Obamacare

SleevePlz

I keep hearing from politicians and political ads about the outrage over having to change doctors or plans (even though he said you wouldn't have to). It occurred to me that I don't know anyone at all that was actually affected by the implementation of Obamacare. My insurance didn't change (the premium actually dropped about $50/month) and I was wondering if anyone here, not so and so's second cousin from Idaho, but an actual member of this forum that had to change insurance as a direct result of this legislation. And if so, why? I have to imagine I know someone affected by this considering how big of a deal everyone makes of it.

pelirrojo

We changed providers at work and it raised the premium for my boss(over 60, previous heart trouble, etc...) and lowered my(under 30, no health issues) premium by about $20 a paycheck or $480 a year. Whether it had anything to do with ACA I'm not sure, but it's alright with me!

MorganGeo

I didn't have to change doctors or insurance carrier my premium went up 25% for family coverage and my employers portion by 35%. Other than that I have seen no change in my service I receive.

Lee.mcglynn

My insurance that I pay from my pocket went up and coverage went down!! As I agree everyone should have insurance why hurt us that actually have to pocket pay? I hate it right now and do see it both ways but it is not at all looking out for the little guy.

Martel

Morgan and Lee,

I wonder how much of this was ACA and how much was market...our health insurance costs have been steadily increasing for the last 12 years of marriage and coverage has typically gotten lower as the employers try to save money on their end. I'm not ready to blame Obama (except for maybe not nuking the health insurance industry, which has given me far more problems than the healthcare industry).

I had a friend today complaining about a problem with getting treatment and blaming the government's influence on his insurance for making him wait/adjusting treatment. Again, we've had to do that, in fact 12 years ago, when my wife was pregnant and having complications, our insurance did exactly what he described. More than that, this guy lost his job last year and is now self-employed; last year he wouldn't have been able to get ANY insurance because of preexisting conditions. He should be thankful, not complaining.

Conflicting stories are also coming from different states. A friend in RI loves his Obamacare improved coverage at 50% savings from what he was paying. A friend in TN went up about 15% for the same coverage he had before, that isn't quite as good as the RI friend and pays more, total than the RI guy.

Our plan drastically changed this year, but that's the employer's fault. If anyone on here is in a HR decision-making capacity, stay away from Humana. They are awful. That is all.

MorganGeo

From what I understand, (which is limited) our carrier BCBS had increase costs to get their plan up to par with the ACA and they past this down to customers.

But, back to Mr sleeves question, I don't know anybody personally that had to change carriers, physicians, etc.

Darktower007

I'm not very political but it just pisses me off. My sister and her husband are self employed. Her blue cross plan was dropped all togather because of Ovamacare. She was paying $750 a month for family of 5. Deductable was $1200 and $3000 out of pocket max.. It's now $1200 or so deductable went to $5000 and out of pocket max before 100% is over $10,000. Don't get me wrong preexisting conditions coverage etc is a good thing,but the whole thing is designed to fall on its own weight to form a single payer system like Medicare, ran by the num skulls at the VA. Elections have consequences. Bush wasn't any better, at least Clinton knew what he was doing. I don't affiliate with any party really I just want to succeed or fail on my own, and I don't want someone else to tell me what they think is good for me or my family. Just wait until the 2.5% of income penalties kick in, people are gonna love it then.

wwhwang

I'm curious as to whether US citizens living abroad are forced into buying this as well. If so, I'm screwed.

EDIT: Tried finding info on the website. Nothing about citizens living abroad. I might have to contact them.

0patience

MorganGeo:

From what I understand, (which is limited) our carrier BCBS had increase costs to get their plan up to par with the ACA and they past this down to customers.

^^This.
Our rates went up considerably, deductibles went up and coverage went down.
Which I have a hard time understanding how that gets the coverage UP to par.

wwhwang:

I'm curious as to whether US citizens living abroad are forced into buying this as well. If so, I'm screwed.

I would think if you file federal income tax, then you would have to have insurace or be fined/pay the penalty.
I could be wrong though.

Puff_Dougie

This isn't about coverage, but Obamacare has also created some issues for those who sell plans. A good friend of mine is a health insurance broker. He is now looking for other employment options because the implementation of the ACA has turned him, in his words, into a "seasonal worker." He used to be able to sign people up for plans year round, but now is limited to the specified open enrollment periods. Medicare supplements aren't enough to keep him going, so he's gotta find something else to do.

Martel

Darktower007:

I'm not very political but it just pisses me off. My sister and her husband are self employed. Her blue cross plan was dropped all togather because of Ovamacare. She was paying $750 a month for family of 5. Deductable was $1200 and $3000 out of pocket max.. It's now $1200 or so deductable went to $5000 and out of pocket max before 100% is over $10,000. Don't get me wrong preexisting conditions coverage etc is a good thing,but the whole thing is designed to fall on its own weight to form a single payer system like Medicare, ran by the num skulls at the VA. Elections have consequences. Bush wasn't any better, at least Clinton knew what he was doing. I don't affiliate with any party really I just want to succeed or fail on my own, and I don't want someone else to tell me what they think is good for me or my family. Just wait until the 2.5% of income penalties kick in, people are gonna love it then.

Our plan, part of which is payed by the employer, is $385 per check (every two weeks) for a family of 4, with a $5000 OOP Max, in-network. Then again, all the employees work in TN and live in TN, AR, or MS, three of the least healthy states in the country. Simply put, I'd probably take your friend's plan if I could get it.

honorknight7

I Don’t have anything to add about “changes in care - because of obamacare” but before I broke my back from, 1998 to 2008 I had Nevada Home Town Health insurance through the Nevada State Contractors Association Group for my wife, 3 boys and myself. Paid 900.00 (at the time in 2008) a month but other then the 20.00 copay per visit and 8.00 prescription fee's 100% of all bills were paid, was totally worth it (to me) for all of us, included vision and dental also.
Example..(in 2005 my wife shattered her tibia and broker her foot rollerblading, 7 surgeries and 2 years not able to walk later and it was a cost out of pocket to me of under 300.00, so ya pretty good coverage I thought)
For the last year I have not had any coverage for my wife and myself (haven’t worked since my injury in may 09 – my workers comp paid my surgery but is now done) I pay all my medical/prescriptions bills cash out of my savings & what I had saved for retirement myself nowadays
This Feb. I applied for coverage under the new regulations for my wife and I and was directed to “Nevada Health Link” was told it was because Nevada started there own state coverage under the new guidelines
After getting through it and getting (I thought) approved for a plan for her and I that was going to cost 59.00 per month (a fairly basic plan that was based off of our income/worth/assets) but that would qualify so we would be ok from the tax, and might even be able to use (not often though, as it was a basic low coverage high deductible type)
Then in Mar. we received a letter from the stat of Nevada that stated we were not approved for a medical plan under their guidelines because of our income, that in order to receive coverage we were to apply for state welfare medical benefits to receive coverage at all, well... we will be paying what ever (tax) we will be given at the end of the year because I refuse to apply for state assistance, Hopefully I will be able to be back in the work force by the end of the year and get some kind of coverage started next year for us.
Not sure if this is just a Nevada thing or what, but have found quite a few others here in Reno that have the same story, some that have more, and others that have less then my wife and I so, well, just waiting till next year as of now to see how it goes

blutattoo

My employer pays 100% of my cost and while their portion didn't change that much to insure us the level of coverage was dramatically reduced. From what our broker/benefits company said it is because the plans have to comply with the ACA. Bronze, sliver, gold, and platinum offerings. We get the gold for free, but have to absorb a small cost if we want to upgrade to platinum, but even the platinum has much higher out of pocket expenses than our previous plan. Higher co-pays, higher deductibles, higher prescription costs, etc. Luckily my wife has great benefits through the University (which is somehow exempt from the ACA plans) so I declined coverage this year and I'll see an extra $100 bucks in my paycheck. This will cover the cost for my wife to add our son and I to her policy with a few extra bucks for cigar money.

webmost

I bailed. Hit medicare age just in time, a year ago. Supplement plans cost me 225 a month; which went up 25 already. And medicare added a deductible this year, Bearswatter tells me. I don't pay much attention cause I avoid doctors.

Employer plan deductible went from 1500 to three grand. Dunno what he pays. Owner complains her diabetes drugs are no longer covered.

Grandson's wife complained they are paying 200 more a month for the same coverage. One small child.

Sister can't find catastrophic plan for her two college age daughters. Only available plan cost four times as much, with 5,000 deductible, and no doc anywhere in SoCal appears willing to accept it.

raisindot

The latest Obamacare disaster: Two million applicants were mistakenly signed up for Match.com

http://www.thegahlik.com/index.php?r=site/article&id=129

ejgorman

As a small business, we have always provided insurance for our employees because we felt it was the right thing to do. Our affordable and useable (low deductible) plan will be unavailable after the grandfathered plans expire and any comparable, ACA compliant plans are more than double the cost, which leaves us with a difficult decision to make.

As a provider, we've had patients lose their plans despite the promise. We're in a small town surrounded by farmland and many of those farmers had plans through smaller insurance companies who have since stopped catering to individuals because they just couldn't offer competitive prices on ACA compliant plans in the individual marketplace. We've also seen an increase in records requests and claims denials since October of last year. Most of these denials involved Medicare supplemental policies that had previously covered everything in our office. Documentation requirements have increased for providers across the board with the reporting of PQRS made mandatory by the ACA and will only get worse once ICD-10 is implemented. In many cases, because of both the ACA and insurance industry requirements, it takes longer to document a visit than it does to treat the patient.

Amos_Umwhat

ejgorman:

. In many cases, because of both the ACA and insurance industry requirements, it takes longer to document a visit than it does to treat the patient.

This. As a nurse, five minutes care now takes 45 minutes to document, no joke!!

SleevePlz

Can I say, I really appreciate the open, honest discussion without the needless political BS that usually derails these discussions. Since this was something that wasn't impacting me, I was really curious to hear how it was affecting others without political banter included. Thanks for that

jd50ae

SleevePlz:

Can I say, I really appreciate the open, honest discussion without the needless political BS that usually derails these discussions. Since this was something that wasn't impacting me, I was really curious to hear how it was affecting others without political banter included. Thanks for that

OK, I won't mention obozocare at all.

My office visit co-pay went up from 100 to 1000% depending what the visit is for. My scripts went up 540% and now there are meds that aren't covered at all. My doctor spends more time entering info into his laptop then he does on the actual reason I am there. And soon all of that info will be available to the IRS, your aware of that right? He hasn't yet asked me if I own any firearms.

The longest discussion we had during my last visit was about the loss of privacy this new "system" brings with it.

SleevePlz

I spoke too soon.

Gray4lines

We just moved and changed insurances right as this went into effect. Our payment went up by about $50 a month, and also the deductible went up and not quite as much is covered, same ins co, but different state. However, we had some med issues come up and the no denial for per existing conditions really helped. We were about to get really screwed over by insurance companies. The hardest bunch of people to deal with.....

Chuck_N

My insurance premiums were going up at a rate of over 20% to 30% each year before. Now its at rate of about 5% increase. I like it. Ive Kept my plan, kept my Doctor. Its saved me money.

Rain

I feel like when you name a thread "Obamacare", you're asking for political bs ;)How many people actually know it's really called "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" Yes, I googled that.To stay on topic...my healthcare has not changed at all.

ejgorman

SleevePlz:

Can I say, I really appreciate the open, honest discussion without the needless political BS that usually derails these discussions. Since this was something that wasn't impacting me, I was really curious to hear how it was affecting others without political banter included. Thanks for that

If my memory is accurate, people here call you Teach so I think you'll appreciate this. I feel the same about the ACA as most teachers I know feel about Common Core. Government needs to let doctors doctor, nurses nurse and teachers teach. I've been in practice for just over 7 years, but even in that relatively short amount of time I've seen a trend towards higher co-pays, higher deductibles and less coverage for services. More and more of the people I treat are choosing to pay cash for services simply because their insurance has become increasingly more difficult to utilize. Granted, I'm not in a profession that insurance companies smile upon, which seems ironic considering the cost effectiveness and outcomes of chiropractic care when properly utilized compared to other alternatives for musculoskeletal conditions. Not all of these changes can be blamed on the ACA however. Our understanding of health, a lack of focus on disease prevention, peoples' readiness to run to the ER, an inaccurate understanding of the insurance system, corporatization of healthcare, abuse and fraud of government sponsored programs (providers are mostly to blame for this) and HMOs along with government intervention have pushed us down this path.

SleevePlz

ejgorman:

SleevePlz:

Can I say, I really appreciate the open, honest discussion without the needless political BS that usually derails these discussions. Since this was something that wasn't impacting me, I was really curious to hear how it was affecting others without political banter included. Thanks for that

If my memory is accurate, people here call you Teach so I think you'll appreciate this. I feel the same about the ACA as most teachers I know feel about Common Core. Government needs to let doctors doctor, nurses nurse and teachers teach. I've been in practice for just over 7 years, but even in that relatively short amount of time I've seen a trend towards higher co-pays, higher deductibles and less coverage for services. More and more of the people I treat are choosing to pay cash for services simply because their insurance has become increasingly more difficult to utilize. Granted, I'm not in a profession that insurance companies smile upon, which seems ironic considering the cost effectiveness and outcomes of chiropractic care when properly utilized compared to other alternatives for musculoskeletal conditions. Not all of these changes can be blamed on the ACA however. Our understanding of health, a lack of focus on disease prevention, peoples' readiness to run to the ER, an inaccurate understanding of the insurance system, corporatization of healthcare, abuse and fraud of government sponsored programs (providers are mostly to blame for this) and HMOs along with government intervention have pushed us down this path.

I also have a feeling that ACA will get blamed for any increase in health care costs for the next several years whether it is responsible or not. We are all going to pretend that those costs haven't been skyrocketing for several years before the implementation of the ACA, but now all increases MUST be because of this legislation. Thankfully, on a side note, the Common Core doesn't affect me nearly as much as many other teachers. However, don't get me started on what our Governor is doing to us. It's comical hearing him try to spin that his education cuts aren't covering his corporate tax cuts.

Bigshizza

SleevePlz:

I spoke too soon.

Ohhh yeah... Lol

phobicsquirrel

Our provider has been denying prescription meds for my wife. Started this year. They even fight the doctor on it. Hours dealing with them. Premiums still going up but that's been the norm for years. The ACA was a joke, it's a big give away to the insurance companies while giving the impression it's good. If our officials were serious about us they would have slowly expanded Medicare while tweaking it. Maybe someday but right now it's a mess.

Gray4lines

phobicsquirrel:

Our provider has been denying prescription meds for my wife. Started this year. They even fight the doctor on it. Hours dealing with them. Premiums still going up but that's been the norm for years. The ACA was a joke, it's a big give away to the insurance companies while giving the impression it's good. If our officials were serious about us they would have slowly expanded Medicare while tweaking it. Maybe someday but right now it's a mess.

It seems like any kind of step by step process would be logical. Make a change, see the effect, keep it or change again. But, instead we have a gigantic change all at once and when something doesn't work there is no way to say, "oh, it must have been this policy or rule that caused it." When will we take a step back and see that an overhaul is probably the dumbest way to fix anything that's so complex and huge.

jadelt

For a mere $1,463 a month I now get a nice policy with a measly $6,000 deductible for me and wifey. I was paying $960 a month with $5,000 deductible before. Funny thing is, it is the same BCBS basic policy but now at our ripe old age we get maternity benefits! Cant wait to use those! (just my personal experience, YMMMV)

phobicsquirrel

jadelt:

For a mere $1,463 a month I now get a nice policy with a measly $6,000 deductible for me and wifey. I was paying $960 a month with $5,000 deductible before. Funny thing is, it is the same BCBS basic policy but now at our ripe old age we get maternity benefits! Cant wait to use those! (just my personal experience, YMMMV)

That really blows. I know if there was a law that made all the insurance companies join the "exchange" prices would be much lower but there isn't so it sort of damages the impact of the "exchange". I have a family member who had a somewhat expensive plan but didn't cover much. I remember them complaining about how they got a letter saying it would be canceled when we had a get together. Funny thing is that they never could use it when they needed too because of the deductible was so high and it didn't cover much so they paid out of pocket anyway.