My Recent Obamacare Experience
I think most people in the United States would agree that our healthcare system has long been way too expensive and inefficient. I also think that most people probably felt there needed to be some type of healthcare reform. In my opinion I feel like the expense of it should have been a main focus of the reform. If you haven't heard it isn't uncommon for the same type of computer hardware in hospitals to cost four or five times as much because it is for "medical use." In reality it is the same hardware you can find at any electronics store or online for a fraction of the cost.
Previous Plans
A few years back before Obamacare was put into effect I kept a crappy emergency health insurance plan in case of an emergency. A lot of people go bankrupt because of medical emergencies since the costs are so out of control here. The plan was through Humana One and had a $5,200 deductible. It used to cost $60 / month.
Once Obamacare went into effect that same plan that was worthless jumped up to $230 / month. After a year of that Humana One decided to not offer the plan anymore and I was informed that I would be dropped and would have to find another plan. I got on the exchange at Healthcare.gov and looked for another plan. There was another high deductible plan from United Health for $167 / month. I went with that.
Now I have been informed that United is no longer offering the Obamacare eligible plans and that I would be dropped from that as well.
Present Day
Once again I got on the exchange and looked for another plan so I wouldn't have to pay the penalty for not having health insurance.
Most providers have dropped out of offering these Obamacare eligible plans so all I had were two options. The cheapest being one with a $4,200 deductible and a monthly payment of $327.37 / month.
Here is the more expensive plan with a lower deductible.
These are my only two options through the exchange!!!! If I don't have an eligible plan then I will get fined $625 for not having insurance.
What should I do Steemit? For those of you that have been following my blog for awhile you know that I live on the edge and most people would say that not having health insurance is a bad idea for someone living my life style.
Would you guys pay for those health insurance plans, pay the penalty, or move to Mexico? If I get the cheap plan I can pay $327 / month for the privilege of paying an additional $4,200 if I break my leg. Sounds pretty good right?
anything the government touches...it messes up.
I would mostly agree with you. The National Parks are pretty cool though!
I wouldn't pay for the plans. And I sure as hell wouldn't pay a fine, either. Move to Mexico? No, thanks.
How about this...
Fork the government right in their ear.
I wish more people would stop legitimizing this BS. They had no right to create this new, horrid system and they had/have no right to force you to participate. The plans suck, they're more expensive, and the insurance companies can't keep the costs down and drop them instead of losing money - just like everyone (who's smart) said it would happen. This was predictable.
My solution would be this, ideally:
Don't buy it. Don't pay a fine. Don't file your taxes. After a few years, if the taxman comes knocking, shoot him. You'd be well within your rights to do so. If everyone did this, imagine how much better off we'd be.
This sounds like a solid plan. It is tough to be happy when we all realize the financial abuse we put up with.
It will be interesting to see what changes Trump makes to the plan and how soon that will take effect. I didn't vote for Trump or Clinton. Not great choices in my opinion but Trump is in and I will give him a chance to rectify this healthcare mess.
My prediction: Trump and the Republican congress won't do much at all with Obamacare. For all of the talk about repealing corrupted, bloated, disastrous government programs - it never gets done. And I wouldn't count on the current crop of Republicans to be different, given how many times they completely and unnecessarily caved to a president who had no congressional majorities for his party.
They're weak - morally and politically. They know and we know it.
It will be interesting but you may be right. They might not do much with it. I'm sure it won't just be thrown out the window but trying to modify it could be tricky as well.
P.S. I just lost a follower because of this post. LOL
Addition by subtraction!
If only it were possible to fork the government...
The thing is, rates were increasing and statistically they increased more slowly under Obamacare. So that $327/month policy might actually be more expensive if Obamacare had never existed.
More importantly though, no one really wanted the ACA. It was essentially Romney's plan that Obama used to try and win Republican support... because Republicans won't actually fucking do anything. So Obamacare might get repealed (and I say might because Trump has said he likes most of it now) and not replaced with anything, because it was actually their only idea.
Health care should not be part of a "free market."
In my experience that hasn't been the case. Before I had an emergency plan through Humana One for around $50 / month. Then it went up to $60 / month. I was pissed naturally. But then it went to $230 / month. The deductible was slightly lower. Like $4,200 instead of $5,200. Now the only choice I have is the $327 / month plan. There is no way that in 4 years it would have went from $50 to $327 without Obamacare.
I get why someone who drives a car need insurance. They are driving around something that could crash into other people. But to fine someone for just existing is just stupid. They are trying to force me to pay for some garbage plan or to pay them for not buying into something I don't want.
"The thing is, rates were increasing and statistically they increased more slowly under Obamacare"...I have no idea where you are coming from on this. I was paying something around $200-300 /mo for insurance prior to Obamacare, now I'm at $700. The reason the cost has sky rocked is due to ACA requirement to insure high risk and pre existing conditions...end of story.
I guess I didn't realize rates had never once increased before Obamacare.
Shared on gab.ai. I'm sure they'll be an understanding audience.
I know of and have heard of a lot of Americans who cross borders to get their medicine, and even for medical procedures. Obviously the care is better here in the States, but I also know of a Mexican Heart Surgeon who has been flown to Japan to operate on a patient there so care down there can't be that bad. And it is definitely cheaper. I figure the Cost here has something to do with School loans as well, since most Doctors probably have a huge amount of debt after after they graduate.
@brianphobos For me, I am of the kind that if it can happen to me, it will. So I would suck it up and pay, especially if you are living on the edge or slow down and not be so adventurous. A broken leg, and you are usually in and out, but can you imagine something that keeps you there 2 or 3 days? That bill would be insane!
Or be like me and try to win the lottery, that I don't play....lol.
A lot of people do go to Mexico for dental work especially here. Especially for stuff like root canals....etc.
look for a church medical co-op; some of these you don't need to join the church. a friend of mine bragged about doing this.
also, in some states, you don't havetp pay the oblahblahcare tax fine(Texas, where I am, is one of these)
Yeah that would be nice to be over in Texas and not have to pay it.
I did hear that you can exempt out of it for religious reasons. I might try that and if they come knocking I will cuss them out in tongues. Rarrr Blah, Lahahahhahaha Blah Blah Rarrrrrr.
LOL throw some rattlesnakes at them and say it was GOD's will
[Edit] oh yeah, it's better than just a religious exemption; there are some medial co-ops (small scale insurance pools, if I understand correctly) that not just exempt from ACA, but that you don't have to be a church member to join
I'm in Arizona so getting the rattlesnakes shouldn't be a huge problem. :-)
That is interesting. I will have to look into that.
There are so many ways to make health care in The U.S. cheaper, that the govern-cement could implement overnight. They could do this, because they are the cause. All they would have to do is stop.
But, noooooo, they had to pass the un-affordable care act. Because big pharma needed more money.
Sorry for your woes.
It is pretty unreal the lack of options and the expense of it at this point. There will probably be millions without insurance and paying the fee instead.
This is where the beauty of the plan comes in.
Those who really can't afford it, drop out. Become non-entities.
So, they are not counted as without health-care.
Good for Obombas end of the year reports.
I thought it was pretty funny when even Bill Clinton couldn't keep his mouth shut about how Obamacare is a mess. Hahahah
Feel lucky you are young. My county also has no options, Blue Cross pulled out. It is $950 a month for my husband and I with a 7000k deductable.
I wish you had insurance, but I understand if you take the fine instead. My son does also.
Yeah it is crazy. I might try to file for an exemption against the fee and then get an emergency plan that doesn't meet the Obamacare guidelines and then hold out with that to see what changes will be made to Obamacare once Trump takes office.
i heard quite a lot of people from America moved to Thailand somewhere. Maybe it's time to do some research.
Yeah the rumor on the street is that you can live like a god king for $1000 / month over in Thailand. I have heard a lot of people from Finland go there for the winter as well.
The cheap insurance you had before wasn't very good insurance. They could put caps on their payouts, they could kick you off their policy when you made a claim, and they didn't have to cover basic wellness things like checkups. So even though the policy was cheap, you could still go bankrupt if you had a medical issue. Lots of people did. Further, once you had a medical issue, you could be unable to find any coverage, at any price.
You imply the policy is taking up most of your income. If that's the case, you will qualify for a subsidy. And maybe not just for the monthly payment, but for copays and deductibles as well.
While the ACA sets out the requirements for insurance, it's your state level government that bears most of the blame for the lack of companies offering plans. Every state manages the insurance sector for their state. Talk to your local representatives about what your Insurance Commission is doing to reign in rates and get more competition.
It is interesting how you are still going to bat for Obamacare when basically everyone realizes that it has fallen short of the Utopian paradise people thought it would be. Even Bill Clinton couldn't keep his mouth shut about the issues with Obamacare.
For starters I feel that insurance isn't much more than a legal scam. But when I did have the emergency plan from Humana One for $50 / month and a $5,200 deductible I did end up in the emergency room. The total bill ended up being over $17,000. I was on the hook for the $5,200 but the insurance paid the rest. They didn't drop me until 3 years later when they decided not to offer the Obamacare packages. You're are acting like an Obamacare plan like the ones I have sceenshots for are automatically a good deal. Everyone else can see that it is way over priced and a pile of garbage.
Paragraph 1: This is about the state of insurance coverage before the ACA. I agree that there a lot of issues with the current system (see paragraph 3). The system before was absymal from a state and national perspective. That doesn't mean it was terrible for everyone. It was collectively worse than the current system. Again, that does not mean the current system is utopia -- far from it. (see paragraph 3).
Paragraph 2: I sincerely was trying to help here. I am on the board for a non-profit with employees. Since the ACA was passed, I have spent weeks in total, reviewing group plans, individual plans, state and federal requirements for employers and employees, talking with experts and our employees. I am still surprised how many people do not know that the prices listed on the exchange will be reduced by subsidies for the people that qualify for them. That does not say the current system is utopia. It says that I was trying to help you.
Paragraph 3: The current system has a lot of flaws. Some of those flaws are in the ACA itself. Others are in the state implementation of it and state oversight of insurance companies and health care providers. I gave you some actionable information relevant to the problem you illustrated. The plans people are offered are not automatically a good deal -- and it takes a lot of work to make them better. The people affected by the plans have to constantly advocate and push the people who currently oversee the system.
My recommendation? Go without insurance. Be bold. A relative of mine did that. He didn't like insurance, even though he could afford it. He died a couple weeks ago from a repairable heart issue. He left his four boys without a father. But he died with his pride intact.
An alternative recommendation? Pay the insurance. Gripe. How you gripe is up to you. Shaking your fist at the sky on the blockchain. Or to the folks that can change what you are facing. The first is easier, for sure!
My guess is that you will move to Mexico.
Thanks for your input. My Spanish needs to get better before I move to Mexico.
At least you are in Arizona -- it will be easy to practice your Spanish! : )