Archived Fiscal cliff impact

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The whole point of this thread is the overall impact of this increase. Even though $15 extra a paycheck may not sound like much, over time it adds up. That extra 15 or whatever could have gone towards gas, groceries, other essentials. It doesnt help either with the fact that are benefits are turning to crap. I may not speak for everyone but I dont want government assistance especially with healthcare. And paying more money every month into a social security system that I will probably never use, no thanks.

Lol, young people are great. Never use it.... righhttttt. "Probably never use it" - Actually, statistically speaking, there is an extremely astronomically high chance you will use it. I don't think you realize how many millions of senior citizens would literally be living out of a box if not for social security and medicare.
 
Exactly GlobalTL123, that was my point I was trying to get across. I can assure you I am not an ETL and if you chose not to believe me then that's up to you. All I know is that the state that I live in and out of the 13 tms I have talked with in same and different districts all had a big increase of taxes taken out IN ADDITION TO the SS tax. When tmsc was called on this subject they had said that because it is the first check of 2013 they were using the new tax rates BEFORE the fiscal cliff deal was voted on and put in place for what they were given by the gov even know the money was made in 2012. All I ever wanted to get across in the post is make sure you all check your first few checks of 2013 and see if there are similar issues with more taken out IN ADDITION TO ss.
 
Lol, Direct Deposit is great....if you have a bank or CU of course. And since "State" will probably respond with some smart remark I'll just say that I work at corporate and made a ton of money for my great vibe idea you slaves have reluctantly refused to follow ;)
 
Lol, Direct Deposit is great....if you have a bank or CU of course. And since "State" will probably respond with some smart remark I'll just say that I work at corporate and made a ton of money for my great vibe idea you slaves have reluctantly refused to follow ;)

Judging by your past posts, you do work at corporate, which explains why you make so much.

BTW, your vibe idea sucked.
 
Those who got paid on the fourth had their checks issued before the new fiscal cliff bill had been passed, so there is a very high chance that Target like many other companies had to take out taxes as if all of the current tax breaks expired rather than just the SS tax.

Just speaking hypothetically since I am not on that paycheck rotation.
 
The whole point of this thread is the overall impact of this increase. Even though $15 extra a paycheck may not sound like much, over time it adds up. That extra 15 or whatever could have gone towards gas, groceries, other essentials. It doesnt help either with the fact that are benefits are turning to crap. I may not speak for everyone but I dont want government assistance especially with healthcare. And paying more money every month into a social security system that I will probably never use, no thanks.

So, you're gonna get mad at the federal government for raising your social security tax by 2% but not Target for only giving you a maximum of a 2%-6% raise annually? Over time, that adds up just as well. What about the opt-in "I don't smoke" fee they added to paychecks last year? My friend, you have played into the mindset of exactly what big business wants out of its employees.


For me, I barely noticed it on my check but I only work about 16 hours a week as I am currently a student. What really kind of irked me though was when I overheard an ETL complaining that the taxes on their end of year bonus would be going up 3% which was right after I saw that my hours in 2 weeks have been cut down from 16 hours down to 8. Cry me a river, *******. I get that I'm a part timer going to school but that effectively cuts my pay in half which is far more than government has done to me in raising taxes...
 
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" Those who got paid on the fourth had their checks issued before the new fiscal cliff bill had been passed, so there is a very high chance that Target like many other companies had to take out taxes as if all of the current tax breaks expired rather than just the SS tax." This exactly. This is almost verbadium of what tmsc told me. And my corporate line was a joke, it would be nice to work there thou only if just to see who comes up with these awful ideas I.e. vibe, neman Marcus etc...
 
I wish someone could tell me exactly how much I will be paying for this new healthcare (family of 2) and how it is going to make MY healthcare better.

So far, all I hear is how its going to make it easier for poor people to get healthcare.
 
Lol, Direct Deposit is great....if you have a bank or CU of course. And since "State" will probably respond with some smart remark I'll just say that I work at corporate and made a ton of money for my great vibe idea you slaves have reluctantly refused to follow ;)

I hope I am misunderstanding some humor here.

I really take offense at being called a "slave".
 
I wish someone could tell me exactly how much I will be paying for this new healthcare (family of 2) and how it is going to make MY healthcare better.

So far, all I hear is how its going to make it easier for poor people to get healthcare.

You are framing this question wrong. The correct question to ask is - How is this law going to help me KEEP my health insurance and help me pay LESS?

It always amazes me how little memory most people have. Ask yourself this - why did health care reform occur in the first place? What had been going on during most of the 2000's?

Well, all kinds of shady things were going on. Health care companies were dropping people with pre-existing conditions, dropping people who had paid for insurance once they got sick, etc. To make matters worse, many companies were raising the costs of health care every single year or getting rid of good plans in favor of trash plans or no plans at all.

The health care law is going to help people who don't have insurance get insurance. But that is not all it is.

The health care law is going to help YOU keep your insurance by making it illegal for insurance companies to kick you off once you get sick or have a pre-existing condition. It is also going to reign in rising health care costs so that your $40 dollar monthly premium today (example) is not $400 five years from now. It is also going to help you in ways you might not realize yet. For example, let's pretend your "family of 2" has a kid next year. Let's pretend the kid is born with a serious heart problem that needs major surgery over the next 5 years. Under the old health insurance plan, guess what? Your kid is pretty much dead because it is a pre-existing condition and would not be covered. Now your kid would be covered and get the surgery necessary to live.

This is not all it does, there are literally hundreds of changes that you really can't get into here. But the law helps every person in certain ways. It just depends of who you are and your status in life. For example, members of congress used to have the best insurance in the country. Under this new law, they have to have the same insurance that every "regular" person can get. In other words, the ultra rich no longer get the best plans while poor people (i.e. people working at Target) have plans that kick them off and let them die once they get a serious problem.
 
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I kinda feel sorry for you store TM's my first check of the year was jacked up to. It had personal time on it so I can't comment accurately on just how much extra in taxes were taken out. I'm payed a little extra and I work more overtime, so I can probably afford it a bit better than some but it still hurts the bottom line.

I'm going to decline to comment on the health care reform package, just because I suspect I am in league with all of congress and have yet to finish reading it. What I will say is from the portion that I have read it is a VERY poorly written law.
 
SOT, the reigning in of costs of insurance isn't exactly working. I read an article this morning that small business employees and individually insured rates are going up 20 to 25% in 2013 in California. I'm pretty sure Cali isn't the only state to see increases. Fortunately, I'm eligible for Target's insurance so I won't see my $2000/month premium for worse insurance go up 15 to 20% again this year.
 
SOT, the reigning in of costs of insurance isn't exactly working. I read an article this morning that small business employees and individually insured rates are going up 20 to 25% in 2013 in California. I'm pretty sure Cali isn't the only state to see increases. Fortunately, I'm eligible for Target's insurance so I won't see my $2000/month premium for worse insurance go up 15 to 20% again this year.

<sigh> You do realize that the bulk of the health care law doesn't go into effect until 2014, right? You also are aware that when it actually does go into effect in 2014, the changes won't all be done overnight, right? You do know that when the law was passed, implementation was delayed until 2014 so state governments/health insurance companies/private companies could have time to prepare for the changes, right?

What you are describing is nothing new. As I said before, health insurance rates have been going up astronomically for the past 10 years.... long before anyone even mentioned health care reform. If we had done nothing, in 5 years your $2000 premium could very well be $8000. You high premium is a result of what has been going on the past 10 years. Not a result of the health care law the majority of which is not even in effect yet.

We will have to wait until the law goes into effect in 2014, when the health care exchanges come online in 2014, and the Medicaid expansion occurs in 2014 to actually see if things get better.... which will probably take at least 1-2 years after the law goes into effect.
 
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You can sigh as condescendingly as you wish, but it doesn't change the facts. Yes, you can wait until 2014 until many of the regulations take effect, but one of the major regs already in effect is the requirement that there is a review process which insurers must undergo before raising rates. It isn't curbing the cost of insurance or the cost of medical care and the mechanisms to do that are in place. The parts that are not yet in effect will raise the cost of health care further.
 
You can sigh as condescendingly as you wish, but it doesn't change the facts. Yes, you can wait until 2014 until many of the regulations take effect, but one of the major regs already in effect is the requirement that there is a review process which insurers must undergo before raising rates. It isn't curbing the cost of insurance or the cost of medical care and the mechanisms to do that are in place. The parts that are not yet in effect will raise the cost of health care further.

<sigh>

The provision regulating increase in rates only applies to insurance on the *private market*. In other words, if you go out on your own and buy an individual policy. I.e. you go directly to Humana and buy an insurance policy directly from them just for yourself. (only upper middle class and upper class people i.e. rich people generally do this)

The provision does *not* impact employer rates that they charge to employees through group insurance.

This is how health insurance works right now today (example):

Humana offers multiple group health insurance plans to employers -> Employers like Target look at the plans and decide what plan(s) they want to offer their employees -> Target tells humana they will buy, for example, Plan C -> Target pays Humana $50 million annually to cover all Target employees -> Target then decides how much of that $50 million they will pay and how much they will make TMs pay -> Target collects a monthly premium from TMs to offset the cost.

The provision you are talking about only applies to plans from the insurance company. Under the new health care law, you will be able to get plans *directly from the insurance company*. The law prohibits THOSE premiums from going up without review.

Right now, you are getting health care *from your employer*. (THIS is the major change the health care law is bringing about in 2014 - an end to having to get health insurance from your employer - now you can get it directly from the insurance company) When you pay your monthly health care premium out of your paycheck, that money is not going to the health insurance company. That money is going directly to Target. Guess what? Target is not a health insurance company. Therefore, they are free to require however much money they want from you. The law only applies to health insurance companies.

Let me say this again, you are getting health insurance *from your employer* right now today. This is how it is for everyone in america today. The law is only focused on *letting you get insurance directly from the insurance company*. In other words, *you are no longer dependent on your employer for insurance.*

If you want and bought the same insurance on the open market directly from Humana, for example, it could easily cost you $5000 a month. What Target is doing is basically buying the plan FOR YOU, and then giving it to you at a discounted rate. That is why it is a called a health care BENEFIT. The insurance company DOES NOT control how much money you pay for your monthly premium - your employer does. The insurance company could jack up the plan price from $50 million to $100 million dollars. Or it could drop it from $50 million to $40 million. Or they could leave it exactly the same. It is up to the employer (Target) to decide if they are going to alter the amount of premium they collect from you. That premium goes directly into Target's bank account - not the insurance company. Target already bought the policy for you - they are just collecting money from you to offset their costs of buying it for you to begin with.

The law is radically changing how this works. (Why do you think it was so controversial?) Instead of having to get insurance from your employer, you will be able to go on the open market and get it yourself directly from the insurance company. However, the law drastically changes the rates they can charge you. So instead of the health insurance company charging you $5000 a month like they would do today if you went and a policy directly from them, they now can only charge you $100 a month, for example. OR if you are so poor you can't even afford $100 a month, OR you can't even get it from your employer, you can sign up for medicaid instead in 2014, which is not available to most people today.

Obviously, I am using Target in this example.... but every other company in america uses this same model.

So to summarize - here is how the law changes things:

Today health insurance looks like this:

Humana offers multiple group health insurance plans to employers -> Employers like Target look at the plans and decide what plan(s) they want to offer their employees -> Target tells humana they will buy, for example, Plan C -> Target pays Humana $50 million annually to cover all Target employees -> Target then decides how much of that $50 million they will pay and how much they will make TMs pay -> Target collects a monthly premium from TMs to offset the cost.


Under the new law health insurance looks like this:

Humana offers multiple health plans for you as an individual to pick from -> You pick the plan you want, such as plan B -> You pay Humana directly $30 a month for your plan. That's it. Simple.

OR You can't afford health insurance at all. You go to your states Health and Human Services office and get on medicaid.
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^^^^^^^^This is what the health care law regulates, not the old (current) employer provided health insurance. That is dying out in 2014 and being replaced with what are called "health care exchanges". Do a google search on "Health Care Exchange" to learn more.
 
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<sigh> You do realize that the bulk of the health care law doesn't go into effect until 2014, right? You also are aware that when it actually does go into effect in 2014, the changes won't all be done overnight, right? You do know that when the law was passed, implementation was delayed until 2014 so state governments/health insurance companies/private companies could have time to prepare for the changes, right?

What you are describing is nothing new. As I said before, health insurance rates have been going up astronomically for the past 10 years.... long before anyone even mentioned health care reform. If we had done nothing, in 5 years your $2000 premium could very well be $8000. You high premium is a result of what has been going on the past 10 years. Not a result of the health care law the majority of which is not even in effect yet.

We will have to wait until the law goes into effect in 2014, when the health care exchanges come online in 2014, and the Medicaid expansion occurs in 2014 to actually see if things get better.... which will probably take at least 1-2 years after the law goes into effect.


Well, my thinking is that I have had decent insurance for decades (PPO or HMO) with Target UP until this national healthcare bill was presented. NOW Target is dropping decent insurance? Seems like Target is saying, let the government take care of them now. Right now, Target subsidizes 80% of the insurance premiums, so when they drop everyone completely, will I be paying for the premiums 100% on my own?

And my being in Cali and my healthcare cost being so high is because we have so many illegal residents here that don't pay for insurance. They just show up at emergency rooms, who can't turn them away legally. They will continue to be illegally paid, and will continue to get free healthcare. National Healthcare is not going to take care of that problem.
Still worth it, I ain't moving anywhere else. LOL!

This wait, you'll see, things are going to be peachy isn't cutting it with me.

Give me exact figures. "TOT, you are going to be paying $xxx every week and $xx every time you see a doctor... " etc. will then give me some peace.

Until then, I'm not drinking the koolaid. LOL!
 
Frelling insurance companies.
The Antham Blue Cross of California is requesting permission (hasn't got it yet, people are really pissed off) to raise rates 18%, which might amount to up to 25% for some people.
This of course means that the othe companies are chomping at the bit to raise their rates if Anthem gets permission to raise theirs.
Here's the disgusting part, Wellpoint (the company that owns Anthem) has earned $2.2 billion in profit in the first nine months of this year and $2.6 billion in 2011.
So their plans to raise rates have nothing to do with the Affordable Care act and everything to do with straight up greed.
And the worst kind of greed, the kind that comes at the expense of people lives.
 
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