The Rise and Fall of Obamacare

[whell]

Originally Posted by icenine

http://ktla.com/2016/10/25/obamacare...in-california/

You must not be telling us something.

Remember that Obamacare gave us age-banded health premiums. As the insured's age rises, premiums rise. Pricing is also impacted by region, and states can have multiple regions. In Cali, regions in the north are more expensive than the south. The news reports typically show / compare premiums for single 25 year olds and 40 year olds. If they printed the average premiums for 60 year olds, most people would probably faint after reading them.

[Tom Joad]

Originally Posted by icenine

http://ktla.com/2016/10/25/obamacare...in-california/

You must not be telling us something.

How would you know?

You're an out of touch elitist that gets Cadillac Care for free from the government.

[icenine]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...b0b3ddfd8c6839

[VanishingPoi]

Originally Posted by Tom Joad

So you would be paying $800 X 12 = $9,600 a year in premiums, plus a $6,000 deductible for a grand total of $15,600 out of your own pocket before your insurance would cover the first penny?

Thanks Obummer!

Yes, exactly. This is why I don't have medical insurance. These are the people that it hurts. The middle class. It is based on income to get a subsidy. If you you make one penny over that limit which is around $45,000, there is no subsidy for you. By the way, that is just the bronze plan. The platinum is around $1200 a month. It also has a large deductible but I can't remember how much. I will go back and look.

[MrPots]

I think the final word on health care in the United States is that our entire system is not designed to heal, it doesn't really do that.

The US health care system is designed to suck the wealth out of the middle class through premiums and taxes.

Between health care costs and the MIC this country will soon enough be third world. And we idiots elected the scoundrels that did it.

[VanishingPoi]

Originally Posted by MrPots

I think the final word on health care in the United States is that our entire system is not designed to heal, it doesn't really do that.

The US health care system is designed to suck the wealth out of the middle class through premiums and taxes.

Between health care costs and the MIC this country will soon enough be third world. And we idiots elected the scoundrels that did it.

I found one for $568 a month. I still can't afford it. See what I get for $568 a month:
HMO
Metal Level Bronze
Office Visit for Primary Doctor
Find Doctors 40% Coinsurance after deductible
Office Visit for Spe************************t 40% Coinsurance after deductible
Referral Required for a Spe************************t Yes
Office Visit for Other Practitioner (Nurse, Physician Assistant) 40% Coinsurance after deductible
Annual Deductible Individual: $5,500
Separate Prescription Drugs Deductible Medical Plan Deductible Applies
Coinsurance 40%
Retail Prescription Drugs Generic Drugs: 40% Coinsurance after deductible;
Preferred Brand Drugs: 40% Coinsurance after deductible;
Non-Preferred Brand Drugs: 40% Coinsurance after deductible;
Specialty Drugs: 40% Coinsurance after deductible;
Out-of-Pocket Limit Individual: $6,500
Includes deductible
Lifetime Maximum Unlimited
Health Savings Account (HSA) Eligible Yes

Pretty much, you pay all of your own medical care.

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by VanishingPoi

Yes, exactly. This is why I don't have medical insurance. These are the people that it hurts. The middle class. It is based on income to get a subsidy. If you you make one penny over that limit which is around $45,000, there is no subsidy for you. By the way, that is just the bronze plan. The platinum is around $1200 a month. It also has a large deductible but I can't remember how much. I will go back and look.

There is a little-publicized catastrophic-care alternative in the Affordable Care Act. If you can show the $800 per month * (number of family members), is more than x% of total income, you can get the 'inexpensive' catastrophic-only coverage instead. It's better than paying the tax penalty and getting nothing.

Don't know what x% is, but it might be worth looking into.

[VanishingPoi]

Originally Posted by donquixote99

There is a little-publicized catastrophic-care alternative in the Affordable Care Act. If you can show the $800 per month * (number of family members), is more than x% of total income, you can get the 'inexpensive' catastrophic-only coverage instead. It's better than paying the tax penalty and getting nothing.

Don't know what x% is, but it might be worth looking into.

It is a little late for that. I will be paying the the tax. Much cheaper than insurance.

Here is one for $1200 a month
Plan Type HMO
Metal Level Platinum
Office Visit for Primary Doctor
Find Doctors $15 Copay
Office Visit for Spe************************t $40 Copay
Referral Required for a Spe************************t Yes
Office Visit for Other Practitioner (Nurse, Physician Assistant) $15 Copay
Annual Deductible None
Separate Prescription Drugs Deductible $0 per person | $0 per group
Coinsurance 10%
Retail Prescription Drugs Generic Drugs: $5 Copay;
Preferred Brand Drugs: $15 Copay;
Non-Preferred Brand Drugs: $25 Copay;
Specialty Drugs: 10% Coinsurance;
Out-of-Pocket Limit Individual: $4,000
Lifetime Maximum Unlimited
Health Savings Account (HSA) Eligible No
Out-of-Network Coverage Emergency Care Only
Out-of-Country Coverage No.

[Tom Joad]

These high deductable ($5,000-$6,000 or more per year) are worthless to the people that most need health insurance. I mean they are absolute shit.

You might as well build a "Game of Thrones" wall between them and medical care.

They can't afford to use them.

the Federal Reserve Board has conducted a survey to “monitor the financial and economic status of American consumers.” Most of the data in the latest survey, frankly, are less than earth-shattering: 49 percent of part-time workers would prefer to work more hours at their current wage; 29 percent of Americans expect to earn a higher income in the coming year; 43 percent of homeowners who have owned their home for at least a year believe its value has increased. But the answer to one question was astonishing. The Fed asked respondents how they would pay for a $400 emergency. The answer: 47 percent of respondents said that either they would cover the expense by borrowing or selling something, or they would not be able to come up with the $400 at all. Four hundred dollars!

If you have a hard time coming up with $400 bucks, how in the FUCK are you going to front Five or Six Grand?

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...-shame/476415/

The answer is, you don't. You get sick, or notice a suspicious lump, and you put off going to the Doctor because you can't afford it. Same as you did when you had no insurance. Because the truth is, if you have some shitty High Deductable Obummercare Bronze Plan, you still have no insurance.

[icenine]

Most of the calculators I have used give me a around a 500 dollar premium if you are single, 54 years old and make around 100,000k a year for my Southern CA zipcode. The cutoff for subsidies are 47k for single and 97k for a family of four.


The idea that the ACA hurts the middle class is probably more a perception than reality. I would imagine a lot of anger at the ACA is people upset that others are getting subsides and that more wealthier people have to pay more for qualified plans.
Plus if the middle class was really being hurt by the ACA I doubt Hillary would have been nominated nor Trump would have won.

One of the lessons of the Great Depression is that progressive change does not really occur until it is the middle class being hurt. So my thought is that if the ACA was so awful then Americans would not be giving Obama such high approval ratings. Sanders would most likely be President if the ACA was damaging the middle class so much and single payer would be heading toward his desk next month. He would have gotten all the super delegates during the primaries and easily defeated the terrible Hillary.

Yeah California is hard. I can see not paying for the ACA if I was single with no assets like a home. But if you own a home with equity and don't have health insurance you will lose everything if you have to the emergency room or become really sick.


I would rather charge $10,000 non-deductible on a credit card than face $100,000 from a collection agency. That is like an instant mortgage.