800,000 Using HealthCare.gov Were Sent Incorrect Tax Data

mpicpp sends this report from the NY Times: About 800,000 taxpayers who enrolled in insurance policies through HealthCare.gov received erroneous tax information from the government, and were urged on Friday to hold off on filing tax returns until the error could be corrected. The Obama administration, under heavy pressure from congressional Democrats, also announced that it would give several million people more time to buy health insurance so they could comply with federal law and avoid tax penalties. The incorrect insurance information is used in computing taxes. Consumers can expect to receive corrected data in the first week of March. With the new data, officials warned, some taxpayers will owe more and some will owe less. Officials said they did not know why the error had occurred.

Comments

News

[Orgasmatron]

I'm tired of all this bad news about Obamacare. Could we maybe just all agree not to talk about it any more until there is some good news to report?

Re:News

[halivar]

Oh, no. There were tons of us saying our government could not be trusted with shit this important, and we were right. "But Europe!" they said. Well, we don't have a European government. We have an American government, with all the heft and agility of the Titanic. Crony-capitalism under a veneer of pretend-socialism and you have a recipe for guaranteed disaster. Now, is it the end of the world? Not really, just for the poor marks that bought Marketplace insurance plans.

Re:News

[halivar]

Technically, they are. Marketplace insurance is just a private plan with an extra layer of government collusion. Crony-capitalism at its finest.

Re:News

[digsbo]

You should be modded insightful. The main source of bias in the press is not what's reported, but what's not reported.

Re:News

[Ol Olsoc]

Technically, they are. Marketplace insurance is just a private plan with an extra layer of government collusion. Crony-capitalism at its finest.

But here's the thing.

Other countries are somehow managing to give their citizen's healthcare. And Beelzabub hasn't risen to claim their souls.

We were in a death spiral, positive feedback loop regarding health insurance. As people fell off the bottom rung of the ladder, their healthcare was being provided by the Government anyhow. Small employers health insurance costs were occasionally doubling every year. And if you had a pre-existing condition, you were fucked - and not in th ehappy fun way either. But that's what happens when a lot of people use Emergency Rooms as basic healthcare - it gets billed back to insurers through billiong magic, and we pay for it, but eventually the system collapses as all positive feeback loops do.

The scary part for those who can't handle the idea of universal healthcare is that this cockamamie system we've implemented is just good enough to work, but tweaking it leads to the inescapable.

Re:News

[Albanach]

their premiums more than double thanks to obamacare

Do you ave any evidence to cite that justifies this as the reason for the increase? Or is it possible their employer saw an opportunity to screw the workforce and blame the President?

Obamacare did little to change most employer plans, so unless your friends had extremely limited insurance coverage, a > 100% increase seems implausible.

Re:News

[bondsbw]

Whoa there. Just because we don't want the government running every little detail about our health care, doesn't mean we want anarchy.

I'll put it the way a friend put it to me: "Regulations aren't bad. Bad regulations are bad." The ACA is a regulation that has good parts but where the bad outweighs the good.

Not only is it bad, but it's not likely to get better. It was passed in such a polarizing fashion that nobody wants to fix it; the Republicans want nothing except to repeal it completely, and the Democrats feel it is so sacred that it should not be touched.

Re:News

[eepok]

In what universe is this an "insightful" comment. Let's just take it apart:

"I just don't understand how Slashdot can be flooded with stories of US government incompetence and malfeasance at every level"

-- That's called bias. Slashdot can be flooded with stories about anything as biased by story submitters. There is no implication that the frequency of stories is directly correlated with the truth or severity of an event. Moreover, can you show that Slashdot is actually "flooded" with stories of government incompetence? How does the frequency of those stories compare to the stories of government competence. Or are stories ever really written about government competence?

"yet people swear up and down they can be trusted with healthcare"

-- But they're not entrusted with providing healthcare. The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is not a healthcare system. It is not a set of hospitals. It does not train or employ doctors or nurses. It's a set of laws that requires actual insurance providers (who in turn employ healthcare providers) to abide by certain standards and creates a mandate that all citizens be enrolled in a qualifying healthcare plan or pay a fine (equal to the cost of enrolling in a qualifying healthcare plan). Setting health and safety standards and fining people for not meeting those standards is directly in line with the role of the US government.

"Our government is filled with bad and/or stupid people"

-- Really? And how did you come to that conclusion? Survey? Records analysis? Extreme bias? Who is "our government"? Are you considering just elected and appointed officials? What about day-to-day employees? Secretaries, analysts, programmers, coders, engineers, etc. Are they all bad and stupid as well?

"The US government does not have your back. Ever."

-- That's funny, because the various levels of US government has provided me with roads, plumbing, housing, access to safe water, electricity, dial-up and then high-speed internet. The US government made sure I had schooling, food in my belly, a roof over my head, and sufficient health care as a child. The US government paid for a major portion of my college education and made sure that I paid minimal interest on the loans I needed to fill the gap. The US government will also (eventually) help me buy my first home and provide the standards that will require the person selling me the home guarantee the safety of said home. Chances are that it has done all of the same for you.

If someone fires a gun at my home, guess who will show up to assist in the capture of that person. A government employee.
If I ever get thrown in jail and need representation despite having no money to pay for representation, guess who will try to protect my rights. A government employee.
If I find out that a neighbor's child is being abused and I need to get that kid to safety, guess who will be there to help me do so. A government employee.
If I want to travel from Los Angeles to New York in 5 hours with a near 100% guarantee of my safe transportation, guess who will make that possible. A crap ton of government employees partnering with private industry.

You say that the US government does not have "your" back. I assert that the only reason most of us have the opportunity to to read or write such comments online so frivolously is the effort of a massive amount of government employees.

Yes, the US government, from the president to the lowest municipal worker, is massive. Yes, it hemorrhages money at many points because bad people get employed (everywhere). But the only reason that our government is so massive is because you want such an extremely luxurious life and aren't willing to put in all the effort to sort it out yourself.

Want to try it? Go ahead. Don't use ANY public services. No running water. No roads. No products affected by safety standards or food grown/raised with government-based safety standards. See how long you live and how happy your life is.

Re:News

[XxtraLarGe]

But that doesn't mean that we are supposed to turn into Somalia.

I love how the idea of reducing the size of the federal government is always compared to Somalia. Guess what? In addition to a federal government, most people are also under a state, county, and city/township government. Removing power from the federal government isn't going to result in bands of roving warlords and pirates. It would simply shift the balance of services provided from a bloated federal government back to the state & local level, where they belong and people have more opportunity to provide input.

Re:News

[ganjadude]

it only had nothing to do with obamacare if you dont take into consideration the insurance companies making the changes to come into complience with obamacare.

Just because they dont have to yet, it made more sense to get there sooner instead of later

Re:News

[srichard25]

Walmart can't haul me out of my bed in the middle of the night for questioning. Amazon can't use a drone to kill me without due process. Microsoft would get shut down if they spied on people as much as the NSA.

The government has power over a person's freedom, privacy, and very life. Therefore, they MUST be drastically limited in power and completely transparent in all that they do. The people who founded this country understood that concept.

Re:thanks

[cayenne8]

Thank, Obama!

You know, I used to warn people against the Govt being so involved with our healthcare. I likened it to putting the DMV in charge of you if you got the flu. The long wait times, the surly and non-helpful govt employees there staring more at the clock than worried about you getting new plates.

But hell, I will at least admit the DMV does tend to get its mailings out on time and in proper fashion.

I know its a pipe dream, but I wish we could move the govt (especially the Feds) back more to their constitutionally mandated responsibilities. At the very least, my dealing with them could and should pretty much only be once a year.

1. Tell me how much tax to pay (simplify this).

2. Leave me the fuck alone.

I'd be 101% supportive of my federal overlords if they could just get to this point in their interactions with me. I'll be fine on my own to haggle and negotiate for my jobs, and my bill rates. I'l be happy to manage my own health care, and know what is important to save for (retirement, routine health needs, medical insurance for catastrophic needs, etc).

I seriously don't need you to play nanny state with me, I don't need you to suck up so much of my money and waste it.

I don't need you spying on me.

Re:thanks

[Anonymous Coward]

No one is forcing an insurance company to be involved with your healthcare, idiot. Actually, now they are as a result of Obamacare.

Oh darn...

[DarkOx]

Obama administration, under heavy pressure from congressional Democrats, also announced that it would give several million people more time to buy health insurance so they could comply with federal law and avoid tax penalties.

I really hope the King v. Burwell case goes against the government. The executive branch needs to learn they implement the law congress passes not the one they wish congress passes. If Obama and lefties suddenly are not allowed to continue to make up the rules as they go along maybe the other half of America will realize this law for the ill considered, abusive over reach of authority and corporate give away that it is.

Regulatory discretion

[sjbe]

The executive branch needs to learn they implement the law congress passes not the one they wish congress passes.

If Congress isn't specific in their statutes then it is to the discretion of the administration how they handle the regulations. Very few laws are passed with enough specificity that the executive branch doesn't have considerable discretion in the interpretation of the statutes.

If Obama and lefties suddenly are not allowed to continue to make up the rules as they go along maybe the other half of America will realize this law for the ill considered, abusive over reach of authority and corporate give away that it is.

You're accusing the left of corporate giveaways? Methinks you have the left and right mixed up. Abusive overreach of authority? I direct your attention to the actions of the previous administration, particularly post 9/11.

Re:Regulatory discretion

[DarkOx]

You're accusing the left of corporate giveaways? Methinks you have the left and right mixed up.

No I don't have my left and right confused. I dare say most the GOP is confused about being on the right. Almost all regulation is a form of corporate give away. If it has no other effects, one certain effect is it creates a new barrier to entry in some way. Its a give away to the existing players because it keeps other out.

Think about this. Do you think it would be easier to setup a new health insurance company in 2015 than it was in 2009? I am not suggesting it was easy in 2009 but its certainly harder now. Who is that good for? -- existing insurers.

Re:The big picture

[SuperKendall]

It's a private plan with regulations to keep the price reasonable because it wouldn't be otherwise.

Right, that's why a lot of middle class families are now paying more for worse insurance than they were before Obamacare...

Nice revisionist history there.

Re:thanks

[LWATCDR]

Actually I am a student of history and I am not a Rand fanboy but I did like Fountianhead but I also know that it is fiction.
Like most things in life it is all a matter or degree.
The goal of government is to put in just enough regulation to keep a free competitive marketplace that works but so much regulation that it makes doing business a nightmare.
For example why is crap like Airborne "cold medicine" allowed to be for sale when the label says it does nothing. On the flipside when one of the military services wanted to buy a piece of software I worked on the "bid" came in a 50 pound box.

Re:The big picture

[Major Blud]

"Now your ability to get health insurance is not tied to your continued employment"

Help me out here, because I really don't understand how it works....but how are you supposed to pay for private health insurance if you lose employment?

Re:The big picture

[Anonymous Coward]

B$. My family of 5 coverage was $160 per month, $35 copay, no deductible. Here comes Osamabinladencare, one adult person is now $1200 per month for almost the same coverage, kids are forced to take medi-cal, which is free but will recoup any/all medical bills from my estate. No choice on this, it's this or pay the full outside price which is 10X what it was.

Re:The big picture

[ganjadude]

prices go up and obamacare is NOT there to stop or help with that.

we were told that the avg family would see 2500 a YEAR in savings. when the trust is they are spending about that much more.

wrong century. Democrats control Seattle 80 years

[raymorris]

Seattle hasn't had a Republican mayor for about 80 years. The city council is all Democrats except for the one socialist.

If you don't like the government there - surprise you don't actually like Democrats, regardless of what your govrrnment-school teacher told you.