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First off, the largest tax increase in recent history was in 1968 under Democrat Lyndon Johnson, at 1.74% of the GDP. The tax increase Shotgunjones attributed to Bush 41 actually came under Reagan in 1982, but it followed a massive Reagan tax cut in 1981, so the net effect was a small tax decrease.

Lying Democrats love to point out the 1982 increase but somehow forget to mention the even larger 1981 decrease. Right King?

Next largest as a percentage of GDP came in 1993 under Bill Clinton. This was followed by the 1990 Bush 41 tax increase where Democrats convinced him to violate his "Read my lips... no new taxes." pledge. Then in a wonderful display of bipartisanship, they drove the spike into his heart.

I wonder why Republicans aren't smart enough to take a page from the Democrat playbook and constantly criticize Obama for violating his own pledge to not raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 per year. Here's a video of Obama telling that Lie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUiiIrZpUCU

The next largest tax increase was Jimmy Carter's 1980 "Oil Windfall Profits Tax" which of course got passed on to the consumer. Seems like most of our massive tax increases came from Democrats or were encouraged by Democrats. What can we learn from this as 2016 approaches?

The all time largest tax increase in U.S. History was the Revenue Act of 1942 which was used to finance WWII expenditures, and was 5.04% of GDP.

The Affordable Care Act or ObamaCare is right up there in terms of massive tax increases, but unless it is changed or repealed, it will almost certainly move into first place as the largest tax increase of all time.

The annual deductible for Bronze ObamaCare plans is actually $10,400 per year, and $6000 for the Silver plans. This is in addition to the monthly premiums. For a working person on minimum wage and working an average of 28 hours per week, getting sick while covered under a Bronze plan could eat up virtually 100% of their income, and even a Silver plan would leave very little for food and rent. Fewer folks will actually go bankrupt only because healthy young people who seldom get sick are now forced to subsidize the rest through either insurance premiums or fines and penalties. But the smoke and mirrors game was always meant mostly to redistribute wealth and benefits to the non-working class. The basic problem of medical costs rising much faster than inflation has not been addressed as evidenced by Shotgunjones' one year 17% premium increase.

The deductibles and maximum out of pocket costs in excess of premium for all plans under ACA vary by insurer, state, and region.

They are also different for those under 200% Poverty Level. This is based on income, not assets.

In MI, a Silver HMO at 199% PL carries a $450 deductible and an annual $1,450 max out of pocket cost.

For those over 200% PL, the Gold plans offer comparable limits to a Silver at the lower income level. They cost about $100/mo. more.

The subsidy continuously slides until 400% PL when it ceases.

I did not find any Bronze plan offered in Michigan that had in excess of $6,000/yr. max out of pocket cost.

Edit: I just looked it up. ACA says max out of pocket for any plan is limited to $6,600 for an individual. Family plans, of course, are more.

Thanks for the discussion Keith, and Craig, and all. I wish we could just go shooting but it's too damn cold here.

That may be true. I have not shopped for any ObamaCare plans because I still have coverage through my employer.

The figures I used came from the U.S. News and World Report special issue on Best Hospital Rankings which I was reading this morning when I went to the doctor for my annual physical.

Another intangible will be the level of care you will receive with ObamaCare coverage. I recently told the story about a Doctor friend who, along with many of his colleagues, will be refusing ObamaCare patients because of the ridiculously low reimbursements he would get for patient care. He told me that to do a Hospice visit, he would leave his office and drive perhaps 30 minutes, spend at least 30 minutes with the patient examining and prescribing medications, drive another 30 minutes back to his office, and get paid less than $8.00. He said that the average reimbursement wouldn't even cover his gas for this type of patient care, and that after taxes, he would be making less than a McDonalds french fry cook.

It's still very early in this game, but so far ObamaCare doesn't look so hot. I'd like to agree that everyone should have a right to affordable health care, but I have not seen anyone show how we can possibly do that when we already have a $17 trillion National Debt and $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Spending money we don't have cannot possibly have a happy ending. When the whole economy collapses, everyone will suffer, not just the relative handful who go bankrupt due to lack of medical coverage.

I can't disagree. There must be a better way.

As for coverage/service...

I used the insurance once last year, for a simple outpatient thing.

The total tab as billed was about $850, which used up my $250 deductible (Gold BCBS plan). The plan paid the rest less my 20% co-insurance. I specifically bought that plan because I knew this minor procedure was pending.

The EOB statements looked just like any other insurance, and the providers got paid their billed amount less a 'discount' all insurers take. The amount paid was about 90% of that billed.

I don't have an 'O'bamacare' card. It's a Blue Cross card like any other, and the plan is very similar to any employer sponsored contract. There is no reason for any provider to refuse it.

I've been through a whole host of employer sponsored plans, from Cigna which wasn't too bad once I talked the company into the 'passive PPO' because there were no providers in my area otherwise, to one called Great West Healthcare which as far as I'm concerned is just outright fraud. Great West's scam is that they are a form of self insurance for a company, and their goal is to manage the employer cost (read here, screw the employee).

Between my bride's Medicare, the PDP and Medigap for her and my BC PPO, we paid last year (including the medical insurance part of a policy on one automobile) in excess of $8,000. I'm freeloading I guess.