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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov · 7h

Over coffee, I updated @repemilyrandall.bsky.social on what is happening in the Senate right now: Republican leaders STILL would rather shut down the government than even talk to Democrats about how to stop health care costs from skyrocketing for millions of Americans.

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Michael Paulauski♨️ @mike10010100.com · 7h

This. If Trump doesn't need Congress in order to fund the military, the Constitution is out the window and Congress is irrelevant.

There's *also* no reason to actually reconvene Congress. Evidently Trump will just fund whatever he wants and fire whoever he wants even if the government is shut down.

Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 8h

I understand the optics here but this is also literally why Charles met his end in Whitehall, either Article I means what it says or it doesn't and the Constitution is dissolved

Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 8h

So the Dems need to be clear again that any FMer carrying out direction to implement mil paychecks in the absence of appropriations will be subject to anti-deficiency act criminal penalties, because to be clear even with the reconciliation slush fund BS there is no way to legally so this, period

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 3h

really striking the degree to which not a single person working in the trump administration appears to be interested in serving the american people

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Author Myron J. Clifton @deardean22.bsky.social · 2h

This ought to interesting to watch..

Pam Damn Biondi going after the Second Amendment Foundation SFA list of gun owners..

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Martha Crawford @whatashrinkthinks.com · 4h

I'm sitting here thinking about having a 15 daughter being chased down and abducted by masked men while the local police watch and let them carry her away to god-knows where w/zero accountability

we have to understand that girls are in severe danger of sexual violence from anonymous ICE goons

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

Heading out to dinner but if there’s interest I’ll add a few more examples later on.

Some are truly jaw-dropping.

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Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

Heading out to dinner but if there’s interest I’ll add a few more examples later on.

Some are truly jaw-dropping.

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

Again, this example is specifically for my family: 2 middle-aged adults, 1 college-age child, in Oakland County, MI.

Here's what the same graph would look like if it was just my wife and I *but* we were 64 years old (just 1 year shy of Medicare eligiblity)

(without the labels)

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Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

Again, this example is specifically for my family: 2 middle-aged adults, 1 college-age child, in Oakland County, MI.

Here's what the same graph would look like if it was just my wife and I *but* we were 64 years old (just 1 year shy of Medicare eligiblity)

(without the labels)

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

Anyway, see that sharp vertical orange "fin" shooting straight up just >400% FPL?

That's ALL tax credits cutting off instantly.

This is why you keep seeing examples of an older couple earning $85K seeing their premiums triple or quadruple...because 400% FPL for 2 people will be $84,600 next year.

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Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

Anyway, see that sharp vertical orange "fin" shooting straight up just >400% FPL?

That's ALL tax credits cutting off instantly.

This is why you keep seeing examples of an older couple earning $85K seeing their premiums triple or quadruple...because 400% FPL for 2 people will be $84,600 next year.

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

The RED section is actually due to a DIFFERENT little "fuck you" that the Trump regime put into place last spring: They changed the underlying non-enhanced credit formula to make it even *less* generous for those below 400% FPL *BEYOND* the enhanced credits expiring.

acasignups.net/25/09/30/114...

114% is the new 75%: As I warned, net ACA rate hikes will increase EVEN MORE if the improved tax credits expire

(with apologies to “Weird Al” Yankovic) Back in July, I warned that my original projections from earlier in the year of how much net ACA enrollee premiums will increase starting in January 2026 in all...

acasignups.net

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Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

The RED section is actually due to a DIFFERENT little "fuck you" that the Trump regime put into place last spring: They changed the underlying non-enhanced credit formula to make it even *less* generous for those below 400% FPL *BEYOND* the enhanced credits expiring.

acasignups.net/25/09/30/114...

114% is the new 75%: As I warned, net ACA rate hikes will increase EVEN MORE if the improved tax credits expire

(with apologies to “Weird Al” Yankovic) Back in July, I warned that my original projections from earlier in the year of how much net ACA enrollee premiums will increase starting in January 2026 in all...

acasignups.net

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

The ORANGE/RED sections show how much premiums will increase as a % of income starting January 1st if the current tax credit structure expires:

100-138% FPL: Jumps from 0% to 2.1% of income

138 - 400% FPL: Goes from a range of 0 - 8.5% to a range of 3.1% - 10.0% of income

> 400% FPL: FULL PRICE

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Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

The ORANGE/RED sections show how much premiums will increase as a % of income starting January 1st if the current tax credit structure expires:

100-138% FPL: Jumps from 0% to 2.1% of income

138 - 400% FPL: Goes from a range of 0 - 8.5% to a range of 3.1% - 10.0% of income

> 400% FPL: FULL PRICE

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

BLUE = The CURRENT tax credit structure:

Enrollees up to 150% FPL pay 0% of income in premiums

Enrollees 150% - 400% FPL pay a sliding scale from 0% - 8.5% of income in premiums

Enrollees > 400% FPL pay 8.5% in premiums

The subsidies gradually taper off to nothing.

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Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

BLUE = The CURRENT tax credit structure:

Enrollees up to 150% FPL pay 0% of income in premiums

Enrollees 150% - 400% FPL pay a sliding scale from 0% - 8.5% of income in premiums

Enrollees > 400% FPL pay 8.5% in premiums

The subsidies gradually taper off to nothing.

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

Now we get to the colored regions:

GREY = Medicaid Expansion range (up to 138% FPL)

Every state was supposed to expand it, but SCOTUS ruled it's voluntary by each state. 10 states have still refused to do so.

Thus:

DARK GREY = "Medicaid Gap" not eligible for Medicaid OR ACA tax credits.

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Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

Now we get to the colored regions:

GREY = Medicaid Expansion range (up to 138% FPL)

Every state was supposed to expand it, but SCOTUS ruled it's voluntary by each state. 10 states have still refused to do so.

Thus:

DARK GREY = "Medicaid Gap" not eligible for Medicaid OR ACA tax credits.

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

The dotted line shows how the cost of the benchmark Silver plan (at full price) drops as a % of income as that income increases.

At 100% FPL it'd be 76% of income.
At 200% FPL it'd be 38%,
At 300% FPL it'd be 25%,
At 400% FPL it'd be 19% and so on.

It drops off to 8.5% at around $238,000/yr.

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Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

The dotted line shows how the cost of the benchmark Silver plan (at full price) drops as a % of income as that income increases.

At 100% FPL it'd be 76% of income.
At 200% FPL it'd be 38%,
At 300% FPL it'd be 25%,
At 400% FPL it'd be 19% and so on.

It drops off to 8.5% at around $238,000/yr.

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

The HORIZONTAL axis is household income as a % of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

For 3 people, 100% FPL = $26,650/year.

The VERTICAL axis is the cost of the benchmark Silver ACA plan (~$20,280/yr) as a % of that household income.

So, at 100% FPL, it would cost 76% of our gross income. 2/

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Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

The HORIZONTAL axis is household income as a % of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).

For 3 people, 100% FPL = $26,650/year.

The VERTICAL axis is the cost of the benchmark Silver ACA plan (~$20,280/yr) as a % of that household income.

So, at 100% FPL, it would cost 76% of our gross income. 2/

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Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 3h

A quick reminder of what the whole #ACA tax credit fuss looks like visually.

This example is for my own family here in Oakland County, Michigan (middle-aged couple w/1 college-age son). 1/

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Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 5h

California is going to “stick it to Trump” this November— Vote YES on Prop 50.

This ad 🔥😂

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