Home › Forums › Open Discussion › UN-Affordable Care Act, or ObamaDoesn'tCare
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September 12, 2013 at 9:31 pm #609075
SonomaParticipantNormally, I don’t like to get involved in political discussions, since people rarely are persuaded to change their viewpoints. Discussions deteriorate into arguments, with no one winning. HOWEVER…
I’d love to get your views on the so-called Affordable Care Act. I just received notification that my current plan is being discontinued, and the most similar alternative (provided by Regence) will be $547/month. I was previously paying $200/month premium. Yep, from $200 to an “affordable” $547. This is for a healthy non-smoker who rarely needs a doctor.
So, I’d like to take a little survey and ask if YOUR premiums will increase, too. By the way, I’ve already written to President O and called Congressman McDermott. I am a lifelong Democrat, but damn!
September 12, 2013 at 11:51 pm #797400
oddrealityParticipantMine would go up if I had to stay with my current carrier,also Regence,[my current is $350] as the plan I have will no longer exist…HOWEVER using the exchange I get a WAY better plan and it costs over $100 less than my current plan, which is only major medical with a huge deductible…Basically paying for nothing year after year since I am very healthy but not young.
Have you used the calculator to see if you can get a better plan for less?
September 12, 2013 at 11:54 pm #797401
oddrealityParticipantI posted this awhile back but no one was interested I guess…
https://westseattleblog.com/forum/topic/health-care-calculator-for-wa-state
September 13, 2013 at 12:29 am #797402
JanSParticipantRegence is notorious for pulling shenanigans like that…shop around…bet you’ll find something better….
September 13, 2013 at 12:36 am #797403
JanSParticipantSeptember 13, 2013 at 12:39 am #797404
seaopgalParticipantI am covered by my partner’s plan at work, so I don’t have a personal stake … at this time, anyway … so I won’t participate in your “poll.” But definitely check out the exchange. It is designed to provide easy access to plans of all types and premiums, while forcing insurers to justify their rates. And remember that many people will qualify for a subsidy.
September 13, 2013 at 1:51 am #797405
JanSParticipantI was actually surprised as to how many people will qualify for a subsidy.
September 13, 2013 at 1:52 am #797406
transplantellaParticipant“So, I’d like to take a little survey and ask if YOUR premiums will increase, too.”
Probably.
But I do know that our income taxes are going to increase even more as we have the alleged “Cadillac plan” union health insurance.
Scheduled to commence 2018 will be an income tax on employer paid health insurance plans which exceed certain dollar amount in annual value. Ours does.
Note that your W-9 this year for the first time had the estimated dollar value of your employer provided health insurance.
Government has been looking for a way to tax non-wage benefits for thirty years. Obamacare finally finally nailed it.
September 13, 2013 at 1:53 am #797407
hammerheadParticipantI’m self employed, I get “screwed” all the way around.
Having to pay higher taxes for the “health care” and then my health insurance which is 400.00 will also go up. Yes I did the calculator. My “problem” is I don’t have kids, and self employed. The small businesses will suffer the most.
None of my employees will be able to afford Obama’s health care plan either, whether it is subsidized or not. Then they get “fined”. I just don’t get that part.
September 13, 2013 at 1:57 am #797408
JanSParticipantmany of your employees will probably qualify for medicaid,,,they should check out that part…
September 13, 2013 at 2:52 am #797409
hammerheadParticipantwhat is the difference between “medicaid” and sea mar, which is where they go now.
It is horrible health care.
September 13, 2013 at 3:06 am #797410
JanSParticipantwith medicaid they can go to almost any doc in the city that takes medicaid…they don’t have to go to a clinic.And it pays for prescriptions with a small copay. I was on it the entire time I had breast cancer…over 5 years..and I never saw bills, frankly. If they do go to a clinic, I would recommend The Country Doctor at 19th and Republican…sliding scale, great docs, great care, do lab work there, have a pharmacy that only costs about 8 bucks a prescription.
Medicaid is an insurance, just like any other, but it’s paid for by the state/feds , sometimes together.And it goes by income.
I, myself, have medicare, with a special type of medicaid backup. Of course, one doesn’t want to go through my crap to get the coverage I have – lol….
but they should look into it..Medicaid, I mean…
September 13, 2013 at 4:16 am #797411
JanSParticipantyou get ask questions….just send ’em in…
September 13, 2013 at 5:49 am #797412
maplesyrupParticipantAll I know is that as a small business owner/employer, the insurance rates I’m charged now continue to rise as if we didn’t have Obamacare. It’s around 10% every year.
Worse, I get the feeling that the insurance companies are using the legislation as an excuse to raise rates because they “don’t know what will happen.”
But the net effect for me (and my employees) is that a twisted system has not been changed much, if at all.
And this is what happens when the insurance lobby gets their mitts in the “reform.”
September 13, 2013 at 2:04 pm #797413
JoBParticipantmaplesyrup..
yup.. there’s the rub.
the stock value of health insurance companies rose right after Obamacare was passed..
this “reform” turned out to be a sweet deal for insurance companies
they can have it both ways.. increase their profits by cutting our benefits and raising rates
and blame Obamacare which they crafted..
there are some good things buried in this legislation
but it definitely wasn’t he reform we needed
September 13, 2013 at 2:26 pm #797414
anonymeParticipantDitto #14 & #15.
In doing some online research, it appears that social security benefits are not considered as “income” in the calculation. The calculator in the above link does not take this into account. Anyone know?
September 13, 2013 at 2:28 pm #797415
hammerheadParticipantPlease NOTE this has nothing to do with NV homeless directly at all, I am just using ALL homeless people as an example.
Ok for the most part any one who has an emergency and does NOT have insurance go to harbor view correct? I know a few people who have jobs and no health insurance go there for a simple flu, because they are so sick. Now they do get a bill but can not pay it, and I am pretty sure homeless people can not pay their bills either.
Yes they can apply for assistance, ok they may or may not get it
How in the hell does Obama care make this any different?
Again back to the fines if you do NOT get insurance, for those who can NOT afford any type of health care, sure are not going to be able to pay a damn fine.
Jan your suggestion does not work for the employees I have.
The only “Blessing” about being self employed is that the health insurance is a 100% write off (as of now) but that does not mean anything if you are barely making it month to month.
September 13, 2013 at 3:45 pm #797416
skeeterParticipantI feel worse for the employees who used to have a job for 40 hours a week and now they will be cut back to 29 hours a week because their employer is unwilling or unable to provide medical insurance. IMO those are the people who were shortchanged the most.
September 13, 2013 at 3:56 pm #797417
TanDLParticipantIf I’m reading the health care stuff correctly, there seems to be a marriage penalty. If you are single only your salary is considered, but if married both salaries are the basis of the calculation, which drives up the rate and decreases the subsidy significantly for both parties. Anyone know if I’m understanding this correctly?
September 13, 2013 at 6:03 pm #797418
kgdlgParticipantSingle payer system anyone?
Anyway, HH part of the ACA was the increase in who can be covered by Medicaid. Theoretically, if you are homeless and not disabled or already on SSI (thus already eligible for Medicaid) you should now qualify for it, if poor enough (I forget cut off for single person income). This is the part of the act that states have been fighting so much because the Feds cover this cost initially and then phase out as all the new rate paying people in the system are eventually supposed to make this pencil for states. Remains to be seen here. Right now Hrbor View has an indigent care fund to pay for poor without insurance. You know who actually pays that bill? Anyone who is insured through much higher rates for basic stuff. It gets paid somehow eventually. The ACA just provides more predicting who, eventually, if working people without insurance actually sign up. Especially the young.
September 13, 2013 at 6:14 pm #797419
skeeterParticipantYes, there is a marriage penalty, but I’m not sure how to avoid it.
Example:
Couple A is married. Husband earns zero. Wife earns $100K/year.
Couple B is unmarried. Man earns zero. Woman earns $100K/year.
Couple B is at a distinct advantage on several levels. The unmarried man will qualify for medicare. The married man won’t. The unmarried man will not have a penalty for failure to have insurance (because his income is so low.) The married man will have a penalty for failure to have insurance (because his wife’s income will be considered half his in a community property state.
This is just one more reason the government simply has to get out of the marriage business. There should be absolutely no state or government recognition of marriage. It’s simply an outdated concept that no longer functions fairly in today’s world. Marry for love. Marry for religious recognition. But leave the state out.
September 13, 2013 at 6:55 pm #797420
JanSParticipantSkeeter…the unmarried man will qualify for Medicaid, not Medicare …there is a difference.
September 13, 2013 at 7:31 pm #797421
skeeterParticipantthank you JanS. You’re correct. I misspoke. Meant to say Medicaid.
September 13, 2013 at 8:09 pm #797422
JanSParticipantSadly, depending on where you say that, someone will take you at your word. “But, but…Skeeter said…” :D
September 14, 2013 at 12:06 am #797423
hammerheadParticipantSo basically it is all paid for by us, no matter what you call it: medicare, medicade, and indigent fund, it all the same no difference.
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