Among the issues most commonly discussed are individuality, the rights of the individual, the limits of legitimate government, morality, history, economics, government policy, science, business, education, health care, energy, and man-made global warming evaluations. My posts are aimed at intelligent and rational individuals, whose comments are very welcome.

"No matter how vast your knowledge or how modest, it is your own mind that has to acquire it." Ayn Rand

"Observe that the 'haves' are those who have freedom, and that it is freedom that the 'have-nots' have not." Ayn Rand

"The virtue involved in helping those one loves is not 'selflessness' or 'sacrifice', but integrity." Ayn Rand

For "a human being, the question 'to be or not to be,' is the question 'to think or not to think.'" Ayn Rand

11 August 2013

Americans On Medical Care Subsidies Under ObamaCare

It is important to know how many Americans will be receiving government subsidies for medical care once ObamaCare takes effect in a few months.  I was looking at a article by Robert Romano, the Senior Editor of Americans for Limited Government.  His article is Why Obamacare always was a public option.  Unfortunately, I found upon examining this article more closely, that his numbers do not add up.  The outcome is worse than his totals imply.  [See Robert Romano's comment below.  He has set me straight on the errors I will correct in brackets below.]

Unemployed and Given Up on Finding Employment = 22 million
Pregnant Women, Disabled, and Nursing Home People on Medicaid now = 27 million
Children on Medicaid now = 31 million
Medicare Enrolled = 49 million
Workers making $45,960 or less, new under ObamaCare = 113 million [counts those adults already enrolled on Medicaid and Would-be Workers who are Unemployed]

Total Number of Medical-Expense Subsidized Americans =  242 million [- 22 - 27 million = 193 million, as Robert Romano wrote]

To be sure, there may be some people in more than one of these categories.  A few people who are unemployed may already be on Medicaid.  People in nursing homes may be enrolled in Medicare.  The total is probably a bit lower than 242 [193] million then.  However, some of the unemployed not on Medicaid have children and they will be in families receiving subsidies and therefor benefiting.  The U.S. population now is 316 million.

242/316 = 0.766 [193/316 = 0.611],

so it appears that [three-fifths] of Americans will be getting subsidized medical care!

How is the remaining two-fifths of Americans supposed to sustain this burden?  Should we not expect that many of them will be drawn under as the costs are put on their backs more and more?  This burden will actually increase the number of poor in America and hence those eligible for subsidies.

While getting subsidized medical care, many college graduates over 26 years old with jobs will soon not only be paying their unforgivable student loans, but will also be paying a fortune for health insurance at costs to provide for the very sick and older people or fined a minimum of $695 a year for not having expensive government-approved health insurance.  Those without jobs will also be fined $675 a year for not having insurance, which means almost all of such unemployed people will have to apply for the government subsidies.  Your life will be hard, but if you voted for Obama, it will be a just consequence.  Life is commonly hard on the irrational.  The exception is the irrational members of Congress who voted for ObamaCare or who have failed to defund it and who are being allowed to escape its draconian provisions in a most unlawful manner.

3 comments:

Harry Dale Huffman said...

That $695 fine (not tax, as the criminal government says) is the first time I have seen a number put on it, so thanks for that. I live on less than that each month, in Social Security benefits (no one wants to recognize my only alternative, my unprecedented scientific discoveries, which are too revolutionary for this fear-ridden time, when dogmatic avoidance behavior of the hard, underlying truth is the overriding element in most human judgment), so I have known I would be eligible for the "subsidy", but as far as I have found out so far, that just means if I don't want to lose a month's income to that Obamacare fine, I will have to "apply" to the government (essentially, begging them to give me what I don't want to have any part of). What that means, at least presently--before the "exchanges" structures (whatever they end up being) start up--is applying for state Medicaid, which where I live is a yearly task, of providing personal financial details to "prove" I deserve it. I won't do it, no matter how much I need affordable health care. So I feel somewhat in the position of Socrates, or any prophet unrecognized in his own time--at fundamental odds with the ruling power, an unstable government in a crumbling society, very much given to tyrannous action, to which obedience in any form is a mere stopgap, and inevitably vain, effort. If the Republican leadership saw and felt as I do, they would be initiating new impeachment proceedings against Obama every week. But to get to my position, you have to understand that the system is broken, and those in charge are technically insane (in denial of reality, due to their ingrained, too-long-unquestioned dogmas). This insanity has blown up in just the last 10 years, the same time period I have been trying to get my discoveries recognized, of the objective, physical origin of all of mankind's "ancient mysteries" and man's consequent fundamental religious attachment to the same negative, recurring dogmas. We are, to put it bluntly, in a climactic period in human history, and our society has taken the negative path, of blind, old dogma, instead of that of openness to new knowledge and new understanding of ourselves, our world, and our place in the greater scheme of things. It is revolution either way--and that is just what no one is ready to accomodate.

Charles R. Anderson, Ph.D. said...

The fine for those with substantial income may be much higher than $675 in 2016. The minimum fine in 2016 is $675. In 2014, the minimum is as low as $95. We see little about this because it is complicated and hence something to be skipped over.

Yes, Congress and the President say this is a fine and not a tax. The Supreme Court says it is tax and not a fine. If it were a fine, it would be unconstitutional! Of course, it is unconstitutional in any case.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the post, Dr. Anderson. The reason it's 193 million Americans and not 242 million is because everyone making under $45.9k INCLUDES everybody who will be on Medicaid and on the insurance exchanges aged 25-64.

To get there:
Children on Medicaid now = 31 million
Medicare Enrolled = 49 million
Workers making $45,960 or less, aged 25-64, includes Medicaid adults and insurance exchange adults = 113 million

You're double-counting the Medicaid adults and the insurance exchange adults.