what i mean by the no-man's-land are people who make slightly more than 4x poverty level, so they don't qualify for any subsidies.  They still have to abide by the mandate, and they have a choice between cheap catastrophic coverage or a plan on the exchange with premiums that run between 10%-12% of their income.  

It's kind of rough to tell people fresh out of undergrad who manage to snag $50,000 a year freelancing that on top of student loans and federal/state taxes, they are required to write a $6,000 check for health insurance so that the national risk pool can be balanced.

Don't want to get stuck in there.  Better to intentionally make $3000 less, qualify for subsidies, and only pay 8% of your income in premiums.

by dotkommissar on 03/19/2010 06:05:35 PM EST

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