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That Obamacare Architect May Have Been Right

NOT ABOUT THE LAW … BUT ABOUT PEOPLE BEING STUPID || By FITSNEWS || Remember Jonathan Gruber? He’s the liberal economist and Obamacare architect who admitted manipulating the law’s numbers in an effort to have it scored a certain way by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Oh, and he also called American…

NOT ABOUT THE LAW … BUT ABOUT PEOPLE BEING STUPID

|| By FITSNEWS || Remember Jonathan Gruber? He’s the liberal economist and Obamacare architect who admitted manipulating the law’s numbers in an effort to have it scored a certain way by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Oh, and he also called American voters “stupid” for believing it.

Anyway Gruber – whom U.S. president Barack Obama unsuccessfully attempted to disavow – may have been right.  And not about the law (which is a damned disaster), but about the “stupid” part.

According to a new study from the Urban Institute, many of the millions of Americans who will be forced to pay Obamacare’s insidious “individual mandate tax” have no clue what’s about to hit them.

“More than 4 in 10 uninsured adults who may be subject to the penalty have heard little or nothing about it,” the study revealed.

Wow …

“Among adults who were uninsured as of December 2014 and had family incomes above the federal poverty level, 19.3 percent had heard only a little about the penalty for not having coverage in 2014, and 24.8 percent had heard nothing at all about the penalty,” the report found.  “Just over half (53.5 percent) had heard some or a lot about the penalty.”

In other words that “spending renaissance” we keep waiting on is about to face some additional headwinds … namely uninsured Americans being forced to cough up as much as one percent of their income to a tax they didn’t know was coming.

Can anyone say “thank you” chief justice John Roberts?

(Sarcastically, of course).

***

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28 comments

what a tangled web... February 20, 2015 at 10:14 am

Obamacare will be gone after SCOTUS rules on the exchanges in June.
The outrage in this country will make Ferguson look like a picnic when people have to pay this tax/fine or don’t get their federal/state income tax return.
The feds have to have this money and the next steps would have to be leins and threats of prison if people refuse to pay or can’t.

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What Will Actually Happen February 20, 2015 at 10:20 am

5-4 in favor of Obamacare.

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we been grubertized! February 20, 2015 at 10:18 am

Just breaking…almost 1 MILLION tax payers got erroneous tax information from the Obamacare healthcare website and are being told to hold off on filing their tax return.

What a shame these people may not get their tax refunds for months.

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Rocky February 20, 2015 at 3:19 pm

Just in, 20 million people annually get corrected W-2 forms from their employers – OH MY GOD!!!!! SKY IS FALLING!!!!!

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excision required February 20, 2015 at 10:18 am

“HHS extends enrollment after 800k get bad subsidy info…”
Every day, the pus keeps escaping the Obamacare blister. The government will continue with a bandaid here, a bandaid there…. Unfortunately it is an uncontrollable chronic, and incurable disease. See the British Health Service.

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Robert Evans February 20, 2015 at 11:13 am

People are being forced to take responsibility for themselves, and they don’t like it. Film at 11.

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ha ha ha February 20, 2015 at 11:52 am

You mean the millions receiving FREE Medicaid now under Obamacare?
Who in the fuck do you think is paying for that?

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Just a guess February 20, 2015 at 11:58 am

“Who in the fuck do you think is paying for that?”

A half white, chain smoking Santa Clause with big ears and a bitchy wife?

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Robert Evans February 20, 2015 at 12:06 pm

Brush up on your reading comprehension. The penalty discussed in the story is for people who refuse to get coverage, and instead depend on productive members of society to bail them out when they get large hospital bills.

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Xmark February 20, 2015 at 2:19 pm

No those people are still getting it for “FREE” by hook or by crook.

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Robert Evans February 20, 2015 at 2:23 pm

Not necessarily, it depends how much they make.

But even George Bush said, we’ve already got universal healthcare, just go to an emergency room. Which is true, but it’s the most expensive way of having universal healthcare.

It’s cheaper to subsidize health insurance earlier, so people can get checkups and preventative care. It’s far more expensive to pay for their emergency room visits. Since some people don’t have money to begin with, we’re forced to pick one of these options. Obamacare does it cheaper.

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idcydm February 21, 2015 at 7:43 am

$18 Trillion and counting, one of these days no one will have health care.

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Mom February 20, 2015 at 11:36 am

AND the “stupid” uninsured people who will be forced to pay the extra tax STILL won’t know it b/c it will be a part of the April 15 tax that they don’t understand anyway. Hell, most of them don’t know that a tax refund is not really a refund – it’s a reimbursement for overpayment.

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vicupstate February 20, 2015 at 12:30 pm

On the other hand. ..

The biggest entitlement legislation in a generation is causing barely a ripple in corporate America.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — otherwise known as Obamacare — is putting such a small dent in the profits of U.S. companies that many refer to its impact as “not material” or “not significant,” according to a Bloomberg review of conference-call transcripts and interviews with major U.S. employers.

That’s even after a provision went into effect this year requiring companies with 50 or more full-time workers to provide coverage, and after more workers are choosing to enroll in existing company coverage because of another requirement that all Americans get insured.

“It’s just part of doing business,” said Bob Shearer, chief financial officer of VF Corp., which owns the North Face and Vans apparel brands. “Obamacare has added costs, but not so much that we felt we had to talk about it specifically.”

The collective shrug from the nation’s biggest employers undermines the arguments of Republicans, who call the law a job-killer as they seek its repeal.

While U.S. health-care costs continued to rise faster than inflation in the five years since the law was passed, their rate of growth has slowed. Employers spent an average of $11,204 per worker for health benefits in 2014, up 4.6 percent from a year earlier, according to Mercer LLC. That growth rate was 6.1 percent or more each year from 1998 to 2011.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-19/obamacare-proving-not-a-burden-to-u-s-from-chipotle-to-wal-mart

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don't pass GO upchuck February 20, 2015 at 12:41 pm

That’s right vic-you give MILLIONS FREE health insurance and it won’t cause a ‘ripple’.

Is that why half of the GDP growth last quarter was due to MANDATED Obamacare payments?

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Rocky February 20, 2015 at 3:17 pm

Oh brother. If the sky is bluer tomorrow it will be a bad thing and it’s all Obama’s fault. When the next President Bush gets amnesty past it will all be Obama’s fault. When they get a pimple on their @$$ it’s Obama’s fault. Geesh!!!! Get a life.

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? February 20, 2015 at 2:16 pm

Aren’t corporations receiving subsidies and enticements too? People who pay for their insurance without a subsidy are sure feeling it.

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Phillyrich1 February 20, 2015 at 3:08 pm

“Some companies are using higher co-payments and deductibles to require workers to share more costs.”

The article also notes that employers are offering more choices- like high deductible plans- to keep the company’s costs in check.

You see, this is why you have to do your own research. VICUPSTATE shrewdly left that little factoid- which is part of the above linked article- out of his commentary above.

So while there has barely been a ripple to the corporation, it because that extra cost has been passed onto the employee.

This is also a good example of how “If you like your plan” is hitting not just the non-group market but the corporate market also.

Do your own homework, people. Don’t believe me. Go read the full Bloomberg article for yourself.

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Rocky February 20, 2015 at 3:16 pm

Ohhh, that’s just gonna get Grand Tango, Pork Chop and Flip all nutty. Why do you put that kat-knip out there on them like that on Friday. Now they’ll be posting all weekend, wondering where everyone else is. GT probably won’t even be able to eat his ham and beans tonight, and won’t sleep well until someone reponses to his early Saturday AM post about we’re all dumb@$$s with triple !!! marks.

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They po February 20, 2015 at 12:38 pm

That’s only if you are above the poverty. Most South Carolinians have nothing to worry about.

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Thomas February 20, 2015 at 4:22 pm

This is absolutely the truth. Recently, a friend of mine got a new job. She had been working part time between jobs for about 6 months or so before landing this new gig. We’re talking about a 36-year-old white woman, college graduate, connected on social media, etc. When she said she was glad to have a new job and, thus, health insurance, I made a quip about here avoiding the penalty for not having insurance. She had ABSOLUTELY no clue what I was talking about. Zip, zero. When I mentioned Obamacare, she was like “I don’t keep up with politics.”

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GrandTango February 20, 2015 at 5:06 pm

You should not- in a free country- have to keep up w/ politics to keep your government from F*#king you….

I don’t blame her for not keeping up….I blame the TYRANT @$$holes in the Democrat Party for screwing over the people who Build this country…

That’s a F*#king disgrace…. The fact that you have to have a team of lawyers to keep the Democrat Party from robbing you blind is criminal. That’s not America anymore…

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Sylvia Burwell February 20, 2015 at 4:32 pm

CMS Announces Special Enrollment Period for Tax Season

Eligible consumers have from March 15 through April 30 to enroll in coverage

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today a special enrollment period (SEP) for individuals and families who did not have health coverage in 2014 and are subject to the fee or “shared responsibility payment” when they file their 2014 taxes in states which use the Federally-facilitated Marketplaces (FFM).This special enrollment period will allow those individuals and families who
were unaware or didn’t understand the implications of this new requirement to
enroll in 2015 health insurance coverage through the FFM.

For those who were unaware or didn’t understand the implications of the fee for not enrolling in coverage, CMS will provide consumers with an opportunity to purchase health insurance coverage from March 15 to April 30. If consumers do not purchase
coverage for 2015 during this special enrollment period, they may have to pay
a fee when they file their 2015 income taxes.

Those eligible for this special enrollment period live in states with a Federally-facilitated Marketplace and:

Currently are not enrolled in coverage through the FFM for 2015,

Attest that when they filed their 2014 tax return they paid the fee for not having health coverage in 2014, and

Attest that they first became aware of, or understood the implications of, the Shared Responsibility Payment after the end of open enrollment (February 15, 2015) in connection with preparing their 2014 taxes.

The special enrollment period announced today will begin on March 15, 2015 and end at 11:59 pm E.S.T. on April 30, 2015. If a consumer enrolls in coverage before the 15th of the month, coverage will be effective on the first day of the following
month.

This year’s tax season is the first time individuals and families will be asked to provide basic information regarding their health coverage on their tax returns.
Individuals who could not afford coverage or met other conditions may be
eligible to receive an exemption for 2014. To help consumers who did not
have insurance last year determine if they qualify for an exemption, CMS also
launched a health coverage tax exemption tool today on HealthCare.gov and
CuidadodeSalud.gov.

“We recognize that this is the first tax filing season where consumers may have to pay a fee or claim an exemption for not having health insurance coverage,” said CMS
Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. “Our priority is to make sure consumers understand the new requirement to enroll in health coverage and to provide those who were not aware or did not understand the requirement with an opportunity to enroll in affordable coverage this year.”

Most taxpayers, about three quarters, will only need to check a box when they file their taxes to indicate that they had health coverage in 2014 through their employer,
Medicare, Medicaid, veterans care or other qualified health coverage that qualifies as “minimum essential coverage.” The remaining taxpayers – about one-quarter – will take different steps. It is expected that 10 to 20 percent of taxpayers who were uninsured for all or part of 2014 will qualify for an exemption from the requirement to have coverage. A much smaller fraction of taxpayers, an estimated 2 to 4 percent, will pay a fee because they made a choice to not obtain coverage and are not eligible for an exemption.

Americans who do not qualify for an exemption and went without health coverage in 2014 will have to pay a fee – $95 per adult or 1 percent of their income, whichever is greater – when they file their taxes this year. The fee increases to $325 per adult or
2% of income for 2015. Individuals taking advantage of this special enrollment period will still owe a fee for the months they were uninsured and did not receive an exemption in 2014 and 2015. This special enrollment period is designed to allow such individuals the opportunity to get covered for the remainder of the year and avoid additional fees for 2015.

The Administration is committed to providing the information and tools tax filers
need to understand the new requirements. Part of this outreach effort involves coordinating efforts with nonprofit organizations and tax preparers who provide resources to consumers and offer on the ground support. If consumers have questions about their taxes, need to download forms, or want to learn more about the fee for not having insurance, they can find information and resources at http://www.HealthCare.gov/Taxes or http://www.IRS.gov.

Consumers can also call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596.

Consumers who need assistance filing their taxes can visit IRS.gov/VITA or IRS.gov/freefile

Consumers seeking to take advantage of the special enrollment period can find out if they are eligible by visiting https://www.healthcare.gov/get-coverage Consumers can find local help at: Localhelp.healthcare.gov or call the Federally-facilitated Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596.

TTY users should call 1-855-889-4325. Assistance is available in 150 languages. The call is free.

For more information about Health Insurance Marketplaces, visit: http://www.healthcare.gov/marketplace

Additionally, here are helpful links on Tax Roll-out:

Blog.CMS.gov blog

http://blog.cms.gov/2015/02/20/what-consumers-need-to-know-about-corrected-form-1095-as/

HealthCare.gov blog English:

Is your Form 1095-A correct?

https://www.healthcare.gov/blog/is-your-form-1095a-correct/

Spanish version:

¿Está correcto su Formulario 1095-A?

https://www.cuidadodesalud.gov/es/blog/is-your-form-1095a-correct/

Press Release:

http://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2015-Press-releases-items/2015-02-20.html

Exemption Tool:

https://www.healthcare.gov/exemptions-tool/#/

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BO Sux February 20, 2015 at 10:36 pm

What the fuck is all of that?

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tomstickler February 20, 2015 at 4:43 pm

Perhaps more citizens would have paid attention to their responsibility to sign up for health insurance if there had been fewer votes in the House to kill the ACA and fewer lawsuits promising to do the same.

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GrandTango February 20, 2015 at 5:03 pm

You may be the MOST IGNORANT Mother-F*#ker on the face of the earth…and the most liberal…

I bet you blame RAPE victims for getting raped too…

You typical Liberal DUMB-@$$….Gawd yall are STUPID…and I really don’t think you have any idea what a F*#king Dolt you are…because the media tells you you’re smart…as long as you march in line to their ignorance…

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idcydm February 20, 2015 at 6:30 pm

Do you really think if they didn’t have health insurance before or after ACA they actually knew what was going on in congress????

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george February 20, 2015 at 10:04 pm

How many millions of tax dollars did Professor Gruber make? I’ ve read over $7 million on justly a couple of years…it pays to be a crony socialist…

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