Wall Street Journal reporter Anne Tergesen’s excellent piece on the Affordable Care Act–headlined The Health-Care Overhaul: What You Need to Know—concludes by focusing on . . .
Tax Credits
“Also factoring into the premium equation are tax credits. Individuals with incomes of up to $45,960 and couples earning up to $62,040 may be eligible for tax credits that cap their premiums on a benchmark plan—designed to cover 70% of medical expenses—at between 2% and 9.5% of income. (The percentage rises with income; on plans with more generous coverage, the tax credit will cover a smaller share of the premium.) Because older people typically are charged higher premiums by insurers, they are more likely to benefit from these caps.
“For example, a 55-year-old Denver resident who earns $45,000 a year and picks a policy that Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield plans to offer there for $597 a month would be eligible for $240 in monthly tax credits. A 27-year-old with the same salary and policy would pay $281 a month and receive no tax credits, according to the nonprofit Colorado Consumer Health Initiative.”