<p>93tiger16: Seven out of eight people buying insurance on the exchanges will be subsidized. Only one of eight will pay the full premium.</p>
<p>You may end up needing insurance sooner than you think. </p>
<p>In my own family in the last ten years, one family member was in a car accident requiring over a week of hospitalization, three surgeries and lots of physical therapy. That was unexpected and would have been very costly if we didn’t have insurance.</p>
<p>Another family member suddenly was told she needed surgery by a cancer specialist. The cost for the care, most of which was at one of the top five cancer treatment hospitals in the country, was over $100,000 but fortunately we have good insurance. That was completely unexpected.</p>
<p>I could go and on with stories about friends and family members who were very healthy and fine – until they weren’t. </p>
<p>“So my bottom line is, has anybody found specific data/information on how this will apply to low income families and if there is any way out of it short of a constitutional challenge under the Equal Protection Clause?”</p>
<p>Low income people will have their premiums subsidized by the government. </p>
<p>^ I think I saw the same poster on another thread worrying about not being able to afford their student health plan. However, I know at my son’s school, if one cannot afford to pay for the plan their grant will be increased to cover the cost. I would be shocked if Princeton does not have a similar policy.</p>
<p>Also, thank you kindly for pointing out the Kaiser Health Insurance calculator. </p>
<p>The Princeton health plan only covers me, not my parents. My parents - my family - is still compelled to buy insurance coverage. But if you do encounter a student health plan that does cover my parents, do tell. kthanks.</p>
<p>Ok, we know you’re smart. But I do appreciate that you inserted the imo.</p>
<p>Go to the calculator and run it. It’s pretty astounding for the sort of folks who cannot easily afford insurance in their budgets. Let us know. It doesn’t matter whether it’s technically a tax or not- this is about lifting from a pit.</p>
<p>lookingforward, I did look at the calculator. Though, it still seems quite unreasonable to me. For a model family of 2 adults with, say, $40,000, that’s still a $5700 premium. With a high standard of living (increasing food, gas prices), that’s a considerable chunk (10%) of earnings that would have been spent towards other necessities.</p>
<p>Does your family have 40K in income? If so, the family is more than two adults. It’s two adults plus at least one child. Also, if that premium for the gold, silver or bronze plan?</p>
<p>$250 a month is certainly higher than zero. But that’s really quite cheap for insurance on the individual market. And it, as insurance does, protects the family against huge unexpected expenses from an accident or illness.</p>
<p>But I thank everybody for suggesting the calculator - lookingforward, yeah, my mistake. I naturally put in myself as well. But it appears that the bronze plan would be $3312 for us, which, I am sad to say, would still be a very significant chunk of the income. Like I said, college expenses and the fluctuation of the federal loan system…</p>
<p>See how I added you, as did Mom.<br>
What you have missed on this particular thread is some fears, some posters on good current plans, wondering how they will fare. AND, a lot of weaving for us to get to this: we don’t know enough, YET. </p>
<p>And, the more we have rolled through this thread, the clearer it is (to me) that there is no one media source so deeply informed that they can tell us how it is and will be. Beware. </p>
<p>And, I’m hoping all this brain power means we can pay it forward an help out some friends and family to understand when this is released.</p>
<p>-and Mom and I are getting 3312 for Silver.
Bronze drops down. Play with it.</p>
<p>Remember, that’s a prediction, not a final. And final depends on your state.</p>
<p>I dont know if the costs are really 3300 or not, but to insure a family for 3300 is a gift. </p>
<p>93tiger… You really need to think about this…</p>
<p>The real cost of healthcare is a lot higher than 3300 per family.</p>
<p>Edit…I realize there can be other costs, but the annual costs are capped and the benefits arent. (Every insurance buyer benefits by costs being capped while benefits arent).</p>
<p>One bad health year can wipe out years and years of savings from not buying insurance.</p>