I am an insurance agent. In November, I got panic calls from clients distraught that their ACA plans doubled. Now, I'm getting even more panic calls from these same clients that instead of $171 or $232 per month, Trumpcare will cost them $431 or $624. Money they don't have.
I have a married couple, husband 61 and wife 58, with $24,982 income in 2016. When Trumpcare takes away their subsidy, they will pay $17,808 for the year for their Silver Plan off the exchange. That leaves $7,174 to live on for the full year. 71% of their annual income would go to buying health insurance.
OK, so let's say they don't go crazy for the Silver Plan and go to a basic Bronze Plan at $1261 per month. That is $15,132 for the year out of $24,982 income leaving $9850 to live on, but wait... The Bronze Plan has $12,600 Family Deductible. So, for paying 61% of their income on health insurance they get an annual check-up and NOTHING else until they pay $6,300 each out of pocket.
Let's look at that math again. The lowest plan available off the exchange (what TrumpCare/RyanCare is offering), a Bronze Plan. If they had a minor illness, this would cost this couple up to $2,750 MORE than they make in a full year!!! After surviving on $0 for a full year, they would then be entitled to a tax refund of a portion of the $15,132 back. So, how are they supposed to survive when their entire income plus more goes to pay for TrumpCare? They don's because they would have to be homeless. Their income is above the national poverty level, until they pay their health care.
There are two great ironies about this couple. They are life long Republicans. He grew up in South Carolina. She grew up in Arkansas. Since the 70's, they have lived in and voted Republican in South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada and California.
Irony 1: in 2016, they made the difficult decision to vote for a Democrat for President their first time EVER. They came to this decision because they fear for their son's safety. He is a Marine with two more years. They were deathly afraid that Trump would follow through with his campaign promises, anger our friends and enemies and cause us to go to war putting their son back into active fighting.
Irony 2: They HATED Obama because the husband, with a Bachelors and 2 Masters Degrees worked for military contractors his entire adult life...until 6 years ago when military cuts made him too expensive to employ without more military spending. So now, if Trump does get us into a war, the husband has a chance of being employed again. They wouldn't have to spend 71% of their income on insurance. He would get a good salary again, with benefits, at least until he could retire.
So, they fear increases in military for their son and are half praying for increases in military just so they can survive.
Oh, Irony 3: They are totally panicked that if Social Security and Medicare are privatized, the same multi-millionaire bankers their tax dollars bailed out under Obama (who they hated for doing that) will destroy their Social Security and Medicare so they will receive nothing, $0, for the tens of thousands of dollars they put into the system for 40+ years.
While they live in California, they still have friends and relatives in South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Nevada who all are questioning their dyed in the wool Republican voting record when it hurts the people like this couple who they love.
Ima OutaSorts
