Obama’s Health Care Law Penalizes Marriage, Analysts Say

[Conservative]

Obama

The law includes generous subsidies for the uninsured so they can afford to buy coverage in the new insurance exchanges that are part of the legislation.

But several analysts told Congress Thursday the nature of the subsidies has an odd effect.

"The way this bill is structured, there are disincentives for women to marry and disincentives for women to work," said Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. "And for a bill that's supposed to make Americans healthier, these disincentives are truly startling."

Critics say that beginning in 2014, Americans will find it more advantageous to stay single than marry because it will be easier to afford health coverage.

Why? The new law provides generous subsidies for those without insurance so they can buy it on the new exchanges, but the subsidies are tied to one's income level and there's the rub.

The income measure for subsidy purposes are not based on individuals but rather on families. And that creates a perverse incentive.

"Two singles would each be able to earn $43,000 and still receive help to purchase health insurance, but if they got married and combined their earnings to $86,000, they would be far above the limit," Furchtgott-Roth explained.

Way to go, Barry.

 

[Greenbeard]

So what's the point here? A couple making $86,000 should get government assistance to buy health insurance in the individual market?

 

[Caroljo]

So what's the point here? A couple making $86,000 should get government assistance to buy health insurance in the individual market?

It was promoted as "Affordable Healthcare of ALL"....
What a bunch of crap! So what if a "couple" is making $86000, if they have children, a home, other liabilities they'll never be able to afford it. Just one more scam by our great leader.

 

[Greenbeard]

What a bunch of crap! So what if a "couple" is making $86000, if they have children, a home, other liabilities they'll never be able to afford it. Just one more scam by our great leader.

A couple with children is no longer just a couple, is it? We're talking about (multiples of the) poverty thresholds, which vary by family size. A couple with two children bringing in $86,000 would be eligible for subsidies in the individual market under the ACA.

Anyway, I'm still not really sure what the point is here. If it's that the subsidies should be more generous and/or the threshold for receiving them should be higher, I imagine that if conservatives led the charge for that it wouldn't have all that much trouble getting through.

 

[Unkotare]

Destruction of the family is a classic Marxist goal.