Curtis Bowman

What the Affordable Care Act Has Done for Me - #7

Today, much to my surprise, I received another in a series of rebates of my monthly health care premiums. The Affordable Care Act governs what is known as the Medical Loss Ratio, which I discussed in some of those earlier posts. The MLR is the source of my rebates.

Anyway, I was surprised by my latest check because I had already gotten a check earlier this year. I wasn't expecting a second one.

Unfortunately, the amount was basically trivial, only $7.60, but money is money, so I'm glad to get it.

Over the years my rebates have amounted to $2362.28. That's not much, given the magnitude of my total payments, but it's been welcome nonetheless.

Thanks again, Obama!

What the Affordable Care Act Has Done for Me - #6

This post is the sixth in a series in which I record how I have benefitted from the Affordable Care Act. These posts tell the story of how the Medical Loss Ratio in the ACA has given me a bit of a rebate from time to time.

The good news in 2022 is that I have once again received a rebate. This time I got a check for $175.93, raising the sum total of my rebates to $2354.68.

Unfortunately, I'm currently paying $893 a month for my individual policy from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, and that amount will jump to $981 a month in 2023. Consequently, my latest rebate doesn't do me much good, but, as the old saying goes, it's better than a kick in the teeth, especially since I don't have any dental benefits.

Thanks again, Obama!

What the Affordable Care Act Has Done for Me - #5

In four previous posts I recorded how I had benefitted from the Medical Loss Ratio rule in the Affordable Care Act. Through 2020 I had received checks for a total of $1343.01.

In 2021 I received two more checks from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. The first was a rebate of $141.25 on my premium payments in 2018. The second was a rebate of $694.49 on my premium payments in 2020. The checks arrived in May and August, respectively, but I've been slow to blog about them. I apologize for the delay.

I still pay a ridiculous amount of money for my individual policy. In 2021 my monthly premium was $805, and it's scheduled to go up to $893 in 2022, which means that I'll break the $10,000 threshold next year.

Consequently, I appreciate the rebates. They aren't huge sums of money, but every little bit helps. I've received a grand total of $2178.75 since the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010.

Thanks again, Obama! 

What the Affordable Care Act Has Done for Me - #4

In three previous posts I recorded how I had benefitted from the Medical Loss Ratio rule in the Affordable Care Act. Through 2019 I had received checks for a total of $629.77.

Well, dear readers, the good news keeps coming!

Today I opened a letter from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas to discover a check for $713.24. That's more than my three previous checks combined! My four checks make for a grand total of $1343.01.

Given that my current monthly premium is $766, this year's rebate doesn't really amount to all that much, but it's welcome nonetheless.

Thanks again, Obama!

What the Affordable Care Act Has Done for Me - #3

In two previous posts I mentioned how I had benefitted from the Medical Loss Ratio rule in the Affordable Care Act. In 2012 and 2013, respectively, I received checks for $357.56 and $75.95.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas did not give me another rebate until this year, when I received a check for $196.76. That means that so far I've received a total of $629.77.

Thanks, Obama!

Robert Kuttner on the Political Success and Economic Failure of Neoliberalism

Robert Kuttner tells the depressing tale of neoliberalism's political success (for the world's elites) and economic failure (for everyone else).

I've always regarded neoliberalism as obvious plutocratic drivel, so that it managed to find any measure of favor among genuinely serious people of any political persuasion has never ceased to amaze me.

Adam Serwer on the Illiberal Right's Turn Against Democracy

It's good to see that more journalists are acknowledging the illiberal views of contemporary conservatism as it continues to turn against democracy.

Here's an excellent article on the subject by Adam Serwer.

Miranda Carter Compares Donald Trump to Kaiser Wilhelm II

It hadn't ever occurred to me to think of Donald Trump in terms of Kaiser Wilhelm II, but Miranda Carter makes some telling comparisons in this grimly amusing article.

Corey Robin Cautions Against Comparing Trump to Hitler

Corey Robin, author of The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump, explains why we should be wary of comparing Trump to Hitler.

Thomas Frank's Autopsy of the 2016 Presidential Election

If you follow my blog, then you know that I have a fondness for the work of Thomas Frank. Here's a short interview with him on CNN in which he offers his autopsy of the election.

Scroll down this page a bit and you'll see a video in which Mr. Frank was talking about the same issues months before the election.

More: Here's a written version of Mr. Frank's autopsy.