Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
@charlesgaba.com
73K followers 2.2K following 24K posts
Healthcare data analysis, advocacy & snark. (Formerly @charles_gaba on 🐤) 🏥 https://ACASignups.net 🔵 https://Blue26.org
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charlesgaba.com
Welcome new followers!

I'm a healthcare policy analyst, advocate & blogger who focuses primarily on the ACA. I’ve also gained some attention for my COVID19 data analysis.

I also raise money online for Democratic candidates.

You can follow my work (& even support it!) at ACASignups.net.
ACA Signups
Healthcare policy data, analysis & snark.
ACASignups.net
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
cwebbonline.com
She called it. Kamala Harris laid out Trump’s vengeance agenda before it even happened.

One line that stuck with me most from 107 Days was when she wrote that during the debate, Trump was “unburdened by the truth.”

He’s also unburdened by threat of accountability, thanks to the Supreme Court.
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
bluevirginia.bsky.social
NEW VIDEO: Spanberger Calls Out Winsome Earle-Sears for Backing Trump’s Mass Firings of Virginia Workers Amid Government Shutdown (“I believe Virginia deserves a Governor who puts Virginians first"; "my opponent stands loyal to Trump") bluevirginia.us/2025/10/new-...
charlesgaba.com
They “fixed” it by slashing it by a trillion dollars and kicking millions of Americans off of it.
atrupar.com
Mike Johnson: "Republicans are the party that are fixing healthcare. We just demonstrated that in the one big beautiful bill."
charlesgaba.com
Even if they actually did give a shit about healthcare policy and *were* working on real reforms, that wouldn’t change the fact that OPEN ENROLLMENT STARTS IN THREE WEEKS.
atrupar.com
Johnson strikes a patronizing tone about MTG: "Republicans have been working around the clock on healthcare. They're on the committees of jurisdiction that deal with this. Marjorie doesn't serve on those committees, so I offered to have her come into the room and be a part of those discussions."
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
atrupar.com
BREAM: Open enrollments starts in November. People are already getting notices about what they may pay. I mean, that's gotta be resolved.

MIKE JOHNSON: Yes, and they're eating up the clock in the month of October

(Johnson canceled the House in August to avoid taking votes on Epstein)
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
charlesgaba.com
This version of the graph presents the data differently but makes the same point (and is actually more useful from a campaigning/messaging POV).

NJ is one of a handful of states providing state subsidies to help mitigate the damage, but it's still gonna be ugly.

acasignups.net/ira-subsidy-...
New Jersey: Examples of impact of expiring tax credits on ACA enrollee premiums
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
atrupar.com
Jeffries on Fox News Sunday: "My friends on other aisle seem to think believe healthcare is an extraneous issue. We don't believe it's an extraneous issue. It's a central issue...the states most affected are all ones Trump won...so this is not a partisan fight. We're fighting for everyday Americans"
charlesgaba.com
This version of the graph presents the data differently but makes the same point (and is actually more useful from a campaigning/messaging POV).

NJ is one of a handful of states providing state subsidies to help mitigate the damage, but it's still gonna be ugly.

acasignups.net/ira-subsidy-...
New Jersey: Examples of impact of expiring tax credits on ACA enrollee premiums
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
charlesgaba.com
Having said that, if the GOP *really* was concerned over wealthy people getting unnecessary tax breaks (chokes back laughter), I'd be open to raising the Cliff up to a reasonable level...say, 1500% FPL. That would prevent hypothetical (literally 1 in a million) "rich person getting $12/year" cases.
charlesgaba.com
They can't. That's why the CBO projects over 4 million ACA enrollees will lose coverage entirely as a result.
charlesgaba.com
Having said that, if the GOP *really* was concerned over wealthy people getting unnecessary tax breaks (chokes back laughter), I'd be open to raising the Cliff up to a reasonable level...say, 1500% FPL. That would prevent hypothetical (literally 1 in a million) "rich person getting $12/year" cases.
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
charlesgaba.com
3. Even those who earn > 800% only avg $730/yr in tax credits, while 25% of those w/employer coverage earn > 800%, and THEY get $2,580/yr in subsidies on avg.

That is, 40x as many high-income people get 3.5x as much in subsidies from employer coverage than ACA plans.

acasignups.net/25/09/28/how...
How full of shit is this Hill Op Ed? Let me count the ways.
Someone alerted me to a new column over at The HIll written by Dean Clancy, a "Senior Health Policy Fellow at Americans for Prosperity." It's been awhile since I've done one of these, but let's go thr...
acasignups.net
charlesgaba.com
3. Even those who earn > 800% only avg $730/yr in tax credits, while 25% of those w/employer coverage earn > 800%, and THEY get $2,580/yr in subsidies on avg.

That is, 40x as many high-income people get 3.5x as much in subsidies from employer coverage than ACA plans.

acasignups.net/25/09/28/how...
How full of shit is this Hill Op Ed? Let me count the ways.
Someone alerted me to a new column over at The HIll written by Dean Clancy, a "Senior Health Policy Fellow at Americans for Prosperity." It's been awhile since I've done one of these, but let's go thr...
acasignups.net
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
charlesgaba.com
1. I'm pretty sure this situation doesn't exist: The median household income in Cabell County, WV is $56K/yr w/a 21% poverty rate.

2. Nearly anyone who earns that much has employer-sponsored coverage; only 6% of ACA enrollees earn more than 800% FPL ($169K for 2 people).
charlesgaba.com
1. I'm pretty sure this situation doesn't exist: The median household income in Cabell County, WV is $56K/yr w/a 21% poverty rate.

2. Nearly anyone who earns that much has employer-sponsored coverage; only 6% of ACA enrollees earn more than 800% FPL ($169K for 2 people).
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
charlesgaba.com
In this last scenario, it's hypothetically conceivable that the couple in question would still receive nominal tax credits if they earned as much as $747,000/year under the current formula.

This is one of the talking points the GOP is using to trash the current formula.

HOWEVER...
charlesgaba.com
In this last scenario, it's hypothetically conceivable that the couple in question would still receive nominal tax credits if they earned as much as $747,000/year under the current formula.

This is one of the talking points the GOP is using to trash the current formula.

HOWEVER...
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
charlesgaba.com
FINALLY, here's the most extreme, batshit edge case I was able to come up with: A 64-yr old couple living in Cabell County, West Virginia.

At full price, the benchmark Silver plan would cost them $5,298/month, or $63,576/year.

If they earn $85,000/year, that would be 75% of their gross income.
64-yr old couple in Cabell County, WV
charlesgaba.com
FINALLY, here's the most extreme, batshit edge case I was able to come up with: A 64-yr old couple living in Cabell County, West Virginia.

At full price, the benchmark Silver plan would cost them $5,298/month, or $63,576/year.

If they earn $85,000/year, that would be 75% of their gross income.
64-yr old couple in Cabell County, WV
Reposted by Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️
charlesgaba.com
Two more examples, one at each end of the spectrum.

Here's a single 19-year old living in New Hampshire (which has the least-expensive benchmark plans this year).

Here, you never see the Subsidy Cliff at all because the full price plan never goes above ~8.5% of their income over ~260% FPL anyway.
19-yr old in New Hampshire