New Orleans  There are two more weeks on the countdown to your chance to finally get health care coverage for you and your family, if you don’t have it, or to potentially get some help in paying for it, if you do have it, and my bet is many of you are still clueless about it.   The simplest clue I can tell you is to get ready to jump on the internet now or then at www.healthcare.gov, or reach out to any navigators as soon as they are funded and cooking.

            Most of you are still thinking, hey, dude, I wish this would give me a hand, but I’m working, or I probably make too much, or whatever, so it’s probably not for me.  Ok, maybe so, but you could be way wrong!   Look at the chart below though.  If you make less than four times the Federal Poverty Level and no one in your household, as defined for tax purposes, receives an offer of affordable coverage from an employer, you may very darn likely qualify for a subsidy from the Health Exchange Marketplace.

            400% of the Federal Poverty Level is a lot of money for a lot of households (see chart below)!   Footloose and fancy free single payer, then it’s less than $46000 per year or someone making more than $20 per hour.   Got a partner and a couple of kids for a family of four, then it’s less than $94,000 per year, and that’s a pretty good wallop of money, too, but you could still get some help.  You and partner just got married or are filing together, then for the two of you, $62040 per year.  Are you starting to follow me now?

Household Size	100%	133%	150%	200%	300%	400%
1	$11,490	$15,282	$17,235	$22,980	$34,470	$45,960
2	15,510	20,628	23,265	31,020	46,530	62,040
3	19,530	25,975	29,295	39,060	58,590	78,120
4	23,550	31,322	35,325	47,100	70,650	94,200
5	27,570	36,668	41,355	55,140	82,710	110,280
6	31,590	42,015	47,385	63,180	94,770	126,360
7	35,610	47,361	53,415	71,220	106,830	142,440
8	39,630	52,708	59,445	79,260	118,890	158,520
For each additional person, add	$4,020	$5,347	$6,030	$8,040	$12,060	$16,080

(chart from FamiliesUSA)

            In Citizen Wealth, I argued that we needed a national campaign to achieve maximum eligible participation, meaning that we achieve income security for families by making sure that they get the full benefit of all local, state, and federal programs that have been created to help us.   This is a golden opportunity to make sure people “vote with their feet” by proving how much we want health protection by making sure we get on now, and get it right later.   That’s the big fight politically, and the big prize for all of us personally.

I’m not saying it won’t be confusing.   There will be some surprises in store no doubt.   One of the big surprises though may be that you get solid support in paying the bill and actual health care coverage for you and your family.   You may not like the fact that it says “poverty” at the top of the guidelines, but you’ll like the fact that you have some help on the way.