If temps keep rising or population keeps increasing, food riots very well may happen soon. Food is certainly more important than some concocted financial apparatus (insurance).

[2naSalit]

61. I saw it on

Lawrence O'Donnell's show back in October but couldn't find the clip just now.

Yeah, the medical industrial complex sure got it's way on this front. I am too poor, live in a red state of refusal and don't go to doctors anyway so I won't be buying it either. I'm more interested in just staying healthy as I get old. When it's my day on the calendar to transfer to another state of being, I will not have a problem with that.

[treestar]

14. Will Canada accept you as a legal immigrant?

If so, I'd think you'd be there already.

[PowerToThePeople]

16. I do not have enough money to make that move

And there are other things tying me here currently. Trust me, when I have the freedom to make a move such as that, I will look into it. I have a STEM degree, I do not think they would turn me down. But, who knows? They could turn me down.

[treestar]

20. You lose points at age 49

I remember looking in the Bush Administration and I actually had enough points, but wouldn't once I turned 49.

[NoOneMan]

40. Make sure here if you're going to make a plan

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/apply-who.asp

It looks much easier than when I applied, due to the work experience streams

[geek tragedy]

41. What result did you get while applying on the ACA website?

Did you qualify for a subsidy or Medicaid?

[PowerToThePeople]

42. See here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4223082

[MineralMan]

52. Don't let the border hit you on the butt as you leave.

PowerToThePeople, Right on!

[PowerToThePeople]

54. FU

Rude.

[MineralMan]

55. Nice.

My comment stands. The threat to "move to Canada" is frequently used. It's a hollow one, though. Canada does not want Americans who don't want to pay for health insurance to move there. In Canada, their national healthcare plan is paid through taxes, and Canada doesn't want immigrants who don't earn enough to pay taxes. In fact, they won't admit such people as immigrants.

You don't like your situation with regard to health insurance. I can understand that. My wife didn't like paying $ 1000/month for hers, either as a self-employed person. Under ACA, she'll pay less than half that.

Frankly, I want single-payer here. But, single-payer is paid for through taxation. There's no free lunch, nationally, when it comes to health care. One way or another we'll pay for it.

FU is not an answer that makes any sense, really.

[PowerToThePeople]

58. FU is the perfect response to your

"don't let the door hit you on the way out" response typically heard from Repuke scum.

No, I do not like the idea of spending 20% or more of my take-home pay subsidizing fat cat insurance corporations under threat of being fined by the USGov.

The people did not vote for this solution. The people voted for single payer. I will not play this game. If I get coverage through my employer, great. That is usually a fraction (less than half) of what my estimated silver cost is. This ACA silver amount is pretty much in line with a COBRA plan, which is unrealistic for people to afford. And, that employer insurance is usually out of pre-tax dollars too. The Gov should at least be able to match an employers plan if not better it.

Canada is a long way off (if at all). But, if they start to try to garnish wages for not paying a fine for not buying price gouging insurance, Canada will be very close.

[MineralMan]

63. Well, here's a breakdown of Canadian taxes paid by a typical person:

How does that look to you?

http://www.city-data.com/forum/canada/636122-mystery-solved-total-tax-we-pay.html

How much of our money is going into taxes?

A family with $71,800 in income, pays:

$10,293 in income tax (14.3%)

$6,403 in CPP, EI, and health taxes (health care tax exists only in BC, ON, QC, and AB).

$2,787 in property taxes (even renters, indirectly through their rent, pay property taxes)

$4,542 in sales taxes (HST, PST, GST)

$3,302 in profit taxes

$1,782 in taxes on liquor, tobacco, and amusement.

$770 in automobile and gas taxes

$286 in import duties

-----------

Total $31,535 spent on taxes. That's 43.9% of income (much higher than the income tax bracket we usually think of).

Money spent on shelter, food, and clothing, constitute 35.7% of income - much less than total tax!


Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/canada/636122-mystery-solved-total-tax-we-pay.html#ixzz2oQVuWZR0

[PowerToThePeople]

64. I see no source link.

But But 43-45% seems about the same as what I pay if you consider income/ssi/sales/gas/property/utilities taxes. I have never kept receipts for all my expenses, so I can not know exactly. I may even put slightly more towards taxes.

[etherealtruth]

3. On january first you wont have insurance

that's it

[w100jmi]

4. i need help with the exchange.... please, someone!

i posted in an earlier message and nobody has offered to help... again, i apologize for hijacking your thread, but i am this desperate. it is hard to be financially responsbile for 4 people on a 30k a year salary. i am so distraught that i am desperate. please!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024222462


I make only $30k a year. My spouse is unable to work due to being a full caregiver for our 1 yr old son and disabled 69 year old mother. My son is on Medicaid. We also pay for a portion of the bills of my wife’s mother. She refuses to allow us to claim her as a dependent and there is nothing we can do to override that. And it leaves very very little for food, clothing, and the basics!

Health insurance is offered through my employer for myself and spouse, but it is jacking up to $385 a month on jan 1 and they are switching companies on july 1 and rumored it will cost $590 a month for myself and spouse. I have been told to select “NO” if health insurance is offered through my employer. Reason for that, because when I applied previously on healthcare exchange when I stated health insurance is offered, no matter how much we pay, it says we are ineligible for a plan and tax credit, even though we pay more than 9.5% of our income for the premium we pay for myself and spouse.


I am getting to distraught over this. i have been trying to apply since oct and all i get is the runaround on healthcare.gov and get no straight answers. there is only one navigator where i live (york county, sc) and she prioritized to help other people who have no coverage, so i get the same runaround. someone please help, i am so freaking desperate!

OP, i am sorry for hijacking your thread, i am new and cannot post a new message! But, someone please help!

[JoePhilly]

6. Call the number found here. Its the official ACA phone number.

https://www.healthcare.gov/contact-us/

Your situation is too urgent and too complicated for you to be taking advice from strangers on the internet.

[w100jmi]

11. .

i get told we are simply ineligible. they say we can appeal it but it takes 90 days.....i cannot afford the insurance premium on jan 1 through my employer. we will be broke. this will leave us absolutely no cash end of the month and while our credit card debt continues to rise. this has been making wish we get sick and just die.

[JoePhilly]

18. Sounds like you need to resolve the issue of your wife's

mother.

Sometimes you have to draw a line with relatives. Even parents. You can't allow their financial situation to destroy your finances, especially if you have a 1 year old child to take care of. Coverage for that child should over-ride everything else.

[w100jmi]

37. i dont know

I explained to my wife she needs to get a full time job to solve these issues, but she isn't willing. she wants to help her mom and our son. i am a strong christian liberal and my believe is to help people at no matter what the cost is. and i know it is going to cost me in the end. im just the type of person who is willing to give my last dollar and shirt off my back. just hope something comes out of all this.

[JoePhilly]

39. Its going to cost your child. You can't help everyone.

And your going to end up in a situation where the "cost" will impact your child the most.

The idea of helping "no matter what the cost" is a noble one, but the reality is that at some point, you are robbing "Peter" (your son) to pay Paul (mother in law).

This is the reason liberals push for social programs. Very few people in this world have the financial means to help everyone that they'd like to help.

But together, we can help far more people than we can as individuals.

Your spouse and mother in law need to understand who is ultimately paying the "cost" in this situation, and its your child. They both have to come to grips the financial reality here and make some changes. Perhaps mom needs to become your dependent, or she declares bankruptcy. Something has to change.

If they don't understand that they are putting their needs ahead of that child, you have a very serious problem to work out.

[w100jmi]

44. That is the issue!

Neither my wife or her mom undersands that. That is how i explained it to them with urgency, but neither seem to get it. I told them my wife and I gave up a lot and lost a lot of money on our home in ohio to come down here to help her. the deal was we get her house (still in the works) but we cannot even afford the house if we end up paying this amount. the simplest solution is for my wife to work full time, but she doesn't want to because of our son and her mom.

we have so much debt because i was unemployed for over a year. i just started my new job in september and we are making our way out of debt, but with the hike in insurance premium, its going to make it impossible for us to make ends meet. i have threaten to not pay our mothers in law's bills, then she turns around says she'll give the house to other family. and.....its just a huge total mess. and you are right, it is affect my son because my wife and i have grown so apart and we were very very happily married for three years until this mess has happened. i'm jjust getting fed up with it but no one in the family sees it from my perspective.

[JoePhilly]

47. Wow does this sound familiar.

First issue is the house. If you don't have one, you really need a real estate lawyer. Not only can the mother-in-law hold it over your head now, if and when she dies, the other family members will show up and demand "their part" of that house.

That's happened twice in my family. My uncle wanted to sue my mother over their mother's house. And my sister's husband had members of his family come after he and my sister. They had cared for his grandmother for about 20 years, and bought her house in the process. When she died, everyone wanted their cut of that house.

In both cases, they had the paper work to demonstrate that the house was theirs. They also described how the mortgage was handled, who would pay it, or parts of it (in my sister's case, the Grandmother continued to pay part, but the amount she paid reduced over time).

So you need that probably more than anything else right now.

On the getting the wife to work thing, I'd try seeing if she's willing to do part time. Any extra money would probably help. Try to agree that it would be temporary. Maybe until the house changes ownership.

The penalty for not getting insurance is very small, and like I said up above, they are going to wave it in many, many cases.

Last thought ... consider moving out of SC. I doubt you want to do that and suspect that your wife would be against it ... however, it might be a chip you can play. if the MIL is threatening to give the house to other family members anyway, test it ... see if any of them would want to come take care of her as a path for them to get the house. Not many family members are usually up for that responsibility.

Having that threat hang over your head is basically blackmail. You give me your money, and maybe I'll give you this house. Or maybe not.

[uppityperson]

43. Are you really saying kick out the disabled 69 yr old mother so they can have affordable health insu

insurance? Insurance coverage for a child should over-ride other family obligations?

[JoePhilly]

45. Since I didn't say that, the answer obviously, is "No".

They are also paying the mother-in-laws bills. And apparently, the mother in law doesn't want to become their dependent. I would not be surprised if the mother in law is eligible for other aid. And for some one in their late 60s, bankruptcy is a viable option.

And having three kids of my own, I'd suggest that, yes, making sure those kids have health coverage is a very high priority.

When I was a child, we had no health coverage. I had asthma which for the most part went untreated. Which means I spent many nights sitting up in bed barely able to breathe. Trying to stay calm, not panic, not cough, no deep breathes. Just slow shallow breaths. Medications existed that would have helped, but I didn't have them.

So ... throw her out, no. Get out from under her bills, yes. And as they figure out the math, health coverage for that child should be sitting right up there on the table with everything else as they decide what things to remove.

[w100jmi]

46. re

well i think this is something i will discuss with them tonight. i was under the impression we would be eligible for obamacare and and the tax credit, but apparently not. so that changes things. and living in south carolina, im not even sure they will even allow obamacare to continue when comes jan.

[uppityperson]

50. Thank younfor clarifying and my apologies for being so abrupt.

I was doing a quick reply before getting offline and was not very polite. My apologies.

Being 69, it seems there would be resources they could tap.

And I was that parent, walking a croupy child in the cool night air, monitoring to see if child got better or if I'd have to incur an unaffordable ER bill. Now I would not wait and know about making deals with ERs, but back then I used what I told parents (was a nurse in a ped office) while resenting the hell out of having to even hesitate seeking care. No meds and the croup got better, took child into clinicnext day for free care and med samples while swearing I would never be in that situation again and would help anyone who was.

[winter is coming]

36. If the insurance is more than 8% of your income, you're eligible for an exemption.

http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-mandate-exemption-penalty.php

You wouldn't have health insurance, but you wouldn't go broke. After you've been working for a while and paid off some debt, perhaps you could afford something.

[surrealAmerican]

8. It sounds like you're one of those families ...

... that would qualify for medicaid if your state had chosen to expand medicaid coverage. Somebody who knows a bit more about this than I do will probably chime in, but it's my understanding that you won't be paying any fines in this situation, but you also won't be getting any insurance until your state changes it's policy.

[Motown_Johnny]

23. If your employer offers insurance you can't sign up on the exchange.

Sorry but you need to take this up with your employer.


If you work for a company with less than 50 employees then your employer has the ability to not offer insurance. If you can get her/him/them to do that, then you can sign up on the exchange.



If you work for a company with 50 or more employees then health insurance must be offered to the employees. If that is your situation then you need to get your employer to offer a better plan, or more than one plan.


Good luck. I hope things work out for you.

[w100jmi]

25. employer

my employer simply refers me to healthcare.gov about this. they are unwilling to assist me and only say their plans are affordable.

[Motown_Johnny]

26. How many people do they employ?

[w100jmi]

27. employ

i would say around 200 people.

[Motown_Johnny]

28. Then you can't use the exchange.

You need to take this up with your boss. Either you need a raise or they need to pay for part of your health insurance costs.


Sorry.

[w100jmi]

29. not what i want to hear, but thank you.

i dont know what i am going to do. just dont

[Motown_Johnny]

30. We need a single payer plan

But unfortunately that isn't going to happen anytime soon


Unless you live in Vermont




I wish I could help more. Sorry.

I really do think you should talk to your boss.

[PowerToThePeople]

31. You know

I am beginning to feel as though I may be coming across as a concern troll and I do not want to, but...

I really do think you should talk to your boss.

This is a sure way to see an unemployment line in your near future.

[w100jmi]

33. boss

your a not a troll....all comments and help are welcome.

i actually have a very good relationship with my boss.. its just her hands are tied and doesn't want to step into the situation i am, for fear giving wrong information. i know a raise wont happen because our company was brink of bankrupt until another company bought us out, and now they are struggling and wont get a living cost increase this year.

[PowerToThePeople]

35. I have no response

Thanks for letting me know that I am not a Troll.

...
....
.....

I am trashcanning this thread, I am done here.

[Motown_Johnny]

57. You have never asked for a raise?

If this person is spending over 9.5 % of his income on the one and only health care choice his employer offers, then it is worth discussing with his boss.

I don't think you are a concern troll. I do think that there is a way to try and deal with a job that only offers you one choice, and it is not affordable.

[w100jmi]

32. boss

i talked to my boss about the situation and she referred me to HR, but hr simply said they cannot help me. They said their plans are considered affordable and referred me to the Healthcare exchange form that were required to give us couple months ago. she said call the number on it (which is the healthcare.gov's number) and to seek help there. i was unemployed for over a year and just got this job in september. we moved to sc from ohio so my wife can care for her mother. this whole situation has been terrible for us and its splitting my spouse and i.

[JoePhilly]

7. Off to the FEMA camps where the Death Panel will determine your fate.

[Katashi_itto]

17. ...in Benghazi

[JoePhilly]

19. lol

[Katashi_itto]

21. :)

[PowerToThePeople]

24. My estimated Silver premium is $396/month after 51$ subsidy

If I had an extra 396$ a month that would be fantastic!! But, I do not have an extra 396$/month. If I had an extra 396$/month I certainly would not want to just hand it over to some fat fuck insurance executive. I would want to replace my 23 year old car, or change out my old ratty clothes, or maybe even take a vacation (fuck, I have not had one of those since graduating college)

But fuck, in reality if I had 396$ extra a month I would need to save it, because god only knows when I could be unemployed and need to have that reserve cash to not end up homeless.

[JimDandy]

48. Yes, the insurance premiums have stolen any possible

ability for a large segment of the population to save for emergencies let alone retirement. It's just terrible. Can you move to Vermont? That might be more doable than moving to Canada.

[winter is coming]

38. You won't get insurance starting on January 1, but there's no penalty yet.

That doesn't kick in until March, or perhaps that date has slipped, too.

[ConcernedCanuk]

49. After reading this whole thread, and others like it,

.
.
.

I am SO glad I live in Canada.

At least Harper hasn't fucked up our Healthcare

yet . . .

CC

ps: SHAME on the World's "superpower" for allowing a wimpy l'il country like Canada to outdo them on taking care of their own citizens.

[haele]

56. THEY SEND YOU OFF TO A CAMP AND CUT OFF YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU DIE!

That's what the kidlet's maternal uncle is telling her Obamacare will do if you refuse to sign up for insurance by the deadline. They are going to start rounding people who aren't signed up and send them off to a camp where you live in tents and live off soup and oatmeal, and they'll let you die when you get sick, and cut off your head after you're dead as a warning to others who decide they don't want to sign up or renew. And everybody has to sign up for Obamacare, even if they have their own insurance.

This is a 37 year old man who told her this two days ago.

Of course, he's also on SSDI, lives in rural LA (Lower Alabama), listens to Glenn Beck and Alex Jones, and has been going to a snakehandler church for the past three years to purify his soul because he was "so bad and sinful years ago and is paying for it now with his disability".
Pity. He was her "cool biker uncle" who went to college, used to love video games and was fairly liberal and had encouraged her to be more than "just a girl that needed only Jesus and some man to take care of her" - which was unusual for that side of her family.

Haele

[grahamhgreen]

65. You can use the Community Health Centers instead.