Healthcare going forward

[Kulindahr]

 

[cityboy-stl]

Thankfully, BCBS abandoned this stupid idea due to the outrage about it.

 

[thewiz]

I realize everyone is squealing with excitement over all the "billionaires" that will lead government. The problem with billionaires -- or people with money -- is that they have no idea what things really cost. I always laugh when the GQP says that raising taxes on the "rich" will cause the economy to crash. First, they aren't paying taxes anyway because they have accountants who can hide their income. And second, they often are ignorant as to how much they have or what costs really are. They just want something and higher taxes is not going to prevent that.

Billionaires have no idea what prescription drugs cost or, for that matter, what Medicare, Medicaid, or the health care plans cost. Their accountants and minions take care of them and it just appears when or if they need it along with the lip fillers, Botox, and other accoutrements. They have no idea what it's like to go to a hospital ER and sit in the triage area. Or in rural areas -- driving hundreds of miles for basic care.

While the ACA fixed the problem of coverage, it did not address savings or prices. The easiest way is to get rid of the middlemen and private insurance companies but that isn't every going to happen. They make too much, grift too much, and have far too many lobbyists for any elected to challenge. They employ legions to justify denying coverage, most of whom couldn't diagnose a hemorrhoid although a simple look in the mirror would provide them a picture.

 

[KaraBulut]

Since there wasn't a "Not Deplorables" thread, this thread will have to do.

In 2024, one of the few bills that was successfully passed by Congress and signed into law was the "Dr. Emmanuel Bilirakis and Honorable Jennifer Wexton National Plan to End Parkinson's Act".

The bill instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to create a program to investigate the causes of Parkinson's disease and to develop programs that improve conditions for patients with Parkinson's until a cure is found.

The bill is named after Rep Jennifer Wexton [D-VA] who served 3 terms in the US House after serving in the Virginia Senate. Rep Wexton retired this year after she was diagnosed with supranuclear palsy which has impaired her ability to speak. She gave her retirement speech on the floor of the US House yesterday with the assistance of a voice generator that replicated her speaking voice.

Wexton generally kept a low profile during her time in Congress but one issue that she was very vocal about was trans rights. She is the aunt of a transgender child, and was very vocal about how the Republican campaign against trans people hurt her family. This speech was from 2 years ago, shortly before her diagnosis.

 

[rareboy]

 

[KaraBulut]

That awful Obamacare that Republicans want to get rid of...

Call it "ACA" and it gets record enrollment this year.

https://thehill.com/newsletters/health-care/5051786-aca-enrollment-marks-another-record-year/

The Biden administration is touting a record 16.6 million people who signed up for health coverage that starts Jan. 1.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said Friday that, of the 16.6 million signees this year, 2 million were new signups.

 

[rareboy]

And demographic analysis...apparently shows that:

But it is like all benefits...the right wingers opposed to benefits aren't opposed to benefits, they are just opposed to benefits for others.

 

[cityboy-stl]

And demographic analysis...apparently shows that:

But it is like all benefits...the right wingers opposed to benefits aren't opposed to benefits, they are just opposed to benefits for others.

Basically, the only thing reich-wingers don't like about Obamacare is Obama.
Most of them don't even know that Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act are the same thing.

Getting rid of Obamacare is about undoing anything Obama, no matter how they hurt themselves or the country by doing it.
That's why they've never come up with a replacement plan. They have a plan.
Undo Obamacare and put everything back the way it was before Obama. They're obsessed. Stick it to Obama.
That's their actual plan. But they won't say it outright.

 

[Alistair]

Just going over my flexible spend account, I have $1200 left in my account and I’m looking what is and isn’t eligible. It’s kind of stupid that I can’t use it on toothpaste and mouthwash but I can use it for viagra.

I’m going tomorrow and stocking up on OTC supplies before I lose all that money.

 

[KaraBulut]

Just going over my flexible spend account, I have $1200 left in my account and I’m looking what is and isn’t eligible. It’s kind of stupid that I can’t use it on toothpaste and mouthwash but I can use it for viagra.

I’m going tomorrow and stocking up on OTC supplies before I lose all that money.

All sorts of things are eligible. Amazon has an FSA/HSA store that is great for ideas - buy it locally and it will use more of the accumulated funds.

A fancy massage gun is eligible.

A nice stethoscope is a couple of hundred dollars. You can also upgrade your blood pressure monitor.

You can buy a pulse oximeter, biometric monitor (e.g. FitBit, et al) and EKG monitor (some devices require a doctor's prescription to be HSA-eligible).

 

[Kulindahr]

I just finished totaling up my medical expenses for the year -- comes out to 22.9% of my income.

That's ridiculous in a civilized country.

 

[rareboy]

^ Too bad you aren't in Canada.

 

[KaraBulut]

^ Too bad you aren't in Canada.

Or anywhere else in the civilized world.

 

[rareboy]

For those who somehow think that Trump is going to make people's lives better, here's something that actually will thanks to BidenCo.

 

[rareboy]

Ironically it was Biden expanding the coverage for weight loss drugs by medicaid that apparently led to this decision, but even gormless electronic media seems to be determined to make it something that Trump has done. So no. it isn't. Although if DOGE gets a hold of Medicaid and Medicare, expanded coverage could be eliminated and poof, the new build production plants.

 

[Kulindahr]

For those who somehow think that Trump is going to make people's lives better, here's something that actually will thanks to BidenCo.

Too bad it didn't include a provision that the first $5k in medical expenses can be taken as a tax credit.

 

[KaraBulut]

Too bad it didn't include a provision that the first $5k in medical expenses can be taken as a tax credit.

Wouldn't matter. The tax code was changed in 2017 in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) {aka the "Trump tax cuts"). The TCJA increased the standard deduction (which means fewer people can itemize their deductions) which means most people don't qualify to deduct any medical expenses.

The TCJA also increased the minimum threshold for the medical expenses deduction to 7.5% of income. For example, if you made $100,000 and you had $10,000 in medical expenses, you would only be able to claim $2,500 in expenses because $7,500 (7.5% of $100,000) is exempted by TCJA... and the $2,500 is only deductible if the sum total of your deductions exceed the minimum standard deduction of $14,600.

After the 2017 Trump tax cuts passed, itemization to deduct medical expenses dropped by 58% between 2017 and 2018.

The TCJA expires in 2025. Because Americans re-elected a Republican House, Senate and White House, you can kiss any changes to the tax code for medical expenses goodbye for the next 10 years.

 

[Kulindahr]

Wouldn't matter. The tax code was changed in 2017 in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) {aka the "Trump tax cuts"). The TCJA increased the standard deduction (which means fewer people can itemize their deductions)

That's why I said tax credit -- that's something that isn't deducted from taxable income, it reduces the amount of tax itself. Ideally it would be a refundable tax credit so if it reduces tax payable to below zero then it gets added to any refund, but Congress prefers non-refundable tax credits except for corporations. For anyone interested in free markets that should have been a no-brainer.

The TCJA did things backwards anyway: the standard deduction should have been locked at $5k while the individual exemption should have been raised to $12,500 with annual adjustment upwards for inflation.

 

[KaraBulut]

That's why I said tax credit -- that's something that isn't deducted from taxable income, it reduces the amount of tax itself. Ideally it would be a refundable tax credit so if it reduces tax payable to below zero then it gets added to any refund, but Congress prefers non-refundable tax credits except for corporations. For anyone interested in free markets that should have been a no-brainer.

The goal was to get rid of the medical expenses deduction, which is did. If they were to do anything, they should make OOP health insurance premiums deductible.

The TCJA did things backwards anyway: the standard deduction should have been locked at $5k while the individual exemption should have been raised to $12,500 with annual adjustment upwards for inflation.

I had a professor in Tax Accounting who told students on day 1 to ignore the logic they had learned in Intro to Accounting 101 and 102. Tax legislation isn't logical, it's pork. The goal was to make it so that only the well-to-do can itemize (and to screw taxpayers from blue leaning states). It accomplished the goal.

 

[Kulindahr]

The goal was to get rid of the medical expenses deduction, which is did. If they were to do anything, they should make OOP health insurance premiums deductible.

I'd still make the first $5k of all medical expenses a tax credit. It would effectively make basic health care single-payer using the IRS as the accounting department.
Of course that's why politicians won't go for it.