Something I Didn’t Know
Those who purchase coverage outside the exchanges cannot claim subsidies, even if they qualify for them, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency overseeing implementation of the ACA. 
Automatic enrollment directly through an insurer would avoid the exchanges, and the subsidies, entirely. (Time)
This means that the 14 million people who currently have individual insurance don’t get subsidies if they stay in a grandfathered plan or if they are enrolled by their insurer into a new ACA-compliant plan. How does that make any sense????
It makes perfect sense if you realize their plan is to force everyone onto the exchanges.
It just seems so odd. What do they gain by having people specifically on the exchanges?
Well, seeing how many people are enrolling in Medicare/aid now, I think that’s their ultimate goal.
So, if you like your plan you don’t get to keep it, plus if you want subsidies you have to enroll in our plan with all kinds of amenities you may not need, and for probably higher costs—-Nice!
Because of that lawsuit, even enrolling on the exchanges might not be enough to get the subsidies.
If it even goes anywhere, which knowing how our courts are functioning lately is unlikely.
I agree. And in the short run, a victory in that case would be painful for consumers.
Is anyone else struck by the idea that 14 out of 330 million is a rather low percentage? I expected more people to have individual insurance.
More and more people are turning to Medicare/aid for their health insurance.
Which ultimately makes more people dependent on government and likely to vote for people who strengthen its power.
you have to start by realizing that the real purpose of Obamacare is to crush all private insurance companies, so that govt care is the only alternative. then, subsidies and rates can be fiddled with, friends favored, evil tea party types get their info “lost,” etc. all the insurance company jobs will vanish, to be replaced by unionized govt employees. the bureaucracy will be loaded with consultant and deputy jobs for party loyalists. a perfect solution for the Party!
You don’t need subsidies to afford the plan you already pay for, so why should you get them?
Fairness?
Forget fairness here, we’re robbing Peter to pay Paul.
*and eventually Peter is going to go broke.
If they relied on the website to get them, then they’d be in the same boat as everyone else.
You don’t get a subsidy! And you don’t get a subsidy! Nobody gets a subsidy!
Technically (and Oklahoma is suing over the IRS rule contradicting this) the subsidies ONLY apply in state run exchanges, of which there are relatively few. But they’re going to try to make them active in all the exchanges, despite the law’s clear use of those to incentivize states to run their own exchanges. So this is consistent with that part of the law. Plus the subsidies are going to be administered via the exchange, which makes it kind of difficult to offer them for plans that go outside the exchange, except as a tax credit after the fact (which I would almost have to assume will still be available because I don’t know how they’d avoid it with common 1040 forms).