That's what's so great about the penalty--it's sliding with income, so if you're poor it's cheap, but if you make plenty of money the penalty ends up costing quite a bit more than just buying a policy in the first place. So, okay, he could lie about having policy and not pay the penalty, but it's part of your annual tax bill, which means he's in the crosshairs of the IRS if they ever catch him.

Also, after the initial "let's get everyone going on this new system" rush, open enrollment is now limited to just once a year, so if he gets cancer in January he's fucked until November.

It's not a bad system. There are problems with it that allow the insurance companies to fuck us over, but they were already able to fuck us over in those same ways before. There are now slightly fewer ways for them to fuck us over, but somehow Obamacare keeps getting blamed for all the bases they didn't cover--and not just in a "you weren't thorough" way, but in a "you did this to me!" kind of way.

Life is easier when you have a scapegoat.

I agree with all that, but this is not the bottom line we were actually hoping for when this whole thing began.

Oh, for sure. Me personally, I was hoping for single payer.

That will not happen until we get rid of the present congress, and president.

You say that like it's unlikely. Step one is less than a year away.


Also: I have seen statistical analysis that has convinced me that the voting machines in key states/counties were hacked, and the evidence is building. It's going to get a lot uglier before it gets better, but by the 2020 election, we'll be using paper ballots nationwide. You heard it here first.

It was hoped that any kinks would be worked out in the future, but instead, when people complain about issues where it didn't go far enough, the only response from Congress is to try to roll back the things it does.

Why would people voted in by hacked machines vote to change the machines?

It didn't go far enough because they had to compromise in order to get the people who had bought the congressmen on board or we would have got nothing. The hope was improvements would be made step by step, but the GOP going into full attack mode killed that hope.

Well, the hope is that the hacking would be exposed, and the outcry would be so great that even a Republican majority couldn't defy their constituents, as happened with the healthcare repeal earlier this year. Also, it gives Republicans an "out" to disassociate themselves with Trump, since presumably the primaries were hacked, too. It's a "forgive us, because it turns out we weren't responsible for him after all" kind of move.

QFT.

I'm right there with you, sister. Attachment 62602

This is a national map of personal debt in collections. Not those getting screwed by the system, just those who have fallen behind.
At this link is an interactive map where you can choose a county where it will tell you the debt and how much of it is medical debt.

Good news from Marcus, who reports that his subsidy has increased substantially. So although his premiums went up, his overall bill will be going down. He must have had more reported income the previous year or something. I feel better

good

My premiums went up to over $9200 for 2018. Thats about a $3000 INCREASE... AGAIN!
WTF? There is no way I can afford that. I have opted out of the circus and joined a Christian alternative healthcare plan for under $2000 a year. I a responsible for anything under $500 and the plan covers me for things over $500. Stay tuned ... ... ...