Supreme Court Ruling on Health Care

[Joe_5859]

Romney has raised $1.5 million dollars, 13500 plus donations since Supreme Court decision

twitter.com/andreamsaul/status/218412390948155394

I wish it were that easy for Catholic non-profits to raise that much money that quickly.

 

[InSearchofGrace]

Sept. 2009

President Obama: “No, but — but, George, you — you can’t just make up that language and decide that that’s called a tax increase.”

Later…

President Obama: "My critics say everything is a tax increase. My critics say that I’m taking over every sector of the economy. You know that. Look, we can have a legitimate debate about whether or not we’re going to have an individual mandate or not, but…

George Stephanopoulos: “But you reject that it’s a tax increase?”

President Obama: “I absolutely reject that notion.”

Ergo,

while the Supreme Court ruled that ObamaCare is constitutional, it established that the President is a prevaricator.
,

 

[markomalley]

Given the chart I just saw in the NYT (link is on their home page, next to today’s story about the ruling), this law overwhelmingly benefits very poor people, in that the huge proportional shift from Uninsured to Insured will occur in the Medicaid segment. Medicaid coverage, as I read it (open to correction!) will be 133% of the federal poverty level. That breaks down (2012 figures) as follows:

Family Size 1 Individual = $14,856
2 individuals = 20,123
3 individuals = 25,390
4 … = 30,657
5 … = 35,923
6 … = 41,190

Raise your hand if you think this represents “the middle class.” In my region, these income levels equate to homelessness.

The rest of the NYT chart showed > numbers of middle class now being covered. It’s a token amount, particularly compared to the benefit for the above group. In the middle is the benefit to Exchanges. Indirectly, that could affect premiums in that it would introduce competition, albeit from gov’t sources (States). So that could have an eventual favorable benefit to the middle class who buys traditional insurance, but I question how immediate & how far-reaching that will be.

Correct if if I’m wrong: I thought that one of the central points of this ACA measure was to provide more affordable coverage options for the full-time working middle class, large numbers of which forego coverage currently because they cannot afford the $400+ premiums for individuals – never mind astronomical premiums for whole families. It was not my impression that very few middle class working families are currently not insured, whereas the bulk of the uninsured is overwhelmingly those in the statistical poverty level.

The Medicaid mandates were rendered toothless by today’s ruling. So we’ll have to see how that works out in practice.

As for affordable coverage, here is how it will actually work. If your household makes less than 400% of the federal poverty level, you will get some kind of assistance to make sure your insurance premiums do not exceed a given percentage of your income (provided you subject the second cheapest of the “silver plans” cost. …if you pick a better plan, then that’s your problem)

For example, if a family of four making $54,369 per year gets that particular plan, they would have to pay $541.76 per month for their premium. If that same family makes $72,492 gets the same policy, they’d pay $722.35 per month. However, if that family makes $72,493, they’re on their own ($72,493 is above 400%)

I can imagine that either $542 or$722 would be better than paying the whole thing, but what about those folks whose employers decide to dump employees’ coverage? I don’t know to many group policies that cost anywhere near that amount.

For those who may think that possibility is unrealistic, consider what happened to retiree health care after Medicare came on line? Employees stated to change full fledged policies to supplemental policies… .and later on… .to nothing at all.

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

I just donated $10 to the Romney 2012 campaign. I never donated to any campaign and I really don’t have any money to donate, but my country and Constitution is far more important to me than ten dollars.

I will pray to God every night from now on that He guides Mitt Romney, gives him strength, give him guidance and wisdom and give him victory in November.

I donated $250 to George Allen’s office and volunteered for his Senate campaign.

 

[austenbosten]

God Bless you

Don’t ask God to bless me, I was the rotten, dumb jerk who voted and campaigned for Obama back in 2008. Tell God to bless Mitt Romney and forgive me.

 

[Seeker1961]

Romney has raised $1.5 million dollars, 13500 plus donations since Supreme Court decision

twitter.com/andreamsaul/status/218412390948155394

I don’t think raising enough money was going to be a problem for Romney anyway.

 

[_Abyssinia]

Romney Care does the same thing as Obama Care.

If you don’t have health insurance, you’re charged an extra tax when you file your state income taxes.

Jim

RomneyCare was a state plan, and Romney has said there would be things he would of changed. It is not a federal plan. RomneyCare has exceptions for religious reasons.

Romneycare tax penalty for employers is $249 per employee. Romney opposed and vetoed the penalty but was overridden. ObamaTax penalty for employers is $2000 per employee.

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

Don’t ask God to bless me, I was the rotten, dumb jerk who voted and campaigned for Obama back in 2008. Tell God to bless Mitt Romney and forgive me.

Everyone makes mistakes.

I, for one, forgive you…but just this once

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

Wow.

This is good news but we all can’t forget that we also have to fund local campaigns. We can elect Romney all we want but we still need the votes in Congress to overturn this law.

We need 51 seats in the Senate. We don’t even need the White House. And the Senate cannot filibuster a reconcilliation vote.

 

[Bubba_Switzler]

Don’t ask God to bless me, I was the rotten, dumb jerk who voted and campaigned for Obama back in 2008. Tell God to bless Mitt Romney and forgive me.

“I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

 

[ricks1948]

If someone believes that mandating behavior or face penalties is a good thing, they should just admit that they are fascist and are pro-slavery. I know lots of people are going to be offended by that comment and will report me, but when you use the power of the state to mandate behavior, you are by that very virtue eliminating their liberty. Since this precedent is so far reaching, there is literally nothing that the government cannot tell you what you can and cannot do. We are now all slaves to the federal government.

You are being kind calling it the “federal government” we are actually under a totalitarian, military dictatorship…keep your heads low, watch out for the drones…

 

[scipio337]

I recently saw a bumper sticker that said “Don’t like government? Go to Somalia.”

I for one welcome our new government overlords.

Personally I can not wait until my health care is delivered to me with the speed of the DMV, the customer service of the IRS and with the simple rules of a government construction permit office!

Three cheers for the Progressive World of Next Tuesday!

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

Tell that to the Romans, whose slaves, with no liberty, converted en masse!

I think Cardinal Dolan and the other Bishops were hoping the USSC would do them a big favor today.

Religious liberty fails as a strategy because those who control the levers of power in America (and it ain’t us Catholics) are using religious liberty grounds to argue FOR the contraception/sterilization funding in the mandate.

They were still slaves.

 

[austenbosten]

Everyone makes mistakes.

I, for one, forgive you…but just this once

Yes and thank God I’m no longer a Socialist!

Free at Last, Free at Last, Thank God I am Free at last! :extrahappy:

 

[Seeker1961]

Wow.

This is good news but we all can’t forget that we also have to fund local campaigns. We can elect Romney all we want but we still need the votes in Congress to overturn this law.

And replace it with??

Without a viable alternative all you get is the “angry vote” and that’s not enough to win anything.

 

[_Abyssinia]

Doubtful, even if he were elected—which he won’t be.

ObamaTax can be repealed perhaps through an executive order of waivers which Romney has said he will do on his first day; or through a majority Republican Congress, or possibly can be repealed by budget reconciliation because it is a tax

 

[seekerz]

Thanks for proving my point. You don’t beleive in charity, you believe in coercion by the state to “solve problems.”

Thus are the lines drawn.

Thanks for trying, and failing, to put words in my mouth. Charities stopped trying to foot the full cost of health care for the underprivileged (via hospitals etc) decades ago, when it became too expensive for them to do so. So the idea that they somehow would consider taking that up again, strains credulity.

 

[ComputerGeek25]

I just don’t understand how the same people who scream and carry on about having to pay for other people’s welfare checks see paying for their healthcare as something different. Or is that because they don’t really see the higher costs in their insurance or their medical bills they don’t realize they’re paying for them?

When I had surgery and called my hospital to question charges on the bill they told me they charged me more because I was insured to make up for those who weren’t. I was told “you’re not paying it, why do you care how much it costs?”. Well I did care, why should I or my insurance company pay more?

This is the problem. We’re use to having a 3rd party pay every time we go for a doctors check up/visit.

If one needed non-critical care and was able (forced?) to shop around for the best price, theoretically, prices would become more reasonable. For example, I have to see a doctor every 6-9 months for a refill/check up on my medication. The appointment takes no longer than 10 minutes. My insurance is charged $400. I would be willing to pay $50 out of pocket for these appointments.

 

[austenbosten]

Thanks for trying, and failing, to put words in my mouth. Charities stopped trying to foot the full cost of health care for the underprivileged (via hospitals etc) decades ago, when it became too expensive for them to do so. So the idea that they somehow would consider taking that up again, strains credulity.

I want you to hold onto that, I wanna come back later and debunk that.

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

Thanks for trying, and failing, to put words in my mouth. Charities stopped trying to foot the full cost of health care for the underprivileged (via hospitals etc) decades ago, when it became too expensive for them to do so. So the idea that they somehow would consider taking that up again, strains credulity.

Decades ago was Lyndon Johnson promising to end poverty. How has that worked out?