Has anyone read the full text of the America’s Healthy Future Act? There is a lot to like in there:
http://www.finance.senate.gov/...
Best of all, though, is this part at the beginning:
Issuers in the individual market would be required to offer coverage on a guaranteed issue basis. Under guaranteed issue, if a plan has a capacity limit and the Secretary determines that the number of individuals who elect that plan would exceed the limit, the issuer would be allowed to limit the number of enrollees according to specified rules. Also, issuers would be required to offer coverage on a guaranteed renewability basis, and rate those policies on the same factors used when initially issuing such policies. Issuers would be prohibited from excluding coverage for pre-existing health conditions and from rescinding health coverage.
What do I have to do in order to get this benefit?
I'm glad you asked. The answer is found in the euphamistically entitled "SHARED RESPONSIBILITY" portion of the markup:
Excise Tax. The consequence for not maintaining insurance would be an excise tax of $750 per adult in the household. This per adult penalty would be phased in as follows: For 2013, $0; $200 for 2014; $400 for 2015; $600 in 2016 and $750 in 2017.
That's right. All I have to do is pay $750 per year, cover my out-of-pocket routine health care costs with my own after-tax-dollars, and (and this is the best part) any time that I get sick or need medical care that exceeds the cost of an insurance premium, I just march into an insurance company's office and buy an insurance policy.
Pretty cool, no? That will show the insurance companies who is in charge of my health care decisions.