9 Characters On TV Affected By Obamacare

Obamacare will affect us all, but here is how it will affect 9 folks from our favorite TV shows...

1. Rep. Peter Russo, Congressman, House of Cards

Under the Affordable Care Act, Members of Congress and their staff are to purchase insurance through the state-based health insurance exchanges; however, the law prohibits large employers (i.e. the federal government) from making premium contributions. Unless this is fixed legislatively, Members of Congress, such as Peter Russo, will go from paying 25 percent of their premiums for Federal Employee Health Benefits, to 100 percent of their health insurance premiums on the exchanges.

2. Barnabus "Barney" Stinson, Employee of Goliath National Bank (GNB), How I Met Your Mother

Barney is an employee of Goliath National Bank (GNB). As their name suggests, GNB is a large employer and thus required to offer insurance plans to employees or face penalties. However they sidestep the fines imposed by the ACA by only offering Barney (and other employees) “skinny coverage” health insurance plans. These plans cover a minimum of primary-doctor’s visits and hardly any specialists. Barney’s coverage becomes less than “Legen-Dary”

3. Rudy Huxtable, Student, The Cosby Show

Rudy is in college and works part time, she looks for an affordable plan but the university has discontinued their health care plan because of the ACA’s mandates. Both her parents are over 65 and on Medicare by the time she’s an adult (and therefore she cannot stay on their plan) and although she would receive subsidies, she cannot afford the premium and cost sharing for a plan. Thanks to the ACA, Rudy’s got nothing.

4. Penny, Waitress at the Cheesecake Factory, Big Bang Theory

Like many large employers with part-time and transient workforces, the Cheesecake Factory, decides to move all employees to part-time to avoid having to provide insurance. Her hours go from 40+ to less than 30. She can get subsidized health insurance on the exchanges but does not make enough to pay her rent, let alone health insurance. Penny’s now uninsured.

5. Honey Boo Boo’s Parents Mama June and Sugar Bear, Reality TV Stars, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo

“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” will (sadly) eventually go off the air. When it does, they’ll be shopping for health insurance and need to calculate their family income, which, thanks to their recent marriage, will now include: Sugar Bear’s income and June’s disability income. As a result, they’ll receive a smaller subsidy from the government, through the ACA, for the family’s health insurance because of the increased total income. The family will face a substantial increase in health insurance costs and will have to reassess how many pageants Honey Boo Boo can enter this year.

6. Adam, Ders, and Blake, Employees of TelAmeriCorp, Workaholics

TelAmeriCorp where Adam, Ders, and Blake work is a national corporation but has separate branches that function as standalone businesses. The Rancho Cucamonga office where the three work currently sits at 51 employees and would be required to provide health insurance for all workers under the ACA. A 51-employee business that does not provide coverage now faces a fine of $40,000 per year (which is the $2,000 per employee penalty above the first 30 employees). Seeing as Alice is particularly cold hearted, she fires Adam and Blake but keeps Ders as he is the 49th employee. Adam and Blake are now forced to “Be Fresh” while being unemployed.

7. Mac, Dennis, Charlie and Dee, Bar Owners, Always Sunny In Philadelphia

These young adults are co-owners and bartenders at Paddy’s, and buy insurance on the individual market. Because they are young and relatively healthy, their premiums are cheap, but because they make enough to be ineligible for ACA insurance subsidies, their insurance costs will double as a result of the Affordable Care Act. There choice is to either go uninsured and pay a penalty, or pay twice as much for the same insurance. As a result, Paddy’s won’t be getting some badly needed repairs.

8. Hannah, Coffee Shop Employee and Aspiring Writer, Girls

Hannah is able to stay on her parents’ insurance plan, but in accordance with the Affordable Care Act’s regulation on part time vs. full time work, the coffee shop where she works reduces her hours from 40 to 29, making it more difficult to pay her rent. Hannah is forced to ask her parents for rent money and raise their concerns that she can’t handle living on her own in New York.

9. The Bluth’s Banana Stand, Small Business, Arrested Development

The Bluth’s Banana Stand currently only has one employee, but if there is money in the banana stand, and it were to grow to 49 employees, they would have to halt the growth. Because of the ACA’s employer mandate, adding a 50th employee rewards them with an automatic $40,000 penalty, and we know frozen bananas aren’t that profitable.