Noah Rothman, Mediate's house right-wing apparatchik, reports this:
Former MSNBC Host's Health Plan Cancelled, New Plan Costs 3.5 Times MoreOh yeah, I feel terrible for this guy, who walked away from a $1 million annual salary at MSNBC last year (that's in addition to the money he made when he sold his Lower Manhattan loft last fall for $1.38 million). I'm sorry he has $4080 less a year to help fulfill his dream of being a successful hydroponics entrepreneur -- though that last link does say he also sold his Porsche.
"Thnx Mr. President." That's all former MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan had to say to President Barack Obama on Thursday when he announced that the health insurance plan he purchased on the individual market after leaving the news network was being cancelled. The new plan he was eligible would cost him 3.5 times more than his previous plan.
I bought a catastrophic health policy for $170/mo when I left MSNBC. Obamacare cancelled the policy. New rate $600/mo. Thnx Mr. President!
— Dylan Ratigan (@DylanRatigan) November 8, 2013
Yes, there are winners and losers under Obamacare. If Dylan Ratigan is, in a small way, one of the losers, I shed no tears.
"I'm so angry I can't buy a Pinto any more! So it had a vexing tendency to explode—so what?! I really liked the way it looked! Stupid big government."
ReplyDelete—Dylan Ratigan, 1981
Jeebus, Dylan Ratigan, really? You must not be married or have kids if you think people don't spend way more than that in emergency health care visits during the year. I'm also curious about what he thinks is covered/not covered under the cheapest available plan to him--is he comparing apples and oranges? Also, also aren't these the very people who are always arguing that we should "means test" social security and medicare? Going on the exchanges or the individual market without subsidies is just means testing, in a sense, richer people pay more of their own costs.
ReplyDeleteEvery story of a loser is one more than Obama said there would be.
ReplyDeleteThis is NOT good publicity for the pres or for Obamacare.
You're right about the optics, Philo, but when I hear a millionaire whining like this, suddenly I don't give a crap.
ReplyDeletePhilo, let me amend that: When I hear millionaires whining like this, and I gather that we're supposed to pay heed only to well-off people who have to pay more, and not to any of the people (mostly of lesser means) who can finally obtain health coverage, I get very, very angry at the whiners of means.
ReplyDeleteIs Ratigan pretending not to know that his employees on his charity farm need health care, or that he and his co-employer might want to look into purchasing a group policy for their employees and thus insuring themselves? The guy is not a "young invincible" at all--he's a much older guy who is in an actual business with vets who may or may not get enough GOVERNMENT SPONSORED AND SUBSIDIZED healthcare to pay for their health care. Sure, he's miffed that he is slightly out of pocket for actual health care coverage--(for the first time since he took up the catastrophic care he can actually see a doctor and get an x ray rather than having to wait until he goes blind from untreated diabetes or has a leg amputated but whatever) but what about his duty to the California based vets he is pretending to help become hydroponic gardeners? where are they getting their health care if not through Obamacare?
ReplyDeleteWhen I hear a millionaire whining about something like this I chortle with glee.
ReplyDeletePatient X,
ReplyDeleteThat's where you and I part ways.
I don't merely chortle, I guffaw!!!
When I read this story in today's New York Times, I couldn't help but think about the hardships Dylan Ratigan is facing with his higher health insurance costs.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/us/cut-in-food-stamps-forces-hard-choices-on-poor.html?hp&_r=0
How old is Ratigan, early or mid 40s? I can see from the Covered CA website that a Blue Shield Platinum plan will cost a 45 year old about $600, but if he is very healthy (which the low for his age $170 premium would suggest, and/or he had a pretty stripped down plan) he should buy a Bronze plan with a tax-deductible Health Savings Account (did he learn nothing at CNBC??) and only pay about $360, less some tax benefits from the HSA.
ReplyDeleteHe's 41, says Wikipedia.
ReplyDeleteOkay, a 41 year-old in Northern San Diego county (where I think his farm is) runs from $268 for a Bronze HSA plan to $445 for a Platinum (Blue Shield; slightly higher and lower alternatives at other companies). So, call BS on the $600, unless he's got a mate or kid on the plan with him, which I don't think was the case. The higher, Gold/Platinum range would definitely have better benefits and much less OOP than whatever high-deduc. plan he has now.
ReplyDelete(...or just go without insurance and treat himself with a hydroponic high colonic.)
ReplyDeleteTo me Ratigan's words translate to "Oink oink squeal squeal!"
ReplyDeleteTo which I ask " prime grain fed Roast suckling anyone?"
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHere's another one - guitar player from KISS -
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/tommy_thayer/statuses/397049273943986176
I'm shocked Gene Simmons doesn't provide decent benefits for his employees.
When I hear a millionaire whining like this, I hear "Is the FOX Business Channel hiring?"
ReplyDelete