Obamacare will cost nation's taxpayers

Response to Robert H. Wright:

The following facts have been verified through conversations with: Idaho HHS, Idaho Department of Insurance, and the federal HHS offices.

The “Affordable Care Act” — Obamacare — creates a poorer, more policed, more bureaucratic populace that has no more health coverage than is currently available for all, except for those that cannot currently get coverage because of pre-existing conditions. It demands more taxes from taxpayers, and forces people to buy insurance or pay a penalty. It creates actuarial basis for cost increases.

It does create tax credits on a sliding scale based on gross income with a multiplier of up to 400% above federal poverty level, if they have bought health insurance first.

Obamacare does not expand in any way medical access for anyone that does not have health insurance. It does fine(tax) them.

Currently, hospitals receiving federal aid are required to provide emergency care to anyone needing it. This will not change under Obamacare in Idaho, which has opted not to expand the medicaid coverage provisions, made possible after the Obamacare Supreme Court ruling.

The legislation we needed would create health coverage possibility for all, regardless of health, and expanded Medicaid, with subsidies from taxes to assist those needs.

Instead of health care for all, Obamacare really means all are required to buy health insurance. Some will be helped to buy it through tax money.

Health insurance companies will experience a windfall, dwarfing the windfall auto insurance companies received through mandated auto insurance legislation.

MARK WATSON

Sandpoint