Did you price health insurance on the individual market before the ACA?
I would bet that if your income is truly low enough that you'd qualify for discounts to private insurance or Medicaid (unless you're in one of the states whose Governors decided not to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid for their uninsured populations under 133% of poverty).
So you have no insurance? Who do you think would pay for your care if were, say, bitten by a snake and needed to be Lifeflighted to an emergency room and then given anti-venom? First, you'd be bankrupted by the medical bills. The hospital that gave you care would swallow a chunk of the noncollectable debt for your care. And the taxpayers the balance.
Same thing happens all the time when people without insurance have auto accidents.
That's the thing most folks don't understand: You not having health insurance just shifts the cost to the rest of us who are responsible enough to have it...
Matt
I would bet that if your income is truly low enough that you'd qualify for discounts to private insurance or Medicaid (unless you're in one of the states whose Governors decided not to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid for their uninsured populations under 133% of poverty).
So you have no insurance? Who do you think would pay for your care if were, say, bitten by a snake and needed to be Lifeflighted to an emergency room and then given anti-venom? First, you'd be bankrupted by the medical bills. The hospital that gave you care would swallow a chunk of the noncollectable debt for your care. And the taxpayers the balance.
Same thing happens all the time when people without insurance have auto accidents.
That's the thing most folks don't understand: You not having health insurance just shifts the cost to the rest of us who are responsible enough to have it...
Matt
I am a grad student working 2 jobs to keep myself out of debt (which is nearly impossible currently). The least expensive insurance that is available to me according to Healthcare.gov is around $175 each month. To give you an idea of how that would affect me, I allow myself $75 each month for things like going out with friends to eat, see movies, tank fills and park fees for scuba, etc. I keep about $300 in the bank for when I need it (truck breaks down, random fees for school, etc.) but otherwise do not have any other available money. The rest of it goes to rent, tuition, car payment, bills, and so on. If this bill goes through, IT WILL NOT HELP ME, IT WILL BREAK ME! And I know that I am not alone in this.
Getting back on topic, I was hired to give a presentation at a nature park that is on federal land. They were to pay for gas and lodging over the weekend. For my birthday, my husband booked a dive trip in the area that is non refundable. If the Gov't stays shut down through the end of this month then I will not get paid or have lodging over the weekend then we will have to forfeit the $300 we spent on the dive trip.