By way of Steve Benen at Washington Monthly, a nice holiday story out of Michigan for you-all:
A particularly troublesome cost for my business is health insurance. However, I recently learned there are tax credits in the new healthcare law specifically for small businesses that will help us pocket some extra cash. In Michigan, 85.1 percent, or 126,300 small businesses were eligible for a credit in 2010; 39,600 small businesses qualified for the maximum tax credit that year.
Our business strategy depends on stable, well-informed employees for us to compete with large national box stores. A comprehensive health care insurance plan is the best way for us to attract and keep the good people we need, but our insurance costs have risen 300 percent in 10 years, and competition won’t allow us to raise prices enough to cover them. Under the Affordable Care Act, our store will receive a $15,000 tax credit. That’s not all the money in the world, but it means a lot to us and costs the government little or nothing.
Any cash boost, large or small, is welcome in this economy. We can use the money we save to invest in new equipment and new workers, so we can expand and help grow the economy. I hope all small businesses owners in Michigan will look into these credits. We need all the help we can get.
And here’s a very funny comment from Benen’s comments section:
This Affordable Care Act sounds like just the ticket to replace the failed ObamaCare!
BGinCHI
As is so often the case with this stuff, the Onion nails it:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/mitt-romney-haunted-by-past-of-trying-to-help-unin,20097/
Why we can’t have nice things, Chapter Infinity.
ETA: just one of many money quotes:
“The major strike against Mitt Romney is that he not only tried to help people get medical care, he actually did help people get medical care,” conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg said. “No other Republican in the field has that type of baggage. And in the end, in order to defeat President Obama, the GOP needs someone who has a track record of never wanting to help sick people.”
birthmarker
Your link is too funny!
But you know, if it helps people, let them believe the ACA is some new and better version of Obamacare.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
As someone said further down in the comments, it will be our job to tell everyone we can about the successes of ObamACAre, since the people who should be doing it won’t.
dmsilev
But, but, but, soshalism! State’s Rights! job-killing government bureaucracy! Keep your government hands off my Medicare!
etc.
kay
@Belafon (formerly anonevent):
I’ve read pages and pages on the provisions that apply to individuals, but I haven’t begun the small business provisions yet. I think this may be easier and more effective on a case by case basis. Less spin, less chance for misinformation.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@kay: In my family, I not only serve as the computer tech, but I serve as the political aggregator. It is my job to read a bunch of stuff, attempt to filter out the crap, and tell the rest of my family about it. Sometimes I have to know what the crap is so that I have a rebuttal. I figure that’s the job of all of us who pay more than average attention to politics. I can’t know everything, but as stuff like this comes in, I tell others about it. So, you’re posts are one of my sources.
El Cid
I keep encountering people who suddenly have something good happen to them regarding coverage or treatment or premiums and I have to emphasize to them that this is, or very likely is, a result of the health insurance reform law. And that’s the name I typically use, they seem to grasp the connection.
Those that grasp it, I tell, next time you’re in the middle of some gossip circle or moanfest on how Obamacare destroyed all healthy people and sank the economy or whatever, point out what it did for you, because anything else would be indecent, and if you’re not careful, you’ll lose what you gained.
Richard Fox
My niece is getting the medical help she needs because she was able to stay in my sister’s insurance plan. Sis was vastly skeptical about the President’s policies in general until something hit her and the family in particular. And that’s precisely what happens, I think, when folks see this as truly helping them. It DOES help, and WILL make a difference. Just have to see real life examples to make it clear and obvious, as well as spread the word best as can be done via blogs and comments, and support for the act. (Since the media can seem to manage that bit about highlighting the benefits and all.)
Citizen Alan
Does the ACA currently provide any benefits to sole proprietors? I’ve searched and don’t see any indication that it does. I’m not bitching, just wondering if anyone can point me to helpful information on the topic.
El Tiburon
Will ACA prevent run away premiums?
William Hurley
Interesting anecdote that retold by Benen. I’ll give the Benen piece a read later, hoping to find out from where within the Michigan state budget the $15k comes from.
Remember, one person’s tax cut is another budget shortfall. Imagine all the “fun” Rick Snyder will have exploiting the budget “shortfall” politics that emerge from business tax subsidies.
To my eye, at this point, the anecdote is “charming” only as an acontextual affirmation of acontextual wishful thinking.
johnsmith1882
‘well-informed employees’, what a laugh.
Mnemosyne
@William Hurley:
Oh, silly Billy. It doesn’t come from the Michigan state budget, it comes in the form of a federal tax break.
But I will find it very amusing to watch you flail around complaining about how the PPACA blows a hole in Michigan’s budget by doling out federal tax breaks.
kay
@William Hurley:
Absolutely hysterical that you didn’t read it and are throwing around the word “acontextual”.
Incidentally, I posted a bit on the successful effort to put Ohio’s voter suppression law on hold, today. Despite what you claimed here, repeatedly, OFA was a huge part of that. You continued to make that claim after I told you it wasn’t true, something I knew because I was working with OFA, here, in this county.
Care to admit what you wrote about that effort wasn’t true? You pulled that out of your ass, William. You had (and have) no idea what was going on in Ohio.
kay
@William Hurley:
Follow the link. It isn’t “retold” by Benen. It’s on the editorial page of a newspaper. It was submitted by a person, and his name (and business) are listed.
William, your bullshit is going to have to get better than this. How lazy are you?
Comrade Mary
@William Hurley: Oh gosh, yes, Mr. Hurley, ANY kind of business investment is foolish, because that’s money that comes out of another line item, isn’t it? I mean, a few years ago, I spent a few hundred dollars on some software. That was money that could have gone to home improvements, or retirement savings, but I spent it on software …
.. which I learned to use, then started teaching to others, and it now is the most common tool I use when developing for clients. This year, in this iffy Canadian economy (not as strapped as the American economy, but certainly something that Moody’s is making threats about, as least in my province), I’m much busier than I was 3 years ago. And I am not only doing better for myself, I’m paying more taxes into government coffers.
Oh, and a major reason why I’m in business for myself is because part of my tax money goes towards universal health insurance. It would be nice if you guys could have a similar system, but I think the ACA incremental improvements are good news, especially considering the massive conservative bullshit being flung at “socialized” medicine.
It seems as if this kind of gain can happen in the States, too. Here, let me spoon feed you:
Ned F
Makes you wonder why the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), which is supposed to represent small biz, is fighting tooth and nail (they’re behind the suit in Florida) to repeal the ACA.
Schlemizel
marginally OT but related. Some of us were kicking around why Medical and University costs have so far outstripped other expenses in the last 10-20 years.
Am I late to the party or do I see something nobody has mentioned before? The common thread with those two businesses is that they have not been off-shored yet. Without cheap third-world labor to force down the cost of doing business their expenses have risen at a more ‘normal’ rate while everyone else has been crushed under the competition from India and China.
If that is correct I expect to see some medical services moving to India (the Mayo Clinic is opening a branch there). High speed Internet would make imagining and diagnostic work easy to ship off. That would mean some cost containment in the medical field (not in a good way but you see where I am going).
College cost though? Good luck trying to get tenure for a guy in Bangalore.
William Hurley
@kay:
It is telling that those here taking me to task for my post, including the comment regarding my familiarity with the primary source, leap into assumptive and grammatical indulgences of their own as evidenced by kay’s own willful misconstrual of the opening sentence of the post anchoring this thread, which reads “by way of….”.
I’ll address the rest of the nonsense shortly.
kay
@Ned F:
Because, maybe like the Chamber of Commerce, they have been completely captured by a few extremely wealthy conservatives, and don’t really lobby on behalf of small business at all?
Either that or they’re (currently) selling insurance to members, which is not outside the realm of possibility.
kindness
I think the statement:
“This Affordable Care Act sounds like just the ticket to replace the failed ObamaCare!”
was snark. I recognize the name & they aren’t right wing nutz.
kay
@William Hurley:
Admit you made up the stuff about OFA/voting in Ohio or I won’t respond to you ever again. You’re wasting my time.
You made that up. OFA were IN FACT involved on the ground in Ohio with the voter suppression law petition. I know that because some earnest and hardworking 22 year olds were standing in the same room I’m sitting in, and it sucks that you denied their work and success. Which is what I told you when you made the (false) claim here.
Admit it and I’ll drop it.
xian
isn’t the Hurley persona an obvious troll. I have trouble keepin them straight but an odor always gives it away. con ratfucker posing as firebagger?
Mnemosyne
@William Hurley:
Apparently you are not familiar with all internet traditions, Billy, since you apparently don’t know that “by way of” is shorthand for “I first found this story on this person’s website, so I’m also including a link to their post about it as a courtesy.”
But keep digging. It’s hysterical to watch you try to cover up the fact that you were so eager to find something, anything wrong with a defense of PPACA that you didn’t even bother to read the post.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
@xian:
Probably not. At least since Lincoln’s time (and probably earlier) every progressive president has enjoyed a contingent well to the left of them who were very noisily dissastified with their performance and who routinely accused them of bad intent or worse, re: the corrupt establishment which manipulates and controls everything, which just proves that the whole system is rotten to the core and must be destroyed at all costs. American Jacobins, as it were. No reason why Obama should be any different in this regard, and the firebaggers today are well within the bounds of historical normality in terms of both their numbers and their vitriol. Just one of the apsects of US politics you have to get used to because it is never, ever going to go away.
burnspbesq
@Citizen Alan:
You get to deduct your health insurance premiums for purposes of determining your self-employment income. The combination of that and Section 179 are going to zero me out for my first five months of self-employment.
kay
@ThatLeftTurnInABQ:
William isn’t a firebagger, or a conscientious objector, or the principled dissent. William makes stuff up about Obama, or he did, re: Ohio.
PurpleGirl
@Ned F: I’ll bet you that the leadership of the group are all Republicans… facts, who needs facts.
burnspbesq
@Ned F:
NFIB = Astroturf. They’ve also been out front in trying to do away with the estate tax, despite the fact that under existing law the typical NFIB member won’t ever have enough assets to be subject to the estate tax. There is an interesting discussion of the NFIB in Mike Graetz’ book about the politics of the estate tax.
Litlebritdifrnt
Kay as I mentioned in another thread there are some very effective ads up in NC touting the “Federal Option” with real person stories how the ACA has helped them with the NC High Risk Pool. It did not say who was paying for the ads but it certainly looks like they are pushing back on the “Obamacare failed” meme.
Someguy
@Mnemosyne:
Oh, phew. Thank goodness. For a minute there, I thought this was some form of corporate welfare, giving away taxpayer dollars to business and screwing over individual taxpayers.
Comrade Mary
@Someguy: And of course it isn’t, as these TARGETED and APPROPRIATE tax breaks directly lead to new jobs for individuals. It’s not just money forked over to businesses in the hope that given free rein, they will actually create jobs instead of socking the money away out of short-sighted fear.
Funny how that works, eh?
Ruckus
@Ned F:
That’s because the NFIB is anything but for small business. Remember the upper limit for small business is defined by the government as what most people consider to be huge. Not gigantic but not mom and pop, 10-20 employee companies either.
I used to belong to NFIB decades ago until I figured out their interests had not one iota to do with my small 14 employee manufacturing company. I also used to read WSJ/Forbes and figured out they have nothing for me and my employees.
I wondered before ACA why small business didn’t want single payer. Everyone would have
insurancehealth care available so there would be no need for workers comp, a huge drain on costs.I still have a hard time figuring out why people are against, you get sick/injured, you get fixed.
kay
Littlebrit: I’m interested in that.
I’ll look into it and do something on it.
Thanks for telling me.
I once lived in Wilmington. I loved NC, mostly.
madcap_freedom
Balloon Juice’s original link to the “holiday story” redirects, making it difficult to follow this story here, also the Washington Monthly link from Benen’s original post redirects too. Oops! Quick hide the facts, obscure the truth!
Citizen_X
Hey, Commodore Blowhard, pro tip: if you seek to intimidate the peasantry, you should learn to write a coherent sentence in English first. Try looking up “run-on sentence,” for starters.
Mnemosyne
@Someguy:
Yep, God forbid the government help businesses who want to provide healthcare to their employees. They should just let all of their employees go on Medicaid like WalMart does and save the government money.
gwangung
@William Hurley:
Translation: I will continue to bullshit and evade the question; note that I ignored the clear evidence I didn’t even read the goddam article.
Someguy
@Mnemosyne:
Well, good thing the government money handed out to the corporation in the form of tax expenditures is free, otherwise non-corporate taxpayers would be stuck paying for it. And that’d suck. Unless this is a kind of corporate welfare we’re cool with.
Mnemosyne
@Someguy:
Yep, clearly a fatcat corporate type who’s using the money he should be spending on employee healthcare to buy hookers and blow instead. Just look at that picture of him!
ETA: And just to be clear I have no problem at all — none, zero, zip — using government money to help small businesses, even if they are incorporated.
Mnemosyne
Uh oh — I just discovered that this guy really does have a corporate fat cat behind the scenes. Damn him!
Jerzy Russian
@El Cid:
This is what it will take: one person at a time realizing how this law helps in their own personal life. Good for you for pointing this out to people.
Comrade Mary
Someguy, I guess you oppose social welfare payments , because not all taxpayers receive benefits. And you oppose government funding of education because some parents choose private schools, and many people don’t gave kids at all.
Seriously, global tax cuts on “job creators” sucks because that money can go anywhere but to jobs. These credits for health care encourages employment, makes life better for the individuals who get the new jobs, benefits their community by stimulating demand, and benefits all tax payers because we now have another tax payer sharing our responsibility to fund out common society.
Redshift
@Schlemizel: Washington Monthly has had a number of articles about that, which might be worth a look. Based on my dim recollection, their contention is that the two main culprits are that the number of non-faculty management have hugely increased over time, and that the kinds of productivity gains that lots of kinds of business and industry have seen aren’t really possible in academia (at least not if you’re doing it right), and labor is the main cost. I don’t entirely understand the economics there, but basically the fact that people are paid the same, but in 2011 dollars, means they’re paid more than before.)
I’d say it would be better to go look up the source there, rather than relying on my clumsy interpretation, though.
Redshift
@El Tiburon: Remains to be seen. The medical loss ratio rules are starting to kick in, so they’ll at least have to justify the increased premiums with actual medical costs, rather than things like “our investments aren’t doing well.” And there have been a number of articles about how hospital costs are being kept in check because they’re starting to adapt to forthcoming plans to pay for outcomes, rather than services.
No one should expect a silver bullet, but as long as it makes things better, that can provide impetus for further reforms.
The Other Chuck
@William Hurley:
Good lord I’ve never read such idiotic bafflegab in my life. You remind me of when I was 14 and had just discovered what a thesaurus was.
El Tiburon
@Redshift:
Really? I don’t really see anyone touching this issue for a long time.
Of course Republicans won’t touch it except to destroy it. Democrats won’t touch it because they think the work is done and the payoff hasn’t been there.
So armlet with a system that is marginally better but not really the game changer we needed.
Mnemosyne
@El Tiburon:
Define “long time.” The PPACA won’t be fully implemented until January of 2015. It will probably take a year or two after that to get a good idea of what’s worked and what hasn’t, so the earliest I would expect to see tweaks of any significance would be 2017 or 2018.
Those would be tweaks that would actually be planned to fix it and further expand coverage, of course. If Republicans keep their majority in the House and take over the Senate, I fully expect them to make a whole bunch of “fixes” in 2013 that would be designed to kill the whole thing.
maryQ
I sent this to my local paper today-I suggest you do the same:
I have an idea for a story I would like to see. I don’t read the entire paper each day, so my apologies if you have already had such a story.
I just read an interesting piece in a newspaper in Michigan written by a small business owner whose business has benefited from provisions in the Affordable Care Act.
http://www.heritage.com/articles/2011/12/16/opinion/doc4eeb9eaa64a5f481469341.txt
This brought to mind another story by an individual who has also recently benefited from the provision regarding pre-existing conditions
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/06/opinion/la-oe-ward-in-praise-of-obamacare-20111206
Also, as many parents of 18-26 year olds have been allowed to continue to cover their children, the coverage for this group has dramatically increased
http://www.gallup.com/poll/147422/fewer-year-olds-uninsured-2011.aspx
It seems like there could be some great local reporting here. Perhaps you can find people who have benefited from the new law, and tell their stories.
For balance, of course, you could look for people who have had their loved ones’ lives terminated by Death Panels. I personally don’t think that you will find such people, but I will remain open-minded while the evidence comes in.
Wishing you happy holidays,
Comrade Mary
WINNER for the whole thing, but especially that last paragraph! Heh.
slightly_peeved
@Redshift:
Also, once the exchanges kick in:
– any health insurers participating in the exchanges will be in a genuine marketplace, where people have the ability to switch provider relatively easily, have a range of providers to choose from, and have information (premium prices, coverage levels, satisfaction ratings) on providers. Part of the reason so much gouging happens in US health insurance is that people have no choice of insurer.
– The OPM will contract for a nationwide provider for all exchanges.
– All price increases will have to be submitted to the Secretary of HHS ahead of time, and will be used to determine whether plans will be offered on the exchange. In short, if a company ups their prices too much, they can get kicked out of the exchanges.
@Mnemosyne:
One reason Congress may revisit this is that as of 2014, they’ll all be on the exchanges: link. So if prices go up, Congress people will know about it.
SIA
@Comrade Mary: BRAVO.
WaterGirl
@maryQ: I think that is a seriously good idea. In fact, I think you should find a way to send it to MoveOn and to OFA. It would be awesome if people all over the country would send that to their local newspapers.
maryQ
@WaterGirl: Just sent it to MoveOn.org. Thanks for the idea.
kay
@El Tiburon:
The mandate is a powerful stick. If the premiums go above “affordable” (for the individual) the mandate drops out, because the mandate is conditioned on the ability to purchase “affordable” insurance. If insurance companies want the guaranteed purchase that comes with a mandate, they have to keep the premium “affordable”.
“Affordable” is a term of art, it means “percentage of income”.
The same thing happens, BTW, with the medical support order contained within child support. In this state, it’s “reasonable”. If the parent cannot purchase insurance that is “reasonable” the parent does not have to purchase insurance. The mandate drops out.
As the law stands now, there is a sort of exception for people younger than 30, on the mandate. They may purchase a less comprehensive policy, and it will be cheaper, however, they will still get preventative care “free” (no deductible, no out of pocket).
kay
@El Tiburon:
They’ve already “touched” it. The high risk pools were a failure because the premiums were too high, and the rules were too rigid. They brought down the premiums (to the individual) by subsidizing the high risk policies further, and they relaxed the rules. Right now they’re looking at how people enrolled in S-CHIP, to see if there are any lessons there, as far as getting people enrolled in the high risk pools.
They can do all of this through rule-making and re-allocating funds, at the agency level, without going to Congress.
I just don’t think it’s accurate to say or believe that nothing is going to change, because provisions are already changing, as they come on-line.
Now, honestly, not all of those changes are going to be GOOD, but the changes to the high risk pool WERE good, so there’s that.