Every time you think that weve finally touched bottom on Obamacare, some new problem emerges. So what began merely as a dysfunctional website became a broken and mis-designed system. When it turned out that lots of people were paying more for their plans, it then turned out that others were having their plans canceled—and that some people were even losing their doctors. And now were finding that, along with everything else, Obamacare contains a marriage penalty, too. Obamacare signing A married couple can get Obamacare subsidies if their income is less than 400 percent above the poverty line. But because the federal poverty level for married couples is less than double the level for individuals, a couple that lives together without getting married can make more money than a married couple, yet still get Obamacare subsidies. Related Stories ‘Under the Old Law …’ Jump in My Web The President Is Losing His Plan Obama Threatens to Veto Keep Your Health Plan Act Healthcare Pork More by Jonathan V. Last The Town FEMA Turned Down Bye-Bye, Privacy The Park Police The Park Police, Part Deux: Hot Cops Not All Marriages Are Created Equal The Atlantic reports that in practice, this means that a married couple in New York making more than a combined $62,040 gets no subsidies from Obamacare. But two people who live together without getting married? They can make up to a combined $91,920 and still get subsidies from the government. The government has a clear and compelling interest in promoting marriage: Virtually all of the research shows that stable marriages increase economic output, reduce poverty, shrink income inequality, lower rates of incarceration and drug use, and spur the creation of future taxpayers (aka babies). The tax code already discriminates against the governments interest by providing an economic incentive for couples to choose cohabitation over marriage. Now Obamacare has come along to magnify the discrimination. Its not clear whether this perversity is accidental or by design. But its yet another line item in the argument against what is clearly the most catastrophic piece of legislation in modern American histor
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 16:45:39 +0000
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