Health insurance:

[kiki02]

Signing up through the exchange or do we just go and buy it?

Currently UNEMPLOYED and spouses company wants way too much to add us (dc + me)

How does one prove the income amounts for the exchange?

Did anyone forego exchange and if so, why? Thanks

 

[manning]

Compare

Check her company's premium AND deductibles.

Then check the premiums and deductibles for each level on the exchanges

Don't forget the deductibles. They can be sky high. There have been reports so high that you may not max it thus insurance doesn't pay anything.

Check what hospitals and doctors are in each plan

Check to see if your doctor will give cash discounts

I saw a sign in my doctor's office advising a 25% discount . Negotiate. Everything is negotiable.

 

[cvjw]

Just read a story on townhall.com about a family with a similar situation to yours - spouse had healthcare thru work, but it was too expensive to add the rest of the family. Family was very excited about Obamacare, only to sign up and find out that if you can get family coverage thru one spouse, no one in the family is eligible for any subsidies thru the exchanges. The price for the insurance thru Obamacare was more expensive without a subsidy than the company coverage that they already couldn't afford.

Do your research - and good luck.

 

[wendow]

Just read a story on townhall.com about a family with a similar situation to yours - spouse had healthcare thru work, but it was too expensive to add the rest of the family. Family was very excited about Obamacare, only to sign up and find out that if you can get family coverage thru one spouse, no one in the family is eligible for any subsidies thru the exchanges. The price for the insurance thru Obamacare was more expensive without a subsidy than the company coverage that they already couldn't afford.

Do your research - and good luck.

Yep, this is us exactly.

 

[melissalee]

"Affordable healthcare" a joke. For me a single female with no history my insurance would be $280/ month. And still have 2500 deductible.
The only people that it really helps are those who already are approved for Medicare/ Medicade. I'm in healthcare and I'm attempting to switch specialities because there is not enough PCPs to cover all these people who will have insurance which is going to make the ERs busier (which I work in now).

 

[Southernmiss]

I checked the ACA website in October. One of the first questions is can you or your spouse buy insurance through your employer. A yes answer immediately tells you you are not eligible for ACA insurance. Fortunately our employer plan is 'affordable'.

 

[melissalee]

Just because I work for a hospital doesn't mean my insurance is cheap. I still get $150 per pay check ($300 a month) taken out now the new standards are set.

 

[MillauFr]

"Affordable healthcare" a joke. For me a single female with no history my insurance would be $280/ month. And still have 2500 deductible.

Compared to what I pay as a Washington State government employee that doesn't sound too bad to me.

 

[pantherlj]

I checked the ACA website in October. One of the first questions is can you or your spouse buy insurance through your employer. A yes answer immediately tells you you are not eligible for ACA insurance. Fortunately our employer plan is 'affordable'.

You are not eligible for a subsidy but you can still buy the health plan if you want. Pricey without subsidy though!

 

[tlh0726]

DH is self employed. We have insurance with a $2500 dollar deductible which qualifies us for an HSA account. the plan we have is good till the end of this year. We currently pay 710.30 per month at the end of the year a comparable plan will cost us over 1000 per month.

Last year Dh went to the dr once and had some tests done, DS went once because in the spring the school nurse thought he had pink eye because his eyes were watering and he was rubbing them and he went another time for foot injury and had xrays done. total for all of this $694.69 which we paid out of pocket due to the deductible.


I know people who do not have insurance not because they do not want insurance it is because they cannot afford the monthly cost. It is either put gas in the car to get to work and put food on the table or buy insurance. Just because it is mandated it does not change the fact that they cannot afford the monthly cost.

And raising the minimum wage is not the answer because the product cost has to increase to cover the wage increase.

It is a sad sad situation that America is in.

 

[SamSam]

Dh and I are self-employed (60 and 61), we have a HSA with a $2500 per person deductible, so basically everything is paid out of pocket. Our premiums are almost $900.00 a month!!!! I'm going to check into the new government insurance in a few months, just waiting because I want some more kinks to be worked out first.

 

[staceyeileen]

I checked out the plans on healthcare.gov for the state of FL, and there was a very wide assortment of plans but they were pretty much all in the $600-800/mo price range without a subsidy. If you're already paying that much for a plan with a high deductible, you might want to check it out... because for my family of 3 there was a plan with $0 deductible and 0% coinsurance (co-pays only) for $771/mo. The max out of pocket was 4,000 for the family. Again, that's with no subsidies from the government because we don't qualify for any due to income. Yes, it's expensive but at least the plan is GOOD. The selection varies by state of course, but just to give you an idea here was the plan:

http://www.bcbsfl.com/DocumentLibrary/SBC/2014/1457.pdf

 

[kiki02]

I checked out the plans on healthcare.gov for the state of FL, and there was a very wide assortment of plans but they were pretty much all in the $600-800/mo price range without a subsidy. If you're already paying that much for a plan with a high deductible, you might want to check it out... because for my family of 3 there was a plan with $0 deductible and 0% coinsurance (co-pays only) for $771/mo. The max out of pocket was 4,000 for the family. Again, that's with no subsidies from the government because we don't qualify for any due to income. Yes, it's expensive but at least the plan is GOOD. The selection varies by state of course, but just to give you an idea here was the plan:

http://www.bcbsfl.com/DocumentLibrary/SBC/2014/1457.pdf

As far as I can see, NYS is pretty awful. Very costly, No hospital only options and we are now asked to pay lots more than before. a+ health, no claims, EVER. We had the healthy ny plan in the past which was fine and affordable. NOW GONE. Can't afford the new rate which is $500 more per month. Greatttt

 

[wendow]

As far as I can see, NYS is pretty awful. Very costly, No hospital only options and we are now asked to pay lots more than before. a+ health, no claims, EVER. We had the healthy ny plan in the past which was fine and affordable. NOW GONE. Can't afford the new rate which is $500 more per month. Greatttt

The plans and offerings really vary by state and unfortunately, my state doesn't have anything remotely as good as the person posted about in FL. I know 'life is not fair' but really this whole healthcare trainwreck is unfair on so many levels.

 

[bearzabout]

I read the average premium increase is $7000 per person over what people were paying. We had our affordable, great policies canceled because of obamacare. To replace the policies we lost, our premiums would go up 450 percent to $18,000 per year.

I am now uninsured for the first time in my life. I can't wait until next year when they double or triple premiums again since young people can't afford to sign up.

I think our future is that the only people who will have insurance will be the very rich and people who have taxpayers pay their premiums.

I don't understand why anyone would think that paying $18,000 a year just for premiums is affordable. The worst obamacare select HMO bronze plan is $12,000 per year for us. This is for a plan that has a $5950 deductible for EACH or us before it covers much of anything, including prescriptions.

If you are older, I think you will also experience sticker shock.

My state offers average premiums, which means that 50 percent or so of the states have higher premiums. Also consider that these are non-smoker rates. I hear smoker rates are a lot higher.

I read that it is possible that over 100 million could see their group plans cancelled this year. I hope everyone out there is very rich or they will be joining me in paying a fine for not being rich enough to afford this new coverage.

 

[lvillotta1]

I am a nurse here in the midwest. I am very fortunate that I only have to work 24hrs a week for FT healthcare and dental care. I pay around $500/mos for myself and my 2 kids. We have a $500 deductible PP and then 80/20 max $3500. With this plan I have a FSA in which I put the max into as we use our health insurance yearly.

 

[bearzabout]

If you have a group plan that you like, it may get cancelled later this year just like my individual policy did if it does not offer pediatric dental care, maternity and free birth control pills.

Insurance companies will have the option to add the mandatory coverage and adjust the premiums accordingly or the plans will be cancelled.

I read rates won't be available until after the elections so people won't find out how much new policies will cost until mid November.

 

[manning]

If you have a group plan that you like, it may get cancelled later this year just like my individual policy did if it does not offer pediatric dental care, maternity and free birth control pills.

Insurance companies will have the option to add the mandatory coverage and adjust the premiums accordingly or the plans will be cancelled.

I read rates won't be available until after the elections so people won't find out how much new policies will cost until mid November.

Is there a reason after the election?

 

[angwill]

IMO, the ACA is only going to succeed in making the health insurance companies richer and the people of America poorer.

 

[manning]

I think I heard that somewhere in the bill is a provision if the plan causes the insurance companies money they will get a government bailout. Is this true?