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... there are companies out there that will find you affordable heath insurance that will cover all your conditions, and they have been around long before the obamacare act was even thought of.
I thought so too, but that was not the case. The reasons for rejection were ridiculous. Occasional OTC Claritan? Most people I know suffer allergies worse than me. The way the questions are asked on applications are also rigged for rejection. It was something like ..."Have you ever had a ....? I had injured my rotator cuff pitching softball it was healing (It's fine now..). I answered the question honestly. (I later discovered that you only have to list things within the last 3 years or so. At any rate, after applying directly to several myself, I used eInsurance. Then, I used an agent. Same stupid process.
As for my limited exposure to Obamacare, it was no different than the corporate insurance I had all my working career. I joined a group, had options to choose from (varying deductibles, coverage, premiums; choose Drs/practice from a catalog depending on plan, etc). When I join a new company, I am not vested in anything, haven't paid into anything and expect no return. I am given options to choose from (varying deductible, coverage, premiums; choose your Drs/practice depending on plan...etc.).
My experience was exactly the same as the corporate experience except I have a larger deductible and pay more monthly. I belong to a "group", but it is not associated with a specific corp. The people in the group make up the group.
Healthy young men can and do get seriously sick/injured. All it would take is a few cases of a catastrophic illness/injury resulting in death due to lack of medical care, and healthy people of all ages would start rethinking their option to be uninsured. Removing the two underwriting caps and reinstating the moral hazard and selection bias is unacceptable. Making the debt incurred non-dischargeable does not have the same gravitas as does death....
*waves* Stage IV cancer diagnosed a month after my 23rd birthday. Yes, it does happen. In my circle of friends alone, about half of us would not be able to buy our own health insurance. Crone's disease, medicated anxiety, MS, kidney failure, IBS, PCOS, schizophrenia, brain tumors, autoimmune disease and the list goes on. All diagnosed in college or shortly thereafter in a relatively small group of friends. And that bus that could hit you tomorrow doesn't care how old or healthy you are.
Where is the irony? First of all, "Affordable Healthcare" via Obamacare is a misnomer. Secondly, your friend has no choice. All she can get is Medicare and she's thrown into it automatically upon turning 65. I believe you'd be surprised at how many people 65+ would prefer having a choice; since they have to pay for Medicare anyway, they'd rather choose their own plan (and doctor, since fewer and fewer doctors accept Medicare.)
My husband is eligible for Medicare. He never enrolled and remains on his employer's group plan.
Medicare's limitations don't really amount to good healthcare. There are many things it won't cover after a certain age, deductibles apply, drugs are expensive and some are not covered at all so the individual has to pay out-of-pocket; same goes for some services. So Medicare isn't all it appears to be for those who have no experience with it. Unless you are on Medicare, or you have a relative on Medicare and know what they are dealing with, you are likely to think that with Medicare they have it made. One of the biggest fears Medicare recipients have is hitting the donut hole when even insurance doesn't pay.
Medicare is insurance for the most uninsurable segment of the U.S. population. Medicare does not cover Long Term Care, Dental, Eye, routine foot care and hearing aids.
Medicare rules allow you to delay enrollment in Medicare Part B and/or D when you are covered by an employer group health plan, regardless of the number of covered employees, if your health coverage is based on your or your spouse's current, active employment.
One has 8 months to enroll in Medicare A and B, upon termination of the group health plan and/or employment without incurring a late enrollment fee. The deadline for Medicare part D is 63 days from the point of termination.
You cannot decline Medicare Part A coverage (hospital insurance). Part A enrollment is free and not voluntary. The only exception is if you do not qualify to receive Medicare Part A for free. This happens when neither you nor your spouse have worked and paid Medicare tax. In this case, you are allowed to purchase Medicare Part A when you turn 65, but you are not required to do so. If you qualify for premium-free part A, you are automatically enrolled when you are 65, and you cannot drop your coverage.
However, enrollment in Part B is voluntary and coverage is not free. You are required to pay monthly premiums for Part B coverage, which means that you can decline its coverage. If you do so, you can also enroll later if you think you need it, but doing so will probably mean that you need to pay a late penalty.
Update!!!! I had lunch with my friend. She has a sister who is self-insured. The sister is a smoker and that drove her deductibles and premium up. Well....... guess what, the sister moved over to Affordable Healthcare. My friend is happy for her because she can save a bit on her monthly premium. I did not remind her of the tongue lashing I got. People seem to change their minds easily when "it" benefits themselves or their family.
My experience with Medicare has been exactly as you describe. If you have a supplemental plan (Medigap or Advantage) it is at least as good as most corporations offer their employees and the premiums are no greater.
My wife had a surgical procedure at the hospital a few months ago. The total cost to us was around $100 and part of that was for drugs. By the way, you have to be on a pretty heavy drug regime to hit the dough-nut hole, most don't.
Since we have been on Medicare, we have kept the same doctors and the best hospital here accepted Medicare without question.
I really don't know why some people think that it is inferior insurance. It absolutely isn't.
I have read that a quarter- half of those in the hole cease their meds.
It's shameful Congress has not allowed Medicare to negotiate the price of prescription meds, as they do in all other countries. It's an enormous government subsidy of Big Pharma.
Medicare is insurance for the most uninsurable segment of the U.S. population. Medicare does not cover Long Term Care, Dental, Eye, routine foot care and hearing aids.
What do you mean "most uninsurable"? Not everyone 65+ is ill. Many people continue a healthy lifestyle for years beyond that. Do you think that "elderly" automatically means sickly?
Long Term Care is special, separate insurance. I don't know of a health insurance plan that covers long term care. Routine dental eye care also is separate, except that Medicare will cover accidental damage and/or eye disease, including surgery, which falls under medical.
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Originally Posted by middle-aged mom
This is not accurate information. See Special Enrollment Period.
I think you lost sight of the question The question was "can you decline Medicare". The information came from Can I Decline Medicare Coverage? | eHow. Declining Medicare has little to do with sign up periods. That's a separate subject, assuming one wants to enroll.
If one wants to decline, one doesn't care about special enrollment periods, does one.
Anti-affordable Health care or Anti- ACA? There is a mile of difference.
The ACA does nothing to address the skyrocketing costs of healthcare and is horrendously expensive. It in fact does stand to disrupt and make more difficult life for those of us who already have insurance. It was a bad bill and ill conceived at best. The words "We have to pass it in order to read it" speak volumes. Who would sign a contract without first reading what it says? Only a fool that is who.
Now we are stuck with legislation even those on the left find disagreeable. When do you ever hear labor and corporate america ever agree on anything? They both seem to agree on the ACA, neither like it.
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The question was "can you decline Medicare". The information came from 
