Oh, man. I’ve been understating the magnitude of the loss for people in Wyoming in my favorite example. I forgot the “second lowest cost silver plan aspect” of the subsidy.

I had been doing:

Laramie County, Wyoming. Zip 82001. Married couple. Both 62 years old. Non smokers both.

Total income $88,000 a year. U.S. citizens both.

Lowest-cost plan: BlueSelect Bronze (skimpy truly catastrophic-only—deductible and out-of-pocket max both: $21,200/year (=24% of income)

If Biden expanded subsidies were extended

premium 8.5% of income = $7,480/yr

Premium now: 45% of income = $39,904.80/yr

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But it really is, especially factoring in the “silver loading”:

SCLSP : 4618.84 /mo = 55426.08/yr (BlueSelect Silver HealthPlus without Kid's Dental)

subsidy available: 55426.08-7480=47,946.08=3995.50/mo

With conclusions:

If Biden expanded subsidies were extended

An option: BlueSelect Gold Standard without Kid's Dental ($4000 deductible, $16,400 oop max)

(Premium before subsidy: $4,391.22/mo = $52,694/yr)

Premium after subsidy $4,391.22 - 3995.50 = 395.72/mo = 4748.64/yr =5% of income

Now, without the extension:

Lowest-cost plan: BlueSelect Bronze (skimpy truly catastrophic-only—deductible and out-of-pocket max both: $21,200/year (=24% of income)

Premium : 45% of income = $39,904.80/yr

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The corrected result is too complex for my usual posts in the NY TImes comments sections. I’ll have to find a wording for the former.

Fortunately, I was understating, not overstating. And the understated is still more than enough to make the case.

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Incidentally, the removal of the CSR reimbursements, and consequential silver loading, was really a mistake by you-know-who in 2017. (Dummkopf! Dummkopf! Dummkopf!)

Silver-loading should be stopped, but copay maxes need to be fixed by other means. In my opinion.