Health Insurance

[Uncle Gump]

I never said it was your fault... and I never said I hate you.

 

[Jim Oaks]

ACA is the reason I don't have health care. When Obamacare came in to play it made my insurance premiums skyrocket.

I need to do something though.

 

[97RangerXLT]

yeah... ACA can go fellate itself. in 2006 and 2007, I was unemmployed and bought private health care for my son (at the time he was 6-7yo) with a high deductible through State Farm for about 200 bucks per month. I had insurance through the State of IL because I was going to school full time. ACA comes around and you can't touch *any* insurance for under 500 bucks per month...

The only thing about ACA that is worth salvaging is the "no preexisting conditions" clause and allowing children to stay on parents insurance until 26 years old. the rest of it was a wet dream to the big insurance companies...

AJ

 

[19Walt93]

Before the "affordable" care act, our health insurance cost employees around $35 a week for the single plan, after it became "affordable" the single plan cost $92 a week. My assistant was 62 years old, his wife was about 72 and he was paying $250 a week because the ACA required him to pay for contraception and maternity care for his 72 year old wife. Even so, I don't think we should scrap it, we've spent a fortune setting it up and should fix it instead of starting from scratch. I'm on Medicare now and between the drug coverage and the supplement I'm paying $300 a month- after having it deducted from my pay for 47 years. A friend has MS and gets an infusion twice a year to control it, under private insurance the hospital billed $32,000 for the infused dug. Now that he's on Medicare, the same hospital billed $178,000 for the same drug. $32,000 seemed too high, $178,000 is legal thievery. That we're all paying for.

 

[adsm08]

Before the "affordable" care act, our health insurance cost employees around $35 a week for the single plan, after it became "affordable" the single plan cost $92 a week. My assistant was 62 years old, his wife was about 72 and he was paying $250 a week because the ACA required him to pay for contraception and maternity care for his 72 year old wife. Even so, I don't think we should scrap it, we've spent a fortune setting it up and should fix it instead of starting from scratch. I'm on Medicare now and between the drug coverage and the supplement I'm paying $300 a month- after having it deducted from my pay for 47 years. A friend has MS and gets an infusion twice a year to control it, under private insurance the hospital billed $32,000 for the infused dug. Now that he's on Medicare, the same hospital billed $178,000 for the same drug. $32,000 seemed too high, $178,000 is legal thievery. That we're all paying for.

You do understand that the tripling of private health insurance rates was a feature and not a bug in the ACA right?

Still think we shouldn't scrap it?

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Is there any country that has a good medical system? or a good any system for that matter? Government systems designed to be the least corrupt are the most. I think its just human nature and life on earth. We kinda shoot ourselves in the foot and survive it. In this country, You gotta know a guy. If u need an MRI, I got a guy, $250 bucks cash. That movie Caddyshack breaks it down pretty good.

 

[Jim Oaks]

You do understand that the tripling of private health insurance rates was a feature and not a bug in the ACA right?

Still think we shouldn't scrap it?

What do you mean?

I know the cost of my insurance stayed pretty consistent until ACA and then it started making huge jumps.

I'm not here to argue ACA, I'm trying to figure out where I should get health insurance.

 

[Dirtman]

You do understand that the tripling of private health insurance rates was a feature and not a bug in the ACA right?

Still think we shouldn't scrap it?

It's not IF we should scrap it, it's that you CAN'T scrap it until something else is prepared to take its place. When you force millions of people into this stupid program you can't just suddenly take it away and leave them all without any other means of obtaining healthcare. The premiums for private coverage wont magically go back to pre ACA rates the second it's repealed.

The plan has always been to repeal AND replace. No one's come up with a viable replacement so now they are pushing for just repeal and "we'll figure sh*t out later and hope you don't die in the meantime".

 

[Uncle Gump]

I would like to see the stats to understand a few things. Like how many paying people on the program does it take to subsidize one person on Medicare.

The last time I was able to pay the insurance premiums... it cost me roughly $6000 a year... with a $3500 deductible before the insurance would pay a dime. The plan included no dental or optical coverage... and prescription drug coverage might as well been none existent. So while I'm paying the premiums and praying I don't get sick and have to use it... I employed three people (all related) and they were all on Medicare. I know all three got braces (paid for) optical benefits (paid for) seems they were always at the doctors office for something and to top it off... 2 of the three had babies (again... paid for). Meanwhile I get a tooth infection and had to resort to my prepper med box and pull out some FishMox intended for fish tanks to clear up the infection and come totally out of pocket to later have the tooth pulled.

While I want to feel for the people that will be affected if ACA gets thrown in the trash... it's hard. We have put 10's of thousands of dollars into it and have never been able to use any of it.

 

[Shran]

Where you get insurance from just depends on what companies do business in Texas, pick one and pick a plan.

In SD we had basically two options the last time I looked... Dakotacare and Sanford. My kid has Dakotacare and his premiums have doubled since ACA was enacted. I actually got a letter from them saying that because of the ACA, his policy would be cancelled... @Dirtman I know how you feel from experience, ACA fawked me pretty hard, what you're thinking now is exactly how I felt. In the end I was allowed to keep his policy active but it was a really bad deal.

I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield from my employer, it was "free", then $30/month, then $60/month.... $2000 deductible.... if I want to add a family member or members, it's $1100/month for one person or 20.

Politically I'm a hard right leaning libertarian but healthcare is one of very few areas where I break with the party... I think we should have a single payer system, eliminate health insurance companies entirely and put cost controls on everything. I know there is an argument about capitalism to be made there, my response is that there is a need for a service and when there is a need, someone will figure out a way to fill it. Maybe the transition will be painful for a few who are deeply invested in the healthcare industry but the end result will be better for everyone.

 

[RonD]

There are some things that don't work using Capitalist philosophy

IMO, Medical care is one of these
There are many Countries that use one provider medical care, Universal or Socialized Medical
It has to be an ALL or nothing system, period
So there are many examples to look at what parts of these systems work better than other parts, so US can mix and match as to what parts to use in a Universal system

I do think there can be Private clinics, where people can pay more if they want
Same as people do in the US now only to pay less if they go to Mexico for surgery

In Canada people say Private Clinics are unfair because the rich get better access to medical services
Please.................in what system do the RICH not get better services, lol, so moot point in my opinion, what are you 5 years old, "that's not fair", lol
I think private clinics are good, one less person in the Public queue(line) if there is a queue

Anyway point being the high cost of medical care is artificially high in the US, not supply and demand based, so not really even capitalist based
Its a broken system, IMO

 

[adsm08]

Anyway point being the high cost of medical care is artificially high in the US, not supply and demand based, so not really even capitalist based
Its a broken system, IMO

Well this much I agree with you on.

Honestly, at this point in the game, were I to lose my employer based coverage I'd be looking for the cheapest catastrophe plan I could find and supplement it with an HSA. A lot of people think that you have to be part of a group plan to start an HSA. I know more than a few people who have nothing but an individual HSA.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I had looked into a HSA a couple years ago... I never spoke to anyone but there was one question I was trying to find an answer for back then. Does the HSA allow you to pay the insurance premiums pre tax?

 

[97RangerXLT]

I had looked into a HSA a couple years ago... I never spoke to anyone but there was one question I was trying to find an answer for back then. Does the HSA allow you to pay the insurance premiums pre tax?

Not sure on a free market HSA, but the HSA that I am on that is through my wife's work the costs are pulled pre tax from the pay check. the HSA funds themselves are then used for any medical related expense for the family, including prescription meds. the nice t hing is that if we don't use all of the contributed money for the HSA (also pulled pre tax) it will roll into the next year. if one of us dies, the survivor gets the HSA. As for using the HSA funds for the actual insurance premiums, I would check with the insurance company up front on that if you are not getting it through an employer.

AJ

 

[Shran]

I'm really on the fence on HSAs. I think certain ones have their place (employer match, etc) but many are a fixed amount, don't roll over, and the tax savings are really close to zero. My fiance's HSA is like that, $2000/year, half of which is provided by her employer which is kinda nice but it expires at the end of every year.

I kinda feel like a better option is simply a savings account... some of those HSAs market themselves as the best thing ever but in reality they just charge you to park your money somewhere and keep it if you don't use it. Not a good deal.