Affordable Care Act - catastrophic plans cancelled

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by Doodles

The solution is simple. Just give up your citizenship and move to some place like Thailand where medical services are good and cheap. You will also pay a lot less income taxes, property taxes, etc. Weather is nice (no snow) and so is the sailing.

Plus your body will thank you since you won't be so stressed out over the ACA thing.

No need to give up Citizenship to do most of that.....been there...doing that....

[Capt Phil]

One of the main reasons we retain our dual citizenship is if everything goes cockers we have alternatives... nice to have the option open to both of us! Phil

[Andrew B.]

Originally Posted by CatInHand

ah. A job that provides health care is something you have earned. A job that doesn't provide healthcare means you need government welfare.

So being an active part of my community doesn't "earn" me healthcare, but a corporate job does?

And what's keeping you from doing BOTH. I do...

[Andrew B.]

Originally Posted by pbiJim

I'm certainly no expert on this subject, but I would expect that the OP could probably purchase the (non-Obamacare compliant) policy of his choice in a foreign country & then just pay the minimal Obamacare non-compliance fine.

If you are cruising & not working, then your income should be low enough to keep the fine pretty small, at least for the first year or two, until the fine rates start to ratchet up. By that time, hopefully Either Obamacare will no longer exist or you will have had time to figure something else out.

Actually the "fines" can be beat too. Just get your withholding amount to where you have no refund due. And if I understood correctly you can't be imprisoned either.

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by Andrew B.

Actually the "fines" can be beat too. Just get your withholding amount to where you have no refund due. And if I understood correctly you can't be imprisoned either.

You are correct...Bingo No 3.
And who said there wasn't lots of great info coming out of this thread!

[Stugots]

Originally Posted by Andrew B.

Actually the "fines" can be beat too. Just get your withholding amount to where you have no refund due. And if I understood correctly you can't be imprisoned either.

That appears to be true.
The Obamacare Penalty: Yes, It Can Be Avoided - Yahoo Finance

That will be a challenge for some people, but it may actually be pretty easy for cruisers who already live somewhat of the grid. For me, with my 9-5, this would be a next to impossible undertaking. It could take a huge amount of tax planning (in my opinion more than it's worth) but it appears to be an actual loophole.

[Boatguy30]

So it just gets added to next years taxes essentially. I guess if you rack enough years of fines and quit working maybe you're ok but how realistic is that? They can't seize your assets, but surely they could garnish your Social Security payments at some point.....

Oh and to the proudist freedom lover on here; don't your kids attend public school and isn't that a public dock you drop them off at to take a publically funded bus? Is it ok for them to be on welfare and socialists since they're young enough to not know better?

[Stugots]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

So it just gets added to next years taxes essentially. I guess if you rack enough years of fines and quit working maybe you're ok but how realistic is that? They can't seize your assets, but surely they could garnish your Social Security payments at some point.....

It certainly isn't practical, but at least it's not a myth like a lot of the ACA info floating around out there. If you tax plan perfectly every year for the rest of your life then it's a loophole. For the average person that's essentially impossible, but... I'm sure people will try it anyway.

[Boatguy30]

That's why all these overseas types can't understand us. It really is super complicated not to mention, VA, tribal clinics, Kidcare, Medicare, senior Medicaid

Most others countries just have one system or maybe one small private one for the rich folks as well.

Personally I haven't filed a tax return since the last time bush gave out the free cash. 2008??? I took that check to Walmart cashed it, walked out of the store and spend that roll on my trip to Cuba in early 2009.

So the ACA puts me in a bit of a bind paperwork wise. It would certainly seem the eventual long term solution will be to cave to insures and privatize Medicare or put everyone into a Medicare single payer system when it goes bust in 20 years or so.

[CatInHand]

Originally Posted by Andrew B.

And what's keeping you from doing BOTH. I do...

Because after being fired for turning in my boss for fraudulent use of government money, I've been blacklisted by the small working community I'm in.

So with two degrees and 20+ years of experience, I am unemployable in my field.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by CatInHand

Because after being fired for turning in my boss for fraudulent use of government money, I've been blacklisted by the small working community I'm in.

So with two degrees and 20+ years of experience, I am unemployable in my field.

no good deed goes unpunished , ever heard of that one.

dave

[CatInHand]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

no good deed goes unpunished , ever heard of that one.

dave

But I am giving some folks on here a chance to feel all superior 'n' stuff, so it was worth it.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Boatguy30

I'll just quickly point out that all that care will be billed at full retail and is technically not "free" also in many hospitals you sign a form pledging your home as payment as a homesteaded property can usually not be taken in a judgement in FL.

While not free technically, the majority of the people going to the ER for their routine medical care have no money, no assets and no home to pledge so in reality what happens is these bills are never paid. So, in the case of a private hospital (which is required by law to see any patient that comes into the ER insured or not, able to pay or not) these costs are passed on to the other patients. In the case of a publically owned facility those costs are passed on to the taxpayer.

The thing that really gets me, if you go to a hospital with no insurance and pay the bill out of pocket you will pay much higher, double or triple, what a patient with insurance will pay for the exact same service.

Not sure if "Obamacare" is a good plan or not since I am fortunate enough to be covered by insurance from my wife's job. I do know that the previous non-plan was not good and something needed to be done.

By the way, I think called the plan Obamacare is a misnomer since this is not the plan he originally proposed but the modified plan that was finally passed by Congress.

[CatInHand]

Originally Posted by skipmac

. So, in the case of a private hospital (which is required by law to see any patient that comes into the ER insured or not, able to pay or not) ....

Only for emergencies:
Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

I doubt hospitals take anyone with a runny nose, unless they suspect pneumonia or TB or something.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by CatInHand

Only for emergencies:
Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

I doubt hospitals take anyone with a runny nose, unless they suspect pneumonia or TB or something.

The problem is that until a doctor sees the patient how can it be determined if that runny nose is pneumonia or not? Someone comes in to the ER with a complaint the person admitting cannot make the decision. Hospitals have been sued too many times and know they have to cover their collective posteriors. There will be some medical professional doing a triage to make sure the urgent cases are seen asap but the rest will eventually see a doctor to get a diagnosis.

I am basing my comments on the direct experience of my daughter working in an ER. During her day shifts she routinely spent the majority of her time dealing with routine, non-emergency medical issues. True, once the patient was diagnosed and determined to be non-emergency then the hospital was not required to admit or treat them, but by that time, the damage was done and in most cases the immediate problem had been treated.