Loosely Based on a True Story
Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound of the alarm jerked Micah out of a deep sleep. Struggling to find the button that would quiet the wretched noise, he tore himself from his dream of the car accident he had caused the previous day. He shuddered remembering the words of the uniformed officer, “You’re a lucky guy. If you had been going any faster, you would have most likely been placed in the hospital”. Putting on his grey Coke uniform, he imagined the hospital bills that would have been added to the bills he already had: car payments and insurance, school bills, and now a ticket. As he walked to his car in the 3 am darkness, a word his dad usd the night before popped into his head: Obamacare. As he drove to work, he recalled the conversation from the previous evening. His upset dad had said sarcastically, “Well, next year because of Obamacare you won’t have to worry about being uninsured.” Micah had dismissed the conversation, not wanting to discuss it then. “Obamacare. I wonder what it’s all about,” he thought to himself arriving at Wal-Mart to stock his Coke products. “If it’s going to affect me like dad implied, I should probably look into it”.
After finishing a 12 hour work day and working on some homework, Micah remembered his decision to discover what Obamacare was all about. As he strolled past his sister, Abi, on his way to the inviting, red couch in the living room, he asked: “Have you heard about Obamacare, Abi?”.
“Yeah, it’s one of the discussions in my political science class.” she replied.
“Do you have any idea where I should start in my research?” he asked.
“Well, it’s really complicated; so start on the individual mandate. That might actually affect you since Coke won’t provide you with health insurance”
“Ok, thanks!”
Micah relaxed on the couch and began to research the described mandate. To begin his research, Micah considered the actual law. Luckily he found it online(GPO), but understanding the 906 page bill proved difficult. After glancing through it, he studied a few articles that translated the bill.
From what Micah read, he discovered that part of Obama’s reform, the individual mandate, required individuals to be under a health insurance plan by 2014. If the individual’s employer does not provide coverage, the individual must buy it. If the individual cannot afford coverage, then the government may offer assistance. As he read further, he also realized that when an individual refuses to purchase a plan, he will be taxed- $695(or 2.5% of income) after the third year(Blodget). “So if I refused to purchase the coverage, I would be taxed $540 according to my wage. But according to the rule, I would have the pay the tax since it’s higher than 2.5% of my income. Wonderful.”
After Micah retrieved a cold Coke from downstairs, he persisted in his research. He discovered next that for those who couldn’t afford the mandated coverage, subsidies would be available. Micah then realized that he would qualify for a subsidy since he earned less than $45,960(Luhby) “But how much assistance will I get?” Micah discovered that, “the lower your income, the larger your subsidy. For instance, those making $17,235 a year will pay no more than 4% of income, or $57 a month.” “Alright, this gives me a few choices: buy a health care plan on my own, buy one with a subsidy, or pay the penalty. It’s still not fair; in my 18 years of life. I have never used health care and won’t use it as long as possible. So why should I be forced to purchase something I don’t need right now? How does my getting health care play a part in the whole reform?”
On his day off the following day, Micah decided to form an answer to his last question. After comparing sources on the internet, he understood. “In order for premiums to lower and for the government to provide subsidies, extra money must come from somewhere,” he said to himself. The young and healthy Americans, like himself, would purchase health care, but would likely not use it because of good health. Hence, his unused money would be put into a pool. This “extra” money would indirectly lower premiums and allow the government to subsidize. “Basically, I will be paying for other people to receive health care.”
He read: “If enrolling in coverage through the state exchanges is too expensive or too confusing, uninsured individuals might choose to skip it and pay the fines instead. That could lead to fewer healthy people enrolling -- which would make coverage in the exchanges more costly for everyone, since they would become populated primarily by people with greater medical needs(Luhby).” “Ok, I understand why it’s necessary. But it seems extremely unfair. This law seems to benefit only the sick. I wonder if it’s even legal!” he muttered to himself in frustration(Thoma).
Although late and Micah had to work early the next morning, he continued researching to find an answer to the probing question. He discovered that though there had been much questioning as to whether the mandate was Constitutional,, the mandate proved to be legal labeled as a tax(Constitution).i
“I do remember reading that some parts of the mandate were unconstitutional though.” Micah thought. He remembered correctly. Micah’s brother-in-law, Luke, worked for “The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty”, which had been defending individuals and groups in court against a first amendment violation. “How does this relate to the individual mandate though?” Micah wondered.
He found out that the government now requires all insurance companies to offer contraceptives, even pills that cause abortions, in all their plans(Becketfund).i “Ok, so not only am I putting money into the health care system, of which I will rarely take a part in, but my money might provide abortions for people.” This fact really hit Micah emotionally due to the fact that abortion, the murder of a child, was completely against his beliefs. “The first amendment states that it is unlawful to force someone to act against their religious convictions. But the government will be forcing me to act against my religious morals in this way.” Micah said, slamming his laptop shut as the realization of how deeply this new mandate would affect him surfaced.
The next evening when Micah was sitting with his family eating dinner, Abi asked him how his research was coming.
“Well,” Micah began, “I have three options as a healthy, American individual. I can purchase healthcare coverage on my own, use a government subsidy to help pay for coverage, or I can refuse coverage and be taxed. In all three cases, I will be putting my money into a health care “pool”, my money will help pay for the health care of other individuals who actually need health care, since I won’t be using the coverage. In addition to this, my money will be paying for contraceptives that provide abortions for people using the coverage. Basically I am being forced to pay into something that I will rarely use and that provides options for people that I am morally opposed to.”
“Can you do anything to oppose the mandate?” asked Micah’s sister, Susanna.
“That’s what I am going to figure out next. There has to be something I can do to stop this injustice, not just for myself, but for other American individuals as well.”
And that began Micah’s next research project. He, like many other individuals, is not satisfied with the mandate that is being forced upon him. Therefore, he will attempt to find a way to stand up to it.
Works Cited
U.S. Government Printing Office. Public Law 111–148. 23 Mar. 2010. Web. 23 Mar. 2010 (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-111publ148/pdf/PLAW-111publ148.pdf )
Blodget, Henry. “How Much is The Obamacare Penalty Tax?”. Business Insider. Business Insider, 2012. Web. 2 July. 2012.
Luhby, Tammy. “What You’ll Actually Pay for Obamacare”. CNN Money. CNN Money, 2013. Web. 21 Aug. 2013.
Thoma, Mark. “Why We Need an Individual Mandate for Health Insurance.” Economist’s View. Economist’s View, 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution.
Becketfund. Becket Fund for Religious Liberties. Web. n.p.
No comments:
Post a Comment