Several years ago, as Ann Coulter (2016) was being laughed at for predicting the Trump presidential win, I was reading a piece about why working-class America was supporting a billionaire. It was a nasty piece, a hit job, explaining that poor, working class Americans were a bunch of dupes enamored by wealth and fame. Deplorables, according to Hillary. It was also total bullshit. Over the years after Hillary Clinton, perhaps one of the most highly effective criminals in America lost her bid to become President, I came to understand the widespread appeal of Donald Trump. It wasn't polished bullshit, it wasn't party support, experience, or a career of broken political promises. It was something else entirely. Something that I treasured. To be sure, I was not a Trump supporter back then. I am a strict adherent to George Carlin's political views in that we keep electing these rich assholes and nothing changes. So I skipped the voting process in 2016 for that reason and also...
Comments
Here goes. 32K per year living income, with a taxable income of about 50K. Cheapest Obamacare plan is a bronze at about $280 per month. Silver doesn't offer anything better except for paying 70% of covered expenses rather than 60% of covered expenses. That's AFTER a 6K per person, 12K per couple deductible.
You get 3 "preventative visits but aside from that ... There is a $1500 medication deductible per person, 3K for couple. I could barely swing the $300 per month right now but for what? My meds cost me about $1200 per year and my wifes meds about $1100. Obamacare would NEVER cover any of it because we don't hit the $3K deductible. If I had a heart attack and had bypass surgery, I would end up with bills in the neighborhood of 400K. I'd have to come up with the $12K+ deductible and another 40% of my own money for the remainder. I'd owe over $170K of that bill. How in the hell does that keep me any less from financial ruin than owing the entire $400K? For a couple with a living income of $32K it doesn't make one lick of difference when it comes down to it. Obamacare makes zero sense for us and we are not alone. There are millions just like us. How do I pay for my wife and my own medication costs at $2400 a year and then pay an additional $3600 per year for obamacare. It's worse than that, we have, on average another 1K in medical costs between our twice annual visits and routine tests and bloodwork. Both our docs give us discounts as we are self-pays. And we have long standing relationships with our Docs. that we will NOT give up. Especially my wife who has a difficult blood pressure issue and cannot take the newer meds. So, about $3300 in medical and drug costs annually of which Obamacare wouldn't cover any of the meds and maybe a couple hundred dollars for office visits IF they can be considered "preventative". We are still stuck with 3K of our own money, out of pocket PLUS $3600 annually for Obamacare, which again, pays for nothing and doesn't keep us out of the poor house should a medical catastrophe strike. Our major medical plan, now cancelled, did that. Yes, it would have cost us 12K in deductibles and copays but everything, 100%, after that was covered. Yes, we were limited to 1 million in coverage and yes, we probably would have been cancelled. But for $170 per month for both of use, we would not have gone bankrupt. What Obamacare has done for us is NOTHING. We can't afford it, it's that simple. It's a "feel good". That's all it is unless you can afford a top tier plan. For the "millions" than can only afford Bronze or Silver, with their high medication deductibles and high treatement deductibles as well as leaving one with the remaining 30% or 40% of the expense AFTER the deductibles ... well, it's going to be a big wake up call for those who have bought in should they ever need to use it. NOBODY is telling the American People about exactly what it's going to cost them. It is NOT real coverage because of the deductibles that those who can only afford bronze or silver simply do not have the money to pay for. The reality of it cant hide forever. The truth will be told because it will be the story of more and more individuals and families as time goes on.
Good luck to all.
Everything you stated here has been my experience as well. New info comes to light last night that of the "7 million" signups- less than 1 million actually paid a premium.