ObamaCare Info

[pilferk]

No! Don't you see?? The Federal government knows what everyone needs.
States as laboratories of democracy??? No way! The federal government knows best!

I don't disagree with the sentiment.

But I would add tht the or profit insurers and drug companies haven't exactly done a bang up job is ensuring quality care is easily accessible, either.

Some states have..Massachusetts being one of them. But not all, or even most of them, have.

 

[annaaidan99]

It is and everyone in my housekeeper's family is covered. There are toddlers, teens, 20's, 30's , 50's, and 70's. None are pregnant. My housekeeper in her 70's is enrolled in Medicare.

Medicare is for the over 65 and disabled. It is not a state program. Medicaid covers children under 21. If you are 35, and a member of the working poor, you have no insurance. The state closed the charity hospitals. There are clinics covering some services now, but are routing emergencies to the regular ER, which shifts the cost to private pay still.

 

[pilferk]

Medicare is for the over 65 and disabled. It is not a state program. Medicaid covers children under 21. If you are 35, and a member of the working poor, you have no insurance. The state closed the charity hospitals. There are clinics covering some services now, but are routing emergencies to the regular ER, which shifts the cost to private pay still.

http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/220/n/20

Medicaid also covers parents of dependant children on Medicaid, those on disability, and those that receive ssi or ofs.

At least according to the Louisiana dph.

 

[annaaidan99]

http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/220/n/20 Medicaid also covers patents of dependant children on Medicaid, those on disability, and those that receive sis or ofs. At least according to the Louisiana dph.

Medicaid would cover ob/gyn services for me as a mom of kids on Medicaid but would not cover other services.

 

[pilferk]

Medicaid would cover ob/gyn services for me as a mom of kids on Medicaid but would not cover other services.

I've shot an email off, via my work email address, to request clarification. Their site certainly doesn't indicate that limitation. And I know many other states do provide parental coverage for children on Medicaid until the child is 19.

 

[KBoopaloo]

From what I understand they will not garnish your wages or put you in jail but they will garnish your tax refund. How are they going to verify that everybody has coverage? Do you show an insurance card to your tax accountant? What if you do your own taxes? How are they going to police this? I know thw 17 thousand additional IRS agents they hired may have something to do with it.

I live in Massachusetts where we have had "RomneyCare" since 2006 which also mandates coverage like "ObamaCare." Every year in January, I receive a letter from my insurance company verifying my health insurance coverage for the previous year. When I file my state taxes, there is a form that requires information from that letter. I believe (though I am not sure since I have not been in this position) that if I did not have the letter, they would deduct any applicable fee for being uninsured from any refund I might be owed.

I do my taxes myself and the whole thing has added maybe one minute to the tax filing process. Not a big deal at all.

I have had employer sponsored healthcare since the introduction of RomneyCare so I have not had to use the state exchange plans myself. However, in my previous job I had a staff of several part time employees (mostly graduate students) who were not eligible for our employer sponsored plan. Most of them used the state plans and were able to afford it on their very low hourly wage. Obviously things on a federal level are much different than things on a state level and there are a million variables at play, but from what I have seen up close in Massachusetts, a system like this can work.

ttp://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2013/0929/Romneycare-vs.-Obamacare-Lessons-for-today-s-shutdown-debacle-video

 

[annaaidan99]

I've shot an email off, via my work email address, to request clarification. Their site certainly doesn't indicate that limitation. And I know many other states do provide parental coverage for children on Medicaid until the child is 19.

Good, let me know if I'm wrong. But, I know I lost my Medicaid eligibility after 6 weeks postpartum. However, this is Medicaid, and Medicaid is insurance. There are lots of people that are not eligible for it in Louisiana, and there isn't much special that this state does to care for them.

 

[pilferk]

Good, let me know if I'm wrong. But, I know I lost my Medicaid eligibility after 6 weeks postpartum. However, this is Medicaid, and Medicaid is insurance. There are lots of people that are not eligible for it in Louisiana, and there isn't much special that this state does to care for them.

Agree. That was my earlier point about the underinsured. Medicaid is insurance...though it doesn't even cover most provider costs. But something is better than nothing.

 

[annaaidan99]

Agree. That was my earlier point about the underinsured. Medicaid is insurance...though it doesn't even cover most provider costs.

And it isn't taken everywhere. I can get my kids appointments in a Medicaid clinic and they see an NP. They always get great care, but would not be seen at a standard pediatricians office.

 

[mikek]

...

People still have this naive belief that the poor and disenfranchise don't effect them. Really? healthcare is eating up more and more of our gdp waay before this bill. health care cost is eating up more an more of Americans paycheck, waaay before this bill. when that person who serves you coffee gets sick, they don't magically disappear.
....

I'll let you know tomorrow night for sure but seems the affordable care act will help me. So I'm not against it per se.

BUT THERE IS NOTHING. Not a single substantive thing in the act that will cut the cost of healthcare in this country. It's not entirely unlikely that as a percentage of GDP it will go up becasue of the ACA as people that didn't get care now will be getting it- do you think that will happen for free? There will be costs so that these folks can get the care they should.

Just because the PRICE of something goes down (particularly because of a subsidy), doesn't mean the cost of it will go down.

there's some little nibbles around the edges to try and start some trials to pay for quality care instead of quantity of care. But really there's not much more.

Healthcare is not getting cheaper, it's just getting subsidized by people that can afford to pay more taxes. No judgement on if that is right or wrong, but things are NOT getting cheaper.

Neither side wants to have a grown up conversation about the right ways to cut costs. Part of that legitimately has to be some amount of rationing. There should be a grown up conversation about what should be rationed or not. What should be paid for or not.

 

[mikek]

This will affect you. To help fund it they cut over 700 billion dollars from medicare over ten years.

If this has to do with reimbursement rates (and i suspect that number does since it's probably the easiest way to come up with the better part of a trillion) they'll never make the cuts. THey have been "cutting" dr's reimbursement rates for years on paper to pretend they are controlling costs then the time comes and they change the rules.

 

[mikek]

...
I thought you could opt out of it as an individual? Doctors for regular things are not spendy at all, nor are dental cleanings etc, its when something goes wrong or they can't find you an answer that things start adding up. If machines are involved? Fuggedaboutit! 4X or more higher than a # you see in your nightmares.

No, there is no opting out without paying a $95 per person penalty which in our household would be $570. I could get a lot of medical care for $570. Like I said, I'd be interested in a catastrophic plan but we won't be allowed to get that either.

Actually i believe it's $95 per person or 1% of your income whichever is higher.

So if you make more than 57k the fine is higher.

and the fines go up each year for at least several years

 

[Muushka]

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, anyone applying for this wonderful program, be sure to keep track of your identity.
Check your credit scores regularly. Just in case.

But all is well. Don't worry! We are being well taken care of!

 

[lauradis]

Spend a week in an urban school setting, with a high poverty rate student body.

They don't have the access to the quality f education, the emphasis on secondary education, or the ability to pursue it..because they are typically working at young ages to try to help support the family home. Never mind the fact they are often worried about safety in high violence environments, rather than their homework.

It is not impossible to get out of that environment, but it is much more difficult. One mistake, added disadvantage, or bad break, and it becomes almost impossible.

I was lucky in that I was born in a middle class suburban town with a great educational system. Yes, I took advantage, worked hard, and made education a priority.

But not everyone gets the same advantages. That's just reality.

BS I grow up in that urban school for more then half my education and sit in upper middle class hood now. Not by marriage but because I decided to get the f out.

So total BS.

 

[annaaidan99]

BS I grow up in that urban school for more then half my education and sit in upper middle class hood now. Not by marriage but because I decided to get the f out. So total BS.

For you, but not for everyone. I would never call BS on that. I've seen people stuck in this. It's possible to get out, but like the pp said, one slip and that could be it. It's impossible to generalize that what is true for one person is true for everyone.

 

[manning]

It's amazing......how the pioneers made it.

 

[annaaidan99]

It's amazing......how the pioneers made it.

Lol a lot of them didn't.

 

[Muushka]

Fund the law already. As the law was written. No waivers. No exemptions.

 

[lauradis]

What ever happen to personal responsibility?

I Keep going back and forth from being angry because the government has decided that the insurance that we currently have is too good, so they must out law it.(aka tax it out of being offered from employers)

To the fact that I have moral obligation to help the citizens that cannot work, or are truly disabled and the old that have work long and hard no matte what $$$ they made.

My real question is when is enough, enough?
What will I give up next, to support citizens?

Maybe the rest of the world has the right idea about socialist healthcare, but then we still see the same problem because your not "rich" your life is only worth x and x to government in care.

Don't know what the answer is.

For everyone that's throwing out the "lucky" I'm only lucky in the fact that I have taken care of myself and worked hard to get where I'm. I don't call it luck at all it was a decision to move from the urban schools (hard core ghetto) to the upper class with lots of fing hard work and some ups and downs.

 

[wen8jr]

I'm tired after a long day at work, facing a 70 hour work week altogether... so forgive me if I do not type this out eloquently enough for some readers.

My story: I don't claim to know the written law on this ObamaCare thing, but what I do know is what has already impacted me. I have insurance through my employer - but I might as well not have any at all. Yes, that is the truth.

Just in the anticipation of Obamacare taking place, my employer raised our rates significantly for 2013 and began offering a very high deductible plan as one of three to choose from. Everyone I know changed to the high deductible because that is all anyone can afford with the cost of living increasing. We began paying the same coinsurance premiums that we did when we had what I will call "real" coverage but now we have literally no coverage until we pay a huge out of pocket amount and we have a terrible insurer who denies any claims... so if you file it is a battle. God forbid you get pregnant because it is no longer covered and you don't know what will be covered if you really do need help in a serious situation. Oh, but I am insured though so I should count myself lucky, right?

2014 open enrollment is coming up and guess what... rates are increasing again, significantly.

What it boils down to is that I have to go to work to pay for everyone else, who is either subsidized or doesn't work at all, but my family will personally have no real coverage to speak of.

It amazes me that working people continue to be punished for maintaining jobs until our health declines due to stress and long hours, doing the workloads of 2 to 3 people or more because our companies are letting domestic workers go and hiring offshore or moving people to part time. Then when it is over (our careers) we have no health care and can't afford to take care of ourselves.

In addition it amazes me that the same lawmakers putting this into play want to be exempt from this law. If that doesn't tell you something, I don't know what will.

I live in a state where every other person is on state Medicaid or their kids are on a state medical plan: they get their basic needs taken care of; if they have a toothache they go to the dentist, if they get a cold they go to the doctor, if they get pregnant they are covered, their prescriptions are paid, they get their eye exams yearly and THEY RECENTLY GOT FREE CELL PHONES for what they are calling an equal quality of life, so on and so on. But the rest of us (working people) are scared to death to get sick because of out of pocket costs that we cannot afford to pay in part because of our coinsurance costs each month. We in turn are cutting back...dropping all luxury type items like cells phones, trimming cable bills, etc. and we simply can't afford what one would think our incomes should support for the so called middle class. Forget a nest egg or retirement.

Now, can you really tell me how our government and this ObamaCare is helping me and my family when in reality it will allow an employer to charge me the max coinsurance cost (up to 9.5% of my salary) and I still have no choice to shop around or drop it without paying a tax? And what about people who own their own business, what in the world will they do? I've read that if you don't fall in one of the brackets the most you will pay is 12K. Who can afford to pay 1K a month for insurance?

It is absolutely ridiculous. No matter how you add it up those who are working cannot continue supporting the rest of the nation.

There is no incentive to try to better yourself in our country anymore. The American Dream is not what it use to be. Why should you be looked down upon because you make good money? I have worked since I was 16 and put myself through school. I work long hours. I work when I'm sick. If I make good money, I deserve it as I worked for it. Why should I give it away with no control of where it goes? I have family, friends and others I know personally who I help and who I feel I need to help first.

I have no sympathy for those who do not try to better themselves. I only have sympathy for those in real medical need and our elderly. Sure, I know there are people in worse shape than me and I personally have family who need help who have enough income to even survive...so we help them. The real problem are those who are receiving help but are able bodied that can put in the long hours of work like the rest of us rather than taking from us. People, a lot of people, work the system and have the entitled attitude to go along with it. Our government should spend more time cutting those sucking us dry rather than dishing out more and more.

I know many people who have worked hard all their life and when the time came for them to ask for help they were denied. The system is completely broken IMO.

I feel that any of you who really support subsidizing others in what you call "need"...well feel free to dedicate more of your personal pay check for their needs. Maybe if those of you who support that idea and will really do it... the rest of us won't have to chip in when we don't agree to the system we are being forced into with our government. Maybe those of us who want to can take care of our own family members when we choose.

Hey, how about that...real freedom of choice on where my money goes? Nah, not with this government and probably never again.