Alright, so I understand the logic behind the mandate. If they can get fairly young and healthy people like me (31 and run 25+ miles per week) insured, then that helps profits because I probably won't cost a lot. That's the theory, and I guess it makes sense if you assume that the insurance companies are having a problem making a profit. Which just isn't true.
But the thing is, I'm not uninsured because I want to be. I'm uninsured because my employer doesn't provide insurance and I can't afford the insane rates the greedy insurance companies are charging.
Just a few minutes ago I went to Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan's website to find out what it would cost me if I had to satisfy the mandate today, right now. I think it's pretty safe to assume that I'm going to get the cheapest rate possible, being an individual, 31 and in good health. I also went for a basic PPO plan, nothing fancy.
Guess how much they want? $280/mo.
What?! I can't afford that! I mean OK if I cancel my cable TV, internet, cell phone (my only phone), car insurance and cut back on food then maybe I could pay for it. But otherwise, there's no room.
And the thing is I'm not broke, I make a decent living. But all the corporations in our daily lives have ratcheted up our cost of living drastically over the past 10-15 years. All those bills I mentioned above cost at least twice, if not more, what they cost 10-15 years ago. Despite getting older, my car insurance has not been reduced significantly. Even though I have a totally clean license with no points, and have shopped around for the cheapest plan, I'm still not paying much less in car insurance than I did as a 19 year old (and 19 year old boys are supposed to get raked over the coals!)
The reality is the corporations view us common folks as fruit to be juiced. They crank up our monthly bills as much as they can, and if we have trouble paying, they add on late fees to punish us for not having more money.
My car is 12 years old, I live in some of the cheapest apartments in my city. I don't live any kind of flashy lifestyle really. But though I make a decent living, I have no spare money to pay for health insurance.
How is the HCR bill going to make that mandated insurance affordable to me? The cost would have to decrease by like 50% for it to be at all realistic for me to be able to pay it. Am I going to get a 50% subsidy? I don't think so, like I said I make a decent living.
It seems to me I'm going to get fucked over by this bill. I'm going to be required to make a monthly payment that I absolutely cannot afford. The only way I'll be able to make that payment is by losing all ties to the outside world (TV, internet, phone) and then cutting even more beyond that.
But at least the insurance companies profits won't be impinged, that's the important part! Who cares if honest working folk are eating ramen noodles and having to communicate with friends and family by carrier pigeon?
UPDATE
I do not qualify for ANY subsidy at all, let alone the exemption.
So unless the HCR bill is going to reduce premiums by something like 50%, I am going to get FUCKED by the mandate.
Woo-hoo! Thanks Obama & Congress. Way to go.
UPDATE 2
To clarify, the 2 things I have big problems are:
1 - I am going to have to buy an insurance plan that I can't really afford. In other words the bill is not doing enough to lower costs, and is not helping everyone who needs help buying insurance.
2 - The bottom rung insurance I'm going to be forced to buy is not that great anyway.
Seems to me that Blue Cross / Blue Shield is benefiting from this and I'm getting fucked.
Final Update
Personally I feel that Obama & Congress could have delivered Medicare to everybody if they had really pushed for it from the get-go. But they lacked the willpower to do so. And it is one of many disappointments (LGBT civil rights, the wars, Wall St regulations) that have lead to so many of us losing our enthusiasm for Obama & the Democratic party.