Houngan
3161
Like Jeff pointed out, if the penalty goes against their year-end taxes, the IRS is well equipped to enforce that. Did you know Al Capone didn’t have health care, and that’s what sent him to the clink?
H.
jeffd
3162
I don’t think it goes against your year end taxes - it’s not something the IRS is empowered to collect the way they collect tax debt.
Lorini
3163
I think the death spiral is going to kill the insurance companies interest in doing health care and we will end up with single payer because the government will the only entity left able to get health care for people. This won’t happen in the short term, but I’d be surprised if it didn’t happen by 2020 or so.
jeffd
3164
A fun chart from Menzie Chin compares the deficit impact of the Bush tax cuts, the Iraq war, and the ACA.
Related to a previous discussion - Austin Frakt crunches some numbers, comparing the mandate penalty under Obamacare to the one in Massachusetts and determines that we won’t see much gaming of the mandate system.
It’s going to be more fun to redo that chart in ten years with the actual versus original projected impact of both the ACA and the Iraq war. Iraq will still win for over-optimism, but I think it’ll still be impressive.
Has anyone come up with a number estimating the cost if the ENTIRE Medicare inflation cuts don’t go through? It’s probably still lower than Iraq.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hHmvcmShIQxOhfb43m7077LcKXSAD9ER4MQO0
MOUNT DORA, Fla. — A central Florida urologist has posted a sign on his office door warning supporters of President Barack Obama to find a different doctor.
The notice on Dr. Jack Cassell’s Mount Dora practice says, “If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years.”
Cassell told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday he wasn’t questioning patients or refusing care, because that would be unethical.
“But if they read the sign and turn the other way, so be it,” he said.
Cassell, 56, also provides Republican reading material in the waiting room — probably not a risky move, given that Mount Dora’s 10,000 residents and the surrounding area lean heavily conservative. Above a stack of GOP health care literature, a sign reads: “This is what the morons in Washington have done to your health care. Take one, read it and vote out anyone who voted for it.”
Amazing.
… what kind of a guy chooses to specialize in urology?
Andrew
3169
You really don’t want to piss him off.
From a surgical perspective, it’s quite cool. They are the ones using the latest robotic surgical devices such as the Da Vinci system.
In what situations would a doctor Da Vinci chodes?
Are members of Congress required to choose from the same health care options as I am, according to the bill?
Yes, they will either get health care from their employer, or will have to buy it on the health care exchanges.
Thanks. Someone forwarded me a mass email about Congressman Fleming of LA proposing a bill that would suggest that Congresspeople be forced to use the ‘public health’ option. But the email did not mention the public health option, and the email made it sound like this is recent news.
Well, of course they’ll get their SUPERPERKY insurance through Congress, but the e-mail just wants people to think that 1) there is anything in there that says the state will control anything apart from they’re already controlling and 2) that it would be so horrible congressmen would want to make sure they’re not part of it.
wahoo
3177
There’s an apparently new CRS report saying that Congress just ended their own insurance and the insurance of their personal staff (but not Cmte staff). That’s why this is getting new attention.
Ended? As in their superperky insurance is no more? What’s it being replaced with? The stuff in the HCR bill that applies to you and me?
wahoo
3179
Doing no research on the matter whatsoevr and just going by some brief blog mentions…I think Congress gets kicked off the FEHB and put in the defacto exchange. (Odds of that happening are zippo as this will be fixed!)
Cubit
3180
The new Frontline episode on PBS last week examined the process of getting health reform done starting this time last year. Well worth a watch, imo.
Obama’s Deal
It isn’t very flattering of Obama and the Dems in many ways.
