{"id":1029,"date":"2017-01-09T15:09:35","date_gmt":"2017-01-09T19:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beemandave.com\/beemanblog\/?p=1029"},"modified":"2017-01-09T16:28:24","modified_gmt":"2017-01-09T20:28:24","slug":"sifting-through-the-ashes-part-seven-what-about-health-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beemandave.com\/beemanblog\/blog\/2017\/01\/09\/sifting-through-the-ashes-part-seven-what-about-health-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"Sifting Through The Ashes, Part Seven – What ABOUT Health Insurance?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Greetings and Salutations;<\/div>\n
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Sigh…There is so much going on in the world that it is an unending resource for those of us that comment on society, \u00a0and the current tidal change in our Political world.<\/p>\n

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Paul Ryan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Just for a minute, \u00a0 I want to look at a coming proposal, \u00a0put together by the Right-Wingers in Congress – Led by Paul Ryan – to delete the ACA from the face of American Law. \u00a0 I have discussed these healthcare insurance reforms elsewhere, \u00a0so will focus on what the proposed replacement for it is, \u00a0and list some of the reasons this proposal is well up there on the list of “Screw the 99%ers” legislation the Republicans are trying to push through. \u00a0In short, \u00a0the Ryan plan is to repeal the ACA, and replace it with a “Healthcare Savings Account”. \u00a0Now, \u00a0I have to say that this is a law that, if implemented WILL impact all but the richest folks in America. \u00a0 Here is an excellent explanation that is circulating on Social Media just at the moment:<\/div>\n
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“TRUMP-RYAN-MCCONNELL HEALTHCARE REPLACEMENT PLAN<\/b><\/div>\n
When Trump or McConnell or Paul Ryan say they want to replace the ACA with “Health Savings Accounts” (HSAs), they are also saying they want to replace Obamacare or Medicare or Medicaid so YOU will be paying for your healthcare.<\/div>\n
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That means YOU pay for chemotherapy… YOU pay for all surgeries and hospitalization… YOU pay for all your family’s doctor visits, urgent care, ER visits, and prescription drugs out-of-our-pocket.<\/div>\n
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A Health Savings Account is just a tax-free way for you to save up money to pay for your own medical bills. So if you are paying off college loans, or saving for a house down-payment, or simply living paycheck to paycheck, guess what — a Health Savings Account does you no good, because you have no discretionary funds to deposit into it. And even if you manage to save five grand or ten grand in an HSA, that could all get wiped out in one hospital visit for you or a family member. Then you are back to square zero again.<\/div>\n
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Even if you can supplement your HSA with affordable health insurance, you will be eating away at money that you should be investing for your retirement or your kids’ college tuition. Only the top 3-5% of Americans can save enough for retirement, college AND their own out-of-pocket medical expenses. Therefore, the tax benefits of HSA’s only help those people.”<\/div>\n
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There are some, short-sighted folks, who hop all over this idea of an HSA, \u00a0as they believe in “Self-Reliance” \u00a0and “NOT enabling the lazy with benefits” \u00a0 It is gallows humor, \u00a0but I have to laugh when I hear this. \u00a0My usual response to the “get rid of the ACA” folks goes something like\u00a0 this:<\/div>\n
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OK…Ryan wants to wipe out the entire law, and replace it with Healthcare Savings Accounts. Tell me…do you have enough cash ON HAND to deposit $100,000 in that HSA? If not, how are you going to deal with it when a week after this change happens, your wife and child are seriously injured in an automobile accident, and in hospital, racking up bills at a rate of $10,000 a day? Will you sell everything to help them? Will you say to yourself ‘screw it, I can find a new wife, and create a new kid with no effort, so pull the plug on them?<\/em><\/div>\n
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I have yet to get a straight answer to this question! \u00a0(Imagine that) \u00a0Bless their hearts, \u00a0the folks that support this are deluded at best, and malicious at worst. \u00a0As my question indicates, \u00a0 a vast percentage of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. \u00a0They do not have that kind of money to tuck away, and it would take them 20 years of sacrifice to get it. \u00a0Then, \u00a0there is that fact that this law does not remove the money in it from being taxed. \u00a0It only defers the tax, anticipating that by the time the money is withdrawn, \u00a0the tax rates will have dropped, \u00a0or the income will have dropped, \u00a0enough to overbalance the taxes due on this. \u00a0Right now? \u00a0If, for example, \u00a0I pull $10,000 out of a 401K to pay for a short hospital stay, \u00a0I will actually have to deduct $11,500 (at least) from the balance, \u00a0to deal with Penalties for early withdrawal, and taxes. \u00a0Well, \u00a0so, \u00a0the fact is that 99% of Americans will\u00a0 NOT have an HSA with $100,000 in it, not now, not in two years,\u00a0 not in 10 years.<\/div>\n
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Beyond this, \u00a0there is the fact that this will \u00a0remove the barriers that have kept the abusive behavior of the Health Insurance Industry at bay for several years. \u00a0This will, \u00a0inevitably, \u00a0lead to<\/div>\n