My cousin who is as liberal as you can get and have been a HUUUUGGGEEEE Obama supporter from day 1 went ahead last week and went online to see how much insurance would be if for her. She was notified it would be $729 a month in premiums and a deductable of $11,000 a year lol

 

Dol't know if it's true or not, but I cant see her lying about something she was so supportive of.

A hardcore supporter from Chicago finds out to get similar coverage to her current plan over doubles her current premium. This is a silver plan.

 

She can get a lower level plan ("bronze") - but it still raises her premiums.

 

She worked for Democratic non-relected Congressman.

 

Watch to end - She didn't think it would be "where all the healthy people went into a higher level (cost) pool."

 

[video=youtube;XCRXeHw-OsQ]

I need some Obamacare because I am sick at my stomach how gullible, selfish and stupid the average American has become and how much human garbage is sitting in power in Washington.

John Locke once said it is the governments job to protect and work for the people and if they dont it is the right of the people to over throw that government. It seems he was right and we will never get any of the garbage or corruption out until we have a revolt against the establishment. The problem is people are to complacent and dont care, they feel there is nothing they can do or it aint their problem, or let someone else do it..

Someone must step up and inspire the people to change what we have in government.

I am in favor and still in favor of this for two main reasons, pre-existing conditions and the 26 age limit. I don't have any idea why people thought it would be lower. The health insurance companies run the numbers and just spread it around, maybe not evenly but they make it work for their bottom line. It has to go up on pre-existing health issues alone. What is the alternative, what we had. It was obvious that wasn't the answer. I also believe that this wasn't going to be perfect and adjustments will need to be made. It certainly hasn't gotten off to a good start in the initial implementation of signing up. IMO I hope we don't throw the positive things out because there are some problems, but this is Washington calling the shots and common sense seems to never avail.

Not offering insurance...Offering GOOD insurance. The article I read called it Cadillac-level coverage. If no one has a Cadillac, the guys driving the 1998 Mercury won't feel so bad.

 

So what will be the metric for determining a Cadillac plan?

I am in favor and still in favor of this for two main reasons, pre-existing conditions and the 26 age limit. I don't have any idea why people thought it would be lower. The health insurance companies run the numbers and just spread it around, maybe not evenly but they make it work for their bottom line. It has to go up on pre-existing health issues alone. What is the alternative, what we had. It was obvious that wasn't the answer. I also believe that this wasn't going to be perfect and adjustments will need to be made. It certainly hasn't gotten off to a good start in the initial implementation of signing up. IMO I hope we don't throw the positive things out because there are some problems, but this is Washington calling the shots and common sense seems to never avail.

 

Look, I agree that it is Oscar Mayer Bologna that the people who need health insurance the most couldn't get it. The 26 year old thing, I'm not a fan of at all. However, the WHOLE POINT of this was to get a handle on the continued increases in health care. It was supposed to bring us closer to equilibrium w/ the rest of the world. It doesn't. It's just another tax on small business owners/entreprenuers. It is just another means to weaken the middle class. If Obama was going to go in whole hog, then he needed to take doctor networks out of the hands of insurance companies and set flat prices based on locale. Obviously, nobody would go for that. On the flip side, there is nothing to make insurance companies put pressure on the doctors and medical providers in their networks b/c people have to have some sort of coverage. Now all they have to do is look at what Anthem is charging for like coverages and stay somewhere near there. It lends itself to unintentional collusion. Like BluegrassCard said, you can't have a "Free" market if you can't leave the market.

Edited October 30, 201312 yr by Randy Parker

I've said before that one of the dumbest things the Republicans have done recently was tie the government shutdown to a delay in Obamacare. Their best bet would have been to keep it front and center rather than give the administration a distraction that they could promote over the problems of Obamacare.

I thought you drank the kool-aid on the first bolded part!

 

The problem is that the law creates a massive influx of revenue streams but does nothing to make anything more 'affordable.' No cost containment, no true lowering of rates. Just more dollars flowing into the system via mandatory participation and new taxes. If anything, the 'competitive marketplace' is less competitive.

 

The free market is not free at this point. That is not a financial 'free' but a reference to consumer freedom. Adam Smith's pure law of a free market states that consumers will stop buying if prices get too high. And thus, this action will force the marketplace to adjust its prices back to a reasonable level. Under AHCA that mechanism is gone. The consumer is forced, by law, to purchase the product - regardless of cost/price.

 

Is it easier for insurance companies and companies that provide their own employee insurance to be a consumer advocate and aggressively negotiate with providers across 50 states (plus now the Federal government) or is it easier to raise rates on buyers and employees? The answer is - the later. So no one is working to keep cost in check. Instead they will just raise rates, deductibles, co-pays, etc.

 

PS - I do not believe in the 'let the free market forces' work that is the standard 'alternative'. Medical services - even under the best conditions - would not be 'the answer' either.

 

Beautiful Adam Smith reference. This has been my point since the start. You can't remove the buyers power from the supply/demand model and expect to cut cost. It goes against all rational economic thinking.

 

The idea to do "anything" is better than doing nothing also goes against all logic. Sometimes status quo is better than the change you are pushing. Even if I didn't like status quo.

I am in favor and still in favor of this for two main reasons, pre-existing conditions and the 26 age limit. I don't have any idea why people thought it would be lower. The health insurance companies run the numbers and just spread it around, maybe not evenly but they make it work for their bottom line. It has to go up on pre-existing health issues alone. What is the alternative, what we had. It was obvious that wasn't the answer. I also believe that this wasn't going to be perfect and adjustments will need to be made. It certainly hasn't gotten off to a good start in the initial implementation of signing up. IMO I hope we don't throw the positive things out because there are some problems, but this is Washington calling the shots and common sense seems to never avail.

 

I don't know maybe the president telling the American people this was the case? :idunno:

Beautiful Adam Smith reference. This has been my point since the start. You can't remove the buyers power from the supply/demand model and expect to cut cost. It goes against all rational economic thinking.

 

The idea to do "anything" is better than doing nothing also goes against all logic. Sometimes status quo is better than the change you are pushing. Even if I didn't like status quo.

 

Me neither. I did battle with a hospital and my employer provide insurance manager on charges dealing with an ER visit. I came away with that knowing that the individual has no leverage at all in the pre-AHCA days. So the 'free market where individuals make decisions' is not viable at all. Repubs should give up on that mantra and proprose real alternatives - and that may include government oversight - not unlike PSC boards for utilities. But the pure 'free market' in the health care market is a myth.

 

The situation of lack of empowerment for the invidual is only worse under AHCA. The end consumer has no voice at all. We are just surfs in the government kingdom now.

Me neither. I did battle with a hospital and my employer provide insurance manager on charges dealing with an ER visit. I came away with that knowing that the individual has no leverage at all in the pre-AHCA days. So the 'free market where individuals make decisions' is not viable at all. Repubs should give up on that mantra and proprose real alternatives - and that may include government oversight - not unlike PSC boards for utilities. But the pure 'free market' in the health care market is a myth.

 

The situation of lack of empowerment for the invidual is only worse under AHCA. The end consumer has no voice at all. We are just surfs in the government kingdom now.

 

My only problem I have with this statement as I've told you before is that the free-market was not around prior to AHCA either. We just moved further away from it with the new law. But we were not there before the ACHA law either.

 

Without true interstate commerece that gave true purchasing power there was no free market.

My only problem I have with this statement as I've told you before is that the free-market was not around prior to AHCA either. We just moved further away from it with the new law. But we were not there before the ACHA law either.

 

Without true interstate commerece that gave true purchasing power there was no free market.

 

True. Agree. Was speaking from a 'as-is' vs. what 'could be'.

How the rationing is supposed to work. Interesting video.

 

I get my open enrollment packettomorrow.

 

As promised, I'm reporting my findings from my open enrollment packet:

 

My 2014 Premium will be increased:

Current rate for the coverage I chose is $55/month. It will increase to $62.62per month ($28.90 bi-weekly). On the same type of plan, increases for:

Employees & Spouse: Current monthly- $288, rising to $310.35

Employee & Children: Current monthly-$183, rising to $206.57

Family: Current monthly-$366, rising to $402.30

 

Highlights of the plan I reference above:

$500 deductible/$1000 per family (up $100 individual/$200 family)

$300 family prescription deductible

Out of pocket limit-$800/individual, $1600/family

No referral needed for specialist

Primary care co-pay-$15-does not cover lab work, minor surgery or x-rays inphysician's office

Specialist co-pay-$15-does not cover lab work, minor surgery or x-rays in physician’soffice

Other practitioner office visit (chiropractor) 20% coinsurance-$1000 annualmaximum

Preventative care/screening/immunization-no charge for in-network

Diagnostic tests-x-ray, bloodwork-20% coinsurance

Imaging-20% coinsurance

All drugs at 20% coinsurance-$100 coinsurance maximum for 30-day supply

Outpatient surgery-20% coinsurance

Physician/surgeon fees-20% coinsurance

ER services-$100 co-pay (up from $75 last year), 205 coinsurance

Emergency medical transportation-20% coinsurance

Urgent care-$50 co-pay (down from $75), 20% coinsurance

Hospital stay-20% coinsurance

Physician/surgeon fee-20% coinsurance

Mental/Behavioral Health/substance abuse outpatient-$15 co-pay per visit, 20%coinsurance

Mental/Behavioral Inpatient/substance abuse-$20% coinsurance

Prenatal, postnatal, deliver-20% coinsurance

Home health, rehab, equipment, hospice-20% coinsurance

Eye exam-no charge

Glasses-no charge

Dental checkup-No charge for the first $150, 25% coinsurance for the next $15,50% coinsurance for the next $2500-$1512.50 annual maximum per person.

Tobacco cessation products are covered under the prescription drug plan @ 100%

The most expensive type of coverage we can choose is “non-network”,and if I chose that, my current premium would have been $186/month, rising to$198.85/month, for employee only coverage.

“Under the Affordable Care Act, there are two separatefees which have to be paid to the government. The government will use the fees to fund a program that will assistinsurance companies in paying claims for high-cost individuals and to fund aninstitute that evaluates the quality and effectiveness of various medicines andtreatments. The cost of these fees isincluded in the 2014 employee premiums as shown in the summary below. The summary includes our current (2013)premiums, the premiums that would have been paid without the Affordable CareAct fees and then finally the new premiums for 2014 that included theAffordable Care Act Fees.”

Under that is a chart, which I’ll just put the info thatrelates to the plan I am enrolled in:

Employee Only:

Current-$12.69/weekly

4% increase without ACA fees-$13.20/weekly

Premiums for 2014 with ACA fees-$14.45/weekly

So…there you have it. My homework is done.