Saturday, March 11, 2017

AHCA Q&A


Some pre-written Q&A:



This is a substantial feature from a business perspective it will create conditions of (larger) scale and guarantees which is always what you want:

Provide Advanceable, Refundable Monthly Tax Credits 
Obamacare subsidies are designed to drive people toward expensive, one-size-fits-all coverage—increasing costs and discouraging competition and work. After a stable transition period, our plan will repeal the open-ended subsidies and instead offer middle-income Americans an advanceable, refundable tax credit that empowers them as consumers. Available to those under a certain income who do not receive health coverage through work or a government program, these credits will be age-based, portable, and help create a true market for quality coverage. With this credit, we’ll incentivize competition to ensure there are quality, affordable plans for purchase.


13 comments:

Tony Wikrent said...

Gaaddamn Republicans cannot comprehend that tax credits are fundamentally meaningless to someone without enough cash on hand to make a full monthly payment, month by month.

Of course, the dark view is that they do comprehend this, and it's their deliberate way of "culling the herd" specifically targeting the "least successful."

Matt Franko said...

If govt puts the credit in an MSA that wont work at the grocery store then they certainly have the "cash" when the providers debit the account monthly...

Noah Way said...

@Matt, exactly where do you see the tax credit defined as a monthly contribution to an individual MSA? Aside from the fact that they're talking about a tax credit to buy insurance.

Noah Way said...

Ryan's BS has pretty much nothing to do with the legislation as drafted.

Matt Franko said...

Well they are using the phrasing: "Advanceable, Refundable Monthly Tax Credits"

So I am (assuming) this means they will advance refund some USD balances monthly into an account...

Here is a better link:

http://www.speaker.gov/general/american-health-care-act-what-you-need-know


Maybe the exact details are left up to Executive Branch for implementation but they are also talking about "Health Savings Accounts" here:

"Enhance Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

Obamacare’s one-size-fits-all policies limit how individuals can spend and save their health care dollars. Our plan will do the opposite. By enhancing HSAs, we’ll empower individuals and families to spend their money how they see fit. This will create choice and competition among insurers. Ultimately, stronger HSAs will result in greater affordability and higher quality for Americans nationwide."

So they are "enhanced" and "stronger" HSAs...

Matt Franko said...

Business people are always looking for scale and guarantees... that is, ultimately, to get munnie...

Another thing is that these business oriented GOPers may be assuming that the people in the academe who are the current providers are like them and will be motivated by the big munnie... which may or may not be the case...

we'll have to see... maybe the providers, who are imo really at core intelligensia, wont get it... it may go right over their heads...

Noah Way said...

Eddie Munster's verbal diarrhea ... here is the actual legislation:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1275/text

Tony Wikrent said...

I can tell you right now what is going to happen to about 15 million people now covered by Obamacare:

You have a monthly take-home income of $1700. $700 goes to rent. $250 goes to your car and insurance. Another $50 to $100 for gas. $400 goes to groceries and personal hygiene. $100 for cable and internet. $1550. That leaves $150. Which goes to paying student loans and / or credit cards. Zero left. Now, you have to come up with $800 for medical insurance. Yeah, right. You gonna pull it out of your ass? So, the first time, you tell the insurance company either put it on my credit cards or, fuck it, charge me your goddamn 30% penalty and I dare you to come collect it. If the former, now you have to pay $30 in interest to the credit card company in addition to the actual insurance. And if your tax credit doesn't come through? You going to do that again next month? And if the latter, well, obviously no tax credit.

It will be interesting to see what happens when death rates begin to spike in about 3 or 4 years.

Matt Franko said...

Tony,

(-2) - (-2) = 0

Matt Franko said...

Noah,

Can't you f-ing read?

"“SEC. 530A. ROTH HSAS.

“(a) In General.—A Roth HSA shall be exempt from taxation under this subtitle.

"MONTHLY LIMITATION.—The monthly limitation for any month is 1⁄12 of—

“(A) in the case of an eligible individual who has self-only creditable coverage as of the first day of such month, $5,000, and...."

They are going to credit on the first day of the month and they are doing it under current Roth HSA process as a credit and making it non-taxable (as it is a tax credit)

Roth HSAs contributions are currently taxable...

Noah Way said...

Nobody taking home $425 a week has $150 left over at the end of the month. More likely than not the credit card interest is at least that much.

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-debt-statistics-1276.php

Matt Franko said...

Noah and Tony this issue seems a bit above your heads...

Calgacus said...

Tony Wikrent: It will be interesting to see what happens when death rates begin to spike in about 3 or 4 years.

Was talking to a friend about her 97 year old aunt who loves to yell at Trump on the TV. We agreed that there might be a death rate spike in a few years when Trump rides off into the sunset. Maybe we'll have a MMT-following new FDR in 2020. Since hordes of oldsters will then have nobody to complain about, they'll all die. Maybe die happy, but still die. :-)