US Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in an op-ed says that while she didn’t support the Obamacare repeal votes earlier this year, she does support the tax reform bills having a repeal of the Individual Mandate that Government / Obamacare put in place for people who just wished to not purchase healthcare. Once again, look at the high cost of Government mandated plans that RedDiaperBaby and Jeemo are blaming on Trump and refusing to acknowledge that it is the structure of Obamacare itself that is driving costs soaring (emphasis mine):
Alaskans pay the highest price for premiums in the country. That is why the number of people enrolled on the exchange in Alaska has shrunk every year since the ACA was passed. People have been forced out of the market by the high cost of insurance, with some often forced to pay a tax because the price of insurance was too high for them to afford.
A silver plan for a family of four, with a $9,000 deductible, will cost about $2,160 per month in 2018. If this family does not qualify for the advanced premium tax credits, they face the choice of paying almost $35,000 in 2018 just for health insurance premiums before their insurance really kicks in, or potentially paying a tax of $695 or 2.5 percent of their income. An individual could be paying around $709 per month for a plan with a $3,000 deductible. With no tax credits, that person would pay over $11,500 per year before insurance starts to help, or pay the tax for not having coverage.
Alaskans paid over $9 million to the IRS under this penalty in 2014, and over $12 million in 2015. There are Alaskans making the calculated risk to go without insurance and pay the tax. They prefer to take a gamble, pay for care out of pocket, and hope nothing too bad happens because the insurance available to purchase is unaffordable. Eliminating this tax would allow Alaskans to have greater control over their money and health care decisions.
Repealing the individual mandate simply restores to people the freedom to choose.
And isn’t the “freedom to choose” really what America is all about? And aren’t we past the point of “mere anecdotal evidence”?
(H/T: Daily News-miner)
