“Liberal journalist feels mugged by Obamacare”
Oy. That’s the headline to David Freddoso’s writeup of Eric Lee’s NYT op-ed, which is so full of schadenfreude goodness I must quote it at length:
Nelson’s health insurance covered 90 percent of the costs after a reasonable $500 deductible. I’m happy he has such good health coverage. He’s my dog. And I’m jealous of him.
He has the kind of health care that I’d hoped the Affordable Care Act would usher in for those who, like my wife and me, have to buy health insurance on the open market. I’d long been frustrated at how health care shackles people to corporate jobs. I believed this legislation, signed four years ago this month, would free people to pursue their dreams, start new companies and not worry about the health insurance penalty.
What I didn’t count on was that it would make things harder for me and my wife.
First, we were notified that we would be kicked out of our existing $263-a-month Anthem Blue Cross plan because it didn’t meet the minimum standards of the new law. No problem, I thought. The plans in the new Covered California exchange would most likely be better and cheaper.
But we were shocked at what we confronted. The least expensive premium for a couple like us in our 40s would be about $620 a month. And because our household adjusted gross income is likely to be over the $62,040 cutoff this year, it’s doubtful we’ll end up with a subsidy to help offset that price increase.
Having always had insurance, we began to wonder if we might have to go uninsured, but in the end, we enrolled. It’s as if we just bought a new car that we will never see and that we can never pay off.
He says he finds “solace” that ♡bamaCare!!! is reputedly helping “a great number of people.”
I wonder how many routine medical bills his solace will cover.
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