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In truth Obamacare is just a tad better than no insurance. Being covered does not mean much if you cannot get meaningful help in reasonable amount of time using that coverage. They will be worse off, but it is not that much worse. Ironically, most rural hospital systems in Ohio DO NOT accept obamacare marketplace insurance, Defiance people lucked out because their hospital belongs to a Toledo based chain.
In truth Obamacare is just a tad better than no insurance. Being covered does not mean much if you cannot get meaningful help in reasonable amount of time using that coverage. They will be worse off, but it is not that much worse. Ironically, most rural hospital systems in Ohio DO NOT accept obamacare marketplace insurance, Defiance people lucked out because their hospital belongs to a Toledo based chain.
Ironically, most rural hospital systems in Ohio DO NOT accept obamacare marketplace insurance, Defiance people lucked out because their hospital belongs to a Toledo based chain.
If they buy the insurance in that county through the exchange, odds are very high that the hospital is an in-network service provider for that policy.
If they buy the insurance in that county through the exchange, odds are very high that the hospital is an in-network service provider for that policy.
I speak of personal experience since my relative has an Obama market place insurance. Actually last year that thing was nearly worthless other than prescriptions, ER and urgent care. You had to go to Columbus for doctor appointments, hospital or tests assuming you would live that long since every Obamacare marketplace sufferer had to go drive to a large metropolitan area and waiting periods rendered that obamacare worthless in practical terms. This year more local doctors accept obamacare, but all local hospitals do not accept it, hospitals refuse doing tests EVEN after insurance authorizes out of network payments. Nonprofit hospital institutions suspect that Obamacare patients would apply for financial aid to cover the difference between what hospitals charge and obamacare pays.
I wish. I would not have mess on my hands dealing with that stuff on behalf of my relative. Hospitals etc love obamacare since they can refuse service to more poor people who have obamacare without endangering their non taxable status. All they need is to tell an obamacare patient to sign up with a few hospitals hundred miles away accepting obamacare while getting paid for insane ER charges at the same time. Sweet deal. And now imagine you live hand to mouth, don't have reliable transportation and have obamacare. What could you do with that? Wait for an ER little else. Obamacare would pay for ER minus deductible however it is a big question if ER visit would help anyone. Insurance people get paid, medical biz is getting paid, patients get subpar by 3rd world standards "care". The only thing I don't get why Republican establishment doesn't like obamacare, as it is, it is basically free money for their corporate sponsors. I guess it is a matter of ideology.
Last edited by RememberMee; 03-26-2017 at 12:43 AM..
I understand that there are rural areas that have had all the insurance carriers leave so there is no care for the people there under the ACA (Obamacare). I also understand that there was to be money from the government (us) to pay to keep the insurance companies in those areas.
I live in Indiana near to a major hospital. I get subsidies. I have the best of care through a very large network of docs and hospitals. I have a very low out of pocket. $900. I did nothing different than any other person. Showed my income, was set up with a Silver Plan. I pay 57$ a month. Before the ACA I was paying $1500 a month and I was not sick. It was my age. At the time I was 55. Now I am 61 almost 62. I have no serious illnesses still. I would not have healthcare now if not for the ACA and I am more than grateful.
My next door neighbor was a Big Pharma rep. He paid $200 a month for a family of 5. I lived across the street from him and his family. My family of two paid $25000 a year. Doesn't make sense...does it?
The other neighbor across from me pays Medicare premiums for she and her husband and also pays almost $500 a month for scripts not including the donut hole. Her husband on going health issues. She just lost a kidney to cancer. She has supplemental insurance from the employer she retired from. If not for that they would be in deep sh@t.
Fast forward I now am divorced and pay $57 a month through ACA. My employer does not pay insurance because I am considered part time. If I could get another part time job, making a 40 hour week I still would not qualify for insurance since it is not with the same company. I even had to sign a waiver stating that I was a part time.
My Big Pharm neighbor just lost his job because he hit the ceiling in wages. But his wife does well as a nurse so they will be fine. I am sure they are now getting healthcare at a nominal price since she works for a hospital....or maybe not....I do not ask.
All three of us, so very different, living on the same block. It just does not make sense.
I was going to move back to Kentucky but not now. I sticking put because my healthcare is affordable and my doctors will accept me.
But this is Mike Pence's stomping grounds. He is not going let a whole bunch of people lose healthcare or he won't be allowed over the state line!
I wish. I would not have mess on my hands dealing with that stuff on behalf of my relative. Hospitals etc love obamacare since they can refuse service to more poor people who have obamacare without endangering their non taxable status. All they need is to tell an obamacare patient to sign up with a few hospitals hundred miles away accepting obamacare while getting paid for insane ER charges at the same time. Sweet deal. And now imagine you live hand to mouth, don't have reliable transportation and have obamacare. What could you do with that? Wait for an ER little else. Obamacare would pay for ER minus deductible however it is a big question if ER visit would help anyone. Insurance people get paid, medical biz is getting paid, patients get subpar by 3rd world standards "care". The only thing I don't get why Republican establishment doesn't like obamacare, as it is, it is basically free money for their corporate sponsors. I guess it is a matter of ideology.
I see O-care as being a band-aid on a broken system. There are problems with it to be sure, but the problems arise at least as much from the broken system that preceded O-care as from O-care itself.
In single payer systems, everyone (to my knowledge) pays into the system, and everyone is entitled to coverage. The single payer system serves both as an insurance pool, and as a mechanism for subsidizing premiums for lower income people. Yet, there is little call in Canada for repealing the system.
Until the U.S. adopts a single payer system (which may not be for a generation), the debate will never stop. If O-care were completely repealed, the push that got Obama elected in 2008 would start all over again, and the merry go round will just keep turning forever. Above I write "if O-care were _completely_ repealed" because O-care was never really completely implemented. The refusal to expand Medicaid in about 20 states left 30 million people without health insurance, and likely without much if any health care.
Criticize O-care if you want to, but until a solution is found for people without health insurance, this debate will continue to boil, and operate to prevent progress on other fronts such as cost reduction, and better diet/health guidance for people prior to developing problems like diabetes and high blood pressure.
The whole concept of any type of insurance is rather simple.
Lots of people who are not currently making claims pay for the much smaller group who need care.
In the rest of the developed countries, the insured pool includes everybody. That makes things simpler. It eliminates a lot of administrative waste.
Eventually, the USA will get there. But it might take 10 years or so.
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