Health Insurance Premiums up 28%.

[capt278]

I thought insurance was for accident and emergencies, not every day medial expenses. Those of you that use your insurance for those everyday medical items are the ones to blame.

 

I'm diabetic so I should pay for all my supplies and meds and not let my insurance pay for any of it?

[Irish Cat]

I thought insurance was for accident and emergencies, not every day medial expenses. Those of you that use your insurance for those everyday medical items are the ones to blame.

 

So I'm to blame because I have my doctor bill my insurance plan? I guess you just pay out of pocket without crediting the cost towards your deductible every time?

[BlueTip]

As was stated above, the premium comparison isn't apples and apples.

 

Total out of pocket costs (including premiums) before and after Obamacare would be a fair comparison.

 

I'll have to dig and see what I can find on that but I suspect there's little data at this point.

[strongopenyon]

Premiums are just a small part of the story. Since Obamacare became law, yes my premiums have gone up. (Can't give you a %) But for me the bigger issue is that my once lower premiums came with a $1,000 family deductible. Now I pay quite a bit more and have a $4,800 family deductible. Unless somebody has to have surgery or something, it's just about like not having insurance at all. The only real benefit I get most years is that I get to have my bill reduced to the agreed rate that the provider has with the plan. Otherwise every EOB I get is the exact same. Plan pays $0, you pay the balance. :banghead:

 

And this is the KEY point.

 

The ACA plans are so watered down. The previously mentioned health care increases are skewed because the deductibles and out of pocket maximums are so much higher with Obamacare. The comparison is like apples and oranges.

[strongopenyon]

Back in 2005 in Kentucky, the out of pocket maximums we saw we typically $2000-$3000 for an individual contract. It is typically twice these amounts for a person who is covering their dependents.

 

In 2016, the ACA has set the maximum out of pocket at $6850 for an individual. That would be $13,700 for a family.

 

Outrageous!

 

How many people who are forced to have coverage can even afford the cost of a surgery with insurance?

[jericho]

I thought insurance was for accident and emergencies, not every day medial expenses. Those of you that use your insurance for those everyday medical items are the ones to blame.

 

Are you serious?

 

Its the free loaders who dont pay for anything thats to blame.

I see them in the ER many times with a kid who has a temp of 101 or a bruise on the leg. They go to ER so they dont have to wait to see a DR and still know its going to be free.

 

THATS WHO IS TO BLAME.

[UKMustangFan]

I thought insurance was for accident and emergencies, not every day medial expenses. Those of you that use your insurance for those everyday medical items are the ones to blame.

 

There's no way you, or anyone else, actually believe this.

[plantmanky]

I'm diabetic so I should pay for all my supplies and meds and not let my insurance pay for any of it?

 

So I'm to blame because I have my doctor bill my insurance plan? I guess you just pay out of pocket without crediting the cost towards your deductible every time?

 

Are you serious?

 

Its the free loaders who dont pay for anything thats to blame.

I see them in the ER many times with a kid who has a temp of 101 or a bruise on the leg. They go to ER so they dont have to wait to see a DR and still know its going to be free.

 

THATS WHO IS TO BLAME.

 

There's no way you, or anyone else, actually believe this.

@capt278 I would consider diabetic issues emergencies wouldn't you? You do bring up a valid point here though as that is more a medication issue, which is a separate issue. (understanding it all lumps up together under health insurance.)

@Irish Cat - To some extent yes you are to blame. A normally routine doctors visit wasnt what health insurance was intended for. Those are things that individuals should pay for out of pocket. Now the price of those visits keeps going up and up, in large part due to the fact that insurance is even involved in the first place for those visits.

@mountain ref - There are multiple parts to blame for the health insurance issues, you do bring up one of them, I wont argue with you on that.

@UKMustangFan - I do believe the health insurance system is abused with visits it should not be used for. A simple checkup, annual physical, Cold/flu visit is not what the health insurance system was designed for.

[capt278]

@capt278 I would consider diabetic issues emergencies wouldn't you? You do bring up a valid point here though as that is more a medication issue, which is a separate issue. (understanding it all lumps up together under health insurance.)

@Irish Cat - To some extent yes you are to blame. A normally routine doctors visit wasnt what health insurance was intended for. Those are things that individuals should pay for out of pocket. Now the price of those visits keeps going up and up, in large part due to the fact that insurance is even involved in the first place for those visits.

@mountain ref - There are multiple parts to blame for the health insurance issues, you do bring up one of them, I wont argue with you on that.

@UKMustangFan - I do believe the health insurance system is abused with visits it should not be used for. A simple checkup, annual physical, Cold/flu visit is not what the health insurance system was designed for.

 

Nope. Having diabetes is not an emergency. It is a chronic illness.

 

I don't think you have a grasp of what insurance is for.

[All Tell]

As I understand it, and I may be wrong so feel free to correct me.

 

When the concept of health insurance first surfaced it was major medical/hospitalization only. You paid for routine stuff out of pocket and only used your insurance for the big stuff. When insurance became tied into employee benefits company and union plans started paying for more and more services as an enticement to people to work for them. I clearly remember my parents paying 10 bucks for us to go to the GP when I was a kid.

 

For the most part an individual that is covered under a medical plan can't opt to pay out of pocket for care, nor can providers not bill insurance companies for treatments rendered to covered patients. That's par of the agreement when you sign up for coverage.