Social Security and ACA

[Jacob]

JR, it's been going for a long time, it's working and so sort of undermining you argument, as those young hard working people have grown old and are now claiming these benefit, in turn other young people have come along to fund it ?

Or am I missing something ? 

You're missing that it's been passed for some time but hasn't actually been in implementation. It's still getting started.

I'm pretty sure mongers was referring to Social Security, not ACA.

[MadImmortalMan]

Oh yeah. It's very likely that the ACA will evolve just like SSA did. IMO. Eventually, it will reach an equilibrium that works well for the most people.

[sbr]

I mean pass Congress and be signed by a President.

Well with the current Congress and the current president nothing would pass.

Back at the beginning of Obama's first term they would have passed whatever he told them to.

So you think the law that was passed is what he wanted from the start? 

[Savonarola]

So you think the law that was passed is what he wanted from the start? 

He said it was 95% of what he wanted.  What did Barack want that isn't part of the current law?

[CountDeMoney]

In reality, it is and always has been a transfer of funds from young, middle class working people to the elderly, pure and simple.  The "trust fund" is just a marketing gimmick, a set of accounting fictions where different branches of the federal government write IOUs back and forth to each other.

You mean that young, middle class working people have never transferred funds to themselves when they became elderly?  Ever?

[Berkut]

Meh, it is certainly a transfer of funds from those with a low risk of needing significant medical attention to those who are at a high risk of needing significant medical attention.

You can look at that as a transfer from the young and healthy to the old and sick, or you can look at as a forward payment - everyone who is currently young and healthy is hoping to reach old and in need of more medical care.

[MadImmortalMan]

The health rich are taxed to pay for the health poor. Or the youth rich to the youth poor. The main difference is that you don't have a guarantee if you're cash rich that someday you will be cash poor. 

[Ideologue]

It never should have been enacted.  Single payer, or nothing.

[Admiral Yi]

So you think the law that was passed is what he wanted from the start? 

The only meaningful way in which Congress altered his proposal that I can think of was to add some phony revenue from holding down Medicare reimbursement rates, so that it would be quote unquote revenue neutral.

[Ideologue]

I'm still really, really worried about being able to afford the mandated insurance and/or the penalty.  It's such fucking bullshit.

What say you to that, Joan, you party hack?

[Admiral Yi]

You're really, really worried you won't be able to pay 1% of your income? 

[Ideologue]

You're really, really worried you won't be able to pay 1% of your income? 

Doesn't it balloon after 2014?

[Admiral Yi]

Doesn't it balloon after 2014?

My tentative understanding is it starts out at $95 or 1%, whichever is higher, then moves in stages to $235 or 1%, whichever is higher.

Or maybe it's whichever is lower. 

[dps]

Doesn't it balloon after 2014?

My tentative understanding is it starts out at $95 or 1%, whichever is higher, then moves in stages to $235 or 1%, whichever is higher.

Or maybe it's whichever is lower. 

If it's which ever is lower, I'll be better off to just continue not to have insurance and pay the penalty.

[Ideologue]

Looked it up.  It's greater.  And, yes, actually, 1% of my income is no joke.  That's like $350-500.  That's like half a week's work.  For what?  I didn't even get anything out of it; I just helped pay for fucking Boomers' Viagra and cancer medications.

If I actually got insurance it'd cost like a zillion dollars.  Well, like $2-4000, or even more.  Who knows?  Which is insane.  Now we're talking serious impact.

The hierarchy of needs does not begin with fucking health insurance.  Fuck Obama and his dumb hybrid bullshit plan that most of America is frankly too poor to afford.