Under fire, 'Obamacare' going live _ with glitches

[kev_n_jena 89]

All I can suggest is that you shop around and check with your employer. Even without the ACA, an increase of that magnitude would be unwarranted.

I have a coworker that has private insurance on his two girls. They are 10 and 14 years old. Their policies will go up 40% Jan. 1 and both policies will include maternity coverage. It will cost him about $400 per month to insure two healthy girls.

In my case, since my wife and child are healthy, I'm probably going to drop to the cheapest possible policy. It has a $3,400/6,800 deductible. It will still cost about 10% more than our current policy that has a $800/1600 now with copay. If we decide to have another child, we will jump up to a lower deductible policy for one year when the child is born and then go back to the cheap policy provided the newborn is healthy.

This scenario will be playing itself out all over the country. It's going to hurt our economy and I hope people get upset enough to roll it back.

[JohnR! 5,495]

I have a coworker that has private insurance on his two girls. They are 10 and 14 years old. Their policies will go up 40% Jan. 1 and both policies will include maternity coverage. It will cost him about $400 per month to insure two healthy girls.

In my case, since my wife and child are healthy, I'm probably going to drop to the cheapest possible policy. It has a $3,400/6,800 deductible. It will still cost about 10% more than our current policy that has a $800/1600 now with copay. If we decide to have another child, we will jump up to a lower deductible policy for one year when the child is born and then go back to the cheap policy provided the newborn is healthy.

This scenario will be playing itself out all over the country. It's going to hurt our economy and I hope people get upset enough to roll it back.

I think that eventually the insurance companies will have to roll back the costs for they must provide evidence that they spend at least 70% (?) of your premium on actual health care expenditures. This ensures that they don't raise fees based on their internal administrative costs and keeps their payments in check as well.

[kev_n_jena 89]

"Eventually" isn't going to feed my child like the $171 would have. I'm willing to bet you that the health insurance company in question doesn't drop their rates within the next 2 years. In fact, our premium goes up every time my wife and child have a birthday. That will work out to well over $4,000 over then next two years.

[kev_n_jena 89]

I'd love to see a "letter writing" campaign started and have everyone that's effected like we are write letters to their representatives.

[RGinWA 816]

The devil's deed? I've signed up for health insurance for as long as I've been living and working in this country. Always thought of that as the prudent thing to do. Always thought of that as demonstrating and living up to the concept of personal responsibility. Never thought of that as the devil's deed. Why do you hate personal responsibility?

Don't you know that mandating personal responsibility is no longer a Right Wing position.

They've adapted the "anything but what Obama wants" strategy.

[Juliet and Steve 93]

I just did some research online. For Juliet and myself it's likely that health insurance will take about 43% of my income but that's assuming a gold/platinum plan.

Juliet's young and I'm an older male--both categories provoke higher premiums. I was looking at premiums of ~$1400-2700/month--yikes.

It's quite strange actually. If I took a lower paying job--or no job then health insurance would be very, very cheap--but in the state of Massachusetts the subsidized insurance does not have some coverage that I want so I need to avoid taking a job that pays too low.

It seems odd that now, since I'm unemployed and looking for a job--I want to see the benefits package even before I consider applying, which usually is not available. It's quite possible that by taking a job that pays $25,000 less/year that has good insurance coverage will be a better deal than taking a much higher paying job.

I'm wondering if many in my position (unemployed) will simply opt to stay unemployed.

Our medical system is so screwed. I had shoulder surgery in April. Total amount billed was over $50,000 but what amazed me was that my insurance only paid about $28,000 as they have "agreements." This means that any person who has the same surgery will pay almost double what my insurance company pays. That is so wrong--to make people with no insurance pay double.

Presumably the ACA (Affordable Care Act) will remedy this--but I have read that there will be millions in many states who will still have no coverage since their states have not created a plan for the impoverished.

At this point I really can't tell if ACA is a good thing or not...I guess time will tell.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Medical costs are skyrocketing

[reality]

WASHINGTON — Personal health care costs rose in the 12 months ending in May at the slowest rate in the last 50 years, as spending on hospital and nursing home services declined, the White House announced Monday.

Personal consumption spending rose 1.1%, Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said. Hospital readmissions rates dropped from an average of 19% to 17.9% for Medicare patients since the passage of the 2010 health care law, Krueger said.

A series of recent government reports and industry analyses have shown a decrease in overall health care costs. In May, a Congressional Budget Office report showed a $618 billion drop in projected Medicare and Medicaid spending over the next decade. A recent study by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed that for Americans who receive health insurance through their employers, premiums rose 3% from 2011 to 2012, the lowest increase since 1996.

[/reality]

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I had shoulder surgery in April. Total amount billed was over $50,000 but what amazed me was that my insurance only paid about $28,000 as they have "agreements." This means that any person who has the same surgery will pay almost double what my insurance company pays. That is so wrong--to make people with no insurance pay double.

Double? I spent a weekend in the hospital earlier this year. The bill? $80K between the hospital and the doctors that rendered services. Hospital bill accounted for about $60K of that $80K. The negotiated rate for my insurance? $13K. That's not even a quarter of the rack rate. And yes, that is so wrong that people without insurance get fleeced like that.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

[reality]

WASHINGTON — Personal health care costs rose in the 12 months ending in May at the slowest rate in the last 50 years, as spending on hospital and nursing home services declined, the White House announced Monday.

Personal consumption spending rose 1.1%, Alan Krueger, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said. Hospital readmissions rates dropped from an average of 19% to 17.9% for Medicare patients since the passage of the 2010 health care law, Krueger said.

A series of recent government reports and industry analyses have shown a decrease in overall health care costs. In May, a Congressional Budget Office report showed a $618 billion drop in projected Medicare and Medicaid spending over the next decade. A recent study by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed that for Americans who receive health insurance through their employers, premiums rose 3% from 2011 to 2012, the lowest increase since 1996.

[/reality]

So says the white house Oh dear god the humanity. How about insurance costs

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

So says the white house Oh dear god the humanity. How about insurance costs

How about PricewaterhouseCoopers? They say the same thing.

http://www.pwc.com/us/en/health-industries/behind-the-numbers/index.jhtml#readmore

Defying historical patterns—and placing added tension on the health industry—medical inflation in 2014 will dip even lower than in 2013. Aggressive and creative steps by employers, new venues and models for delivering care, and elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are expected to exert continued downward pressure on the health sector. Read more

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

How about PricewaterhouseCoopers? They say the same thing.

http://www.pwc.com/us/en/health-industries/behind-the-numbers/index.jhtml#readmore

Defying historical patternsand placing added tension on the health industrymedical inflation in 2014 will dip even lower than in 2013. Aggressive and creative steps by employers, new venues and models for delivering care, and elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are expected to exert continued downward pressure on the health sector. Read more

Who ? Never heard of them. Show me the Fox News sorce or admit you made it up

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Who ? Never heard of them. Show me the Fox News sorce or admit you made it up

You never heard of PwC? Wow.

[kev_n_jena 89]

After talking to several of my coworkers, here is what the ACA is doing for them.

Coworker #1 was paying slightly over $200 per month for his 10 and 14 year old girls. He will now pay over $400 per month for them and they will have birth control and maternity coverage forced into their policies.

Coworker #2 was paying about $200 for one child. He will now pay about $380.

Coworker #3 is in my situation and will pay 51% more for his wife and child per month (over $170).

Has anyone else found out what their rates will be on January 1st 2014?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

After talking to several of my coworkers, here is what the ACA is doing for them.

Coworker #1 was paying slightly over $200 per month for his 10 and 14 year old girls. He will now pay over $400 per month for them and they will have birth control and maternity coverage forced into their policies.

Coworker #2 was paying about $200 for one child. He will now pay about $380.

Coworker #3 is in my situation and will pay 51% more for his wife and child per month (over $170).

Has anyone else found out what their rates will be on January 1st 2014?

As mentioned, some insurance is using this as a ruse to con customers.

Have you shopped for insurance on the marketplace? What did you find? There are also subsidies in place if your income qualifies. Check it out, let us know.

[kev_n_jena 89]

The insurance company we have a policy with has suggested to customers that they should shop around. My coworker who has a policy with them for his daughters was actually told that by their representative. BTW, she knows that they have comparable rates to the competition. That's how I eneded up with that company in the first place, by shopping around. They were the best deal.

My coworking is meeting with several companies next week to get coverage for his two girls. I'll let you know what he finds out about premiums.

I'm willing to bet money that I can't get a premium anywhere near what I was paying for comparable coverage. I'm paying for insurance companies being forced to take customers they don't want and provide serviced I don't want.