Obamacare success stories please

[robinb]

I have read a lot of people are saying that they will go uninsured and pay the fine. I have to wonder what their plans are if they should need healthcare.

Will their credit be impacted if they can't pay their portion of the bills?

They will do what the uninsured have always done: put off routine care, go to the ER for non-emergency care, pay what they can and stick the rest of us with their bills through higher premiums.

 

[MommyBryn]

I have read a lot of people are saying that they will go uninsured and pay the fine. I have to wonder what their plans are if they should need healthcare.

Will their credit be impacted if they can't pay their portion of the bills?

While we're not going the fine route, I don't think that those who do necessarily means they won't be able to pay their bills. Personally, we rarely EVER tap into our insurance, though we have always payed our premium. (we pay chiro and naturopath appts OOP, for example) It would make much more sense to just save the $600 (or whatever...it's going to be much higher now!) every month into a personal savings that we can use for that rare costly healthcare, instead of paying it regardless of what we use. It's obviously not a perfect solution, nor an option for everyone, but for families like ours, it would make much more sense. Of course that's not the point of the law, so it doesn't really matter anymore...

 

[Muushka]

I have read a lot of people are saying that they will go uninsured and pay the fine. I have to wonder what their plans are if they should need healthcare.

Will their credit be impacted if they can't pay their portion of the bills?

Well one thing to consider is since there is no pre-existing condition clause, someone who finds that they have cancer can go ahead and enroll in Obamacare.
Like driving without car insurance, having an accident, then calling and getting insurance. Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[pantherlj]

Well one thing to consider is since there is no pre-existing condition clause, someone who finds that they have cancer can go ahead and enroll in Obamacare.
Like driving without car insurance, having an accident, then calling and getting insurance. Makes perfect sense to me.

Once open enrollment ends, you can't enroll in a policy until next open enrollment (Oct 1 next fall for 1/1/15) unless you have a life changing event such as losing your job, a marriage, birth, etc.

 

[Colleen27]

Well one thing to consider is since there is no pre-existing condition clause, someone who finds that they have cancer can go ahead and enroll in Obamacare.
Like driving without car insurance, having an accident, then calling and getting insurance. Makes perfect sense to me.

Except that they'd have to wait for the next enrollment period...

ETA: Your car accident analogy hits upon an even larger flaw in that thinking - the fact that in an accident, there's no time to enroll in a new insurance plan before seeking treatment.

 

[AndyLL]

Just was informed that for the 2nd year in a row our premiums will not go up.

Also... while I don't need it now I was able to check the exchange prices in CO and they are very reasonable.

I've always wanted to get away from working for huge corporations and now its possible. My wife has pre-existing conditions so before it was never an option.

 

[Muushka]

Except that they'd have to wait for the next enrollment period...

ETA: Your car accident analogy hits upon an even larger flaw in that thinking - the fact that in an accident, there's no time to enroll in a new insurance plan before seeking treatment.

My car analogy was for car insurance, not health insurance.

But if you do not have medical insurance, and you find out you have cancer, if it is during a period of open enrollment, you can, in fact, get insurance.
Again, makes perfect sense to me.

 

[Kathi OD]

My car analogy was for car insurance, not health insurance.

But if you do not have medical insurance, and you find out you have cancer, if it is during a period of open enrollment, you can, in fact, get insurance.
Again, makes perfect sense to me.

So you would take the chance that a cancer diagnosis is only going to occur during the open enrollment period? That makes absolutely NO sense to me!

 

[smiths02]

Once open enrollment ends, you can't enroll in a policy until next open enrollment (Oct 1 next fall for 1/1/15) unless you have a life changing event such as losing your job, a marriage, birth, etc.

I thought moving states counted too. There are a lot of loopholes.

 

[Muushka]

So you would take the chance that a cancer diagnosis is only going to occur during the open enrollment period? That makes absolutely NO sense to me!

I have no idea what people will chance and what they will not chance.
The point is that if the insurance that they are forced to buy is something they think they do not need, they will not spend money on it. Exactly what is going on today.

Why do people not have insurance today? More important things to spend money on.

 

[Eastern]

I have no idea what people will chance and what they will not chance.
The point is that if the insurance that they are forced to buy is something they think they do not need, they will not spend money on it. Exactly what is going on today.

Why do people not have insurance today? More important things to spend money on.

I agree. Just because the insurance is available does not mean that some people will prioritize it as something they want to spend their money on.

 

[robinb]

So you would take the chance that a cancer diagnosis is only going to occur during the open enrollment period? That makes absolutely NO sense to me!

A bigger issue is that they may not be diagnosed with cancer AT ALL because they are not receiving regular medical care and testing. My cancer was found by a routine mammogram. A routine colonoscopy found a pre-cancerous polyop for my DH. My friend's oral cancer was found by her dentist.

 

[ZoeBell]

I agree. Just because the insurance is available does not mean that some people will prioritize it as something they want to spend their money on.

But if those same people were in a serious accident or diagnosed with something serious, the majority will be applying for Medicaid or crying poor to pay the bill. They will want the rest of us who have been paying our premiums to foot the bill.

 

[Muushka]

But if those same people were in a serious accident or diagnosed with something serious, the majority will be applying for Medicaid or crying poor to pay the bill. They will want the rest of us who have been paying our premiums to foot the bill.

Which is exactly the scenario today, pre ObamaCare.
What makes you think that this situation will be eliminated with ObamaCare?

Lets face it, there are a bunch of people who thought this program was going to give them free healthcare.
Surprise! It costs money. They have cell phone bills and cable bills to pay, not medical insurance.

 

[daughtersrus]

But if those same people were in a serious accident or diagnosed with something serious, the majority will be applying for Medicaid or crying poor to pay the bill. They will want the rest of us who have been paying our premiums to foot the bill.

If they qualify for Medicaid, it's unlikely that their health insurance is going to be higher than what they're paying for it now.

 

[robinb]

If they qualify for Medicaid, it's unlikely that their health insurance is going to be higher than what they're paying for it now.

unfortunately, less than half the states took the Medicaid money including my own state. I still don't understand why those states would not take federal money to help insure their residents.

 

[johde]

There are at least a few reason stated why states aren't taking the money to expand medicare. First, the money is temporary. Currently they are feds are promising 100% federal funding for the first 3 years then 90% after that. The question is what will the 10% do to the state budget. Some states have worked hard to try and maintain a balanced budget during trying economic conditions and their worried what this will do to future budgets.

Looking at it personally, If I made the offer that if you sign a 99 year lease on a $100 million property, I'll make the first 3 years worth of lease payments, and 90% of the lease payment there after. Would you take the deal? Realistically, you should look at your budget and decide if you can pay 10% of the costs after that first 3 years. It's the same thing here.

Second, The government is saying 90% now, but what's to stop a future congress from making it 80%, or 70%, or dropping it all together. If you'd been burnt in the past with unfunded government mandates, you'd to look leery at new mandates.

Third, they may be concerned about the federal deficit and national debt. Just because the money is coming from the feds doesn't make it "free". Someone somewhere will need to pay for it.

 

[ZoeBell]

Which is exactly the scenario today, pre ObamaCare.
What makes you think that this situation will be eliminated with ObamaCare?

Lets face it, there are a bunch of people who thought this program was going to give them free healthcare.
Surprise! It costs money. They have cell phone bills and cable bills to pay, not medical insurance.

Because technically they had the choice before to get insurance and be covered. Now we have people willing to break the law as they are stamping their feet.

I don't want to pay for insurance, no more then I want to pay my electric or gas bill. Must I must pay and so should everyone else.

IMO, if people can afford to pay and chose to break the law and not have healthcare they shouldn't be able to cry poor after the fact if anything tragic were to happen.

 

[Muushka]

Because technically they had the choice before to get insurance and be covered. Now we have people willing to break the law as they are stamping their feet.

I don't want to pay for insurance, no more then I want to pay my electric or gas bill. Must I must pay and so should everyone else.

IMO, if people can afford to pay and chose to break the law and not have healthcare they shouldn't be able to cry poor after the fact if anything tragic were to happen.

all they have to do is pay a fine. What do you think that they will do?

And now I hear that the fine will come out of income tax refunds only. So all they have to do is not have a refund (if they make a decent salary). And if they make a low salary, it is only $95 or1 percent, whichever is greater. Sounds like a win win to me (well until that goes up in a few years or someone deems that part of the law needs to be rewritten).

 

[daughtersrus]

all they have to do is pay a fine. What do you think that they will do?

And now I hear that the fine will come out of income tax refunds only. So all they have to do is not have a refund (if they make a decent salary). And if they make a low salary, it is only $95 or1 percent, whichever is greater. Sounds like a win win to me (well until that goes up in a few years or someone deems that part of the law needs to be rewritten).

Too bad the law doesn't say that if you choose to go without insurance, you are then stuck with ALL medical expenses. No filing bankruptcy, having the medical professional/hospital write them off...If they knew that they would be responsible for the expense they might think twice about choosing to go without insurance.