Whew, I have health insurance for 2014 !!!!

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: JHZR2


That said, healthcare costs have been rising unsustainably for years. It's nothing new. And for someone who needs a hospital and has bad and lingering issues, they are an insurance liability, do cost society more and should pay more. It's no different than if you have auto insurance with a clean record or one with five speeding tickets and two accidents. The pricing is not the same.

But at least now some coverage is guaranteed, he won't just be dropped for making too many expensive claims should he go into the hospital... And his coverage is assured for many years until Medicare eligibility comes along.


That argument is specious - the rates are not varying because of claim history, they vary because of your income. Further, the new "requirements" for minimum coverage have required many to get coverage that they didn't previously have or need (glad, as a 50 year old man, that I have maternity coverage in my policy now, but not certain it's needed).

So, you get increased rates based on ability to pay and the addition of coverage that was not previously required. It's nothing like auto insurance...nothing at all...


As a 20 something that has ridiculous amounts of student loans ... my ability to pay is significantly less than someone else with my income and no student loans ...

 

[eljefino]

I had insurance through corporate headquarters in Pennsylvania, and my doctors in Maine weren't in network. They told us (wink, wink, nudge nudge) at the benefits meeting that they'd "pretend" they were. And this was Blue Cross, not some rinky dink company!

I empathise with the OP. I had a dickens of a time finding a doctor with a guaranteed price for anything before I went in.

And for the haters who say lifestyle choices cause health issues... try explaning that to someone middle-aged with MS, ALS, or the >80% of cancers that just "pop up out of nowhere" without environmental causes.

The "Good news" in all this is we've talked more about health care expenses in the last 3 years than we have in the previous 30. Healthy people are getting dragged into facing this demon.

 

[Turk]

Originally Posted By: Miller88


As a 20 something that has ridiculous amounts of student loans ... my ability to pay is significantly less than someone else with my income and no student loans ...



Right, and this is part of the problem.....

- The 20-somethings are saddled with high student loan debt.
- They need pay for housing & things to live that are expensive.

Now, are they going to actually going to be able to afford to purchase this high insurance when there's only a very small chance they'll actually need healthcare, or will they pay the $95 fine?

Most all will pay the fine and play the massive percentage as mosy all are very healthy.

Revenue will then fall greatly short and the cost will skyrocket beginning of 2015.

Logic says big trouble ahead.

 

[volk06]

I just found out my insurance plan through my employer yesterday.
Single 25yr, my cost is going up 167%.
My deductible is going up 333%.
Going from from a PPO/Copay to a HDHP.

I will not say anymore other wise this thread will most likely get locked.

 

[Turk]

Originally Posted By: volk06
I just found out my insurance plan through my employer yesterday.
Single 25yr, my cost is going up 167%.
My deductible is going up 333%.
Going from from a PPO/Copay to a HDHP.

I will not say anymore other wise this thread will most likely get locked.


Oh my gosh, that's huge. I am so sorry to hear that.

 

[supton]

Dumb question/observation: If I buy life insurance, and then later wind up with some terminal disease, then the insurance company takes it on the nose. They hedged their bets, and lost. [Well, they hedged it over a large pool, and will still turn a profit, but you get the idea.] Unless if I buy more insurance the company cannot charge me more on what I already have.

But health insurance gets renewed every year, thus any time something pops up the company can quickly readjust what it will charge you. If you are part of a large pool then the cost gets divided out, sure, but everyone pays a bit more as a result.

It seems that we are paying for actual healthcare cost + insurance for the minor risk of something dramatic/catastrophic/expensive for the next 12 months + overhead. And of course that "insurance" is ultimately the cost of "what-if's" divided by risk divided by the pool size. But we are not somehow paying ahead: I mean, I have a 401k which accumulates money for the future; but outside of an HSA I'm not sure any of this insurance stuff "pays ahead" for the inevitable heart attack/stroke/cancer that one will face. It is strictly a year-to-year accounting, demanding that we have a large pool of healthy people so as to divide the cost out. When one is young they are paying into the system, and will pull out that investement when older. Assuming that when they are old there is another generation of young healthy people to keep it going.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: volk06
I just found out my insurance plan through my employer yesterday.
Single 25yr, my cost is going up 167%.
My deductible is going up 333%.
Going from from a PPO/Copay to a HDHP.

I will not say anymore other wise this thread will most likely get locked.


Ouch. That is like the change I've seen over 13 years, getting married and having kids. But in the span of one year.

 

[Trav]

The dirty little secret is the ACA has nothing to do with health insurance whatsoever.

 

[[email protected]]

Correct me if Im wrong, but is there nobody forcing you to buy the marketplace insurance??

I just went to the Blue Cross insurance and bought my own individual policy (self employed). I priced it out against the state marketplace and the BCBS insurance was cheaper and has a lower deductible.

So why dont people just shop around with private companies and then compare it to the stuff offered by the government? I did and it worked for me.

By the way, Im not mad at any system, its designed for people with low incomes who currently have no insurance. I have high income and no insurance, so I went and bought a policy for $96/month. To me, thats a steal considering I have COPD (never smoked a day in my life) and require frequent doctor office visits, inhalers, etc.

FWIW, the marketplace wanted $133 per month.

 

[Mykl]

The people I truly feel sorry for are the people with terminal or chronic illnesses that require a fragile network of specialists to function or even survive. This legislation can literally kill them if the new plans they're being forced on exclude the critical care providers they had prior to losing their old plans.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: JHZR2


That said, healthcare costs have been rising unsustainably for years. It's nothing new. And for someone who needs a hospital and has bad and lingering issues, they are an insurance liability, do cost society more and should pay more. It's no different than if you have auto insurance with a clean record or one with five speeding tickets and two accidents. The pricing is not the same.

But at least now some coverage is guaranteed, he won't just be dropped for making too many expensive claims should he go into the hospital... And his coverage is assured for many years until Medicare eligibility comes along.


That argument is specious - the rates are not varying because of claim history, they vary because of your income. Further, the new "requirements" for minimum coverage have required many to get coverage that they didn't previously have or need (glad, as a 50 year old man, that I have maternity coverage in my policy now, but not certain it's needed).

So, you get increased rates based on ability to pay and the addition of coverage that was not previously required. It's nothing like auto insurance...nothing at all...


Auto insurance you pay based upon your risk, driving record, vehicle, city, usage of car. Health insurance one adult pays the same as another (within a given plan), the risk is spread out. I do not think too many people would be in favor of basing your health insurance plan premium based upon your health risk.

 

[Win]

As a self employed person, my entire life, I've always bought health insurance on the open market.

It's always been readily available, and very affordable. The bill of goods that has been sold to the public to the contrary was just a blatant lie. I have always bought low premium, high deductible, plans, because I regard insurance, of all types, as a hedge against catastrophe, and not a way to pre finance events that likely will never occur.

All that said, the "patient protection and affordable care act" has done absolutely nothing other than to make our affordable insurance less affordable. Our plan goes away in 2014, and we will probably be forced into one of their ridiculous tier plans (bronze, silver, etc., Who is the simpleton that thought this up?) Worse, because I can easily spend a bunch of money on a property, more than I might have made, I will likely be eligible for subsidies. I'm not a one percenter, but I'm a low single digiter, and I certainly don't need a subsidy. That's just a stupid implementation of a bad idea to start with. EDIT: Why couldn't they just have left me alone? It would have been better for everyone to have done exactly that. AS WAS PROMISED.

I've added another business and am adding employees again, and wouldn't have a clue what to offer them, if any, in the way of a health insurance plan. The cynic in me says that was pretty much the point: drive everyone to uncle sugar.

We are in our 50's, and fortunately, in perfect health. Other than a bout of non Hodgkins lymphoma in my early 30's, I've never been sick or even broken a bone (until two summers ago) in my life. We just had another baby, but fifty year olds don't need maternity insurance. If you can't pay for it by then, you don't need to be having any more kids. Indeed, that admonition goes at any age, frankly. If you can't pay for them - don't have them.

The irony of this is that all this turmoil and upheaval was foisted on the public in the guise of "insuring" thirty million uninsured. Well, it looks like they created about fifteen million uninsured in the process.

Ridiculous.

 

[Astro14]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: Astro14


That argument is specious - the rates are not varying because of claim history, they vary because of your income. Further, the new "requirements" for minimum coverage have required many to get coverage that they didn't previously have or need (glad, as a 50 year old man, that I have maternity coverage in my policy now, but not certain it's needed).

So, you get increased rates based on ability to pay and the addition of coverage that was not previously required. It's nothing like auto insurance...nothing at all...


Auto insurance you pay based upon your risk, driving record, vehicle, city, usage of car. Health insurance one adult pays the same as another (within a given plan), the risk is spread out. I do not think too many people would be in favor of basing your health insurance plan premium based upon your health risk.


Donald - I understand what you're saying: you don't choose your health risk the way that you choose your driving risk.

But, imagine that car insurance rates were based on your income. We both have the same car, but you pay 3 times what I do because you make more.

Further, imagine that car insurance was based on things that you don't need for your car. You pay additional premium for coverage that doesn't apply to your car...just to keep my rates down on the car that does need that coverage...

This is nothing like car insurance at all...

 

[4D-56]

[/quote]

"Just for clarification":

We are not and never were a democracy, we are a constitutional republic. Big difference.

Back on topic.

[/quote]

Thank you. Im not even from here and I know this. The word distracted comes to mind. Time to turn the TVs off, folks, for good.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: powayroger
Oh, BTW, if you haven't heard, Senator Reid has exempted some members of his staff from this act.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/04/politics/reid-obamacare-staff/index.html

If you get health insurance through your employer, you don't have to buy health insurance on an exchange, because...


(wait for it)


...you already have health insurance through your employer.


Calling that an exemption is like saying I'm exempt from car dealerships because I bought a car from a private seller.

 

[TrevorS]

Originally Posted By: volk06
I just found out my insurance plan through my employer yesterday.
Single 25yr, my cost is going up 167%.
My deductible is going up 333%.
Going from from a PPO/Copay to a HDHP.

I will not say anymore other wise this thread will most likely get locked.


There's a difference between what you pay and what your company pays.

Are you sure your premium isn't rising because your company is subsidizing you less?

Your deductible is up because of the plan change but usually the premium on a HDHP is lower.

My premiums doubled before the AHA. I switched to a HDHP a while back to keep my premiums as low as possible. HDHP are one way to prevent overuse of healthcare and abuse by the medical profession.

 

[ottotheclown]

I have seen both higher cost and lower cost. Those with the famous junk plans that are just fine print, are the ones which are suppose to be cancelled. For 2 months who knows yet? For every horror story there are one that are good for the person. Calif. is suppose to be good, Mass. is running without too many problems. I feel at times it is people with 5% knowledge discussing with people who have 6% knowledge. Those who are hit it seems are in states without exchanges. Since we have no, none, nada, other choices some look screwed at this point. When your plan does not meet with the conditions allowed by law should you not get rid of it? Yes, some have benefits that you do not need but not things like life time cost caps. Shame we have no other suggestions re. this situation. We are in need of adjustments so everyone is better off. This will not happen until it costs not money but votes IMHO.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: Donald
...

If the new health care act was not in place, what would the OP like to see, pay a lot for substandard plans? All the new health care act did for the OP was to not allow him to purchase a substandard health care plan.

....


Substandard? Says who?

I believe I am quite well positioned to determine what my needs are, and are not, thank you.

I expect the OP is similarly situated. As are millions of other Americans.

I don't need my hand held, or protection from myself.

 

[JHZR2]

Most employer plans had coverage for stuff like maternity back in the day. The fact that a male doesn't use it is irrelevant - it has always been that way. Actuarially, males and females have different costs, and the services associated have always been blended into the risk pool with pricing accordingly adjusting. Absolutely nothing new there. The fact that some folks had lousy plans that didn't show a line item for certain things isn't the same situation.

But people having babies in hospitals, and stiffing the hospitals and doctors was a real thing. We all paid for it one way or another. Nothing that is being costed in here is new in reality.

I'm still waiting for the euthanization plan from the ostrich-like folks who think that the situation before was just fine. News flash, it bankrupted us as it was, no different than now, and was a major liability. So, who do we euthanize first - let's call a spade a spade here. People need health care, and they will get health care whether they can afford it or not. Remember hipocratic oath and all that? ERs will still treat people, and those of us who are responsible Will foot the bill one way or another no matter what. So until the ostriches let their plan to "dispose" of people who cost too much, nothing will improve, and things will spiral worse and cost more, ACA or not.

 

[bmod305]

Medica Insurance thru work for the last 11 years. Mid 40's non-smoker. We have health saving account with high deductible plan with less than 50 employees. Our plan went up 30% for 2014 and our deductible went from $3500 to $5000. We had a 9% increase in 2013. Our employer isn't paying anything less; he shows us the books. We shopped multiple plans and also MN Sure for small business plans-50% increase with those. Good thing I now get free birth control pills and mammograms-if I was a women.

We have a part time driver at work on MN care/welfare. No deductible, no monthly payments, no prescription costs, free dental, and free eye-care. She also gets subsidized housing and EBT(food stamps) just for having a couple of kids with an un-known baby daddy. She also gets all of her taxes back every year plus about 5K in Earned Income credit to blow on the latest boyfriend. This will go on until her kids turn 18. Since the baby daddy in un-known, no one to go after for child support. What's wrong with this picture?

Just my two cents, and sorry for the rant.

Dave