Thursday, November 17, 2011

Pass it to find out what's in it: Obama's healthcare law will leave millions of families without affordable coverage unless tax officials rewrite the rules on who gets subsidies

Oopsie! IRS reports Obamacare will force millions to go without health insurance - Doug Ross
IRS warned healthcare law could leave millions without insurance - The Hill

A dozen consumer advocacy groups urged the Internal Revenue Service to allow workers' spouses and dependents to qualify for tax credits if employer-sponsored family plans are unaffordable. The Treasury Department in August released proposed regulations that grant subsidies to workers and their families in cases when employer coverage costs too much for the employee only, but not when family coverage is out of reach.

The issue risks blowing up in Democrats' face in 2014, when the subsidies for coverage in state-based insurance exchanges become available. House Republicans have already used the glitch, which The Hill first reported in July, as ammunition to hammer the law for allegedly discriminating against marriage.

...IRS officials listened silently for two and a half hours and asked no questions. The Treasury Department has said its hands are tied because of the way the law was written.