October 23, 2012 08:00 AM CDT
PPACA: A Healthcare Law Guide for Employees →
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) published a breakdown of the coming changes to healthcare, due to Obamacare.
Employees will pay a long list of new taxes, some of them hidden. ... Drug companies will pay a new tax on brand-name prescription drugs, but the tax will be passed along to you through higher premiums.
Medical device manufacturers will pay a new 2.3% tax on their products but will pass the tax on to you through higher premiums. One industry analysis suggests this may cause a loss of more than 43,000 jobs. Medical devices range from bedpans to MRI machines.
Employees will lose choices. If your income and family size qualify you for Medicaid, PPACA won’t allow you to stay on your employer’s plan. Example: A couple with 3 children and income of $41,000 can get private insurance through an employer. If the couple has a fourth child, however, PPACA will force them to leave the employer’s insurance and go on Medicaid because the federal poverty level (FPL), which determines who is and is not on Medicaid, increases with family size.
If your household income tends to fluctuate, you may have to move back and forth between a private insurance policy and Medicaid – possibly multiple times per year. Each time this happens, you may have to change doctors, hospital, etc.