Obama Care

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Sr. I worked for next to nothing as a single parent so I could get the training and skills to do what I'm doing today. Never once did I turn to the goverment for any handouts. I washed and iron my own shirts and we did bag lunches for 5 yrs. I know what its like so lets not play that card.

As for doctors. I have two friend that are doctors and it takes years of hard work before they make any money at all. Today both make silly money but they both work their asses off. I'd say they are the two hardest workong people I know. One of them has been working 7 day weeks for the past two years because he cannot find another partner he can trust his patients too.

I'd also say someone making 25-35 a year cab afford health care unless maybe they have a health issue.My daughter lives on her own works part time and is going to school and finds $125 a month for health ins. While I agree some cannot afford coverage I beliave many have their priorties mixed up. I bet many of the uninsured have cell phone, cable, internet, etc...

Exactly right. Takes me back to the time that I saw that woman paying for her groceries with her food stamps card at the Giant, then a few hours later I see her in 7-11 with a handful of 20's spending it all on lotto. Guarantee you she doesn't have health insurance. But don't tell me you can't afford it.

I did the same thing as your daughter. I've been paying my own health insurance for 10 years now (since I was 22). I hardly had any money while I was in school, but I still found a way. Often times I'd just pick up an extra shift waiting tables. You have to do whatever it takes.

One time back then I told my Dad I couldn't afford health insurance. His response? "You can't afford NOT to have health insurance."

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by GMScud

Exactly right. Takes me back to the time that I saw that woman paying for her groceries with her food stamps card at the Giant, then a few hours later I see her in 7-11 with a handful of 20's spending it all on lotto. Guarantee you she doesn't have health insurance. But don't tell me you can't afford it.

I did the same thing as your daughter. I've been paying my own health insurance for 10 years now (since I was 22). I hardly had any money while I was in school, but I still found a way. Often times I'd just pick up an extra shift waiting tables. You have to do whatever it takes.

One time back then I told my Dad I couldn't afford health insurance. His response? "You can't afford NOT to have health insurance."

When I was 16 I worked for a super market in a somewhat poor section of town. I would watch as people would buy their food with food stamps then I load them into their new car. I worked at this store for 3 summers so I got to know the customers and I can tell you these are not people just down on their luck its a way of life.

Side Note:
So they pass the law so parents can add their kids to their policy. I figured I'd get a price to see if it would be cheaper to add my daughter to our policy. I call the insurance co. and they said I have to wait 5 months until our enrollment period. Great law.

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

At JHU right now there are doctors who read X rays. It takes about a min to read an x ray. The cost to each patient or their insurance co for the 1 min of service? over $100.

If this doctor reads 10 x rays in an hour, the hospital has billed well over $1,000 for 10 mins of work.

But yeah, lets **** the person who works and makes just enough to not be eligible for medicaid but doesnt make enough to afford priv health care.

There is a very real and large gap of this country's population that falls into this category. they are usually 20 somethings, struggling to pay off college loans, still on the low spectrum of the pay scale and cant afford to spend 200 bucks a month on health insurance. these are the good hard working people of the country.

they will eventually raise their status to a point were they can afford health care but for now and tomorrow, they have to hope they dont suffer a serious injury. if they do suffer a serious injury, they have a 12k debt that closes alil further their window of future financial stability.

They way some of you all talk and opine about things, makes me think you've been livin the good life too long and forgot what it was like to truly struggle to make ends meet. there is a segment of our population that is in a catch-22 right now. to broke to buy insurnace, but since you work a 9-5 you cant qualify for free health care.

The real poor get free everything.
The rich can afford everything.
The people who make 25-35k a year, get screwed until their broke or die trying to get rich.

With regards to doctors charging an insurance co. 100 dollars for a x ray viewing whats so bad about that? That’s what they charge because that’s what doctors and insurance co. have generally agreed upon as a fair price. If there were doctors that were willing to sit in a cubical all day and review xrays for 10 bucks and do 60 an hour and make lots of money but hate their existence then great, but I don’t think there are.

Very few people who make 25-35k a year cannot afford health insurance at 200 per month. Its the 15% tax bracket at that level. If you have a kid you probably have trouble but you are getting TONS of entitlements at that level. Unless you live in Georgetown or NYC, or San Fran or somewhere else real expensive then you might have trouble. There are very few jobs that require you to live in certain municipals and also have low pay. This is all about life style choices, nothing more. There is healthcare service available for people in this country who need it, but truly cant afford it. The problem is people also need to live in a fun part of town, have cable, leased cars, cell phones, nice clothes, eat out 3x a week, go to bars on the weekend, have a macbook, and have all sorts of nice shit. And if youre a 20-35 male you don’t really need healthcare coverage as much as you think you need all the stuff above, so you choose not to get it.

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by Dirtbag359

The stuff health insurance companies get away with is amazing. I'm not eligible for a group plan so I tried to upgrade my crappy insurance so I didn't have to pay $600 to have a specialist investigate a possible ear infection (seriously that was the price I was quoted at). Everything was all set up they were confirming my information and asking me questions. One of the questions was have you ever been turned down for health insurance. I told them yes so they went on to the next question asking about obesity, heart attacks, AID's all of which I answered no.

Originally Posted by Dirtbag359

After the medical history question the lady told me I was ineligible for the plan. When I asked why she said because I had been turned down or coverage in the past, even though it was a different company. Why even go on to the next question if the one before it made me ineligible?

Last week while being fed up with my insurance I was referred to a high risk pool for Georgia. They told me I was ineligible because I had insurance and even if I didn't have insurance I would have had to be uninsured for 6 months (it's been about 3 months for me without good insurance). The part about having insurance is great because they don't even cover my pre-existing condition which I thought would have been the point of a high risk pool.

At the very least the pre-existing condition crap has to go, of course after that you have to make sure they don't go overboard with the premiums. Still one step at a time.

You say it’s been 3 months since you’ve had “good” insurance? Are you completely uninsured or do you just have a catastrophic plan or something right now?

I guess I don’t understand whats so wrong about not insuring a preexisting condition, or only insuring it at extremely high rates. Whats the other option, that preexisting condition is ignored and you get the same rate as me; however, at a much greater risk to the insurance co. That’s really unfair to me, because your rate doesn’t just come down – mine goes up. I guess

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=black]You say it’s been 3 months since you’ve had “good” insurance? Are you completely uninsured or do you just have a catastrophic plan or something right now?

I guess I don’t understand whats so wrong about not insuring a preexisting condition, or only insuring it at extremely high rates. Whats the other option, that preexisting condition is ignored and you get the same rate as me; however, at a much greater risk to the insurance co. That’s really unfair to me, because your rate doesn’t just come down – mine goes up. I guess

If I'm correct they can only exclude preexisting conditions for the first 12 months but that has probably changed with the new health bill. I also don't think they can underwrite a pre existing condition if your going from one company to the next. Its only if your coming to them as a new customer without prior health ins.

[mlmpetert]

Has Obama Raised Taxes? That Depends on Whom You Ask - FoxNews.com

[mlmpetert]

I think i mentioned this a while back, but its really important information that anyone with a HSA or FSA needs to be aware of. I have a high deductable HSA plan and love it because of the prudence it forces you to be abide by, but this really really sucks. Its going to affect a lot of people, and when i hear that someone has a HSA or FSA i bring this up and they usually have no idea.

FoxNews.com - New Rules Coming for Payments Out of Health Savings Accounts

So from what ive heard there are going to 2 basic ways to go about getting your prescriptions.

1. The next time you go to the doctor get a prescription for everything you need or can think there is ever a chance you may need at some point in the coming tax year. (your doctor will hate you)

2. Save every reciept for everything you bought during 2011 and go back and a get a prescription for it. (your doctor will hate you)

In normal situations I don’t really have a need to go to a doctor so this issue affect people like me the most. The whole concept behind a high deductable HSA is that it keeps people from going to the doctor when the really shouldn’t (like because you have a cold or basic flu). For people with a normal FSA add on arnt really going to be financially affect by this, just really inconvenienced by it

[saden1]

I guess OsamaCare isn't as stellar as ObamaCare.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by saden1

I guess OsamaCare isn't as stellar as ObamaCare.

Maybe if we just offer them all health ins.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Has Obama Raised Taxes? That Depends on Whom You Ask - FoxNews.com

Usually when we debate taxes here we are talking about the rich v/s the poor and sometimes on a personal level. I don't think he has raised my federal taxes and actually I just had my taxes done last week and I'm getting a 5 digit return. Not sure why because I have not talked to my CPA but I'm sure it has more to do with my business and what I paid and not anything Obama has done. What he is doing will probably increase my cost over the next few years.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Usually when we debate taxes here we are talking about the rich v/s the poor and sometimes on a personal level. I don't think he has raised my federal taxes and actually I just had my taxes done last week and I'm getting a 5 digit return. Not sure why because I have not talked to my CPA but I'm sure it has more to do with my business and what I paid and not anything Obama has done. What he is doing will probably increase my cost over the next few years.

Have your revenues gone way up in this down economy to warrant a bigger return? If not you might be seeing some of that stimulus tax cuts. Now go spend it and create more jobs.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by saden1

Have your revenues gone way up in this down economy to warrant a bigger return? If not you might be seeing some of that stimulus tax cuts. Now go spend it and create more jobs.

No last year the business dropped some but not very much and it sucked because it was my first year in business not growing. The larger an Ins Agency the harder it is to grow because you have to replace about 10% of the accounts you natually loose every year. So if we have 3000 accounts we have to write 300 new policies to stay even.

Now on the spending. I'm putting the federal tax money in my retirement account and spending my state money. My wife got the new washer and dryer so I'm finally getting an HD TV. I'm going to need to start a thread on which one to get.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by firstdown

No last year the business dropped some but not very much and it sucked because it was my first year in business not growing. The larger an Ins Agency the harder it is to grow because you have to replace about 10% of the accounts you natually loose every year. So if we have 3000 accounts we have to write 300 new policies to stay even.

Now on the spending. I'm putting the federal tax money in my retirement account and spending my state money. My wife got the new washer and dryer so I'm finally getting an HD TV. I'm going to need to start a thread on which one to get.

Please feel free to thank Obama for returning more of your money.

[mlmpetert]

So you have to pay 90% of your the current years tax liability or 100% of last years tax liability (or 110% if you make over 150k) or otherwise you get hit with a 20% penalty (additional tax) on your underpayment. Im guessing that since first owns his own business his accountant has him make 100% or 110% (if first makes over 150k) tax payments based off of last years income taxes.

So i guess techniqely Obama is returning more of his money, but only because he earned less money and therefore doesnt have to pay as much taxes. Apparently when you own a small business your income isnt guaranteed (where are you Obama?) and you can actually make less money, no money at all or even LOSE money......

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

So you have to pay 90% of your the current years tax liability or 100% of last years tax liability (or 110% if you make over 150k) or otherwise you get hit with a 20% penalty (additional tax) on your underpayment. Im guessing that since first owns his own business his accountant has him make 100% or 110% (if first makes over 150k) tax payments based off of last years income taxes.

So i guess techniqely Obama is returning more of his money, but only because he earned less money and therefore doesnt have to pay as much taxes. Apparently when you own a small business your income isnt guaranteed (where are you Obama?) and you can actually make less money, no money at all or even LOSE money......

You lost me on the first paragraph.

The nature of my business you cannot really go from making good money to loosing money from one year to the next. Now the business its self can loose money but thats after everyone gets paid so I'm not sure how that works with taxes. I do know if I leave any money in the business come January 1 I have to pay taxes on that money even though its in the business checking account. I hate that because at the end of every year it forces me to spend all the money in my business account or get hit with taxes.