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One man's ObamaCare nightmare


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2013 Sep 24, 4:39am   23,294 views  106 comments

by zzyzzx   ➕follow (9)   💰tip   ignore  

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/24/one-man-obamacare-nightmare/

Andy and Amy Mangione of Louisville, Ky. and their two boys are just the kind of people who should be helped by ObamaCare. But they recently got a nasty surprise in the mail.

"When I saw the letter when I came home from work," Andy said, describing the large red wording on the envelope from his insurance carrier, "(it said) 'your action required, benefit changes, act now.' Of course I opened it immediately."

It had stunning news. Insurance for the Mangiones and their two boys,which they bought on the individual market, was going to almost triple in 2014 --- from $333 a month to $965.

The insurance carrier made it clear the increase was in order to be compliant with the new health care law.

"This isn't a Cadillac plan, this isn't even a silver plan," Mangione said, referring to higher levels of coverage under ObamaCare.

"This is a high deductible plan where I'm assuming a lot of risk for my health insurance for my family. And nothing has changed, our boys are healthy-- they're young --my wife is healthy. I'm healthy, nothing in our medical history has changed to warrant a tripling of our premiums.

"Well I'm the one that does the budget,” said his wife. "Eventually I've got that coming down the pike that I gotta figure out what we're gonna cut what we're gonna do, to afford a $1,000 a month premium."

Their insurance company, Humana, declined to comment, but the notice to the Mangiones carried this paragraph:

" If your policy premium increased, you should know this isn't unique to Humana -- premium increases generally will occur industry-wide.

"Increases aren't based on your individual claims or changes in health status," it continued. "Many other factors go in to your premium including: ACA compliance, including the addition of new essential health benefits."

ACA, of course, is the abbreviation for the President's new law, the Affordable Care Act -- which for the Mangiones will be anything but affordable because the law adds a new tax on every insurance policy and requires a list of additional benefits the Mangiones didn’t want to pay for.

Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for American Health Insurance Plans, which represents insurers,explained that "for people who currently choose to purchase a high deductible, low premium policy that's more affordable for them, they are now being required to add all these new benefits to their policy.

That," he says, "is also going to add to the cost of their health insurance premiums."

#politics

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52   curious2   2013 Sep 27, 5:10am  

SiO2 says

through the magic of recission, when someone files an expensive claim, the insurance company then could look for some overlooked pre-existing condition and cancel the policy retroactively.

Insurers can still do that. The ability to rescind for "fraud" was preserved specifically, so don't forget that headcold or yeast infection you had as a teenager, they can say you "defrauded" them. I lose patience with Obamadrones who drone on about "no more pre-existing conditions" as if their snake oil was going to cure everyone of everything, heal the lame, etc. All you've done is handed the same people with the same incentives more money and more money and power than ever before. As Homefool's own statistics showed, premium increases had been slowing because they were already too high; costs should have fallen, but Obamacare stepped in to push them even higher than would have occurred under prior law. Morons who know nothing about math fell for scary headlines about how premiums on their prior rates would go higher than total GDP, a mathematically impossible event, but it became somehow a rallying cry to increase spending further than had ever been possible before. This being a real estate forum, Obamacare is like requiring everyone to sign a 125% mortgage backed by Fannie & Freddie so you can overpay for your mandatory house that's badly built on a shoddy foundation and with a leaky roof but it costs triple because you have to buy it no matter what and don't worry if you can't afford it the subsidies will shift the costs onto your neighbors' kids.

53   Homeboy   2013 Sep 27, 5:26am  

zzyzzx says

Homeboy says

Wow, you really believe that there's a "liberal" media bias, don't you?

Amazing.

Wow, you really believe that there's a "Fox News" bias, don't you?

Amazing.

Ha, I see what you did there. Man, you are so fucking clever.

54   Tenpoundbass   2013 Sep 27, 5:26am  

Homeboy says

So please, explain how it's going to be worse than THAT.

You clearly wouldn't understand, as you thought Romney would be worse than Obama. At this point, what would be the quantifier?

Eat your shit sandwich and shut the fuck up already. When shits fucked up, it's a fools task to try to assess the situation by defaulting the outcome to "The best of the current offerings".

When you're lost at sea, you would expect drinking salt water would be better than nothing, as well. But you'd be deadly mistaken.

55   Tenpoundbass   2013 Sep 27, 5:34am  

What I don't get is how people defend Obamacare, by citing the rash of shit that Homeboy so dimly outlined above.
I mean yeah, we had pre-exsiting clauses, but NO premiums weren't raising every year until the Liberals did a number on it.
And yes one would go bankrupt if they are caught with a major catastrophic ailment with out insurance.

But let me put it to you like this. What good is an insurance if paying the premiums requires your last budgeted dollar, when in the event you might need major medical care, but you haven't met your yearly deductible, copay and co insurance payment.

Most clinics, hospitals, and doctors are going to want any portion you are required to pay upfront.

So basically Obamacare already bankrupts people long before they ever get fucking sick. It's going to be Obamacare its self that is going to make people the sickest the most.

56   Homeboy   2013 Sep 27, 5:40am  

zzyzzx says

I am sure that even you understand that we simply exchanged one set of problems for another set of problems.

The question was, how does Obamacare make those specific problems I itemized WORSE? I see you are unable to answer the question.

zzyzzx says

The standardizations were at the state level, now they might be at the national level (unless some states have requirements that exceed the federal requirements).

Wrong. There WAS no standardization "at the state level". Insurance companies offered 15 or 20 different plans, each with different amounts of coverage and different premiums. There was no way to compare different companies' insurance plans side by side. You can pretend to yourself and try to revise history, but everyone with a brain and a memory knows what you're saying is complete bullshit.

zzyzzx says

Tell that to the people whose rates went up like the person in the article. They should be able to buy the same bare bones plan that they had before, but Obama decided differently.

If they can't afford insurance, they will get a subsidy. A family has to make over $90,000 before they are ineligible for the subsidy. Sorry, but I've got no sympathy for people making six figures complaining they can't afford stuff. You can afford it; you're just being pussies.

Nobody should have to have a "bare bones" health insurance policy. That's ridiculous. We have an inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and those 3 things require good health. We all have a basic human right to receive quality health care, not "bare bones" healthcare.

zzyzzx says

And they still don't under some circumstances. This will keep some small companies from expanding. Exactly how does that help?

That is your claim, but you have not proven it. I have seen no statistical evidence that business growth has been impaired by Obamacare. You do understand that anecdotes are not data, right? God, please tell me you understand that.zzyzzx says

Which will most likely occur under Obamacare as well.

That is your claim, but you have not even a scintilla of evidence to support it.

57   zzyzzx   2013 Sep 27, 5:44am  

Homeboy says

The question was, how does Obamacare make those specific problems I itemized WORSE? I see you are unable to answer the question.

When someone goes from paying $333 a month to $965 a month, don't you think that's worse???

58   zzyzzx   2013 Sep 27, 5:45am  

Homeboy says

That is your claim, but you have not proven it. I have seen no statistical evidence that business growth has been impaired by Obamacare

I have seen on TV small business owners saying that they will not expend beyond the limit where Obamacars kicks in.

59   zzyzzx   2013 Sep 27, 5:46am  

Homeboy says

Nobody should have to have a "bare bones" health insurance policy.

Why do you hate freedom???

60   Homeboy   2013 Sep 27, 5:51am  

CaptainShuddup says

What I don't get is how people defend Obamacare, by citing the rash of shit that Homeboy so dimly outlined above.

Why I don't get is how mouth-breathing Fox News junkies just outright MAKE SHIT UP THAT ISN'T TRUE.

CaptainShuddup says

I mean yeah, we had pre-exsiting clauses, but NO premiums weren't raising every year until the Liberals did a number on it.

That is just a complete, utter fabrication. It amazes me that you have no qualms whatsoever about simply lying to our faces. I know you are aware of the truth, because I have posted the data on this forum many times. I can only conclude that you have no morals and that making up complete bullshit doesn't bother you in the least.

And it's "rising", not "raising".

CaptainShuddup says

But let me put it to you like this. What good is an insurance if paying the premiums requires your last budgeted dollar, when in the event you might need major medical care, but you haven't met your yearly deductible, copay and co insurance payment.

More crap. The coverage will be BETTER, not worse. There will now be limits on deductibles, co-pays, and out of pocket expenses.

You know what this is REALLY about? Rich fuckers being afraid they aren't going to have the upper hand on everything anymore.

61   Homeboy   2013 Sep 27, 5:52am  

zzyzzx says

I have seen on TV small business owners saying that they will not expend beyond the limit where Obamacars kicks in.

Yup - I seen it on the TV.

The plural of anecdote is not data.

62   Homeboy   2013 Sep 27, 5:58am  

zzyzzx says

When someone goes from paying $333 a month to $965 a month, don't you think that's worse???

I think that article is bullshit propaganda, and I already explained why. Nobody is getting insurance for their whole family for $333 a month. If they really are getting that price, it's some catastrophic plan that essentially isn't any better than no insurance at all. How is that "better"? How is paying for so-called "insurance" that doesn't actually cover anything better than getting real insurance that DOES cover your healthcare? Lakermania thought insurance was that cheap in Arkansas, until I pointed out that insurance is actually MORE expensive there. This is the level of ignorance I'm dealing with here.

Really, Fox News should be the Goliath in that cartoon, because they obviously are succeeding in making a lot of people believe their propaganda.

63   zzyzzx   2013 Sep 27, 5:59am  

Homeboy says

Nobody is getting insurance for their whole family for $333 a month

Those people were.

64   zzyzzx   2013 Sep 27, 5:59am  

Homeboy says

Yup - I seen it on the TV.

The plural of anecdote is not data.

Also read it in several newspapers.

65   Homeboy   2013 Sep 27, 6:00am  

zzyzzx, you are an idiot. And stop "liking" all your own posts. You're gonna go blind.

66   Homeboy   2013 Sep 27, 6:07am  

zzyzzx says

Homeboy says

Nobody is getting insurance for their whole family for $333 a month

Those people were.

O.K., well they can get insurance for $280 a month under Obamacare, and it's much better insurance. Since Fox Noise conveniently failed to mention their income in the article, I will assume they make $50,000 a year, which is well above the median income in Kentucky. So that's what their premium will be:

http://kff.org/interactive/subsidy-calculator/#state=&zip=&income-type=dollars&income=50000&employer-coverage=0&people=4&adult-count=2&adults[0][age]=21&adults[0][tobacco]=0&adults[1][age]=21&adults[1][tobacco]=0&child-count=2&child-tobacco=0

Obamacare win!

So I'm guessing this is more about rich people whining than it is about the middle class being unable to afford insurance.

67   EBGuy   2013 Sep 27, 6:34am  

zzyzzx said: When someone goes from paying $333 a month to $965 a month, don't you think that's worse???
As I already pointed out, unless they make more than $94.2k per year they'll get a subsidy. Median household income in Kentucky is $42.2k. For a Silver plan, a median household would pay less than $252 per month. YMMV.

68   curious2   2013 Sep 27, 6:41am  

EBGuy says

get a subsidy.

This comment surprised me. I've grown so accustomed to Homefool's enthusiasm for subsidies and dependence that I tune it out, but to hear it from EBGuy too, reminded me of - to my amazement - the 2012 Gingrich campaign. He kept calling Obama "the food stamp President." It seemed ridiculous at the time, but there you are, telling everyone to go on welfare. BTW, have you read the 60-page instructions and questionnaire to determine eligibility for subsidies? To go on welfare, you may need to answer a lot of questions. Is anyone in your house pregnant? Was anyone ever in foster care? How many hours do you work each week? The IRS would like to know. It wasn't enough for you that the NSA was vacuuming up your e-mails, now you want them to have all your medical and family information too? Why can't you leave people alone who weren't even bothering you?

69   Homeboy   2013 Sep 28, 5:19am  

Guess I'm gonna have to take the amazingly assholish curious2 off ignore for a minute to school him.

curious2 says

This comment surprised me. I've grown so accustomed to Homefool's enthusiasm for subsidies and dependence that I tune it out, but to hear it from EBGuy too, reminded me of - to my amazement - the 2012 Gingrich campaign. He kept calling Obama "the food stamp President." It seemed ridiculous at the time, but there you are, telling everyone to go on welfare.

I don't have enthusiasm for subsidies; I have enthusiasm for healthcare that is affordable and that everyone can have. I believe healthcare should be a basic human right, not a luxury that only the wealthy receive. I think a lot of people agree with me.

I only mention subsidies a lot because you mouth-breathing righttards keep lying and claiming that so-and-so member of the middle class won't be able to afford Obamacare. This is simply false. It is pure bullshit from the Republican/Fox News propaganda machine. If you want me to stop mentioning subsidies, stop lying and pretending they don't exist.

You believe Obama has done too much to help the middle class, while I believe he hasn't done ENOUGH. Wealth inequality continues to grow under his tenure, as do handouts to the super-rich elite on Wall Street. Yeah, it would be great if the playing field were level, and the elite didn't gobble up all the wealth by getting interest-free loans from the Fed and somehow making millions of dollars by computer-trading on info they got a few nanoseconds before everyone else did, in a way that the common man doesn't even UNDERSTAND, let alone have an opportunity to participate in. But sadly, that is how the economy is run. You may prefer a system where the middle class doesn't get health insurance and have to die in the street, but I do not. If you had a realistic alternative to this "dependence" of tax credits, that would be great. But you do not. Going back to the old system where only the wealthy can get decent healthcare is NOT an option, in my opinion. Doing nothing is not an option. And pretending that everything was o.k. before is DEFINITELY not an option.

70   freak80   2013 Sep 28, 5:28am  

I don't know why curious2 insults you so much, homeboy. You two seem to have similar views.

71   marcus   2013 Sep 28, 5:34am  

Homeboy says

Wow, you really believe that there's a "liberal" media bias, don't you?

Amazing.

Science, facts and truth have a well documented liberal bias.

No really,... this is true, and only when you understand this well will you understand what liberal bias really means.

72   curious2   2013 Sep 28, 5:43am  

Homeboy says

I don't have enthusiasm for subsidies; I have enthusiasm for healthcare that is affordable and that everyone can have.

Then instead of advocating relentlessly for a system that raises costs artificially and puts people on subsidies for the benefit of the revenue recipients, look at cheaper systems. Americans pay the lowest prices in the world for OTC drugs, where they can buy whatever they want, but Americans pay the highest prices in the world for the Rx sector where costs are shifted through insurance and subsidies. You refuse to acknowledge that Obamacare was written by the same people who created the problem, and for the same reasons. The only priority that you seem to acknowledge is that you can continue on SSRIs and now shift the costs onto other people.

freak80 says

I don't know why....

We're old enough that I won't simply say "he started it;" that is actually true but insufficient. I get exasperated with Homeboy's trolling for the reasons I explained in my earlier comments: the insistence on mandatory dependence, the dishonest disregard for others' opinions, projecting onto them things they never said, etc. Different people come to internet fora for different reasons, and Homeboy's pattern is to troll for fights, it's almost all he does. Also, he illustrates perfectly the reasons behind the legislation: physically dependent on toxic placebos, he is raising the costs to levels that he cannot afford, and taking subsidies from wherever he can; he doesn't even benefit from them, his pushers do. If you can think of a way to express that more gently, without insulting him, without blaming him (even though he's an adult and ought to see the consequences of his own actions), I would appreciate it. I did resolve to be nicer and I did try unilaterally to improve the dialog with homeboy, but it does take two, and eventually I gave up. Also, if I may observe, while I respect that you maintain a high standard of civility, you have also a low threshhold for perceiving insults; accurate and legitimate criticisms are not insults.

73   marcus   2013 Sep 28, 5:45am  

SO Obamacare hasn't even kicked in yet, and there are stories of how terrible it is for the common man. Why am I not surprised ?

If that turns out to be true, and the insurance companies can't figure out how to make it work, well go to single payer, and then we'll be able to deal the true drivers of cost increases.

Everyone selling health care will have one and only one payer to deal with, and they can negotiate. But ultimately medicare or whatever they call that entity will say, "this is what we pay for that procedure, or test, or surgery. Period. "

This is how most the rest of the developed world does it.

The people wanting to go to doctors who charge more can get their special policies that pay for amounts above what medicare pays.

This isn't rocket science people.

74   BoomAndBustCycle   2013 Sep 28, 7:02am  

I don't believe it... I'm sure he can shop around and find cheaper insurance. The insurance company will go out of business that charges obscene rates.

zzyzzx says

Homeboy says

The question was, how does Obamacare make those specific problems I itemized WORSE? I see you are unable to answer the question.

When someone goes from paying $333 a month to $965 a month, don't you think that's worse???

75   BoomAndBustCycle   2013 Sep 28, 8:05am  

www.coveredca.com

If this website is accurate.... It is fairly straight forward insurance. I make too much to get any subsidy.. But i could insure my wife and child for about $440 via a Platnium plan from HealthNet with no deductible. Considering my work plan charges me just under $1000 a month to add a spouse and dependant... (I know ... Outrageous) I will be switching them to affordable care as soon as it is available.

76   bob2356   2013 Sep 28, 8:16am  

curious2 says

Americans pay the lowest prices in the world for OTC drugs, where they can buy whatever they want, but Americans pay the highest prices in the world for the Rx sector where costs are shifted through insurance and subsidies.

You keep repeating this, but haven't put out any proof it's true much less establish causation. I don't see any OTC meds being any more expensive overseas than anything else in places I've travelled. America has the cheapest gas, clothes, and food in the world too. There's nothing special about OTC meds prices.

Americans pay the highest cost for Rx because of abuse of the patent system, advertising directly to consumers, and other countries negotiate drug prices on a national basis after carefully evaluating cost vs benefit. In other countries many expensive new drugs don't provide enough new benefit to justify the addition expanse and aren't available to prescribe. In the US they are advertised heavily and patients demand them. Many expensive on patent drugs are dropped altogether for generics as soon as the patent expires and aren't available to prescribe either.

Most universal health care countries have subsidized drug prices. The consumer doesn't see the true cost any more than than US patients do. Don't bother to point out your old friend Mexico either. The government regulates drug prices there also, something you never seem to mention.

curious2 says

Then instead of advocating relentlessly for a system that raises costs artificially and puts people on subsidies for the benefit of the revenue recipients, look at cheaper systems.

So you advocate a national federal drug buying program that negotiates costs and decides availability based on cost benefit studies like most of the rest of the world uses to keep costs down? I would be fine with that if there was campaign reform so the lobbiests weren't writing the laws. Otherwise it won't be any better than what we have right now. America is screwed, plain and simple. The political system doesn't work now that corporations own all the politicians.

77   curious2   2013 Sep 28, 8:27am  

bob2356 says

You keep repeating this, but haven't put out any proof it's true much less establish causation.

I provided links for you, maybe your narcotic addled memory forgot. As for causation, it's a fact, you can fight with yourself about what causes it. I don't share your toxoplasmotic need to fight, so your attempts to bait me are not appreciated. Go fight with Homeboy about Obamacare.

bob2356 says

America has the cheapest gas, clothes, and food in the world too. There's nothing special about OTC meds prices.

It's funny how you deny something but then acknowledge it - maybe you forgot again. Anyway America does not have the cheapest gasoline or food, for example Mexico has cheaper prices for food and other countries have cheaper prices for gasoline. America does have the cheapest OTC drug prices, which you now seem to acknowledge.

78   Homeboy   2013 Sep 28, 9:11am  

There was a guy who tried to implement healthcare reform WITH mandated cost controls. His name was Bill Clinton. The republicans would not allow the law to pass. Great idea in theory, but you have to consider what you have the political will to accomplish.

79   bob2356   2013 Sep 28, 1:59pm  

curious2 says

I provided links for you, maybe your narcotic addled memory forgot.

curious2 says

It's funny how you deny something but then acknowledge it - maybe you forgot again.

curious2 says

, you have also a low threshhold for perceiving insults; accurate and legitimate criticisms are not insults.

So do you have hemorriods or are you a perfect asshole? I certainly do perceive insult in your stupid bullshit that taking 2 days worth of oxicontin 10 years ago is drug addled. But you are far and away the most juvenile poster on patnet so it's to be expected.

Where in your link did I deny and then acknowledge anything? Your reading comprehension sucks. I didn't forget. Your link didn't say jack shit the first time and still doesn't. Check prices of otc meds relative to the prices of other items, not with the exchange rates, subsidies, and taxes. Nothing special in the US. In shitholes where everything is dirt cheap otc is dirt cheap. Places were everything is expensive otc is expensive. So you saying otc is more expensive in Mexico than in the US? Not last time I was there. Neither is pretty much anything else. But the average Mexican earns something like $5.00 a day and finds it all very expensive. BTW I continue to love all your links that say something is true because someone says it's true.

Yes the US does have the lowest prices by far in the first world (oversight in my original post, my bad) and lower than a lot of the other better off non first world countries out there also. Not lower than the countries in poverty. Not every item in every country, but overall yes. If you want to talk relative to income then no contest, the gap is huge even compared to the poor countries. Last I read in the US 6% of income goes to food, nobody else is even close. Energy and most retail is also cheap compared to income. Yes I know you can buy heavily subsidized gas in Venezaula for 10 cents a gallon or the middle east for 50 cents so don't bother getting a hard on about that bullshit.

I will suitably modify my original statement so it may come within your grasp (doubtful). I don't find the cost of otc meds relative to other items lower in the US than any other country I travel to.

The problem here seems to be you can't grasp the difference between relative and absolute. Try to educate yourself on the concept.

I notice that you choose to be insulting and exhibit the maturity of an 11 year old but ignored my question. Other countries control drug prices by the government buying the drugs in bulk and making choices on what's available and what's not based on cost/benefit. Is this what you are advocating or are you just complaining to complain as usual?

80   curious2   2013 Sep 28, 4:15pm  

bob2356 says

The problem here seems to be you can't grasp the difference between relative and absolute.

No, it's that you can't stop fighting even with yourself. BTW, though now you cop to only "2 days worth of oxicontin [sic] 10 years ago," you previously denied taking Oxycontin but admitted other opioids and opiates. It is terribly sad to see a college graduate so reduced, either deep in denial or lost in a haze so thick that you can't even remember anymore. Truly, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

In any event, the cost of aspirin is lower in America than in the country where it was invented. If you can find a country where OTC drugs cost less, post a link.

Otherwise, you're fighting with yourself in your own imaginary relativism that doesn't make any sense, you don't even understand value and cost of production, and your name-calling and profanity say everything about you and nothing about me. I used to take your rhetorical questions seriously, and research answers for you, but you never thanked me and only ever insulted me as above. Why should I waste more of my time on you?

81   Homeboy   2013 Sep 28, 7:23pm  

sbh says

I think that none, none of your criticisms have been spurious, in fact I find it remarkable how circumspect and assiduous you are in this and all your posts.

Funniest thing I've read all week. Thanks. Curious2's posts give drivel a bad name. Would love to get some of whatever you're smoking.

"Circumspect and assiduous". You've got to be sarcastic, right?

82   Tenpoundbass   2013 Sep 29, 1:05am  

Homeboy says

More crap. The coverage will be BETTER, not worse. There will now be limits on deductibles, co-pays, and out of pocket expenses.

Says the Welfare freeloader.

83   Tenpoundbass   2013 Sep 29, 1:21am  

This if from the calculator...

You are guaranteed access to a Silver plan with an actuarial value of 70%. This means that for all enrollees in a typical population, the plan will pay for 70% of expenses in total for covered benefits, with enrollees responsible for the rest. If you choose to enroll in a Bronze plan, the actuarial value will be 60%, meaning your out-of-pocket costs when you use services will likely be higher. Regardless of which level of coverage you choose, deductibles and copayments will vary from plan to plan, and out-of-pocket costs will depend on your health care expenses. Preventive services will be covered with no cost sharing required.

You'll pay 40% of a major surgery under the bronze plan or 30% under the silver plan. For me, that's after already paying about $800 a month(if that calculator is true, which I highly DOUBT!).
Who has $12K laying around after paying the Mortgage/Rent(which goes up more and more every month), Gas(the biggest volatile driver of our economy), car insurance I'm paying $1200 a year on each car, that's $2400 a year, and I'm told we're lucky, food prices are out of control.

In the last 6 years I have gone from managing to save money ever month, to living on the razor's edge with my finances, going hand to mouth. To put it simply Son, I don't have a few thousand dollar just laying around to pay for healthcare after paying high premiums for health insurance. I may as well not even be insured.
This is my position as someone who is a single income family making a little over 100K a year.

I can imagine those making considerably less, or dual incomes even making less, wouldn't have an extra 30% or 40% of a major medical expense just laying around either.

AND if they fucking Do! The left has think tanks dreaming up even more ways to dragnet those last few remaining dollars from them so they can blame the 1% for their finances.

I think the Left needs more Gates and Buffet's to warn everyone about the ills of the 1%, while injecting disclaimers, that they aren't one.

84   Homeboy   2013 Sep 29, 6:07am  

sbh says

You know these fools: the ones who cannot read. You and Curious are perhaps the only two people in the entire nation to have read the Act. Kudoi to you both.

Thank you for the compliment. I have had Curious2 on ignore for some time now. I only see its posts when they show up as a preview on the front page. Perhaps it has changed in the time I have had it on ignore, and no longer substitutes insults, drivel, and nonsensical rants for content, but judging from the reactions of others to its posts and what I see in the previews, I highly doubt it. It looks to me like it still follows me around like a puppy dog hurling insults and not much more.

I once took a stand in a thread that contained the usual unscientific ranting about SSRIs supposedly being completely useless and killing more people than they help. I pointed out that medication has actually helped many people with depression live normal lives. Now Curious2 follows me around the forum and says I am addicted to SSRIs, and that a doctor convinced me that I had to take them. None of that is true; I simply sided with science in a thread against an onslaught of unscientific reactionary bashing. And like a child, Curious2 repeats the same insults over and over and over. In fact, in this very thread, I see it wrote I am "addicted to toxic placebos". And it does this to pretty much anyone who disagrees with it. Just yesterday I saw it calling someone else an "addict" as well. Honestly, it doesn't get much more juvenile than that. This circumspection and assidiousness you speak of - sorry, I'm not seeing it.

85   Homeboy   2013 Sep 29, 6:20am  

sbh says

CaptainShuddup says

This is my position as someone who is a single income family making a little over 100K a year.

I think you are a remarkably incompetent manager of your finances.

Word.

86   curious2   2013 Sep 29, 6:25am  

sbh says

Homeboy says

"Circumspect and assiduous". You've got to be sarcastic, right?

I'm speaking plainly.

And you are making an effort to be kind, and you can see from the two "Dislikes" already where that gets you with some posters around here.

I have learned from Homeboy and did try being nice to him. When I Liked some of his comments, he became even more hostile and paranoid, accused me of stalking him, continued pretending to "Ignore" me while also quoting and insulting me, etc. The situation reminded me of a quotation from Marcus Aurelius, and I started calling him Homefool. Now his compulsive defense of Obamacare reminds me of a character from a comedy sketch, and I just laugh.

There is one other likely addict, who can't even remember his whole narcotic history in one comment, denying and then acknowledging selectively. At least he can see through Obamacare, though that may be due to having a supplier who doesn't require insurance, and at least the drugs he takes are proven effective rather than merely advertised to be so.

The main issue is, some people (usually male and infected with Toxoplasma gondii) need to seek out fights. The ordinary life cycle of T. gondii is to reproduce in the intestines of cats, get excreted in the - ahem - kitty litter, get eaten by rodents, infect the brains of the rodents, and change the behavior of the rodents so they seek out cats. Obviously the rodents' behavior is destructive to the rodents, but it enables T. gondii to return to a cat and spread further. In humans, T. gondii is associated with paranoid schizophrenia, car wrecks, etc. If you look at Bob's comment history especially, with the reckless driving (always blamed on others who are persecuting him or otherwise interfering with him) and injuries, and the relentless pugnacity, you can see it. Communities with high levels of T. Gondii infection also report high levels of depression, both among the infected and those who must live among them, because even living around such people causes anxiety and depression. The Internet brings together allsorts, including especially toxoplasmotics who are too old or weak to participate in their local boxing ring; they troll for fights, then sometimes retreat to their "Ignore" corners.

87   Homeboy   2013 Sep 29, 6:43am  

sbh says

I went down the subsidy rabbit hole of the link you provided (as you always do) and found, I must say, at this point in life, and old friend. If one wants to prepare oneself for this special torture I suggest he become a sole proprietor contractor and register with the Feds, and then file/compile his own taxes. The CCR gauntlet and the Annualized Income Worksheet will suffice to prepare him for the tender mercies of the subsidy portion of ACA.

Not sure what you're going on about here, but I looked at the print version of that application, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/03/14/want-obamacare-heres-the-21-page-draft-application/ and I have to say the application process I went through just to get Blue Shield private health insurance last year was much, much worse than that. There are actually only 6 pages that would have to be filled out on that ACA application.

Page 1 - Name and address
Page 2 - Did you file a tax return; info about what you're applying for; demographic info

Page 3 - Job and income (sort of makes sense if you are asking for a subsidy, don't you think?)

Pages 4 - 13 are just spaces to put in the same info for additional applicants (this also makes sense unless you thought they were going to divine how big your family is and magically have information about them all)

Pages 14 and 15 - Your current insurance information.

Page 16 - Are you Native American? (We did do that whole genocide against them earlier in the country's history, so I think the least we could do is give them a little break on health insurance, don't you think?)

Page 17 - Are you eligible for Medicaid and your signature.

That's all you have to fill out.

Please explain which of those six pages is a "rabbit hole". No offense, but don't you think you guys are kind of being drama queens about this? That all seems like necessary information to me if you are asking the government to give you money.

88   marcus   2013 Sep 29, 10:03am  

CaptainShuddup says

AND if they fucking Do! The left has think tanks dreaming up even more ways to dragnet those last few remaining dollars from them so they can blame the 1% for their finances.

This is why I find it hard to believe you could possibly make 100K per year. Anyone who thinks like this can't possible program their way out of a paper bag.

Not to mention the number of comments you've managed to write on here in just 1 1/2 years.

Although, I must admit, you said single income, you didn't say it was yours.

89   Tenpoundbass   2013 Sep 29, 11:39pm  

Liberals beat the shit out of them with facts, and squash their Liberal Utopian views, they'll just attack you.

"Homeboy says

sbh says

CaptainShuddup says

This is my position as someone who is a single income family making a little over 100K a year.

I think you are a remarkably incompetent manager of your finances.

Word.

Homeboy what in the fuck do you know about finances, the state and federal comptroller is your only income source? And SBH is a mentally confused Indian, who thinks he's a Lawyer, who works as professional Liberal schill. Of course he's going to insult me every chance he gets.
That's OK I'll take it. I make 6 figures and shit's tight. Just wait in a few more days when this shithole legislation goes live. There's going to be couple 10 million middle class workers that are going to turn into "incompetent managers of their finances."

And they'll all Vote Republican in 2014 and 2016, I Guaran-Fuckin'-Tee it.

90   bob2356   2013 Sep 30, 12:36am  

curious2 says

No, it's that you can't stop fighting even with yourself. BTW, though now you cop to only "2 days worth of oxicontin [sic] 10 years ago," you previously denied taking Oxycontin but admitted other opioids and opiates. It is terribly sad to see a college graduate so reduced, either deep in denial or lost in a haze so thick that you can't even remember anymore. Truly, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

I misspoke, I've been listening to your oxycontin bullshit so long I typed the wrong thing. I took oxycodone for 2 days 10 years ago. They are the same thing except oxycontin is time release. If this level of nitpicking Is the best you can come up with you are truly a pathetic creature. Must be lonely being the mayor of limp dick weenieville.

If you can't grasp relative pricing between products then I would say your college education was a major waste of money. If a med is half the cost of a gallon of milk in country a and the same half the cost in country b then it costs same percentage of income to person buying it in either country. no matter what the absolute prices are between the countries. As always you are ducking the question or morphing it. First you said meds, now it's aspirin. Are OTC medications more expensive in Mexico than America? Simple question, see how many more ways you can duck it. They weren't when I lived 10 minutes from Matamoros. People drove over to get script and otc meds cheaper.

I produced software for multinational clothing manufacturers for many years. I'm very sure I know quite a lot more about value and cost of production than you, especially about multi country transactions. Garment manufactures do lots of multi country transactions.

There was no retorical question. It's a simple question direct question, you just don't want to answer it because it undercuts your arguments. As usual you don't even begin to recognize the contradictions in your own positions. You said look at cheaper systems. All the cheaper systems (including your favorite Mexico where the government buys half the script drugs directly and controls all prices) out there involve bulk government buying and government restrictions on high priced on patent meds. Is this what you are advocating? Yes or No. I will say you are the best tap dancer since Fred Astaire.

91   anonymous   2013 Sep 30, 12:47am  

If Marcus and Homeboy band together to claim something is good, that's all i need to know to be certain it's bad.

Simple simon motherfuckers, they are

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