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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObamacare off to great start in Kentucky, Washington, Oregon
by Joan McCarter
Kentucky's Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear has great things to say about the launch of Obamacare in his state.
"We're signing up people at roughly a thousand a day. It's a great rate and a great success so far," he said on CNN's "New Day." <...>
Asked about Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, Kentucky's two senators and staunch opponents of Obamacare, the governor said critics of the law "are not paying attention to the facts" and they "weave a web of misinformation."
His piece of advice?
"Take a deep breath. You know, this system is going to work. The only thing that really isn't working right now on the federal level is the website," he told CNN's Chris Cuomo. "I'll guarantee you that whether it's a week from now, a month from now, two months from now, they'll get it up and they'll get it working. People will be signing up."
Likewise, in Washington state, the system is going gangbusters, with more than 35,000 people enrolled in the first three weeks of the program. Of those, about 31,000 qualify for the expanded Medicaid. In the first three weeks, "35,500 Washingtonians have enrolled in coverage through Healthplanfinder and nearly 70,000 additional residents have completed applications." That's the kind of success seen in Oregon, which its uninsured population by 10 percent in just the first two weeks of enrollments in the Medicaid expansion.
What do all these states have in common? Democratic governors who actually want everyone in their state to have access to health care.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/22/1249670/-Obamacare-off-to-great-start-in-Kentucky-Washington-nbsp-Oregon
Kentucky GOP Senators Were Wrong That State Didnt Want Obamacare
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023864125
Kentucky's success makes a mockery of GOP Obamacare foes
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023779107
Thanks To Obamacare, Oregon Cut Its Unsinsured Population By 10 Percent Over The Past Two Weeks
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023873997
Success in NY:
Three weeks since the Affordable Care Act's Oct. 1 rollout, at least 150,000 people have successfully signed up for a health insurance plan using New York state's website, according to the Albany Times Union.
"In less than three weeks since the launch of NY State of Health, already nearly 150,000 NewYorkers have signed up for quality, low-cost health insurance," said Donna Frescatore, executive director of the state online marketplace, in an emailed statement. "Thousands of New Yorkers have not only registered, but actually enrolled in and purchased insurance coverage through the NY State of Health website, according to the state Health Department. Officials will not say how many, and have promised that number soon.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/150-000-sign-ups-under-new-york-obamacare-exchange
BluegrassStateBlues
(881 posts)gopiscrap
(23,761 posts)ProSense
(116,464 posts)pinto
(106,886 posts)lostincalifornia
(3,639 posts)Response to ProSense (Original post)
lostincalifornia This message was self-deleted by its author.
Phentex
(16,334 posts)I wonder when they will give up and start reporting the truth?
Response to Phentex (Reply #8)
lostincalifornia This message was self-deleted by its author.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)Response to ProSense (Reply #12)
lostincalifornia This message was self-deleted by its author.
Pretzel_Warrior
(8,361 posts)It has actually begun to cure my arthritis.
pinto
(106,886 posts)Kingofalldems
(38,458 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)Cha
(297,314 posts)Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)In a liberal doctor's office, and I said it wasn't true. That was one clerk. The other clerk said it was 'a mess, impossible to find out how to get it.'
These are people with no time to go online, most likely hearing hot air from those watching tv, etc. Please answer the first question, at least.
Is there a tax penalty for not enrolling?
TIA.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)Starting 2014, most people must have health coverage or pay a fee (the individual shared responsibility payment). You can get an exemption in certain cases.
The individual shared responsibility payment
If you can afford health insurance but choose not to buy it, you must pay a fee known as the individual shared responsibility payment.
The fee in 2014 is 1% of your yearly income or $95 per person for the year, whichever is higher. The fee increases every year. In 2016 it is 2.5% of income or $695 per person, whichever is higher.
In 2014 the payment for uninsured children is $47.50 per child. The most a family would have to pay in 2014 is $285.
You make the payment when you file your 2014 taxes, which are due in April 2015.
Exemptions from the payment
Under certain circumstances, you wont have to make the individual responsibility payment. This is called an exemption.
You may qualify for an exemption if:
- Youre uninsured for less than 3 months of the year
- The lowest-priced coverage available to you would cost more than 8% of your household income
- You dont have to file a tax return because your income is too low (Learn about the filing limit.)
- Youre a member of a federally recognized tribe or eligible for services through an Indian Health Services provider
- Youre a member of a recognized health care sharing ministry
- Youre a member of a recognized religious sect with religious objections to insurance, including Social Security and Medicare
- Youre incarcerated, and not awaiting the disposition of charges against you
- Youre not lawfully present in the U.S.
If you have any of the circumstances below that affect your ability to purchase health insurance coverage, you may qualify for a hardship exemption:
- You were homeless.
- You were evicted in the past 6 months or were facing eviction or foreclosure.
- You received a shut-off notice from a utility company.
- You recently experienced domestic violence.
- You recently experienced the death of a close family member.
- You experienced a fire, flood, or other natural or human-caused disaster that caused substantial damage to your property.
- You filed for bankruptcy in the last 6 months.
- You had medical expenses you couldnt pay in the last 24 months.
- You experienced unexpected increases in necessary expenses due to caring for an ill, disabled, or aging family member.
- You expect to claim a child as a tax dependent whos been denied coverage in Medicaid and CHIP, and another person is required by court order to give medical support to the child. In this case, you do not have the pay the penalty for the child.
- As a result of an eligibility appeals decision, youre eligible for enrollment in a qualified health plan (QHP) through the Marketplace, lower costs on your monthly premiums, or cost-sharing reductions for a time period when you werent enrolled in a QHP through the Marketplace.
- You were determined ineligible for Medicaid because your state didnt expand eligibility for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
If you are applying for an exemption based on: coverage being unaffordable; membership in a health care sharing ministry; membership in a federally-recognized tribe; or being incarcerated:
- more -
https://www.healthcare.gov/exemptions/
Much more information:
All Topics
https://www.healthcare.gov/all-topics/
ProSense
(116,464 posts)sheshe2
(83,791 posts)For getting Obamacare off to a good start!
ACA/Obamacare is going to a game changer, ProSense. Oh yes it is!