Menu

Subscribe

No, America, Obamacare is not working...

As small business owner who has warned about, then complained about, and been subjected to Obamacare over the last several years I feel a compulsion to address some of the still-common myths that Obamacare supporters are even now putting forth as "proof" that Obamacare is working:

Myth 1 : "21 million more people now have healthcare insurance because of Obamacare" - Uh, no. Most of the "21 million" touted by this oft-quoted number now have Medicare and/or Medicaid; not private health insurance. The majority of these people qualified for Medicare or Medicaid prior to Obamacare; they just didn't know it. Obamacare has primarily swelled the roles of these government programs that were woefully underfunded even before Obamacare. Now the costs of these programs is adding to the deficit at a dangerous pace. Also, in order to stem the cost-bleeding of these programs the government has drastically reduced what these programs pay to medical providers and has caused the number of medical practitioners who accept Medicare/Medicaid to drop precipitously. So, some of these people now have so-called "insurance" but fewer and fewer doctors will accept it.

Myth 2 : "If a handful of people have to pay more for health insurance so that 21 million people can now get insurance then it's worth it" - First off, see above. Secondly, this "handful" of people is estimated to be at least 7.3 million people (that's some handful). These people, of whom I am one, had their insurance cancelled (yes cancelled) due to new Obamacare requirements and had to find and purchase an "approved" plan since their previous plans were cancelled as being non-ACA-compliant. My insurance went from $600 / month for a family of 6 prior to Obamacare to $2,300 / month for a family of 4 for 2017. That's not a typo; $2,300...per MONTH.

Myth 3 - "Subsidies reduce the cost of most insurance" - Subsidies do help, if you qualify (I do not). As noted above, my insurance has gone from $600 / month to $2,300 / month. If I did qualify for subsidies they would be at least $1,400 / month. So if I did qualify for subsidies I would be paying $900 / month and my fellow tax payers would be paying $1,400 / month all for something that used to cost me $600 / month (and that I paid for without tax dollars). For a country that's currently $19.8 TRILLION in debt, these "subsidies" do not seem like a successful financial model to me.

Myth 4 - "People should just shop around to reduce their health insurance costs" - Shop where exactly? Prior to Obamacare I could buy health insurance from (3) companies: Blue Cross / Blue Shield, Humana, and United Health. Now that Humana and United Health have pulled out of the Obamacare exchange in my State and I have exactly 1 choice; Blue Cross / Blue Shield. In fact, 5 States now only have 1 marketplace health insurance provider; 9 other States only have 2 providers. For us, there is no "shopping around" to be done. I can buy a ~$900 / month Bronze plan (which covers essentially nothing), a $2,300 / month Silver plan (which covers less than my $600 / month plan did and has much higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums), or a ~$3,000 / month Gold plan which costs 3x what my mortgage costs me. That doesn't sound like much of a choice to me.

So what's the solution? Repeal the steaming turd that is Obamacare and replace it with a simple plan that has the following elements:

  • All qualified health insurers can sell across State lines
  • No one can be denied for a pre-existing condition
  • Once a year open enrollment just like now (to minimize "gaming" the system)
  • Plans would not be required to cover non-medical / non-essential / non-desired procedures (abortions, sex reassignment, substance abuse treatments, etc). If you want insurance for these you can buy it and pay extra. I don't want it and don't need it.
  • All health insurance costs and healthcare expenses and qualified items not covered by insurance (co-pays, deductibles, etc.) are 100% tax deductible.
  • Low-cost "catastrophic" health insurance plans available to those willing to setup health savings accounts (HSA).
  • Qualified gym, health club, Cross-Fit, YMCA, etc., memberships are tax-deductible.

If you've actually read this far you are to be congratulated for your obvious tenacity and perseverance. If you're are so inclined, please feel to share this post as me and my 7.3 million fellow Obamacare "inflictees" would appreciate the help getting the word out :)