nisiprius wrote: ↑Sat Dec 15, 2018 5:17 pm
I think this is pretty clearly a "nobody knows yet, we have to wait and see" situation. Press reports suggest that the court ruling is controversial and not at all a slam dunk. This isn't a case where the law is obvious and just hadn't been tested.
J295 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 15, 2018 6:27 pm
Life is full speed bumps. When they occur —-accept, adjust, move forward.
Doesn’t seem appropriate to start screaming the sky is falling from a single judge ruling, subject to appeal, for which enforcement has been stayed.
+1 to both of the above.
It's nowhere near time to panic for those who obtain insurance through ACA. This TX case is just one of many court challenges to pieces of ACA. It will wind its way through the appeals process. Other circuit courts may decide similar issues differently. Ultimately, it might end up at the Supreme Court. Or, Congress may act sooner to change the law. Who knows? Either way, it's good to remember that whatever happens to ACA will be, um, "moving at the speed of government", as they say....
And btw, given the various viewpoints on the matter, there will be plenty more challenges to ACA and its various components. I liken the situation to the 80s when I was a college student, and everyone on campus was very attuned to what was happening with
Roe v. Wade - on both sides of the issue and of both sexes, btw, and all sexual orientations.
Bottom line: Like many "societal impact" issues, what health insurance looks like in this country will evolve over many years to come and will go through many changes. As J295 said, we will all adapt. It's what humans do. Those who feel strongly (in any direction) on the issue have many options for getting involved and advocating for their desired outcome.
I will be early retiring soon with at least a dozen years to Medicare-eligibility. (
Sidebar: What Medicare looks like when I get there will also likely be somewhat different than today, but I digress...) My "Plan A" is of course ACA. I've thought through various other options should that plan become unavailable or suboptimal, based on the facts as they exist today for those other options - which will also of course likely change over time. My view, like J295's: Change is constant. We will adapt. Do what you can to prepare/"Hope for the best, and plan for the worst"/etc.
SoAnyway, I want to say thanks to a couple folks upthread who mentioned an additional option that, in all of my meticulous planning, I had somehow completely whiffed on, to wit:
stan1 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 15, 2018 8:34 am
What's actionable now?
- Sign up for 2019 insurance if you haven't and need to do so.
- Save more money if you plan to retire early
- Keep your job with health insurance benefits as long as you can
- Keep your job skills current so you have lower risk of layoff (doesn't always work)
- Marry someone who has more secure health insurance benefits (such as a military retiree)
- Use exercise and diet to hopefully lower your chances of developing a costly medical condition and to manage anything you do have
- Let the people you love and cherish around you know you rely on medical insurance. Maybe some of it will rub off and there will be more empathy.
fortfun wrote: ↑Sat Dec 15, 2018 8:38 pm
jibantik wrote: ↑Sat Dec 15, 2018 6:21 pm
wolf359 wrote: ↑Sat Dec 15, 2018 4:42 pm
Is anybody holding off pulling the trigger on retirement due to this issue? Pre-retirement, the main action you can take is to save more or plan for a part-time job that maintains coverage (if you can't get it otherwise.) If your early retirement is unavoidable (such as due to a health issue), I'm not sure what options you might have.
This is why you marry a foreigner and retire in a country with universal healthcare
Why didn't you tell me this 23 years ago
Hmm...
Maybe if ACA goes away, I can post a thread in the "Personal Finance (not investments)" sub-forum titled, "Seeking Single BH with Secure Health Insurance" to the effect of:
Single BH with 7-figures invested in a well-diversified portfolio of low-cost index funds seeks single BH with secure health insurance.
Reason? ACA went away. Other options not optimal. I'm fit and healthy with no pre-existing conditions, but who knows what can happen before I'm Medicare-eligible? Citizenship in a foreign country with universal healthcare a +. (Have passport, will travel.) Let's enjoy MFJ status together!!
Not sure what the mods would do with that, lol. Truth be told, per my "moving at the speed of government" point above, I suspect I'll be Medicare-eligible (whatever that means at the time) before ACA goes away completely....
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