by MarkJ » Thu 24 Dec 2009, 10:15:15
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mike3', 'A')nd what about those who don't have any income or one so meager they can't afford insurance?
Poor people will be covered by Medicaid expansion. Others will receive government subsidies or pay relatively small fines for refusing coverage.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '[')b]Medicaid expansion: People with income up to 133% of the federal poverty level ($29,327 for a family of four) would be eligible to join Medicaid, the government insurance program for low-income Americans.
Subsidies: Lower- and middle-income individuals would receive government subsidies to afford health insurance. They would be available to people with incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty level ($88,200 for a family of four).
Requirements for individuals: Most uninsured adults would have to purchase health insurance or face paying a penalty, which would begin at $95 a year per person in 2014, and rise to $750 or 2% of a household's income, whichever is greater, in 2016 and beyond.
In addition to unreported income/assets, many poor people also currently receive, or are currently applying for other benefits that will help buffer their low incomes such as subsidized public/private housing, HEAP, Emergency HEAP, food stamps, WIC, food bank supplements, free school lunches, daycare assistance, lifeline phone, free cellular phones/minutes, transportation assistance, furnace/boiler maintenance/repairs/replacement, winterization/weatherization assistance, home improvement assistance etc.
The maximum penalty is substantially less than many poor households spend on beer, liquor, cigarettes and scratch-off tickets.