More than 1 million of Obamacare’s 8 million enrollees could be receiving either too big or too small of a subsidy under the law, the Washington Post reported on Friday, and the government doesn’t yet have the capability to make corrections.
Government officials are aware that some Obamacare applicants listed an income that doesn’t match what’s on file with the IRS, but the computer system that would verify proof of income hasn’t been built yet. And only a small portion of people have sent in additional evidence of income after being notified of some problem with their application.
The Post cited “internal documents and three people familiar with the situation” in its report.
Administration officials can’t quantify how many people are receiving overpayments and how many are being underpaid, according to the Post. The law stipulates that those who receive too large of a subsidy must make up the difference on their next tax return.
The Post reported that efforts to fix the situation would intensify this weekend, starting with officials doing the work by hand until the computer system is ready.
“We’re working every day to make sure individuals and families get the tax credits they deserve and that no one is receiving a tax credit they shouldn’t,” an administration spokesperson said.
Is this any worse than “millions of Americans do not have exactly the right amount of tax withheld”? Next April some of these people will have to pay taxes, others will get refunds.
People who had steady jobs with employer provided insurance did not go on the exchanges. People who could only guess at what their income would be, whether it would be like last years or not, did.
So, considering the ages of most of these people in ACA limbo, how many people NOT covered by Medicaid because their states refused it are now stuck in another twist of misfortune generated by authoritarian Republicans bent on destroying the whole system, with no care about the victims they leave behind?
They should go ahead and cover us all, THEN sort it out. Leaving so many of us hanging because they demand every T crossed and I dotted is just more proof that their stubborn prejudices matter more to them than the well-being of their constituents.
COVER us FIRST, and sort it out later, because if the Republicans have their way, people will be denied ANY coverage based on minor technicalities, simply because they, the Republicans, lost the battle to defeat the whole law.
They waste way too much time and money creating these legal “consolation” conundrums that serve only to assuage their abject disappointment at losing this fight to deny healthcare for all.
This is happening across the legal spectrum, as progressive laws lean us back towards a better future, intransigent and bitter conservatives waste our precious resources in a futile, expensive and exhausting attempt to create obstacles to achieving that better future.
…so, how long until they demand drug testing for everyone who gets a subsidy?
Don’t discount it, the tiny minority that now controls our process has tried it before. They want anyone they disapprove of to suffer, and that list of disapproval is always growing.
We know “… three people familiar with the situation” know
Some paid too little
Some paid too much
But
Who paid too little
Who paid too much
And
How little is too little
How little is too much
And
How much is too little
How much is too much
Another day, another problem with Obamacare. What’s next?