According to the article below, these are some of the main points of the new healthcare bill...
1) The law would raise the Medicare payroll tax by an additional 0.9% (to 2.35%, from the current 1.45%) on earned income above $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for joint filers. It would also impose a Medicare tax of 3.8% on investment income, such as dividends and interest, for individuals with adjusted gross income above $200,000 and joint filers with AGI above $250,000. These taxes will go into effect in 2013. Distributions from pensions, IRAs, 401(k)s and other qualified retirement plans will be exempt. Self-employed people will have to pay the additional tax.
2) Six months after enactment, health insurers cannot place lifetime limits on the value of coverage or revoke existing coverage. Starting in 2014, insurers must accept all applicants, including anyone with preexisting medical conditions. Until then, individuals with preexisting conditions who have been uninsured for more than six months will be eligible to enroll in a national high-risk pool and receive subsidized premiums. Cost sharing will be capped at $5,950 for individuals and $11,900 for families
3) Nearly everyone would be required to buy coverage, or pay a penalty. Early retirees, the self-employed and others without insurance would be able to purchase coverage through state-based exchanges. Tax credits would be available to individuals and families with income between 133% and 400% of the poverty level (that's $19,378 to $58,280 for a couple). Private insurance companies could sell policies through the exchanges. Buyers would choose among four benefit categories.
As long as you don't earn over $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for joint filers, then the additional taxes will not affect you. If you do earn more than that, then it will, unfortunately, cost you more in taxes each year.
I have individual insurance, since I am self-employed, and I am hoping that premiums do not go up, since the insurance companies will now have to accept everyone, including anyone with pre-existing medical conditions and provide unlimited coverage that has no lifetime dollar cap. Hopefully, with nearly everyone having health insurance, the premiums will go down, because of the larger pool. You can still go without the health insurance, and just pay the penalty each year (as long as the penalty is less than the insurance premiums) and then just buy insurance once you get really sick.
http://finance.yahoo.com/focus-reti...ivingretirement