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There are things in the bill that insurance companies will be forced to cover in every policy, and insurance companies will be able to raise their rates for the additional coverage.
Relatively inexpensive high-deductible insurance will be going away, so people who go to the doctor once every three years for a sinus infection will be paying twice as much for PPO insurance that they don't need.
This is my largest complaint.
(Second is maintaining the employment relationship with coverage).
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In my case, the high-deductible insurance my wife and I have used to be $349. Since the act was passed it's increased twice and is now $452. When it fully kicks in I'll be paying the fine and having no insurance because I won't be able to afford the insurance that I would be forced to buy at that time.
This sort of OMG situation catastrophic/traumatic is all the insurance that MOST working people need.
If we're to involve the government at all... allow a backdoor into medicare in the event that one of those OMG situations presents itself in your life. Take that concern off the table altogether.
Back that up with something simple, like a home or auto policy does it) to cover the odd out of ordinary event and MOST working people are done.
Are you confusing your terms? Medicare is age based. You can get it only if you're 65 or older. Medicaid is income based but the $ 0 income you maneuver your income to be won't help if you have assets worth more than the minimum allowed.
Depending on the state you are in,that can be as low as $2000 plus a cheap car.
After yesterday Obamacare has my attention....in a different way.
How will they figure income??
I am self employed.
Will my income be the bottom line of my 1040??
Yes. As a result of the health care legislation passed a couple of years ago, each state has set up an insurance pool. Individually-insured qualify if they're paying over a certain amount for their individual insurance. Whether or not they qualify for a state subsidy for the insurance they get in that pool depends on their income. There are complex formulas involved, and the state pools can change the membership rules unexpectedly, as the one in my state just did, to my benefit. It may be best for you to contact an insurance agent who specializes in health insurance. There are ins. agents around who do only that. They can help you figure it all out. Another requirement for qualifying for these state insurance pools is that you be a difficult-to-insure client. Meaning you have a history of chronic or catastrophic illness, require expensive prescriptions, or some such. Again, your local health insurance agent can advise you.
For the rest of the country right now, just people who need it have health insurance, so they are paying like $600 per person per month (the last someone told me).
The rates are high as you mention, but for different reasons. Many people in the US who need health ins can't afford it, that's the problem. And many thousands are denied ins at any cost if they have pre-existing conditions. Each state has its own rules, unfortunately. One state "guarantee issues" with a mandate, like MA, and other states "guarantee issue" without a mandate, like ME, and the rates are out of sight when everybody isn't in the system.
Other states have high risk pools which are very expensive since only sick people are in them. Some states have none of the above and you are at the mercy of ins companies who want to cherry pick and insure only healthy people and if you are denied, you are out of luck. Denials are based on very simple, common ailments. It's a terrible system. Just ask the thousands of people who file for bankruptcy due to medical costs they can't pay. Or ask one of the 50 million people without ins. Everyone will need healthcare at some point, and you never know when you will have an accident, a serious illness, cancer, etc. It's a fact of life.
As long as private insurers are involved in health care, it will remain a scam for the US public and we will pay very high premiums and costs, so ins companies can make big fat profits off the back of sick people. Insurance company CEOs will continue to own fleets of private jets while thousands are denied ins. Why do you think hospitals jack up their rates so high? Because of the 3rd party payor system, insurance co. Also, many of the new technologies hospitals are using don't add much to outcomes, yet cost exponentially more. Glad to see Hawaii is doing the right thing.
One way of looking at this is....if you don't have insurance...you will have to pay a "tax" or penalty more when you file income tax. It is estimated to be about 95.00
Now, my question is: Does it make sense to pay for insurance when the penalty is so little? Thats not even one month's premium. I'm sure it will go up, but even if it does, it would have to go up a huge amount to be more than the cost of insurance,.
That's for healthy people. Those with on-going medical problems need additional insurance. But for the rest of us, paying the penalty will probably be much cheaper.
And... if you do have health problems, pay out of pocket, you should be able to deduct that amount from your tax bill. It seeems to me that the "penalty" for most of us is going to be just fine!
The Afforable Care Act is designed for people WHO DON"T have health insurance
because there is no way they can afford it.
So, if you are NOT poor, or work full time, mabey 2 jobs, or you are unemployed,
you will be able to purchase health insurance out of the "pool".
If you are extremely poor, YOU HAVE MEDICAID.
If you are 65 or over, YOU HAVE MADICARE.
If you get health insurance through your employer, CONGRATS!
This will not effect you or your health insurance through an employer.
IF you can't afford health insurance, you really want and need it,
you will be able to finally buy it!!!!!!!
What is so complicated? I don't understand.
30 MILLION Americans that work, right now, are uninsured.
Yea, that's right. 30 million. That's a disgrace.
So, today, if you are in an accident, or get really sick,
if you have no insurance, you have to file bankruptcy to get
out of debt and hang on to the roof over your head.
In 2014, you won't have to.
Who do you think pays for all the uninsured people now?
If you have health insurance, YOU PAY for the uninsured.
Do you really trust the Health insurance companies that answer
to their stockholders to keep prices down?
Do you? Really?
Everyone says they hate Medicare, that the government should get
out of the ehalth care business, well, everyone not on Medicare says
that.
Let's jsut see how this Health Insurance thing works before all of you
believe every lie you hear about it.
Remember YOU could loose your job tomorrow.
Are you really ready to pay COBRA payments, and how long will
that last?
The Afforable Care Act is designed for people WHO DON"T have health insurance
because there is no way they can afford it.
So, if you are NOT poor, or work full time, mabey 2 jobs, or you are unemployed,
you will be able to purchase health insurance out of the "pool".
If you are extremely poor, YOU HAVE MEDICAID.
If you are 65 or over, YOU HAVE MADICARE.
If you get health insurance through your employer, CONGRATS!
This will not effect you or your health insurance through an employer.
IF you can't afford health insurance, you really want and need it,
you will be able to finally buy it!!!!!!!
What is so complicated? I don't understand.
30 MILLION Americans that work, right now, are uninsured.
Yea, that's right. 30 million. That's a disgrace.
So, today, if you are in an accident, or get really sick,
if you have no insurance, you have to file bankruptcy to get
out of debt and hang on to the roof over your head.
In 2014, you won't have to.
Who do you think pays for all the uninsured people now?
If you have health insurance, YOU PAY for the uninsured.
Do you really trust the Health insurance companies that answer
to their stockholders to keep prices down?
Do you? Really?
Everyone says they hate Medicare, that the government should get
out of the ehalth care business, well, everyone not on Medicare says
that.
Let's jsut see how this Health Insurance thing works before all of you
believe every lie you hear about it.
Remember YOU could loose your job tomorrow.
Are you really ready to pay COBRA payments, and how long will
that last?
I work. I have to buy my own health insurance. I'm healthy, so high-deductible coverage works fine for me. It's all I can afford. The health care act eliminates high-deductible coverage so if I want insurance I will be forced to buy PPO insurance which I can't afford. I am not the only person in my situation, if fact my situation is fairly typical.
So, while millions of people who currently don't have insurance will now be covered, MILLIONS WHO ARE CURRENTLY COVERED WILL NO LONGER BE. AND IN ADDITION TO NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD INSURANCE, THEY WILL HAVE TO PAY A FINE.
But go ahead and continue to pat yourself on the back for thinking you're on the right side of this issue.
Now, my question is: Does it make sense to pay for insurance when the penalty is so little?
The implication is that the penalty is just the icing on the bankruptingly high medical bill cake you'll have incurred.
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And... if you do have health problems, pay out of pocket, you should be able to deduct that amount from your tax bill. It seems to me that the "penalty" for most of us is going to be just fine!
Now you're getting down to it.
People who have jobs and reasonable level of income (or plain wealth)...
can afford to pay their common year to year expenses without any help tyvm.
And if one year or another they have a budgeting hiccup they can still manage it.
The trip to Europe or the new Cadillac or new furnace may have to be delayed a year...
or the kid may have to go to community college for a year... but the bills can get paid.
All these people (meaning us who are reading this if I may take the liberty by assuming) need...
all we need is catastrophic and traumatic coverage. Some way to know that the sorts of care that no one can really afford on their own and few can afford to insure against on their own will be there...
expenses that *require* a 100% participation actuarial pool and are reasonably within the purview of what a nationalized tax based medical plan could be good for.
The Afforable Care Act is designed for people WHO DON"T have health insurance
because there is no way they can afford it.
So, if you are NOT poor, or work full time, mabey 2 jobs, or you are unemployed,
you will be able to purchase health insurance out of the "pool".
If you are extremely poor, YOU HAVE MEDICAID.
If you are 65 or over, YOU HAVE MADICARE.
If you get health insurance through your employer, CONGRATS!
This will not effect you or your health insurance through an employer.
IF you can't afford health insurance, you really want and need it,
you will be able to finally buy it!!!!!!!
What is so complicated? I don't understand.
30 MILLION Americans that work, right now, are uninsured.
Yea, that's right. 30 million. That's a disgrace.
So, today, if you are in an accident, or get really sick,
if you have no insurance, you have to file bankruptcy to get
out of debt and hang on to the roof over your head.
In 2014, you won't have to.
Who do you think pays for all the uninsured people now?
If you have health insurance, YOU PAY for the uninsured.
Do you really trust the Health insurance companies that answer
to their stockholders to keep prices down?
Do you? Really?
Everyone says they hate Medicare, that the government should get
out of the ehalth care business, well, everyone not on Medicare says
that.
Let's jsut see how this Health Insurance thing works before all of you
believe every lie you hear about it.
Remember YOU could loose your job tomorrow.
Are you really ready to pay COBRA payments, and how long will
that last?
if there already poor what do they have to lose? If you are poor you can get on medicaid if you want. So who exactly is this gonna help?
Just the government with another power grab to have even more control over people. More government regulation ect. ect.
I am 56 yr old and work for myself. I have a lot of assets as I built up my business. I don't want to lose them if I get seriously ill.
I have a preexisting condition but it is not insanity.
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Anyone who supports this is truly insane.
I support this bill. So your statement is wrong 16trillion.
P.S. I think there will be high deductable plans offered by the exchanges.
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