SCOTUS upheld the individual mandate... Everybody panic!

[theda_b]

Roberts' decisive vote was based on the premise that the individual mandate is in fact a tax. Opponents object to paying a tax for not buying something, effectively forcing them to buy insurance

Comments

[anonymous]

heya, what is the financial hardship exemption? poor peoples minds need to know. :=)

[miladyelizabeth]

I'm pretty sure if you qualify for the hardship exemption, you qualify for Medicaid or some other low-income option in most states.

[theda_b]

There is a window between 133% of FPL and a sufficient income to buy insurance. NY is one of the highest priced insurance markets, so it could theoretically happen here for people in the $15-18k range. I should try to dig up stats on Romneycare to see what percentage of MA's population is exempt for financial hardship.

[miladyelizabeth]

Yeah, my coverage in CT is $450/mo with a $3000 deductable, which means paying $8500/year. Unfortunately, going without coverage is not an option for me, so I simply have to budget for healthcare at the detriment of other important things in life. :(

Looks like the new legislation will cap out-of-pocket costs to about half of what I'm paying now, if I'm reading this correctly.

[theda_b]

Ouch. That's about what I got stuck paying when I finished college and was tossed off my father's insurance plan in the middle of treatments for pre-cancerous cells. This can no longer happen to people, but it was really not fun. Of course, I have a wealth of complaints about that one...