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No one expects The Obamacare Sticker Shock

No one expects The Obamacare Sticker Shock

“I just didn’t realize I would … pay for it personally.”

There are a lot of surprised people in California now that more Obamacare details are coming out:

In California, 1.9 million people buy plans on the open market, according to officials with Covered California, the state’s new health insurance exchange. And many of them are steaming mad.

“There’s going to be a number of people surprised” by their bills, said Jonathan Wu, a co-founder of ValuePenguin, a consumer finance website. “The upper-middle class are the people who are essentially being asked to foot the bill, and that’s true across the country.”

Covered California spokesman Dana Howard maintained that in public presentations the exchange has always made clear that there will be winners and losers under Obamacare.

“Some people will see an increase who are already on the individual market purchasing insurance,” he said, “but most people will not.”…

Both Vinson and Waschura have adjusted gross incomes greater than four times the federal poverty level — the cutoff for a tax credit. And while both said they anticipated their rates would go up, they didn’t realize they would rise so much.

“Of course, I want people to have health care,” Vinson said. “I just didn’t realize I would be the one who was going to pay for it personally.”

Raise your hand if you think Dana Howard has much of a clue how many people will actually see premiums go up and how many will see them go down.  No one expected the Obamacare Sticker Shock:

Also, the levels that premium payments are set this year are not necessarily what they will be next year, or the next—and those levels will to some measure depend on how many people sign up for Obamacare and how many people opt to pay the penalty instead—another unknown.

obamacare

But it’s that last quote from Vinson that seems to encapsulate a common liberal mindset on Obamacare—or on government-funded benefits in general—that so infuriates conservatives. Who doesn’t “want people to have health care”? But the real question—and the real difference between the approaches of conservatives and liberals, inflammatory rhetoric aside—is how such a thing would be paid for, and especially whether it is possible to do so without putting an undue burden on the wage-earning tax-paying public.

Vinson, like so many people, uses the term “health care” to mean “health insurance,” but let’s gloss over that and stipulate that most people couldn’t afford the former (particularly if a major health problem were to arise) without having the latter. Vinson probably isn’t saying that she didn’t expect to pay for her own health insurance. She is saying that she expected to pay only for her own health insurance, not for the health insurance of those others she “of course” wants covered.

So the trillion-dollar question is: who did she expect would pay for their insurance?

It couldn’t have been the poor themselves who would pay. And if it wasn’t someone like Vinson, whose income clocks in at four times the poverty level—who would it have been? A good guess would be: people who are richer than Vinson.

It’s an interesting phenomenon that’s not at all uncommon among liberals; call it the “do it to Julia, not to me” phenomenon. In this case, something that is recognized as unfair and/or unwanted for oneself is acceptable if the responsibility is put on others instead, those people who for some reason are thought to deserve it more or to be able to absorb it better. But if it’s unfair for the first group, why is it suddenly fair for the second?

Perhaps some people such as Vinson haven’t thought it through even to that extent. Perhaps their thinking stops at the “Of course, I want people to have health care” point. That makes them good people in their own eyes: nice people, compassionate people, unlike those who disagree with them and are imagined to be mean people who do not “want people to have health care.” The idea that conservatives actually might also “want people to have health care” and yet be more realistic than liberals about the costs and benefits of such an undertaking, and might have different ideas about the best way to effect the greatest amount of health care for the greatest number of people, seems to be a foreign notion to many who think as Vinson does.

But hope springs eternal, even for them:

“I’m not against Obamacare,” Waschura said. “It’s just the initial shock. I’m holding out hope that there will be a correction over a handful of years.”

There will probably be a “correction” all right. It just might not be in the direction Waschura assumes.

[Neo-neocon is a writer with degrees in law and family therapy, who blogs at neo-neocon.]

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“If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change for you under this plan is the amount of money you will spend on premiums,” Barack Obama said during his 2007 speech unveiling his health care plan. “That will be less.”

In 2012, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi said on Meet the Press that “everybody will have lower rates” under Obamacare. When asked by THE WEEKLY STANDARD this summer about reports of large rate hikes for some Americans, Pelosi said, “I don’t remember saying that everybody in the country would have a lower premium.”
—Weekly Standard blog

Ah, but WE DO REMEMBER.

HEH!

Lies. Nothing but lies.

And we told you at the time, dupes.

“Of course, I want people to have health care,” Vinson said. “I just didn’t realize I would be the one who was going to pay for it personally.”
__________________

Typical lib. More than willing to be generous to those in need — so long as somebody else is actually paying for that generosity.

It just boggles my mind that so many people were sucked into these obviously egregious lies. How on earth did anyone honestly expect that anything about this would be less expensive for anyone other than those who are recipients of this new entitlement program? Where did they think the money was going to come from?

Did they honestly believe Barry Soetero when he said they could keep their policy if they liked it? Didn’t they stop for one second and think… what is all this government intervention going to do to the market? Will my insurance company even SURVIVE this?

Ditto for “if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor.” Really? Who in their right mind ever believed that? Wait, I guess the results of the last two presidential elections provide the answer to that question.

And of course there is the rub… Soetero and his lying cabal knew full well that all of this is just a step towards utterly destroying what is left of market-based healthcare and taking us to a full-on government system. Does anyone honestly believe that government healthcare will somehow magically be more efficient than the DMV, or any of the other government programs that waste vast portions of our national wealth and provide dismal service?

So now what? Tens of millions of Soetero voters will be disillusioned with what their votes have wrought. And now the hardcore progressives will beat them into silence and submission with their race cards and other thug tactics.

I’m afraid this may have a very ugly ending.

The Mercury News Story has caught fire over the past day and the site now has nearly 5,000 comments.

It is a riot.

Here’s my post on it from another site.

Anyone in need of a pick-me-up on Blue Monday head over to Mercury News for their story about Sticker Shock amongst the POS faithful. The comments page is on fire even one day after publication of the Buyer’s Remorse Obots story after getting picked up at Drudge, Zip and elsewhere.

“Of Course, I Want People To Have Health Care, I Just Didn’t Realize I Would Be The One Who Was Going To Pay For It Personally”…

The comments will make your day and there are nearly 5,000 of them, now.

Here are a couple of my favs.

Liberal :”What is a deductible? Does that mean that a deductible is added to my refund at the end of the year?”

Progressivism: the state of confused bewilderment at the pain resulting from repeated attempts to poke one’s self in the eye with a sharp stick.

A liberal is someone who will give you the shirt right off of someone else’s back.

Wait until they find out Obama was not kidding at all about that “utility rates will necessarily skyrocket” thing too.

We revolted against England for less.

http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_24248486/obamacares-winners-and-losers-bay-area

    Radegunda in reply to wyntre. | October 7, 2013 at 11:11 pm

    “We revolted against England for less.” — Very true. George III was a piker in the heavy-handed-tyrant department.

BTW, Tom Washura, who weighs in trying to defend himself at the Mercury News Thread, will see his rates (wife, 2 kids) rise by $10G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s Washura’s full quote:

“I was laughing at Boehner — until the mail came today,”
Waschura said, referring to House Speaker John Boehner, who is leading the Republican charge to defund Obamacare.

“I really don’t like the Republican tactics, but at least now I can understand why they are so pissed about this. When you take $10,000 out of my family’s pocket each year, that’s otherwise disposable income or retirement savings that will not be going into our local economy.”

Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha.

It’s always NIMBY or NM with these socialists.

“When you spread the Health around, it’s good for everybody.”

Not so much if you have to pay for all that “free” healthcare.

“Of Course, I Want People To Have Health Care, I Just Didn’t Realize I Would Be The One Who Was Going To Pay For It Personally”…

Bless her heart!

[…] And along the way, plenty of astonished “I was sure it would work this time” reactions from “Progressive” true believers. Responding to Silicon Valley Obama supporter Cindy Vinson’s now-legendary cri de coeur in the San Jose Mercury that, “Of course, I want people to have health care. I just didn’t realize I would be the one who was going to pay for it personally,” Neo-Neocon writes, with an assist — and a little diabolical laughter –from Monty Python, “No one expects The Obamacare Sticker Shock!” […]

The best is yet to come. These liberal progressives are in for a treat when whole industries that have been supporting the Democrats all now decide to dump their employees into the exchanges.

Media? Dump. Too bad Jimmy Olson.

Law? Dump, at least for the secretaries and paralegals.

Teaching? Dump. It’s a no-brainer for a school board.

Coffee-houses? Dump, dump, dump.

Of course the rest of us may end up following them in a year or two. But all the progressives with cushy jobs and plump health care insurance are going to whine the loudest.

This sticker should be shared, tweeted, and contributed to by anyone that either has private insurance (or common sense). It needs some sort of common hashtag.

“I TOLD YOU SO….”

sucks to be right about predicting disasters.

    Musson in reply to Andy. | October 8, 2013 at 11:29 am

    Navy SEALS say – “It Sucks to be the Hostage.” In this case – it REALLY sucks to be the Hostage who predicted the Disaster!”

Hahahahahahahahahaha!

Or, as Jeantel might have put it, “That’s PETARDED, sir.”

(That’s not a typo.)

-Andrew, @LawSelfDefense

All I gotta say is that IF O’bammycare was free and available to all, there wouldn’t be a problem.

Well, that is except for the taxpayers…

Midwest Rhino | October 7, 2013 at 6:42 pm

People love to laugh.

And people love Obama’s image.

At what point do people quit laughing … when they realize the joke is one them, and Obama thinks a dystopian future is the path to an ill-conceived nirvana?

Or do the “commies” not believe in that nirvana, but only believe in deception, and then subservience to some “greater” elitist society?

But will a Russian like society be ten times worse than a free society, if freedom is subdued? I’d guess, “abandon all hope, you who (would even think of) enter(ing) there”.

Just keep reminding these clueless ones that ONLY Democrats voted for this.

Not.One.Republican.Vote.

I’m sure they’ll keep voting for Democrats, though.
There’s just no teaching some people.

(This almost makes up for all of the repulsive names that we’ve been called. Almost.)

Just remember – these two are not alone; they’re just the two the paper decided to use in the article. Actually, there isn’t enough newsprint or bandwidth to list everyone who is just like these two.

This is called conservative sublime ecstasy. Enjoy; it may be awhile before there’s any more.

    Radegunda in reply to platypus. | October 7, 2013 at 11:06 pm

    Sorry, I can’t feel happy when their stupidity and cultism and failure to educate themselves is going to cost me hugely. I’m not an angry person by nature, by I’m furious at the Dem politicians and their brain-numbed cultists.

Conservative Beaner | October 7, 2013 at 8:20 pm

What did you expect when the Dems got in bed with insurance companies. CEOs must have been giddy when they thought everyone would be required to buy the crappy insurance plans thanks to the Democrats.

Libtards, you were warned several years ago what would happen and now you will reap what you have sewn.

NC Mountain Girl | October 7, 2013 at 9:31 pm

The confusion between the lack of health insurance and he lack of health care is widespread. Many of the uninsurables are in that state not because of greedy insurance companies but because their lifestyle choices simply makes them too risky too underwrite. Giving them reduced rates and then bullying them about their behavior isn’t going to be very effective.

It would be instructive to ask Vinson and Waschura how much more they would pay for their own insurance so a 50 year old who has already had two heart attacks and has a stent in place, but who continues to smokes an who hasn’t altered an almost fruit and vegetable free diet can buy insurance? What about the chronic drinker? Or the diabetic who still eats candy bars and drinks sugar filled soda despite meter readings in ketoacidosis territory?

    One thing that’s infuriating about all this is that I should be fairly cheap to insure. Essentially never get sick except for an occasional headache (magnesium helps), but it’s now illegal to get the basic insurance that’s all I need — and all that most reasonable people need if they understand that funneling routine expenses through insurance companies makes them costlier.

It’s time to look up and scream “JUMP!, JUMP!”. Instead of delay or defund, the house should instead demand that all delays and exemptions be dropped immediately. The severe pain all at once during 2014 should be useful. I’m not able to handle much more of this death by 1000 cuts. I ran out of band-aids.

    Radegunda in reply to BillyTex. | October 7, 2013 at 11:22 pm

    Reid and Obama will not drop the delays and exemptions they’re counting on to help them in 2014. They would portray any such demand as Republicans trying to change “the law of the land,” and the mass media would play along with them.

Once a year, the IRS should be sending out a “SAMPLE BILL” of what each and every US Citizen’s share of the outstanding debt is. That six figure amount would be a nice wake-up call to those who believe everything comes “free” from the government. Although the shock value will wane over time.

    legacyrepublican in reply to GoldenAh. | October 8, 2013 at 6:15 am

    Great idea.

    But, don’t stop there. Also require that it shows what the bill would have been historically in every presidential election over the last twenty to twenty-four years.

    NateWhilk in reply to GoldenAh. | October 8, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    I seem to recall that liberals circulated that idea sometime in the past year or two. The reaction was somewhat negative.

Nothing would piss on the Democrat’s parade faster than if men sued the Federal Government forcing them to spend $.50 of every $1.00 on men’s health care. Women consume 30-40% more health care then men during their lifetimes while out living men by approximately 5 years. Go to the Supreme Court and requite a Title IX type solution where they are not given a choice. Not only would it be a PR nightmare for liberals, it would defund their prime constituency where it hurts most. Of course Hilary Clinton feels health care is a woman’s issue, their the ones consuming all of it.

    Valerie in reply to Prof. Woland. | October 8, 2013 at 11:19 am

    You do have a point, and I’d be a lot more supportive if I didn’t know at least three damn fool men who refused effective medical care for no good reason, and who have suffered greatly for it.

      Prof. Woland in reply to Valerie. | October 8, 2013 at 10:29 pm

      Not only does health care spending on men need to be equalized, it needs to be delivered in a way that works for men. Right now we are just a medical afterthought and a financial mule to pay for everything.

[…] be getting it for free. As this article begins, there are lots of people who are now saying, “I just didn’t realize I would … pay for it personally“. This is from Legal Insurrection who discusses Mr. Nice Guy Lefty in contrast to mean and […]

The Obamacare pain in the wallet will kick in during 2014 and then become really unbearable by 2016. There is no cure for this kind of torture except for amputation and/or exorcism of the demon oppression.

We certainly should highlight the disposable income differences of those exempted or “rigged”(Congress, crony friends of POTUS, and later, the union members) and those not exempted such as the common man.

Henry Hawkins | October 8, 2013 at 9:49 am

Progress Report: I’ve been able to set a user name and password on the NC exchange, confirmed by email link-back, but when I try to log in to my new account all I get is ERROR, ERROR, ERROR. They might could add a T to that word.

It is no surprise that this news story came out of California. Californians believe in free stuff for everybody, they just don’t want to pay for it. You can see it in the election results.