$2 Trillion+ in New Taxes for Single Payer, or $50 Billion to Strengthen ObamaCare? Next Question, Please

By BOB HERTZ It is not wise for Democrats to spend all their energy debating Single Payer health care solutions. None of their single player  plans has much chance to pass in 2020, especially under the limited reconciliation process. In the words of Ezra Klein, “If Democrats don’t have a plan for the filibuster, they don’t really have a plan for ambitious health care reform.” Yet while we debate Single Payer – or, even if it somehow passed, wait for it to be installed — millions of persons are still hurting under our current system. We can help these people now! Here are six practical programs to create a better ACA. Taken all together they should not cost more than $50 billion a year. This is a tiny fraction of the new taxes that would be needed for full single payer. This is at least negotiable, especially if Democrats can take the White House and the Senate. Program No. 1 –  Kill the Subsidy Cliff If your annual income as a single taxpayer is under $48,560, you currently get a subsidy when purchasing a qualified plan. At age 60, your subsidy could be as much as $7,000 a year depending on the state. You would be paying $400 a month for a policy whose full price is $1,024 a month, But if your annual income is $ 49,000  or more, you get no subsidy whatsoever. Your premium is the full $1,024 a month –which amounts to about 30% of your aftertax income, and for what? For a policy with deductibles and co...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Policy Medicare Obamacare Politics Affordable Care Act American healthcare Bob Hertz Medicare For All Single payer US Health Care System Source Type: blogs