Emailed to me from a fellow Sloper…….
Last week I received a package from my employer indicating actions required due to the Affordable Healthcare Act. A nice package indicating the “fast facts” and Marketplace Options. I do not believe that these changes will have immediate significant impacts on premiums, care, and coverage (especially for individuals working for the government or large corporations).
However, as I went through the materials provided by my employer (who happens to be the federal 
government), I realized my suspicions have been confirmed. It is clear to me that the endgame of the health care reform is to drive all individuals to the government run exchanges. The health coverage rules enforced on private employers will make it such that it will not be worth their while providing health insurance.
Corporations will just pay whatever tax fee is required to the government which in turn will be used to run the exchanges. Individuals will have to pick coverage from the exchange or pay a tax. Any coverage provided outside of the exchanges will be too expensive for regular folks, and if selected, will still require a tax fee to the government. It will be very much like education. You have to pay a school tax regardless of whether your children go to public school (and even if you don’t have children). If you decide to send your kids to private school you still have to pay the tax on top of paying your private school.
The ability for the individual to choose is reduced greatly. That is the whole point of this. Minimizing individual options. Notice I said minimizing because if you have the means, you will still have the option. Healthcare will become just like Federal Government run education. We will continue to throw more and more taxpayer money at it while the quality of the product declines significantly. Quality options will still be available, but harder to obtain due to cost. Whether or not this becomes a single payment system completely run by the government (which would actually resemble Federal Education even further) remains to be seen.
