Get rid of Affordable Care Act's family glitch without Congress by calling this number!!

[MrsKirkley]

Sue-Jean Kim or John B. Lovelace at [phone]. According to a person I spoke with from the IRS, if enough people call and complain about the family glitch, the IRS has the power without Congress to change the way they calculate the 9.5% affordability test. That means instead of basing what is considered affordable health insurance on the worker's premium alone, it could be based on the premium of the entire family instead, which would result in many more low income families being eligible for the subsidies and cost sharing they so desperately need. For those unfamiliar with the family glitch, here's the problem it poses: Under the PPACA, employer provided health insurance is considered affordable if the premium costs no more than 9.5% of household income. If employer provided health insurance passes this test, workers and their families are ineligible for health insurance subsidies on the exchange. Unlike the exchange, employer provided health insurance is not subsidized according to income. Unfortunately, the IRS is only counting the employee's portion of the premium in the affordability test, not the family premium. The family members, despite not being counted, are still ineligible for subsidies. I specifically asked the person I spoke with if the IRS could change this without Congress and was told yes. The number to call is [phone] and the individuals to speak with are Sue-Jean Kim or John B. Lovelace.

This is the link I got the names and number from.


https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2013-21157.pdf

[rgbecker]

1. Is there somewhere we can get a clearer understanding of what this is about?

What do you mean by "the family premium?"

[MrsKirkley]

4. The family premium is the premium workers pay to insure themselves, their spouses, and/or children.

The employee's portion of the premium is what it costs to insure the employee only, with nobody else on the policy. Right now, the IRS is only counting the employee's portion of the premium to calculate the 9.5% affordability test instead of the family premium. If you have any more questions, google affordable care act family glitch. Perhaps one of the many articles addressing this issue explains it better than I can.

[progressoid]

2. The IRS can change this without Congress?

I find that suspicious.

[MrsKirkley]

3. According to the IRS worker, the IRS can change the way they figure the 9.5%

affordability test without Congress. When I called myself complaining about the family glitch, I was told the office with this phone number was the one Congressmen were instructed to send such complaints to. At first, I was advised to tell people to complain to their Congressmen. When I brought up the fact that any Congressman wanting the law repealed was unlikely to care or pass on the complaints, I was told people could call themselves. The employee then stated that if enough people called in and complained, they would have to address the issue again. I then asked if they had the power to change how the affordability test was calculated without Congressional approval and was told that yes, they do have that power. If the IRS worker was wrong, I apologize. I'm just repeating what I was told. Either way, isn't it worth trying?