I have an elderly beloved aunt who is on way too many RW email lists. She usually forwards them to me – probably not for fact-check but that’s what she gets. Here’s the original email:
HOW MANY PEOPLE KNOW THIS… And what the hell does this have to do with HEALTH OR CARE??
People on Medicare or go to the VA think, Ah, that doesn’t apply to me. HA, you just wait for the other shoe to drop.
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Veritas Vos Liberabit
Semper Vigilis, Fortis, Paratus, Et FidelisHere is what happened on January 1st, 2014:
Top Income tax bracket went from 35% to 39.6%
Top Income payroll tax went from 37.4% to 52.2%
Capital Gains tax went from 15% to 28%
Dividends tax went from 15% to 39.6%
Estate tax went from 0% to 55%Remember this fact: if you have money, the democrats want it.
These taxes were all passed only with democrat votes, no republicans voted for these taxes.
These taxes were all passed under the affordable care act, otherwise known as Obama care.Remember this in November 2016, remind your children as well.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has changed the healthcare insurance landscape. Some of the most important changes stemming from Obamacare center around taxes. Under the ACA, the total amount of new taxes on individuals and businesses will climb to $500 billion by 2023.Altogether, there are 21 new taxes linked to the ACA.
And here is my response:
You mean you are unhappy that the top 1% are starting to kind of sort of pay something vaguely close to their share in taxes instead of riding on the backs of the working class? I just wish these were effective rates (what they actually pay after deductions) – heck the estate tax doesn’t even kick in until the net estate is over $5 million – rather than paper rates. As to the ACA, I’d prefer a single-payer system (Medicare for All), but it sure beats the ER as the only source of healthcare. Especially as a large chunk of the “ER as the only source of healthcare” costs end up being “eaten” by a combination of hospitals, insurance companies, and taxpayers – raising the rates on all three over what it will cost to subsidize insurance for people in that low an income bracket. Trust me on this. As a JP on the Washington County Quorum Court I see the Washington Regional Annual Report. Hospitals are required by law to treat anybody who shows up in ER, regardless ability to pay. The cost is spread out over those who do have the ability to pay. I’m happy to pay the prevention costs rather than the cure costs.
As it is, the ACA is forcing insurance companies to spend at least 80% of the premiums on actual health care (unlike the 55-60% previously, with the other 25-30% going into CEO pockets), caps out of pocket, uncaps lifetime limits, covers preventative care in the package (no co-pays added, just part of your premium), outlaws “pre-existing” exclusions, outlaws premium differentials based on gender, outlaws dropping someone with serious diseases, and allows parents to keep their kids covered while said kids are in college (until 26th birthday) – all of which were insurance company ploys to increase their income directly into CEO pockets. The ACA also means that people who work for themselves can now get affordable insurance through the exchanges – allowing more people to start small businesses, the backbone of the American economy. The ACA also means that people who would wait until they were “sick enough” to go to the hospital die because they didn’t get treatment in time. Anybody with any claims to following Jesus’ requirements of tending the sick should be rejoicing that we are at least doing something.
But the really great thing is that my aunt forwarded my response back to the sender – who sent it out to the list again with the following comment:
you might be interested in what AN E-BUDDY’S niece Barbara Ellen has to say about that. I never thought about it like that, how about you?
I love that last line, don’t you? 🙂
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