Imagine our excitement when we received a letter in July telling us our health insurance company was sending us a rebate check thanks to the Affordable Care Act!
The letter stated that part of Mr. Obama’s health care law was “intended to ensure that consumers get value for their health care dollars.”
The four-page letter from the company informed us the law forces insurance companies to spend most of their income on benefit payouts. This forces them to stop being so greedy trying to earn profits. If they get too greedy, the government steps in and forces them to send us money.
Hallelujah! The government was holding their feet to the fire. Consequently, we expected better care plus a rebate!
Grandpa muttered something about the government having no right to dictate the profit margins of private companies. Naturally we ignored the silly old man. We’re getting’ a rebate!
We got our check just the other day. I guess they had so many checks to send it took three months after we got the letter, but hey, better late than never! We got a whole $50 from that rotten insurance company.
Grandpa laughed.
He suggested we think about what it cost the taxpayers for the government to pinch the insurance company so we could get $50. He said more than likely it took 5 bureaucrats at least six months to goad the insurance company to submit reports to determine the penalty.
I got to thinking. Five bureaucrats at $30 an hour minimum times 8 hours/day times 5 days a week times 24 weeks. Why, that’s $144,000.
Then Grandpa said you have to figure the insurance company’s expenses too. Take two of their employees, and estimate 3 months to comply at $30 an hour. That’s $57,600.
That means it cost the taxpayers and the insurance company a total of $201,600 to send us a check for $50. Grandpa said no wonder the government has bankrupt the country.
Now if I take that $200,000 (rounded off) and divide it by the $50 we got, that means about 4,000 others could have received $50 each thanks to the work of five bureaucrats and two employees over the course of 9 months. I’m sure glad the government forced that much time and expense so 4,000 of us could fill our gas tanks part way.
By the way, recently we got word the insurance company says it will have to lay off people, or raise premiums and cut benefits, just to stay in business. Looks like everybody loses.
Grandpa says we ought to take that $50 and add $50 and send the $100 to that law firm that’s suing Obama over his ‘Affordable’ Care Act.
Looks like Grandpa ain’t so silly after all.
