IRS Schedule A requires a 10% to 7.5% threshold of your AGI.

The Feds and the Obamacare law (ACA) exempt you if the cost of insurance would be more than 8% of your AGI.


Using the ACA law's own 8% rule:

The cumulative USA household income might be $73,000 in 2014 chart 2012 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nkE96F6Bdq...holds-2012.png
So, 8% of $73,000 = $5,840 or $486.67 /mo for a household.

Average USA household is 2.55 today that's $190.85 /mo per person average or $572.55 /mo, make some allowance of age male: 36.3 years female: 39 years (2014 est.) [source CIA Work Fact Book LOL] and for household income.

So, say we all paid a 8% surcharge on our annual income (AGI) for a national healthcare with the same minimums as the Obamacare mandated private insurance premiums -- where would you stand? That's for all persons listed on that taxpayer's tax return.

Bottom line the government's own rules tell many, on the average they are getting fucked over, if your situation is closer to the median you are really getting a subsidy. I suppose if your household income is $146,000 or more you are within that 8%.

That 8% is telling us that on average we are paying more than twice what something is worth (or should cost).

The solution is not going back to what we had before the ACA passed it's a solution of the replacement of the private healthcare system and it's abuses. Healthcare in America would make Lucky Luciano proud it is run like a Mafia racket.

If you consider that the Medicare reimbursement rate is something like 26% of the chargemaster rates and one-half or less of the private insurance reimbursement rate of the chargemaster rates -- it's doable.

Maybe, I would need to pay extra for a private hospital room or some experimental test with cash or with a supplemental insurance policy but that would be my voluntary decision ... That 8% should cover basic preventive and critical/trauma care.

Medications are another whole issue I am not sure if our prices are subsidising the government operated national healthcare plans of other countries, or their third world pharmacies, or we are just getting ripped off on prescription medications. A centralized buyer like a national healthcare would be able to negotiate a much lower price as it would be on oligopoly like the power or gas company is, with the same potential for abuse possible also.

Insurance is a risk transfer, your premium dollars transfer the risk to the insurer.

If you are injured badly or develop a chronic condition the medical expense can run up over $100K easily -- can you afford to pay that out of pocket? You used to be able to buy catastrophic insurance policies.

You can buy 'catastrophic coverage' https://www.healthcare.gov/can-i-buy...strophic-plan/ if you or under 30 or older and meet the requirements ... If you have over $100K liquid cash assets buying the 'overpriced' insurance would just be more of a nuisance rather than a hardship. Bonding off the risk with your $100K is probably not something you would want to do anyway.