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I'll make it simple for you: The Legislative Branch passed ACA. Some parts of ACA have already been deemed unconstitutional by lower courts. The Executive Branch is asking the Judicial Branch to rule on whether the entirety of the law is unconstitutional. The Executive Branch believes it is. SCOTUS will decide whether it is or is not. Now, from there you can speculate on whatever but your speculation does not negate the facts above. For my part, I believe that IF SCOTUS rules against ACA you will see a new plan after the elections no matter which side wins. |
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BUT as we find out every day, millions do not count, as in COVID |
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If you actually read posts, you would find I was very clear that to ask the Supreme Court to derail existing with zero substitution in the middle of a pandemic is a bit too much, but you can change it, and will, anyway you wish. |
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I agree. Half of the citizens that enjoy this great country pay NO taxes whatsoever. Time for EVERYONE to pay taxes. It seems to be UnConstitutional for the rich to pay at a higher rate than anyone else. Sounds like a case of discrimination. Either a flat tax or a federal sales tax make everyone equal. |
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I'd be glad to return mine, IF they gave me what I put into it plus the same interest rate that I would have achieved had I invested it. If so, it would be a heck of a lot more than I get now. Too bad they did not think to privatize SS. And I do NOT and have not ever used Medicare. I have and I pay for private insurance, which is a lot better. All Medicare pays for is hospitalization, unless you continue to pay for Medicare B AFTER you retire. |
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Not sure I understand what you mean. You can Google other countries to find out how much taxes each earner pays and you can also try living in other countries and see how their health care works. I have lived most of my life overseas and have seen how shabby some hospitals are and how long the waiting lines are for it's citizens. |
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Is this wrong?: Isn't there a 2% medicare tax, plus: Income thresholdsRateTax payable on this income $0 – $18,200 0% $18,201 –$37,000 19% for each $1 over $18,200 $37,001 – $90,000 32.5% $3,572 plus 32.5% of amounts over $37,000 $90,001 – $180,000 37% $20,797 plus 37% of amounts over $90,000 $180,001 and over 45% $54,097 plus 45% of amounts over $180,000 I guess it depends on the idea of whether you are happy with the gov nanny deciding what is best for you or whether you prefer the freedom to make your own decisions. It also depends on whether or not you have lived with socialism all your life or not. When the Soviet Union fell, seniors were crying in the street not knowing what they would do to survive. They were so dependent on the gov nanny. I have satisfied relatives in Australia also. There are several ideas that they enjoy Down Under that I think would be nice also, BUT........... "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have." |
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No big surprise. |
The decision for our healthcare is currently in the Supreme Court and will be decided November 10, 2020. This is alarming. Pay attention and vote!
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"free" stuff is given away all the time to the top 1%....and the trickle down theory is a fallacy...why is everything made in China....because the labor is cheap. the big tax plan that went thru that was supposed to bring so much manufacturing back to the US? the corporations did stock buy backs for the shareholders benefit. so given a choice, I'd prefer my tax dollars go to provide some sort of minimal health coverage for everyone. and for those who want more, they can buy a supplement. and it's awfully easy for those of us on Medicare to criticize others for wanting pre-existing conditions covered or that others want something free. Medicare and Social Security pay out more than we pay in, so why don't we say we will just accept the amount we contributed? when we get rid of all the corporate welfare, then let's talk. |
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And remember the purpose of SCOTUS is to rule on the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress. If the law is found defective, it is their duty to rule so. It is then up to Congress to either amend the law or promulgate a new one. |
Please explain how private insurance is "a lot better" than Medicare. I have private insurance and my wife is on Medicare. We can, and do, see the same Drs. The only difference I have detected is she pays less.
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I never paid for my private insurance and I never had any out-of-pocket costs. That's how private is a lot better. :ho: |
If you are on an obamacare plan, perhaps. If you are working and your employer provides health insurance or you are on Medicare, probably not. I am probably one of the few people around here who is actually on an obamacare plan (Florida Blue, the only provider in Sumter County). If you want to know what is wrong with it I would be happy to oblige.
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That is fine for you but the post I responded to said he was paying for private insurance. The question was directed at him, not you.
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You should try PM's rather than a public forum. |
Nope. I was a perfectly valid question that perhaps others would like to hear the answer to.
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And that is exactly why I answered and received your snippy reply. |
Nothing snippy about it. Your answer was based on not paying anything. The post I referred to said he was paying. Do you now see the difference?
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Nope. What's the difference if I pay one dollar or two or zip.......either way, my private insurance kicks Medicare's A. |
OK, fine, you and your insurance are wonderful. Is your name Richard Cranium?
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Socialized medicine is fine unless you have an extremely serious disease or one that is not in need of specialized health care providers.
Many people can coast when they are younger because of their good health and promote socialized medicine, but when the rubber hits the road, you need more and better than what socialized medicine gives most people. AND the cost and the wastage are far worse than the cost and wastage in our current American systems. People have to wait and their income tax (Austria for example) is close to 50% for all wage earners. |
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Lovely. Resort to that. |
Seems like a valid question considering your responses.
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But the big question is................who gets to reply to that question without a snippy response back. :1rotfl: :1rotfl: :1rotfl: |
I don't really care. I would like to hear a response back from my original post (from the author of the post I responded to).
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All of us would.:duck: |
I think what you meant to say is half pay no federal income tax as opposed to "NO taxes whatsoever". If that is in fact true, the number is actually a bit below 50%. If you get a paycheck (as opposed to being paid under the table), you are paying FICA tax so you are paying some tax. There is also sales tax, gasoline tax, property tax (also paid indirectly through rent), perhaps state income tax, etc. The bigger issue, however, is that that statistic (assuming you meant federal income tax) is a cherry picked number provided without context. The statistics are skewed by the fact that many elderly do not have enough income to have a federal tax liability. This doesn't mean they didn't have 40+ years of paying federal income tax. The elderly are often given other tax breaks such as a reduction on property taxes. Also, many people might have a short period of time where they don't earn enough to have a federal tax liability but move up economically rather quickly. I believe many people interpret the number as representing a permanent group of people who don't ever pay federal income tax. That is really not the case as people move up and down the economic ladder so the people who are not paying federal income tax changes continually. However, I do believe it is a good idea for everyone to have a little skin in the game.
I don't see anything unconstitutional about a progressive federal tax rate. If it was, I would think it would have been challenged? I agree that there is a better way for the federal government to raise revenue. Given the lack of term limits on Congress and effective lobbying, I don't see a revolutionary change in the future. Quote:
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We have co-pays, which are higher than up north, but still affordable. We have to get pre-certified for pretty much everything here in Florida, and could see a specialist without "permission" in the north. Rx coverage was exactly the same as it was in the north, except that fewer pharmacies participate down here. I had to switch my prescription from mail-order to Walgreens, but the cost is the same for the prescriptions. The upside to Florida Blue is - even though we are charged a very small monthly premium, they have activities you can participate in to earn credit toward those premiums. So we haven't actually had to PAY any premium since February, and we still have a couple hundred bucks in credit. My doctor is good enough for my needs, which is mostly to make sure I'm healthy once a year, and renew my prescriptions twice a year. |
The obamacare plan I have has a very high out of pocket maximum and a very high deductible and a high premium. You can actually have any out of pocket maximum you want if you are willing to pay a ridiculous premium. I can, however, pretty much go anywhere I want as the network is extensive. One of the biggest flaws in the obamacare plans, IMHO, is the lack of means testing. If you understand the rules, it may be easy to get a big, fat subsidy, which is exactly what I do. I restructured our investments to minimize (until I am on Medicare) capital gains and dividends from our non-qualified investments to keep our MAGI low enough for a subsidy. I would really have been fine with a much lower cost non-obamacare compliant catastrophic plan but will pay less with the obamacare plan with subsidy. They don't look at your net worth when computing the subsidy. You can have a $25M net worth and still receive a subsidy.
I also earned the premium credits. $500 for about 20 minutes of effort. Quote:
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If you are over 65 and Medicare eligible, virtually all Medicare Advantage plans offered by private carriers exceed traditional Medicare benefits. |
I don't believe you can make the case that all Medicare Advantage Plans exceed Medicare plus all Supplemental Plan possibilities. That is the comparison you need to make; not Medicare alone vs. Medicare Advantage.
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You all get an equal minimum basic health coverage. The wealthy person might be able to pay for additional coverage that you can't afford, but you both get to start out on equal footing. That is what socialized medicine IS. |
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Hubby was forced into retirement. I've worked part-time retail (near-minimum wage) for most of the last 40-something years, so our combined income once his department was closed down was minimal. In Connecticut, that meant we qualified for medicaid, because Connecticut participates in the Medicaid expansion of the ACA. Florida does not. That meant, I had to go back to work when we moved south, because we are required to earn a MINIMUM income in order to qualify for ACA subsidies. If I didn't return to work, our premium would be $2000 per month. It's currently $50/month, but that $500 for the 20 minutes of work pays for it. And in January we'll hopefully be able to get another $500 credit. This coming April, we'll have hubby's pension PLUS his social security, and I will actually have to quit my job to continue qualifying for ACA subsidies - because we don't have our money tied up in investments, so we can't write anything off or discount anything against our income. |
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Some hard-core people might object that people with money who are willing to pay get faster service, but to me it seems like a reasonable compromise. |
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Answer: Years |
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Your original point was that Medicare is less expensive than private plans. That simply is not true. |
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