first- we arent talking about all minimum wage employees** ..... we are talking about Mc Donalds employees...... an overwhelming majority of which are late teens or early 20s
I'm sorry. Do McDonald employees make more than minimum wage?
its very easy to find the information and statistics that show the overwhelming majority of people in these age groups do not need ANY health coverage whatsoever
Do it. Show me proof. You can't, so we can just call it a day if you'd like.
I'm 26. Last year, I had $15k in health bills (after insurance). My brother, 28, had a "fatal cardiac incident" this year and now has an ICD. Not "early 20s", but close enough. It is true that people in their 20s tend to consume LESS health care, but not that they tend to (or even need to) consume NO health care.
Let's say you're a late teen / early 20s guy. I dunno, maybe you play sports. Maybe you fall down the stairs. Break a bone, either way. Pretty common. Now you're out $5k, maybe more, for care. Is that cheaper than buying insurance?
** although you could easily transfer the same statement to nearly all across the board.... when you consider that an overwhelming majority of minimum wage earners in any profession fit into the same age groups
Again, not sure what you're getting at. You're trying to isolate a subsegment of the minimum wage earners to only look at McDonalds employees? This doesn't really matter.... It is amusing, though, that you're looking at this segment of the population. You do realize that they can stay on their parents insurance as dependents until age 26 now, right?
Amusingly, this attitude you have (and I'm presuming you're in the age/work group you're referring to) is why the insurance industry refers to the group as the "Young Invincibles". The group tends to be characterized by folks who don't visit the doctor regularly and only use insurance for catastrophic events -- like I said; bones breaking, surgery, other serious injuries. Those are what you would want insurance for. Not a regular doctor's office visit.
second- we arent talking about exchanges .... we are talking about maintaining insurance through your employer under their plans......
I think you're confused about health reform. If your employer doesn't provide you with a qualifying plan, you're allowed to go through the exchanges. If McDonalds isn't providing a qualified plan....
"Note: Subsidies are only available for people purchasing coverage on their own in the Exchange (not through an employer). All individuals and families with incomes at or below 133% of the federal poverty level will be eligible for Medicaid. Others with higher incomes may also be eligible, depending on rules that vary by state."
Yes, this is true. You would be buying it on your own, rather than your employer buying it and you paying a portion of the premium. Still not sure what you're getting at because you're not being very coherent.
also note that if your employer offers a higher priced plan with eligible coverage.... you are not eligible for full subsidy in the exchange.... unless your premiums are higher than 9.5% of your income.... if the intent is to put everyone on Medicaid then this will do the trick
I think you're confused about what health reform means. (I see that this is a trend).
Yes, the subsidy is on a sliding scale from paying your full premium to being a... subsidy (hey look at that, it's definitional!).
while you may still end up paying less even with a minimal subsidy under the exchange than you would under your employers higher priced plans....... the exchange subsidy isnt a "hey we will pay part of your premiums"....... the subsidy simply means you are eligible to enroll in Medicaid
system: FAIL
Getting a subsidy doesn't mean you're on Medicaid. Unless, you know, you qualify for Medicaid and are on Medicaid. They're different systems. For example; Medicaid will pay your co-pay if you're at the doctors office. A subsidy for your premium wouldn't do that. (that seems definitional as well, but you still seem to be confused).
Since I'm too lazy to re-write what it says about Medicaid, here's Kaiser's comment [amusingly, it appears to be pretty close to what you quoted earlier]:
"How do premium subsidies work? People purchasing coverage on their own would be eligible for government subsidies (through a tax credit) towards their health insurance premiums based on income. Subsidies would be provided to people with family income between 133% and 400% of the federal poverty level. The most that families buying coverage in an insurance Exchange would pay towards a health insurance premium would range from 3.0% of income at 133% of poverty to 9.5% of income at 400% of poverty, with amounts at specific income levels specified in a table in the law. Subsidies are tied to a benchmark level of coverage based on actuarial value. And, subsidies would only be available through organized purchasing pools called Exchanges. "
It probably is worth noting that any minimum wage employee (like McDonalds!) would probably be on Medicaid as a result of this change, due to the increase in Medicaid eligibility (up to 133% of FPL). If they weren't on Medicaid, they'd be paying around 3% of their salary, or $480 annually. Amusingly, the fee for not having insurance in 2014 will be what, $100? And will top out around $700?
Is the system good? No, of course not. But you don't seem to have any real understanding of what the system does beyond a probably a few articles that you've read.