In his frenzied attempts to check off a series of actions that he’s hoping to clog some future Wikipedia page with, the President has become startlingly silent about Obamacare. Even as the rest of the country (including his beloved world of the government) struggles to consider how the process and payment for Obamacare will actually pan out, the President’s attention is now onto something new, more on energy, more on immigration, more on guns (previously omitted).
Quantity not quality is the President’s MO. Like a child accumulating toys only to lose interest in them after a couple of weeks' worth of play, shoving them into the closet once he’s lost interest, the President is continuing to ransack the middle class to accumulate his policy toys before the end of his term.
For awhile it was hopeful, in the wake of a defeat, largely attributed to the extremism of the most vocal Republicans, that perhaps Republicans would regroup and silence those voices that regardless of money contributed had crippled the party’s appeal for many Americans.
But with the resurrection of news about Paul Ryan and his infamous “budget” and Donald Trump, it’s likely the Republicans will remain the bungling impotents arguing over anything but the issues at hand, leaving the President virtually unchallenged in his thoughtless, shortsighted and hyperactive manipulation of government to push through his agenda.
So, don’t look for anything of value coming from Republicans.
Meanwhile, we’re in it, Obamacare has struck, a self-perpetuating governmental system that promises to reduce the quality of coverage for most Americans to make sure more Americans have a little coverage. We’re here, and beginning now, there are necessary first steps to take to outrun Obamacare.
First, if you’ve gotten your taxes done, it’s likely you’ve been advised to decrease the number of your exemptions. This will help you owe less to the government in the wake of increased taxes in the event you still have a job at the end of next year.
Second, if you’re paying for your child’s health insurance, the rates for young people are predicted to rise, significantly so that you should start saving to keep your child on your employer health plan or look into other insurance options that provide less quality coverage in exchange for lower premium costs.
Third, try to obtain prescriptions for all over-the-counter medications you are told to take by your healthcare providers. With a prescription you can still include the costs of these over-the-counter medications as part of legitimate medical expenses, and you’ll need them because the threshold for eligibility for the medical expense deduction is going up from 7.5 to 10 percent next year.
Fourth, consider whether your prescriptions are necessary. It’s a tough call, but it’s certainly arguable that in many situations doctors are over-prescribing. Aside from other issues, the issue of whether physicians abuse their gateway capacity as the source of you being able to get medication leads to the prescription you use.
Double-check your prescriptions and your need for them in order to avoid having to go back at least four times a year and pay a co-pay, co-insurance on both the visit and the medication to save on your out-of-pocket expenses and perhaps improve your overall health.
Fifth, consider whether you’re a victim of defensive medicine in terms of testing. It’s not a myth, it’s a fact. Before you fall into the marketing trap that thoroughness is linked to extensive testing, or that outcomes are even improved, consider reading books such as, “When Doctors Don’t Listen,” by Dr. Joshua Kosowsky and Dr. Leana Wen (which will cost you about $25.00). In conjunction with readings such as these, research advice on saying, “No,” to your doctor.
