It was destined to fail. There’s not enough in it to cap actual costs. Which part of the ACA stops my local hospital from charging $10,000 for a rabies vaccine? Or $20,000? Which part says that an appendectomy can’t cost $2 million?
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If only there were some form of Health Savings Account where people could, say, contribute what they can while taking what they need.
…Nahhhhh, that’s crazy talk.
Those bonuses and wages are operating costs, so we’re totally not making a profit! Wheeee!
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I pay $18,000/yr in premiums. Two 45yo non-smokers + 3 kids. And my deductibles are ridiculous. Basically it’s catastrophic. It didn’t go up much this year.
Edit: It’s considered a business expense (since in this f’ed up system we have it’s a businesses responsibility to provide heath insurance) so … there’s that.
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Does that mean that it’s deductible from income taxes? Neat!
Out here (Australia), employer-provided health insurance is classed as a fringe benefit, and the employer has to pay fringe benefits taxes on the cost of it. Fringe benefits are taxed at a substantially higher rate than most folks’ income taxes, and for health insurance the full amount is taxable, so you probably end up a lot better off just paying the extra cash to the employee directly and letting them buy their own health insurance post-tax, here. (I’ve never worked for an employer who has offered health insurance, here)
Yes, that’s what it means. Here in the US if you have employer sponsored insurance (as most people do) then whatever % the employer is paying (usually not 100%) is not considered income for the employee. And on top of that, the % of premium that the employee pays is deducted from their taxable income. The business itself can claim the cost of providing heath insurance as an expense which will reduce its profits and reduce its taxes.
If you have don’t have an employer (uber drivers, contractor – like me --, and the like) then you can claim the full cost of your premiums as a business expense and pay no taxes on that.
All of this is partially why I say that the gov’t is already in the business of providing heath insurance – it’s just all heavily subsidized. If they suddenly had to pay for everyone’s insurance it would be an increase of the full cost since they’re already paying for a big chunk of it in the form of reduced taxes.
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That’s… a really interesting argument. I hadn’t thought about tax deductions that way before.
Perhaps “business” is the wrong term to use? They’re definitely providing financial incentives for the behaviour they want citizens to engage in.
i.e.: we want citizens to buy houses, so we provide a tax deduction for the interest on mortgages. And we want citizens to have children, so we give out extra tax exemptions for people who have dependents. I probably wouldn’t claim that the government was in the business of making babies, though. 
Am I the first to congratulate Beschizza on the latest Corinthian photoshop?
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That is fucking nuts. Come to Canada, it’s cold in the winter but we take care of each other. (I actually have the good fortune to hold three different passports … and every one of them comes with universal healthcare. I wouldn’t take a US one if it was given to me along with 100,000 free air miles.)
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Nailed it, @SenorSchaffer!
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It was the only way to get it passed. The hope/expectation is that it’s the first step, not the last.
This election is going to make a big difference on so many levels.
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When will we wake up and realize the ACA is deeply flawed? Single payor is the only realistic strategy.
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When insurance companies stop funding campaigns? Some of us are already on board with single payer, but it takes politicians to implement them. The only way it’s going to happen is if it happens locally, state to state.
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It has been discussed a few times in our house. Our little company even pays sales tax in Canada. In my imagination, that’s one foot already in the door.
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I imagine a Trump budget would look like a Nigel Lawson budget.
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Bingo!
I have worked in hospitals, so have two of my immediate family.
With jobs and wages going to shit around the country, hospitals are one area that have provided stable middle class jobs with good benefits.
So by all means, I guess we should fix that problem right away.
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