115th United States Congress

[Tyche]

Does anyone know if this bill fixed the subsidy qualifications to include cost and geography? Because Alaska gets absolutely fucked without those protections from the aca. The house bill only qualified subsidies through age and income, and didn't include geography, which would have decimated Alaska healthcare.

[archibaldcrane]

"geography" was never an official consideration, but yes the BCRA follows an ACA-like structure for subsidies, where lower-income people are only expected to spend a certain % of their income on premiums.

Now, they are using a 58% actuarial value plan as their benchmark (as opposed to a 70% AV "second cheapest silver plan") and subsidies stop at 350% of the FPL instead of 400%, so you're bluntly asking poorer people to pay more for worse insurance, but no they are no longer flat age-based subsidies like the House plan was (which sucks for me, to be honest).

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[archibaldcrane]

Senate looking to add a continuous coverage amendment that locks people out of buying insurance for 6 months if they have a lapse in coverage.

https://www.vox.com/2017/6/24/158676...waiting-period

(this is marginally better than nothing but it is dumb an insufficient)

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[Aerin]

That confuses me, maybe it's because I just woke up. So what if you're let go from your job? You need to immediately get private insurance or you're locked out for 6 months if you don't get any within 30 days? And what if you're the sole wage earner in your house? Insurance for a whole family ain't cheap especially when you temporarily have no job

[Zealot]

Then the market has spoken.

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[archibaldcrane]

That confuses me, maybe it's because I just woke up. So what if you're let go from your job? You need to immediately get private insurance or you're locked out for 6 months if you don't get any within 30 days? And what if you're the sole wage earner in your house? Insurance for a whole family ain't cheap especially when you temporarily have no job

You're not confused, you're correct. Note that this hasn't been implemented yet, it's just reporting on a likely change.

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[tyven]

dat COBRA insurance

[6souls]

dat COBRA insurance

[Tyche]

"geography" was never an official consideration, but yes the BCRA follows an ACA-like structure for subsidies, where lower-income people are only expected to spend a certain % of their income on premiums.

Now, they are using a 58% actuarial value plan as their benchmark (as opposed to a 70% AV "second cheapest silver plan") and subsidies stop at 350% of the FPL instead of 400%, so you're bluntly asking poorer people to pay more for worse insurance, but no they are no longer flat age-based subsidies like the House plan was (which sucks for me, to be honest).

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The ACA subsidies were tied to a local benchmark premium. And Alaska (as well as Hawaii) have different poverty guidelines accounted for in the ACA. There was a really good primer on this in one of the Vox podcasts. I just forgot which.

[archibaldcrane]

BCRA are also tied to a local (but different) benchmark premium. As far as the poverty line measurement differences for HI/AK go, I don't know if those are maintained.

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[archibaldcrane]

So, I have to ask AG - how do you defend this bill?

You're on the record preferring a Paul Ryan led House to a Nancy Pelosi one, and slashing Medicaid to provide tax cuts for the rich is Paul Ryan's raison d'etre. Why do you think this is a good thing to do?

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[Zealot]

Isn't this a Senate bill?

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[Tyche]

So, I have to ask AG - how do you defend this bill?

You're on the record preferring a Paul Ryan led House to a Nancy Pelosi one, and slashing Medicaid to provide tax cuts for the rich is Paul Ryan's raison d'etre. Why do you think this is a good thing to do?

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I didn't get that comment when I read it either, but then again, I don't entirely get the Pelosi hate. Even if you ignore party affiliation and just look at how effective they are as speaker, unlike Ryan, Pelosi can at least whip votes. I don't know what Ryan is particularly effective at in a speaker role. He isn't the best at communicating or defending legislative goals. Pelosi can certainly break down and defend policy. Ryan, the only thing I heard him say about AHCA was how great the CBO score was and how much money it would save. The passage of his largest piece of legislation couldn't get whipped the first time around and the second time around it was so bad that his own party admitted that it wasn't passable in current form and needed to be fixed by the senate. Partisanship aside, Ryan is completely ineffective at his job. I forgot where I heard the line, but I think it's pretty god damned true..."Mitch McConnell is as smart as Paul Ryan likes to think he is...".

[Andalusian girls]

So, I have to ask AG - how do you defend this bill?

You're on the record preferring a Paul Ryan led House to a Nancy Pelosi one, and slashing Medicaid to provide tax cuts for the rich is Paul Ryan's raison d'etre. Why do you think this is a good thing to do?

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because i'm rich

[archibaldcrane]

That's a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one. Care to expand?

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[archibaldcrane]

Or, if you prefer, why despite your richness did you support Clinton over Trump, even though the latter was needed to cut your taxes?

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[kuronosan]

Dafuq

[Zealot]

http://imgur.com/gallery/swU7t

"Repeal of Tanning Tax," I mean holy crap.

[Fiye]

AG Needs that summer beach body

[thetruepandagod]

Oh trust me, he has it