How to Protect Yourself From Obamacare

[heironymouspasparagus]

It's wonderful if you are on the winning end, it sucks if you got the short end of the stick.  It's unfortunate not everyone came out a winner.

Well, the consolation is that for the several hundred who came out worse, there are about 8 million or so who came out better....and even some of those who originally said they came out worse were actually benefiting....there were several "poster children" - some posted here if memory serves - who said how "bad" it had been for them, but then it actually was the opposite.

[heironymouspasparagus]

That cannot be Conan. I was told that Obamacare was working, was successful, and was meeting its enrollment quotas. People in here were gloating over it.

Amazing how 8 million newly insured (or 7...either way) can be considered a failure...only in RWRE-Speak.....

[guido911]

Jake Tapper explains the Grubering of the ACA.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnns-tapper-gruber-claims-contradict-what-obama-said-aca-wouldnt-do/

[Townsend]

Republicans File Suit Against Obama Administration Over Health Law

http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/republicans-file-suit-against-obama-administration-over-health-law

House Republicans on Friday followed through on a threat to sue President Obama over actions he has taken concerning the Affordable Care Act.

The lawsuit was filed in a federal court against the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Treasury.

"Time after time, the president has chosen to ignore the will of the American people and rewrite federal law on his own without a vote of Congress," House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, said in announcing the lawsuit. "That's not the way our system of government was designed to work. If this president can get away with making his own laws, future presidents will have the ability to as well. The House has an obligation to stand up for the Constitution, and that is exactly why we are pursuing this course of action."

If you remember, the House voted last July to authorize a lawsuit. At the time, House Republicans complained that Obama had overstepped his authority when he on two occasions unilaterally delayed the employer mandate for insurance coverage under Obamacare.

The lawsuit challenges those extensions as well as the subsidies the government pays insurance companies on behalf of people who meet certain income requirements.


The New York Times reports:

"Democrats have cast a legal challenge as strange. Republicans, they say, are attacking Mr. Obama for delaying enforcement of a law that they vehemently oppose. The health care law was passed in 2010 without any Republican votes, and House Republicans have voted dozens of times to repeal all or part of it. ...

"House Republicans struggled to find a law firm willing to take their case. Two withdrew, but on Tuesday, Mr. Boehner hired Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington University."


The move also comes just a day after President Obama announced a series of executive actions that would protect millions of immigrants from deportation.

Obama argued the action was well within his authority, while Republicans have argued it's yet another example of Obama ruling by fiat.

In a press conference before the suit was filed, Boehner complained bitterly that Obama was undermining the rule of law and "damaging the presidency" by leap-frogging congress with his executive action.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Repubs want to take away insurance availability from tens of millions. 

They want to shut down the insurance programs of the 7 million or so who are already in a plan.

They are complaining about Obama doing something that Repubs have done 3 times - give illegals amnesty of one form or other - Bush, Reagan, Eisenhower.

They refuse to actually pass a real, comprehensive immigration law - other than an amnesty granting law (Bush, Reagan) - after decades of mouthings about it.


Tell me again how these guys get elected? 

[Townsend]

Repubs want to take away insurance availability from tens of millions. 

They want to shut down the insurance programs of the 7 million or so who are already in a plan.

They are complaining about Obama doing something that Repubs have done 3 times - give illegals amnesty of one form or other - Bush, Reagan, Eisenhower.

They refuse to actually pass a real, comprehensive immigration law - other than an amnesty granting law (Bush, Reagan) - after decades of mouthings about it.


Tell me again how these guys get elected? 

I'd like to clarify, being a Republican does not place you into these categories.

[guido911]

Repubs want to take away insurance availability from tens of millions.  

They want to shut down the insurance programs of the 7 million or so who are already in a plan.

They are complaining about Obama doing something that Repubs have done 3 times - give illegals amnesty of one form or other - Bush, Reagan, Eisenhower.

They refuse to actually pass a real, comprehensive immigration law - other than an amnesty granting law (Bush, Reagan) - after decades of mouthings about it.


Tell me again how these guys get elected?  

I think I understand you. If the democrats lie and cheat their way into health care reform, it's okay. Because "republicans".

[Townsend]

I think I understand you. If the democrats lie and cheat politic their way into health care reform, it's okay. Because "republicans".

[heironymouspasparagus]

I'd like to clarify, being a Republican does not place you into these categories.

So....where are all those "silent majority" Republicans who don't want to do those things...??   None are in Congress right now....


But you are right - I have some real Republican family members - not the hijacked tea-bagger types - who recognize reality and want things to get better in this country.  Problem is, their party was hijacked.....   

[heironymouspasparagus]

I think I understand you. If the democrats lie and cheat their way into health care reform, it's okay. Because "republicans".

How good of you to bring us back to this area....  as compared to doing nothing for 60+ years to at least make an attempt to fix the broken system we have that has taken us from nearly number 1 in health care systems to number 38!  Yeah, I guess so...those kind of "lies and cheats"....

Or the Patriot Act.   Ooops....wait, what??
Or the lies and cheats they told to get us into Iraq to kill our kids "for Daddy"....  uh-oh... hold on a second...
Or the lies and cheats they told to keep people from voting...   Wait...nope, that wasn't Democrats either... 

Hmmm....well, just how far back do we wanna go?

[guido911]

More rabid right wing foaming at the mouth over Obamacare. When will they ever shut up!!!

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/chuck-schumer-obamacare-113181.html

[dbacksfan 2.0]

More rabid right wing foaming at the mouth over Obamacare. When will they ever shut up!!!

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/11/chuck-schumer-obamacare-113181.html

What do you expect? They're like rats leaving a sinking ship so they can put their support behind Billary.

[guido911]

What do you expect? They're like rats leaving a sinking ship so they can put their support behind Billary.

Man, can't they wait until she announces before they kick dirt on Obama's face then?

[Townsend]

Tax Time Gets New Ritual: Proof Of Health Insurance

http://publicradiotulsa.org/post/tax-time-gets-new-ritual-proof-health-insurance

In addition to the normal thrills and chills of the income tax filing season, this year people will have the added excitement of figuring out how the health law figures in their 2014 taxes.

The good news is that for most folks the only change to their filing routine will be to check the box on their Form 1040 that says they had health insurance all year.

"Someone who had employer-based coverage or Medicaid or Medicare, that's all they have to do," says Tricia Brooks, a senior fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families.

But for others, there are several situations to keep in mind.

If you were uninsured for some or all of the year

If you had health insurance for only part of 2014 or didn't have coverage at all, it's a bit more complicated. In that case, you'll have to file Form 8965, which allows you to claim an exemption from the requirement to have insurance or calculate your penalty for the months that you weren't covered.

On page 2 of the instructions for Form 8965 you'll see a lengthy list of the coverage exemptions for which you may qualify. If your income is below the filing threshold ($10,150 for an individual in 2014), for example, you're exempt. Likewise if coverage was unaffordable because it would have cost more than 8 percent of your household income or you had a short coverage gap of less than three consecutive months.

Some of the exemptions have to be granted by the health insurance marketplace, but many can be claimed right on your tax return. The tax form instructions spell out where to claim each type of exemption.

If you do have to go to the marketplace to get an exemption, be aware that it may take two weeks or more to process the application. Act promptly if you want to avoid bumping up against the April 15 filing deadline, says Timothy Jost, a professor and specialist in health law at Washington and Lee University who is an expert on the health law.

If you don't qualify for a coverage exemption

If none of the exemptions apply to you, you'll owe a penalty of either $95 or 1 percent of your income above the tax filing threshold, whichever is greater. The penalty will be prorated if you had coverage for at least part of the year. The instructions for Form 8965 include a worksheet to calculate the amount of your penalty.

If you received a premium tax credit for a marketplace plan

Under the health law, people with incomes between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($11,490 to $45,960 for an individual in 2013) could qualify for premium tax credits for 2014 coverage bought on the exchanges.

The marketplace determined the amount of premium tax credit people were eligible for based on their estimated income. At tax time those estimates will be reconciled against actual income. People whose income was lower than they estimated may have received too little in advance premium tax credits. They can claim the amount they're owed as a tax refund.

People whose income was higher than estimated and received too much in advance premium tax credits will generally have to pay back some or all of it.

If you bought a plan on the marketplace, you'll receive a Form 1095-A from your state marketplace by Jan. 31 that spells out how much your insurer received in advance premium tax credits. You'll use that information to complete Form 8962.

Assuming the information on the form is correct, "It should be easy to reconcile," says Judith Solomon, vice president for health policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Tax software programs and tax preparers also should know how to make the calculations, she said.

Many lower income consumers and seniors can get free tax preparation assistance through the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs

Copyright 2015 Kaiser Health News. To see more, visit http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/.

[Conan71]

In other words, people who supported Obamacare and didn't plan correctly will be pissed off when they figure they are not getting a refund or actually owe for the first time.