5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT OBAMACARE IN 2013 -PART 5

           

                               Myth number 5 - Obamacare is good for the youth

 

Under Obamacare, about 10 million additional young Americans are forced to buy health insurance. This is because the insurance mandate portion of the bill was upheld in the summer of 2012 by the Supreme Court. It was judged to be a “tax” and not a penalty and therefore, under the Constitution the federal government can tax its citizens.

 

All Americans who make enough money, not requiring assistance from the federal government for their health care, will have to purchase their own healthcare insurance or they will be fined from $695 or up to 2.5% of their income. Unbelievably, this fine is regarded as a tax by Chief Justice Roberts of the Supreme Court. There is a provision where parents can keep their children on their health care plans up to the age of 26 if they are still dependent on their parents. This will not apply to most young people and is one reason why Obamacare is not good for the youth. They are forced to buy something that they do not wish to purchase, hence the word “mandate”. Many young people are trying to save money for their education or a house and choose not to spend their money on healthcare insurance. They do this because of the low likelihood of needing medical attention in their 20s and 30s if they are healthy. It is shameful that our government is trying to pass on some of the healthcare costs of creating a massive bureaucracy by making young people help pay for it. These young citizens will also be burdened by the massive national debt created by reckless spending and the inability to balance our budget; thereby passing on today's debt to future generations.

 

Therefore, many young people will likely choose to be fined instead of paying the penalty. It is cheaper to just pay the fine then to obtain healthcare, which initially will cost several thousand dollars a year and no doubt will increase by over 10% a year in premiums. If they choose to have healthcare coverage, it is more statistically logical that they obtain coverage for accidental injuries, which are more likely to occur in young people who are essentially healthy. For those young people who want to obtain healthcare insurance policies, there are some insurance policies with high deductibles that young people can purchase for cheaply. Unfortunately, these plans have deductibles from 5,000 to 10,000 dollars-hardly a bargain if you do get sick and need medical attention. Also, I am sure that even these types of policies will increase in premiums (probably higher than your income and subsequent fine for not obtaining healthcare insurance). Therefore, in most cases it is better to just pay the fine and if you end up having a medical illness that will require attention in the future, you can then obtain healthcare insurance.

 

Many young people, about two out of three, voted for Obama and most likely the majority of those who voted for Obama did not realize the intended and unintended consequences of a massive bureaucratic program such as Obamacare. Because of the increased bureaucracy and subsequent inefficiency and waste that will result from Obamacare, many of our young citizens will receive inferior quality of health care and will have to wait longer to see doctors and will   pay more for those privileges.

 

Hopefully, for the sake of the future of these young citizens and the future of our nation, there will be new leadership in our government that addresses the real issues of healthcare in the future, such as reforming entitlements and addressing the debt and keeping healthcare free of government control. Legislation similar to that proposed by Rep. Ryan with healthcare and entitlement reforms is needed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, with the current administration, these young Americans will have to wait at least four years until there is a chance to save out healthcare system.