If you rush to work every morning and stare at your computer screen the whole day, you may not notice this. Things are not alright in the paradise. We have been without sunshine for more than a week now. For those of us who used to live in Seattle, we feel like time has travelled backwards... It is also the tax season. I heard that someone takes a chance not doing tax return until the last minute, in case he should have a heart attack before April 15th. That goes too far. Out of curiocity, I checked on news about the ObamaCare site for people in the paradise. Am I glad that I didn't wait! http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hawaiis-health-insurance-exchange-is-no-paradise/#postComments
Obama was born in Hawaii, and still brings his family here for winter vacation. However, his birth place is not being helpful in terms of ObamaCare. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/365202/hawaiis-health-exchange-nations-worst-jillian-kay-melchior I heard problems with the website, so I waited until the last day of October. With some effort, I did open an account, but was told someone would contact me. So, I waited and waited. Then, 20+ days later, I realized that time was running out, and needed to see what's happening. Nothing, except that my account was still there. So, my brain started to work harder and harder, and it came up with a good plan: go straight to Kaiser and buy a medical plan from its website directly, which means I give up any government help in paying for the insurance. After all, I need the insurance more than the insurance needs me. After some planning, I went to the Kaiser site and compared all the plans it offers. I figured that I am pretty healthy, so I would just buy the cheapest plan for one year and see if how it goes. Yesterday was my action day, to open an account at Kaiser's website. It was not too bad, though I almost got a headache. Yes, it was stressful, because of many small problems. For example, it asked me for my medical record number with Kaiser, which I have but one digit short. So, what was I supposed to do? Add a zero to the front, I recalled a trick like this I did in the past. What amazed me was there was little help when I was in trouble. I called, but the wait was long. I tried live chat, but the wait was long and help was next to nothing! Gosh, don't insurance companies want to make money?? When finally I reach the point of paying for the insurance, I failed--it would not let me pay! That was all my brain could take, or it would explode! This monring, I felt I should try again, and after having waited for 20 mins, my live chat assistant told me: I heard this (not being able to pay) a lot. I don't know why. Before my brain exploded, I decided to quit. But, health insurace is a big deal. After the Yoga class, I felt I was strong again. This time, I went to the state government site. OMG, it nearly killed me: my account is no longer there! Obama, I think you'd better stay in DC. If I see you here in Honolulu, I would not be able to smile to you.
Why do I say so? Well, just look at the two examples for family income below. "If all this sounds too good to be true, remember that nothing in life is free and change isn't easy. Starting Jan. 1, 2014, when coverage takes effect in the exchanges, virtually everyone in the country will be required by law to have health insurance or face fines. The mandate is meant to get everybody paying into the insurance pool. Obama's law is called the Affordable Care Act, but some people in the new markets might experience sticker shock over their premiums. Smokers will face a financial penalty. Younger, well-to-do people who haven't seen the need for health insurance may not be eligible for income-based assistance with their premiums. Many people, even if they get government help, will find that health insurance still doesn't come cheaply. Monthly premiums will be less than the mortgage or rent, but maybe more than a car loan. The coverage, however, will be more robust than most individual plans currently sold. Consider a hypothetical family of four making USD 60,000 and headed by a 40-year-old. They'll be eligible for a government tax credit of USD 7,193 toward their annual premium of USD 12,130. But they'd still have to pay USD 4,937, about 8 percent of their income, or about USD 410 a month. A lower-income family would get a better deal from the government's sliding-scale subsidies. Consider a similar four-person family making USD 35,000. They'd get a USD 10,742 tax credit toward the USD 12,130 annual premium. They'd have to pay USD 1,388, about 4 percent of their income, or about USD 115 a month. The figures come from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation's online Health Reform Subsidy Calculator. But while the government assistance is called a tax credit and computed through the income tax system, the money doesn't come to you in a refund. It goes directly to insurers." From: http://news.yahoo.com/consumer-alert-health-care-markets-way-131508179--finance.html Middle Class in the US: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_middle_class
First of all, I don't know the answers. Read the brief news report below and answer the question, how many Democrates are in the 46 percent who support the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Obamacare, and how many Republicans are in the 46% who do NOT support the decision. Explain your logical reasoning that lead to your answers. Americans are evenly divided, 46 percent to 46 percent, on whether they support the Supreme Court's decision to uphold President Barack Obama's health care reform on Thursday, according to a new Gallup poll . Nearly 80 percent of Democrats agree with the court, compared to 45 percent of independents and only 13 percent of Republicans. From: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/americans-exactly-divided-court-obamacare-decision-191329602.html
Supreme Court upholds Obamacare individual mandate as a tax http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/supreme-court-issue-obamacare-decision-135554880.html As for the health care law, its major provisions remain on schedule to take effect in 2014. Even a President Romney may find it difficult to reverse history, as he would have to face down a filibuster threat by Senate Democrats to get a repeal bill through Congress. (There are, however, administrative gambits that Romney could use to eviscerate Obamacare if Congress proves balky.) That’s why the Supreme Court seemed like such a beguiling short cut for conservatives who loathe Obamacare. It’s also why back in 2005 Karl Rove may have badly misinterpreted John Roberts’ stated intention to be an independent jurist like Robert Jackson. To read more, go to http://news.yahoo.com/john-roberts-saves-obamacare--how-does-george-w--bush-feel-right-now-.html
标签: Obamacare
