The House passed HR 1425 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act today. It is an ACA improvement bill. So it will sit and die since Republicans are out to kill the ACA, not make it better.
https://rules.house.gov/sites/democrats.rules.house.gov/files/BILLS-116HR1425-RCP116-56.pdf
That would be a big deal for early retirees if passed into law. It would eliminate the subsidy cliff for people over 400% of the poverty level, set subsidies at 100% of the second-cheapest silver plan for people under 150% of the poverty line, and increase maximum subsidies for everyone who qualifies for them now.
My group of friends were bitching and moaning about the ACA over the weekend.
Person A was in a motorcycle accident, bad broken limb. No insurance. He is an attorney and is 50 years old, so not starting out. “Why doesn’t he have an ACA policy?” I ask. Because, ya know, that was supposed to solve most all problems. “That is too expensive!!!” The chorus said.
Included in the chorus was a couple who does not have any health insurance. Too expensive they say.
Also in the chorus was a woman who had an ACA policy before she aged into Medicare. “ it didn’t cover anything!!!” She said. I inquired and she said she had a silver policy.
All of these people, every one of them, pulls the blue lever when they vote. They are professional, educated people.
So what is my point here? It is this: people, they be wanting Nanny G to pay for everything. Ya’ll who think the ACA is the bomb are not recognizing the very real phenomena of citizens who eschew the wonderful program of the ACA.
Me— I was happy to have it available after my COBRA insurance ran out, and as an early retiree with low income and high net worth, it was a sweet deal cost-wise. We never put it to the test for real coverage although his cataract surgery was put off until Medicare because the ACA deductible was higher. But let me say, as a not-blue voter,
I was happy to have it to essentially protect my assets.