Health Care Reform Bill: Uninsured and Facing the Penalty

On Tuesday March 23, 2010 President Barack Obama signed the Health Care Reform Bill into law. This historic event came with many states suing the federal government within minutes of the signing. Among the states suing is my home state of Pennsylvania. The claim is that a part of the new health care mandate is unconstitutional because the government is mandating that you have health care coverage and if you don't, you will be penalized via taxes. I can't say I disagree with my home state.

I am 30 years old, unmarried with two kids and have no health insurance. I work part-time as an administrative assistant, not enough to qualify for health care through my employer, and am self-employed as a freelance writer. I have no preexisting conditions. I cannot afford to pay for health insurance. If I get sick, I pay my doctor $75 for a visit to his office. If he writes a prescription, I ask for the generic version of whatever it is he has prescribed. When I go to the pharmacy to pick it up, I pay the full cost of the medication. I cannot afford health insurance for myself.

According to the Federal Poverty Level, I make too much money to qualify for state funded health care. However, my kids are covered through the Children's Health Insurance Program because I don't make enough money to cover them myself. The new health care bill will affect me in one big way. Now instead of just being uninsured, I will be penalized for being uninsured and unable to afford health insurance. And it is doubtful that health insurance will become more affordable with the new health care bill in place.

Consider it this way; I have a book for sale. The government now says that everyone must buy that book or face a penalty. Am I going to sell the book at an affordable rate to everyone or am I going to raise the price on the book? Do you keep the book at a reasonable, affordable price?

The health care bill comes with a price tag of $940,000,000,000.00 (no error in 0's, $940 billion dollars). This bill will be paid by the American people through taxes that the government will take out of our pay checks over the next 18 years. According to H.R. 4872, Sec. 1002 Individual Responsibility, those individuals who choose not to have health care coverage will pay in one of three ways; by being exempt because you don't make enough money to file taxes, by paying a flat fee of $495 in 2014 or by raising the percent of income as an alternative payment.

I do not live beyond my means. The outstanding debt I do have is due to student loans not credit cards. Yet, I cannot afford an extra $935 a year for health insurance and according to eHealthInsurance.com that is the cheapest rate I could get to just cover myself. If I chose to add my children to the plan, my yearly expense on health insurance coverage at the cheapest rate would be $1754.

If I were to purchase health care coverage for myself so that I am not penalized by the government then we would have to go without something be it food, electricity or gas in the car. I want health care coverage but at what cost to my family?

H.R. 4872, Sec. 1001 of the health care bill says that I will be able to qualify for subsidies to help buy health care coverage from my state's health insurance exchange. The health care subsidy is financial assistance that will come from the government in the form of tax credits. You still pay out of pocket but you can claim it on your tax return at the end of the year.

According to the New York Times graphic chart, which discusses how different type of people will be affected by the health care bill, if my income increases to $40,000 I will not have to pay more than $3,220 for premiums during the year and if I could not afford up to that amount, I would then be eligible to apply for a hardship waiver. If by 2016, I still could not afford health insurance and my income remains the same, I could be fined up to a maximum amount of $2,085 because the government has determined that I should have been able to afford health insurance.

I am not against national health care coverage. I am glad that now those with preexisting conditions will be able to get health insurance without having to face a denial because of those conditions. I am glad that kids will be covered until they are 26 years old. I am not glad that I will be forced to get health care and make my family do without or face a penalty.