Crosstalk: February 12, 2015

This edition of Crosstalk began with news of an urgent prayer request for Andrew Chan who is in prison in Indonesia. Andrew has been in prison for 10 years after being caught smuggling drugs into the country. While in prison, he came to faith in Jesus and has been leading Bible studies as well as leading the prison church. This past Fall, Indonesia received a new president who has executed 6 people by firing squad to show his strict stance on drug dealers. Andrew and one of his friends are next on the list for execution. This was scheduled for this weekend although there has been some postponement due to various appeals with the hope that he can have his sentence changed to life in prison so he can help change the lives of prisoners. Twila Brase is the president and co-founder of Citizens' Council for Health Freedom which exists to protect health care choices and patient privacy. Twila is a certified public health nurse and health care freedom advocate and through her daily Health Freedom Minute addresses crucial health issues, patient privacy and health care reform. The deadline for open enrollment in Obamacare is coming up on the 15th. Twila began by warning listeners that they need to know the difference between coverage and care. This is because she believes Obamacare is little more than an expanded version of Medicaid for the middle-class on a sliding fee scale and she doesn't want to expand that kind of dependency into people's lives. She says that if you enroll, you'll find that deductibles are high, co-pays are high, co-insurance is high and the network is narrow. So many people say what they actually end up with through Obamacare is not a policy but something for a catastrophe because of how much they end up paying out-of-pocket. If you choose not to enroll, there are options that include paying for a policy out of the exchange such as private employer coverage, filing an exemption (there are 9, one of which is to become part of a cost-sharing organization) or pay the penalty tax. Ever wonder about the line labeled, 'Health Care Individual Responsibility' on your tax forms? This is the individual mandate in Obamacare. It requires you to have this coverage, to pay the tax or find an exemption. In other words, the IRS requires that you put in whatever you have claimed. If you have no exemption you will be paying the penalty for last year of $95 or up to 1% of your income, whichever is greater.