This is not a political post. But, it is about how today's (2013's) healthcare coverage system works. And by "works" I mean "does not work." Or, more accurately, I mean "sucks."

Unfortunately, no one realizes how bad the system sucks until they either try to follow their dreams or get really, really sick. And since most people cannot imagine themselves getting really, really sick -- but would love to think they might want to someday follow their dream -- we'll start there.

Usually following your dream involves saying "neener, neener, neener" to your boss while putting your thumb on your nose and wiggling your fingers. Here lies the problem. It turns out that you can't get decent healthcare coverage at an affordable price without your joyless, soul-crushing employer.

Let's look at that word, "affordable." Some of you may think $1,000 a month is not "affordable." Unfortunately, that is the going price for "affordable" family coverage. At least, it is in NY state. As states go, NY requires providers to give its citizens pretty decent healthcare coverage. You can probably get by for less in states where the coverage includes little more than a Bandaid (R), aspirin and a lollipop. (Note: you really don't get that lollipop in NY anymore.)

Without an employer or a business generating real income (and your new business likely won't generate income and will be considered a "hobby"), you'll pretty much need to fork over something in the $30,000 (annual) range for family coverage. Can you hear your dream dying?

Let's say you'd like to be an author. It will take you a lot of time to write your book. Even more time to make any money from writing. And all those years that you are trying to be an author, you'd be paying those tens of thousands of dollars a year for healthcare coverage. Of course, if your spouse is employed, you can use his/her coverage.(isn't that "his/her" thing annoying? We need sex-neutral singular personal pronouns.)

Sure, I know what you're thinking. I'll just use my spouse's "affordable" coverage. But, there's a catch. Once said spouse sees you following your dream, he/she will become envious and want to follow theirs. But, the spouse can't because the spouse is the family's "affordable" healthcare coverage getter.

Maybe your dream isn't to be an author. Maybe your dream is to retire early. Who doesn't want to do that? And maybe you've been a good little saver and could actually afford to do that. Well, factor in that $30,000+ annual healthcare coverage cost and your savings will look like chopped liver. (Note: I don't know what chopped liver looks like, but I'm guessing it is not pretty.)

I am not going to say Obamacare is or is not the answer. No one knows how close it might be to the answer. And anyone who thinks they know is fooling themself. ("Themself" should be a word. No one wants to write or read "his or her self. It is inefficient.)

Anyway, looking into the future to predict how the Affordable Care Act will pan out is simply too complicated. There will be both good and bad unintended consequences.

One unintended consequence I'm predicting is a lot of people retiring early. That will be a good thing: job openings for young people. Happy retired people. And healthier people. (I don't know about you, but working is not as good for my health as not working. Working is stressful. Working requires me to sit alot and that is ruining my back. When I'm not working, I go to the gym. I walk. I eat healthier because I have the time to prepare healthy food. Heck, I'd GROW healthy food.)

Unfortunately, I don't think any of this early retirement stuff would happen all at once because a lot of people will be skeptical. After all, if the administration changes and the Affordable Care Act is axed or gutted -- and you retired early -- you might be shoot out of luck.

There are probably bad unintended consequences, too. I'm just pointing out some of the good stuff that would happen if we fixed the system. And I don't know if Obamacare will fix the system because I cannot predict the future. I just wanted to point out that as the system stands in 2013, you can forget your dreams of quitting your job or retiring early because your need for healthcare coverage will stomp all over those plans like Lucy Ball stomping grapes in the classic "grape stomping" episode of "I Love Lucy" (not to be confused with the classic "candy assembly line" episode.)

I could go on and tell you how if you get sick under the current plan (I mean really sick, for a long time: the kind of catastrophic sickness health insurance was designed for), your healthcare coverage (as opposed to old-fashioned health insurance) will leave you high and dry. Because you will eventually lose your job. And if you lose your job, you will eventually lose your employer-sponsored healthcare coverage. And then you will have to pay that $30,000+ annual rate until you are dead broke and go on Medicaid. Ain't that a great system?

I won't bother going into details on that because no one ever thinks it will happen to them. (And you can always use your spouse's coverage. And if your spouse doesn't have coverage, you can get divorced and marry someone with coverage. Don't laugh. I'll bet this has happened. I know a guy with a brain tumor who got married for the healthcare coverage.)

Anyway, I bet no one is reading anymore, so I should stop talking to myself. If you are still reading, and you have a dream, remember, I am not the one squashing your dream...I am just the one informing you how the current healthcare system will squash it. Maybe the Affordable Care Act will fix it. Maybe it won't. Put your dreams on hold until something is definite (which might not happen for a long, long time.) Have a nice day.