Obamacare Nightmare

[[Be...]]

I'm curious.  How many people have the mandated Obamacare and how much do they pay for premiums and deductibles, co-pays, etc?  How do people afford $800/mo. in premiums?  Who's paid a penalty for not having required insurance?  I knew it was a nightmare when it first came out and I called about coverage.  If you're a smoker, you're doubly screwed.  I'd like to hear some of the horror stories and vents.  Maybe it would help if people could vent about it?  I read a few horror stories on another thread and just said, OMG!  My one friend is a seasonal worker, unemployed, and not collecting unemployment or any other income and he's required to have the insurance or pay the penalty.  What do people like that do? 

[[Sh...]]

Not everyone has nightmare stories.  My husband is retired but between COBRA and Medicare coverage.  He/we have no earned income.  The premiums are based on your previous year's income as reflected on your tax return.  His monthly premium for a pretty good coverage is $92 per month.  He has copays of $2 per PCP visit and $25 copay for specialists.  His drug copays are $0-$45 depending on certain things, like if they are generic or not and other things.  Mostly, his 4 drug copays cost around $35 per month.Our overall deductible and maximum yearly out-of-pocket is $2250.  The coverage is similar to what we were getting with COBRA at $1300 per month for both of us.  We are happy so far with our "Obamacare" experience.  Yes, it is going up next year as has already been announced.  He will be paying $144 per month starting Jan 1, but that's still a bargain.

 

We have worked hard all our lives and paid into the system - taxes, Social Security, Medicare surtax, etc.  We are glad that something now exists to help us bridge to Medicare when previously we would have been out of luck.  This is just our experience and I realize others have had less satisfying ones.

 

XX

She

[[Ce...]]

Hi all!...Just wanna follow!....

[[2t...]]

Yes me to, am interested in peoples experiences.

[[Be...]]

Those yearly deductibles and out-of-pockets don't sound like a bargain to me unless you have a high income.  Some ppl. don't have a high income and still have high premiums and high deductibles.  They wanted to charge me about $90/mo. premium and over a $2000 yearly deductible a few years ago and I'm on a pittance disability of about $1100/mo.  I'd be paying for all my doctor's appts. and everything else.  I'd get nothing paid for.  I could never afford those premiums on SSDI.  What a rip off. 

[[Fl...]]

I paid the penalty this year. Checked prices for next year and it said I can get a good policy for $20 per month but I doubt that can be right.

[[Be...]]

I paid the penalty this year. Checked prices for next year and it said I can get a good policy for $20 per month but I doubt that can be right.

 

How much was the penalty?  $20 bucks/month?  Wonder what you get for that?  High deductible around $5000/yr?.  I don't even have outpt. insurance.  Medicare outpt. Part B premiums, which I would qualify for, are going to be over $200./mo. in 2017.  Can't afford that bringing in only $1151./mo. on SSDI.  Didn't even qualify for Medicaid.  Can't have any savings or you won't qualify.  Who can live without having some real savings?  What if I total my car and need a good newer, more reliable one? They cost over $10k bucks.  I've got Medicare Part A hospital and the deductible is $1288 each time you go into the hospital.  So. . . . I have to have savings for when I go into the hospital to pay my bills.  My nabe's got Medicaid, but. . . . her old car breaks down all the time, since she cannot have real savings to get a good, reliable car.  So. . . . they pay out the nose for car repairs.  They have us over a barrel, this messed up medical insurance and healthcare industry.  Greed.  Greed.  Greed.  A price tag on absolutely everything.  I hate this effed up earth.  Those with money are the winners, those of us who don't are the losers. 

[[no...]]

Here I think most no one pays a penalty...they hold the payment for their electric bill (here it is not reported to a credit bureau) until they receive a shut off notice..they then pay it.... they take the shut off notice and apply for an exemption..

 

I believe if you have Medicare you are not eligible for insurance through the marketplace.....

 

Yes, it is a mess..... I think most people love it or hate it....

[[Be...]]

Marketplace didn't bother telling me the first year I was ineligible for it since I already had Medicare.  I went through so much BS.  The phone clerks at the Marketplace didn't even know and put me through the ringer with applying, etc.  They still call me.  People can apply for exemptions, but not many know about it or even think about it.  I even applied for a hardship exemption since no one knew I didn't need to.  FG, you can apply for a hardship and other exemptions. 

[[2t...]]

I have a question that no one has ever answered for me.

 

So say a person is eligible for a reduced premium rate plan under the AHC and has the premiums cut by a large amount, the plan may still have a large deductible, how is this deductible paid?

[[Be...]]

I have a question that no one has ever answered for me.

 

So say a person is eligible for a reduced premium rate plan under the AHC and has the premiums cut by a large amount, the plan may still have a large deductible, how is this deductible paid?

 

That's a good question.  I never had that situation.  Maybe someone else knows.  I do know that you will pay out-of-pocket for your medical care with your own money for the amount of that deductible, if it's say, $3000 per year.

[[Bi...]]

Obamacare is something that needs to go! I was hoping Sanders would win, but he was cheated out of the nomination. I <3 his Universal Healthcare idea. However, other than that I swing mostly right. I ended up voting Trump. I hope he does something to rid or change Obamacare. Not everyone has a problem with it, but it seems more ppl don't benefit from it than do. I know several ppl that can't afford it.

 

Best Wishes

[[Be...]]

I listened to a world-famous economist last night on the radio and he said the premiums are too high with Obamacare and it's bad for the economy.  He said it will be good for the working class if Trump repeals it.

[[Fl...]]

I think if anyone can make positive changes to the healthcare system, Trump will be the one to do it. I have my reservations about anyone being able to really "solve" the problem though. It's a complicated issue and the money that is involved in healthcare is astronomical so it isn't like anyone can just snap their fingers and change everything to work for everyone overnight.

[[Be...]]

I predict that there is no fix for this problem of requiring everyone to have health insurance and keeping costs down.  It shouldn't be required.  Get rid of Obamacare. 

[[ed...]]

Count me in as someone who hates Obamacare.  First off, I do 100% agree with the fact that insurance companies shouldn't be able to deny coverage due to preexisting conditions; I'm glad Trump already made it clear that he intends to hold onto that aspect.  However, I have now had my plan canceled for the fourth (!) consecutive year.  As a self employed person, I pay the whole enchilada with no employer help. Last year for a gold plan, my wife and I owed over $800 per month. This year, I'm being offered a lesser plan, with a $3k deductible, for $1300 per month...for two people!!! I couldn't believe my eyes.

 

I disliked all the options on the table in this year's election, but I became a single issue voter based on health care costs. Who knows if Trump will actually do anything, but I KNEW Hillary wasn't going to do anything.  For the record, I am married to a naturalized woman of color and my immigrant father-in-law also now resides in the U.S. This insurance issue was just the last straw though.

[[Be...]]

That's a horror story, Ed.  What a mess that Obamacare is.  I'm worried about my seasonal worker, unemployed and no income friend who might owe the penalty next year at tax-time.  It'll be over $600.  He doesn't have that money to give them.  It's robbery.  I'm also worried about my sister who is an independent contracted nurse who got Obamacare years ago.  It'll eat up all her salary. 

[[ed...]]

That's a horror story, Ed.  What a mess that Obamacare is.  I'm worried about my seasonal worker, unemployed and no income friend who might owe the penalty next year at tax-time.  It'll be over $600.  He doesn't have that money to give them.  It's robbery.  I'm also worried about my sister who is an independent contracted nurse who got Obamacare years ago.  It'll eat up all her salary.

 

It is a horror story. We had to put my wife to work at a job she hates (she had to quit a job she loves that didn't offer insurance) just so we could be eligible for employer assisted health insurance. It will save us about $900 per month. Just a shame things have come to this. You can keep your doctor my butt. This will be my 4th doc in 4 years. Not exactly ideal for someone going through what we're all going through. Oh well, I'm done griping about it. Hopefully Trump will make good on his campaign promise of opening up markets to providers across state lines and increasing competition to bring down prices.

[[Be...]]

Ed, sorry about your insurance situation.  I don't even have outpatient health insurance.  I'm on SSDI.  Not eligible for Medicaid and can't afford Medicare Part B premiums.  They'll be a few hundred bucks a month next year.  Can't afford it on the pittance I bring in with disability.  SSDI pays nothing each month; no money left over for insurance premiums.  I'm not eligible for Obamacare even if wanted it.  I've got Medicare Part A inpatient hospital and by law they can't offer me Obamacare.  Medicare Part A hospital is a joke, too.  $1300 or so deductible each time you go into the hospital.  Money makes the world go round and if you don't have it, it comes to a screeching halt.  For me at least. 

[[Bi...]]

No, Hillary wouldn't have done anything about it whatsoever. I don't understand her, she can be rather fickle in her policies and beliefs. She used to be for Universal Healthcare to the fullest, according to her from the 90's on up to Obamacare. She never talks about it anymore. When she was senate here in NY, she talked about ONLY NY adopting Universal Healthcare. She was bought out, that's exactly what happened. Obamacare IMO is a way to make insurance companies richer. I liked Obama as a person, but never did I as a politician. Too much I disagreed with. As far as Trump doing anything about Obamacare ... Idk. If he works at it hard enough, he could. Mind you, we now have a government that's full republican. So, we'll see!

 

PS- IMO, America may one day adopt Universal Healthcare. Every other country has it, so I'm assuming.

[[2t...]]

Lets be honest and admit that the health care situation is a complete cluster f#*k and with so many layers of profit and exorbitant incomes baked in to the system and fewer people actually paying a premium any new plan either has to cut from the providers, or cost the insured more either in premiums or taxes.

My premiums are already $1000 per month with a $12000 deductible for two of us (retired early).

I don't have an answer but am getting frustrated with what we do have, and how can it change if Trump wants to keep the preexisting condition stipulation (for me this is a good thing as I would not be insurable) they have to have a mandate that everyone pays for health insurance or people will just sign up when sick.

Also I heard talk of the use of HSA's, these only work if you pay tax as the savings come from them being pretax deposits, some one in the %10 or %15 tax bracket will save a pittance and also if you are in that bracket you probably don't have money to put into a health savings account in the first place. 

[[Be...]]

The US needs to repeal Obamacare and not replace it with anything.  Leave us alone, I say.  No one should be required to purchase expensive health insurance and it will always be expensive unless you have an employer picking up most of the cost, like I used to have at jobs.  Many of the people who are required to carry it can't even afford it.  Plus, they pay premiums every single month for what?  Then when they need services they have to meet the extremely high deductible each year.  They give all their money to the insurance companies through premiums and deductibles and even big co-pays and get nothing in return.  They end up paying out out-of-pocket for nearly everything.  Even before Obamacare was required, many middle class and poor were living paycheck to paycheck and barely able to or not able to make ends meet.  If you're a smoker, you're really effed with Obamacare.  I know because they wanted to quadruple my premium just for being a smoker.  They didn't even know at the time that I couldn't even get Obamacare because I already had Medicare Part A which is already considered minimal essential coverage and by law they couldn't sell me insurance through Obamacare.  Most people who have to get Obamacare are middle-class or poor anyway.  It's a complete disaster and is plunging our middle class into a third world nation.  You have to pay the penalty at tax time if you don't have any insurance and it's over $600 bucks now.  Forget about getting a tax return if you didn't get Obamacare and have to pay the penalty.  And many people don't know about applying for exemptions or even how to do it, such as, a hardship exemption, for example, or don't even bother.  Even the clerks on the phone were constantly giving me wrong information.   

[[wa...]]

OK so what do you do to get profit out of health insurance and health care?  WBB

[[Be...]]

Insurance companies are cancelling out of insuring people now through Obamacare because they say it isn't profitable.  The stocks on these insurance companies are doing well though and they want to keep it that way. 

[[wa...]]

Insurance companies are cancelling out of insuring people now through Obamacare because they say it isn't profitable.  The stocks on these insurance companies are doing well though and they want to keep it that way.

OK - so health insurance is profitable.  Is this good for your healthcare?  WBB