[Mari]

Hi,

The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) upheld the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

Health Care is settled.

http://nbcpolitics.msnbc.msn.com/_ne...-care-law?lite
Mari

[DiMarie]

Not sure how I feel about this. I love the parts for kids to be covered until 26 on parents plans. Also, not to have limited lifetime benefits, for the pre-exisiting restriction. I hope that my children can find plans? How will they pay for it? Worry employers will not hire enough help, and kids under 26 that will be covered by their parents plans.

I had hoped this would provide healthcare to everyone on a scale they could afford, not the forced implication. Everyone does need healthcare, not many can afford the care, or care they need.

Like the free or reduced lunch program. But then that is a gov't run program. I really hate having 1/3 of my SSD check go for health care and still have copays, a Plan D that is $11 a month but covers nothing, but the same $4 for meds I would pay at Walmart without the plan.

Even the plan I had last year, upped the Tiers to what and how much they covered. Why waste $38 on a plan that monthly saved me $8 for one med, and I could not afford many others.

Rant over,

[Brokenfriend]

This will help uphold the"Mental Health Parity Act" that was passed about 2 years ago.

If this is so,it's a big win for people with Mental Health Issues,and Expensive
Treatment.

When I started to receive treatment about 42 years ago,all known insurance would not touch me,or help me. Dad had to pay for all of it.

This may drive down the prices for mental health treatment.

There may be less street people in the future,because they got the mental health treatment that they needed.

Companies will pay their people to confuse the public on the issue on Obama care. I've heard allot of confused talk so far.

I haven't heard them talk about the issues of mental health care which will be helped. How could this hurt the the people seeking mental health treatment? BF

[Mari]

Dear Di,

I hear you. Here is a calculator I found to show how much people will have to pay for health insurance:

http://healthreform.kff.org/subsidyc...aspx?source=QL

Medicaid is going to be greatly expanded so that lots more people will get health care under that program.
For people who do not get medicaid, they will buy insurance with a gov subsidy/discount.

I wish we had a full government plan like the school lunch program. We got a hodge-podge instead because Congress had to do a bunch of work arounds in 2009/2010 to pass this.

Here is info from Consumer Reports a few days ago:

http://news.consumerreports.org/heal...two-years.html

But even more important, you guessed right about premiums being subsidized. Come 2014, households with an income of less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level, which in 2012 works out to $44,680 for a single person and $92,200 for a family of four, will be eligible for a subsidy in the form of a refundable tax credit. That means you get it even if you don't owe federal income tax. The subsidies get larger the lower your income.

M

[Mari]

Originally Posted by Brokenfriend

I haven't heard them talk about the issues of mental health care which will be helped. How could this hurt the the people seeking mental health treatment? BF

Dear Steve,

Here is a 9 minute youtube video that explains the entire Act.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Ilc5xK2_E

This 20 minute video is a little long but it deals with mental health under the Act. Kathleen Sebelius, (Secretary of Health and Human Services) and Pamela Hyde (Administrator of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services) are interviewed. ---- this was uploaded two years ago but it seems that the information they are talking about is the same as now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plbTLrRXNk8

- a greater emphasis on preventative care
- a focus on the whole person (physical and mental)
and some other stuff



M

[Mari]

Hi,

Samhsa.gov is a gov web site that has lots of information about Behavioral Health. http://www.samhsa.gov/

They also have a facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/samhsa

M

[waves]

Thank you for this thread Mari, and for all of the helpful information and links that you have posted.

It is hard for me to get some stuff on news, but it is also hard for me to dig up stuff right now... not sure what's with me.



I really appreciate you starting the thread, and then adding to it. It is so helpful for folks who would otherwise have a hard time getting at the information, dealing with the bulk of it, or understanding it, myself included in this case, but i know it isn't just me. So thank you bunches and bunches.





~ waves ~

[Mari]

Hi,
http://www.hrsa.gov/womensguidelines/

Starting tomorrow, August 1, 2012, health care plans are required to offer the following services for free (no co-pays, no deductibles):

• Wel-woman visits
• Screening for gestational diabetes
• Human papillomavirus testing
• Counseling for sexually transmitted infections
• Counseling and screening for human immune-deficiency virus
• Contraceptive methods and counseling
• Screening and counseling for interpersonal and domestic violence

M

[bizi]

why does the calculator only have single or family of four to pick from?frustrating. so do I pick family of four for jeff and I and add both of our incomes together? I never understood why people can get tax refunds when they don't pay taxes. IT is not fair.
bizi

[Mari]

Originally Posted by bizi

why does the calculator only have single or family of four to pick from?frustrating. so do I pick family of four for jeff and I and add both of our incomes together? I never understood why people can get tax refunds when they don't pay taxes. IT is not fair.
bizi

Hi, Bizi,

The calculator I linked to is a guess/estimate put out by the Keiser insurance company for people who are not already covered by insurance plans.
If you have insurance, this calculator does not affect you.


This article explains that about 53% of the people in the US pay no income taxes . . . mostly because their income level is low.
The other half doesn't pay taxes because of how the tax code was set up.
http://money.howstuffworks.com/only-...income-tax.htm

Roughly half of Americans who pay no Federal income tax do so because they simply don't earn enough money. The other half doesn't pay taxes because of special provisions in the tax code that benefit certain taxpayers, notably the elderly and working families with children.

My students get refund checks because they do not not make enough money according to the tax code. My students DO pay direct taxes on
~Social security payroll taxes
~Medicare payroll taxes
~Fuel tax
~purchased goods (sales tax)
~lots of other

It is not fair

I understand.
Congress can make changes to the tax code.

M