http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/what-health-bill-means-for-you/
Interactive tool to see how the bill could affect you.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Here is the summary.
Coverage:
* Would expand coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured.
Health Insurance Exchanges:
* The uninsured and self-employed would be able to purchase insurance through state-based exchanges with subsidies available to individuals and families with income between the 133 percent and 400 percent of poverty level.
* Separate exchanges would be created for small businesses to purchase coverage — effective 2014.
* Funding available to states to establish exchanges within one year of enactment and until January 1, 2015.
Subsidies:
* Individuals and families who make between 100 percent – 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and want to purchase their own health insurance on an exchange are eligible for subsidies. They cannot be eligible for Medicare, Medicaid and cannot be covered by an employer. Eligible buyers receive premium credits and there is a cap for how much they have to contribute to their premiums on a sliding scale.
Federal Poverty Level for family of four is $22,050
Paying for the Plan:
* Medicare Payroll tax on investment income — Starting in 2012, the Medicare Payroll Tax will be expanded to include unearned income. That will be a 3.8 percent tax on investment income for families making more than $250,000 per year ($200,000 for individuals).
* Excise Tax — Beginning in 2018, insurance companies will pay a 40 percent excise tax on so-called “Cadillac” high-end insurance plans worth over $27,500 for families ($10,200 for individuals). Dental and vision plans are exempt and will not be counted in the total cost of a family’s plan.
* Tanning Tax — 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning services.
Medicare:
* Closes the Medicare prescription drug “donut hole” by 2020. Seniors who hit the donut hole by 2010 will receive a $250 rebate.
* Beginning in 2011, seniors in the gap will receive a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs. The bill also includes $500 billion in Medicare cuts over the next decade.
Medicaid:
* Expands Medicaid to include 133 percent of federal poverty level which is $29,327 for a family of four.
* Requires states to expand Medicaid to include childless adults starting in 2014.
* Federal Government pays 100 percent of costs for covering newly eligible individuals through 2016.
* Illegal immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid.
Insurance Reforms:
* Six months after enactment, insurance companies could no longer denying children coverage based on a preexisting condition.
* Starting in 2014, insurance companies cannot deny coverage to anyone with preexisting conditions.
* Insurance companies must allow children to stay on their parent’s insurance plans through age 26.
Abortion:
* The bill segregates private insurance premium funds from taxpayer funds. Individuals would have to pay for abortion coverage by making two separate payments, private funds would have to be kept in a separate account from federal and taxpayer funds.
* No health care plan would be required to offer abortion coverage. States could pass legislation choosing to opt out of offering abortion coverage through the exchange.
**Separately, anti-abortion Democrats worked out language with the White House on an executive order that would state that no federal funds can be used to pay for abortions except in the case of rape, incest or health of the mother. (Read more here)
Individual Mandate:
* In 2014, everyone must purchase health insurance or face a $695 annual fine. There are some exceptions for low-income people.
Note: If you are eligible for Medicare/Medicaid, or make less than the limit for filing income tax you are also not fined.
Employer Mandate:
* Technically, there is no employer mandate. Employers with more than 50 employees must provide health insurance or pay a fine of $2000 per worker each year if any worker receives federal subsidies to purchase health insurance. Fines applied to entire number of employees minus some allowances.
Immigration:
* Illegal immigrants will not be allowed to buy health insurance in the exchanges — even if they pay completely with their own money
Coverage:
* Would expand coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured.
Health Insurance Exchanges:
* The uninsured and self-employed would be able to purchase insurance through state-based exchanges with subsidies available to individuals and families with income between the 133 percent and 400 percent of poverty level.
* Separate exchanges would be created for small businesses to purchase coverage — effective 2014.
* Funding available to states to establish exchanges within one year of enactment and until January 1, 2015.
Subsidies:
* Individuals and families who make between 100 percent – 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and want to purchase their own health insurance on an exchange are eligible for subsidies. They cannot be eligible for Medicare, Medicaid and cannot be covered by an employer. Eligible buyers receive premium credits and there is a cap for how much they have to contribute to their premiums on a sliding scale.
Federal Poverty Level for family of four is $22,050
Paying for the Plan:
* Medicare Payroll tax on investment income — Starting in 2012, the Medicare Payroll Tax will be expanded to include unearned income. That will be a 3.8 percent tax on investment income for families making more than $250,000 per year ($200,000 for individuals).
* Excise Tax — Beginning in 2018, insurance companies will pay a 40 percent excise tax on so-called “Cadillac” high-end insurance plans worth over $27,500 for families ($10,200 for individuals). Dental and vision plans are exempt and will not be counted in the total cost of a family’s plan.
* Tanning Tax — 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning services.
Medicare:
* Closes the Medicare prescription drug “donut hole” by 2020. Seniors who hit the donut hole by 2010 will receive a $250 rebate.
* Beginning in 2011, seniors in the gap will receive a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs. The bill also includes $500 billion in Medicare cuts over the next decade.
Medicaid:
* Expands Medicaid to include 133 percent of federal poverty level which is $29,327 for a family of four.
* Requires states to expand Medicaid to include childless adults starting in 2014.
* Federal Government pays 100 percent of costs for covering newly eligible individuals through 2016.
* Illegal immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid.
Insurance Reforms:
* Six months after enactment, insurance companies could no longer denying children coverage based on a preexisting condition.
* Starting in 2014, insurance companies cannot deny coverage to anyone with preexisting conditions.
* Insurance companies must allow children to stay on their parent’s insurance plans through age 26.
Abortion:
* The bill segregates private insurance premium funds from taxpayer funds. Individuals would have to pay for abortion coverage by making two separate payments, private funds would have to be kept in a separate account from federal and taxpayer funds.
* No health care plan would be required to offer abortion coverage. States could pass legislation choosing to opt out of offering abortion coverage through the exchange.
**Separately, anti-abortion Democrats worked out language with the White House on an executive order that would state that no federal funds can be used to pay for abortions except in the case of rape, incest or health of the mother. (Read more here)
Individual Mandate:
* In 2014, everyone must purchase health insurance or face a $695 annual fine. There are some exceptions for low-income people.
Note: If you are eligible for Medicare/Medicaid, or make less than the limit for filing income tax you are also not fined.
Employer Mandate:
* Technically, there is no employer mandate. Employers with more than 50 employees must provide health insurance or pay a fine of $2000 per worker each year if any worker receives federal subsidies to purchase health insurance. Fines applied to entire number of employees minus some allowances.
Immigration:
* Illegal immigrants will not be allowed to buy health insurance in the exchanges — even if they pay completely with their own money
Monday, March 1, 2010
Daily agenda
7:33 Arrive at work
7:35 to 7:50 Wait for computer to boot up. To save time, Get coffee and gossip while waiting.
7:50 - 8:00 more gossip, talk about WoW
8:00 - 8:15 read email and meeting invites. cry because of how insipid it all is, especially the meeting invite for 2-4pm from the big boss saying he will explain what is going on since our supervisor was fired last week. TWO HOURS? ugh
8:15 - 9:00 IM with coworkers, plan for meetings, eavesdrop
9:00 - 9:15 smoke break when team meeting is canceled because our supervisor was fired, and now big boss is our direct supervisor.
9:15 - 9:30 screw around reading xkcd in a coworkers cube and speculate on agenda of meeting with big boss later.
9:30 - 10:00 research prices of digital voice recorders to record big boss's speech in the 2 hour meeting later
10:00 - 10:20 meeting where people discuss obvious things and create a process which violates all best business practices for IT. Hear coworker say (when asked who we report to now) "no one" when two other coworkers simultaneously say name of big boss. Suspect that coworker will be the next boss just because she is so dumb.
10:20 - 10:33 look at instantchewbacca.com , clicking the button repeatedly because it is exactly how I feel right now
10:34 - 10:42 dick around on the internet reading xkcd and the fake AP Stylebook
10:42 - 10:45 watch annoying Visa commercial from the Olympics
10:45 - 11:00 contemplate quitting, talk to coworker about work stuff
11:00 - 11:38 Lunch and smoke break, wherein I joke with former supervisor about hitting the liquor store on the way back from lunch, she replies we should just go to her house and I say I am free from 2 to 4pm
11:38 - 11:42 read email about using a patching agent to deploy another patching agent, which is like using Google to search for Bing
11:45 - 11:50 take and fail an online quiz about postpartum depression
11:50 - 11:57 read and eyeroll at top 10 radical parenting methods article
11:58 - 12:10 dick around with "parenting skills" game on Discovery health
12:10 - 12:25 edit star wars propaganda poster with vader on it to refer to my workplace
12:26 - 12:38 read Found magazine while drinking Red Bull to get pumped for my 2pm meeting
12:39 - 12:53 talk about books and Found magazine with coworker, also enlighten her as to the size of Powell's City of Books
12:54 - 12:58 pee out the redbull/coffee/dietcoke
12:59 - 1:10 smoke break
1:12 - 1:30 talk about when big boss will show up, talk about knitting and reading some more
1:30 - 1:55 glue handle on rainbow coffee mug, IM with coworkers, fill out time sheet, write draft of resignation letter, blog
2:00 - 4:00 Listen to the big boss
4:02 drink heavily
More on what the big boss had to say after I actually hear it. Whee.
7:35 to 7:50 Wait for computer to boot up. To save time, Get coffee and gossip while waiting.
7:50 - 8:00 more gossip, talk about WoW
8:00 - 8:15 read email and meeting invites. cry because of how insipid it all is, especially the meeting invite for 2-4pm from the big boss saying he will explain what is going on since our supervisor was fired last week. TWO HOURS? ugh
8:15 - 9:00 IM with coworkers, plan for meetings, eavesdrop
9:00 - 9:15 smoke break when team meeting is canceled because our supervisor was fired, and now big boss is our direct supervisor.
9:15 - 9:30 screw around reading xkcd in a coworkers cube and speculate on agenda of meeting with big boss later.
9:30 - 10:00 research prices of digital voice recorders to record big boss's speech in the 2 hour meeting later
10:00 - 10:20 meeting where people discuss obvious things and create a process which violates all best business practices for IT. Hear coworker say (when asked who we report to now) "no one" when two other coworkers simultaneously say name of big boss. Suspect that coworker will be the next boss just because she is so dumb.
10:20 - 10:33 look at instantchewbacca.com , clicking the button repeatedly because it is exactly how I feel right now
10:34 - 10:42 dick around on the internet reading xkcd and the fake AP Stylebook
10:42 - 10:45 watch annoying Visa commercial from the Olympics
10:45 - 11:00 contemplate quitting, talk to coworker about work stuff
11:00 - 11:38 Lunch and smoke break, wherein I joke with former supervisor about hitting the liquor store on the way back from lunch, she replies we should just go to her house and I say I am free from 2 to 4pm
11:38 - 11:42 read email about using a patching agent to deploy another patching agent, which is like using Google to search for Bing
11:45 - 11:50 take and fail an online quiz about postpartum depression
11:50 - 11:57 read and eyeroll at top 10 radical parenting methods article
11:58 - 12:10 dick around with "parenting skills" game on Discovery health
12:10 - 12:25 edit star wars propaganda poster with vader on it to refer to my workplace
12:26 - 12:38 read Found magazine while drinking Red Bull to get pumped for my 2pm meeting
12:39 - 12:53 talk about books and Found magazine with coworker, also enlighten her as to the size of Powell's City of Books
12:54 - 12:58 pee out the redbull/coffee/dietcoke
12:59 - 1:10 smoke break
1:12 - 1:30 talk about when big boss will show up, talk about knitting and reading some more
1:30 - 1:55 glue handle on rainbow coffee mug, IM with coworkers, fill out time sheet, write draft of resignation letter, blog
2:00 - 4:00 Listen to the big boss
4:02 drink heavily
More on what the big boss had to say after I actually hear it. Whee.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
