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Healthcare premiums to rise about 20%


Barb_
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Since ObamaCare, our costs have skyrocketed, with almost no coverage and a high deductible.  How can they justify making it worse?

 

Darwin's survival of the fittest* is what I've heard in my circles.  Of course with Darwin's Theory, it is often survival of the luckiest, but as long as one is on the lucky end of the birth lottery - close enough.

 

*(meaning if you aren't smart enough to "live healthy," have a good job to either cover insurance or afford to buy it, or happen to have "bad genes," then the US can't afford your health care so we're better off without you. Pretty much a "sucks to be you" attitude and "I've got mine and there's no way I want to pay for yours.")

 

It infuriates me, but if you want to know, there ya' go.

 

There are times I can't help but wish for Karma to come around.

 

ps  Plenty of folks are pissed and aren't pleased that the US is the way it is with health care - with this not helping.  I've heard what I've heard from those who feel the gov't shouldn't be involved in health care.

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Darwin's survival of the fittest* is what I've heard in my circles.  Of course with Darwin's Theory, it is often survival of the luckiest, but as long as one is on the lucky end of the birth lottery - close enough.

 

*(meaning if you aren't smart enough to "live healthy," have a good job to either cover insurance or afford to buy it, or happen to have "bad genes," then the US can't afford your health care so we're better off without you. Pretty much a "sucks to be you" attitude and "I've got mine and there's no way I want to pay for yours.")

 

It infuriates me, but if you want to know, there ya' go.

 

There are times I can't help but wish for Karma to come around.

 

ps  Plenty of folks are pissed and aren't pleased that the US is the way it is with health care - with this not helping.  I've heard what I've heard from those who feel the gov't shouldn't be involved in health care.

 

 

DH's company pays $1,200/month and we pay $1,000/month and have zero coverage until we hit a $12,000 deductible. We pay $1,000/month and then still pay every doctor bill and prescription 100%.  If we had a big medical expense year, it would be worth it but year after year we don't hit deductible (because we can't afford to).  My DS has a chronic condition that is supposed to be followed annually with a test that would cost us $10,000 out of pocket but we always opt to skip it because we just don't have the extra $10,000 laying around.  So frustrating.  

Edited by Attolia
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If I understand, the U.S. Congress must specify, in laws they pass, and are signed into Law, which things the U.S. Government is authorized to pay? There is apparently nothing in the ACA/ObamaCare regulations that authorizes those subsidy payments to private insurance companies?  If that is the case, the Congress will need to pass a law, authorizing those subsidy payments to private companies.

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Since ObamaCare, our costs have skyrocketed, with almost no coverage and a high deductible. How can they justify making it worse

 

Healthcare premiums were always horrible if you were sick--if you could even get coverage. I used to bill insurance in the 90s, and I had the awful responsibility of informing families their million dollar cap had come up and insurance was no longer paying their claims.

 

Obamacare is as bad as it is because of compromises across the aisle. The same people who ensured it would be bad are making it worse in the name of choice.

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They were bound to make a jump with all the uncertainty. Insurance for the next calendar year should be all set and not being negotiated at this time. Insurance doesn't work if everyone doesn't play, individuals, states, fed and some restraints of profit. My guess is that the overall profits of health insurance will increase this year. 

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Since ObamaCare, our costs have skyrocketed, with almost no coverage and a high deductible.  How can they justify making it worse?

 

Because it's not about helping anyone or making anything better, it's about winning a point in whatever game this is.  Only it's not a game, it's all of us.

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If I understand, the U.S. Congress must specify, in laws they pass, and are signed into Law, which things the U.S. Government is authorized to pay? There is apparently nothing in the ACA/ObamaCare regulations that authorizes those subsidy payments to private insurance companies?  If that is the case, the Congress will need to pass a law, authorizing those subsidy payments to private companies.

 

The point is they've been doing it all this time.  Why now?  Why done this way when it will screw everyone even further?

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DH's company pays $1,200/month and we pay $1,000/month and have zero coverage until we hit a $12,000 deductible. We pay $1,000/month and then still pay every doctor bill and prescription 100%.  If we had a big medical expense year, it would be worth it but year after year we don't hit deductible (because we can't afford to).  My DS has a chronic condition that is supposed to be followed annually with a test that would cost us $10,000 out of pocket but we always opt to skip it because we just don't have the extra $10,000 laying around.  So frustrating.

 

I get it.  I'm as frustrated as the next person that our country is as dumb and selfish as it is when it comes to health care.

 

It's a big part of why my mind hopes Karma comes around.  That seems to be the only thing that can give people some empathy.

 

But those making the laws and running the companies all have theirs (good health care and plenty of money partly from health insurance or similar stocks) so...  :glare:

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Since ObamaCare, our costs have skyrocketed, with almost no coverage and a high deductible.  How can they justify making it worse?

 

Since ObamaCare, our costs have finally come down after going up year after year after year. 

We finally have coverage that actually covers something, and we can sometimes afford to use it. 

I agree that I don't understand how they can justify making it worse.

 

What happened to that better, cheaper healthcare for more people that was promised during campaign season?

Edited by Amy in NH
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They were bound to make a jump with all the uncertainty. Insurance for the next calendar year should be all set and not being negotiated at this time. Insurance doesn't work if everyone doesn't play, individuals, states, fed and some restraints of profit. My guess is that the overall profits of health insurance will increase this year.

Last night's Executive Order just ended subsidies. People won't be able to afford to line the pockets of health insurers

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I welcome any changes to the system. Go for it. Figuratively bomb it, for all I care. The ACA ruined an already bad system and made it worse in an entirely predictable fashion. Anything that destroys the ACA is an improvement at this point. I’d rather not go single payer, but anything the congress and president can do to dismantle this is welcome. The current system is simply unsustainably unaffordable, much worse than what it replaced. For our family it made dropping insurance the only cost effective alternative. I’m thankful cost sharing and then an employer taking a massive hit for insurance premiums stepped in that gap. But I’m done with this. I’m beyond done with paying massive amounts of money and not actually getting anything for it. Go cash pay and catastrophic? Fine. Vouchers? Fine. Premium caps? Whatever. Single payer? If you can pay for it and everyone has a stake? Yeah, okay.

 

Promises and fantasy land scenarios and lies are all ending up the same way from both parties at this point.

 

Flame away

 

I get the frustration. I have it too. My question is that I don't understand how people have worse insurance? All ACA plans are required to cover preventative care and no yearly or lifetime caps. They're required to cover mental health benefits, dental and vision for kids and a bunch of stuff I'm forgetting. 

 

The price is killing us, as a family. Because we buy from the exchange, we have to use our post-tax income on premiums. BCBS is going up 12% next year, which means for a family plan with dental, we're looking at about $2200/month in premiums. We have a deductible on top of that. So, it sucks and DH and I are seriously considering going without insurance for a year and just covering DS. 

 

We make just a hair over the limit for receiving tax premium assistance, so we will end up having to pay about 1/3 of our income towards health insurance next year. WHICH IS RIDICULOUS. It's more than my entire take-home paycheck. So I don't know what we are going to do. 

 

But, although they're super expensive, the coverage is mandated to be good. Here are our BCBS VT plans for next year. Dental is about $300/month on top of it. The plan we have this year is the gold standard. Next year, it's about $1850 +$300 for dental = $2150. 

 

http://www.bcbsvt.com/wps/wcm/connect/0d29ba0a-f166-458d-a375-ad2ef4484942/2018-bcbsvt-qhps-quick-compare-group.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

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Healthcare premiums were always horrible if you were sick--if you could even get coverage. I used to bill insurance in the 90s, and I had the awful responsibility of informing families their million dollar cap had come up and insurance was no longer paying their claims.

 

Obamacare is as bad as it is because of compromises across the aisle. The same people who ensured it would be bad are making it worse in the name of choice.

In the late 80's and early 90's my mom worked in a small doctors office where the nurses and office staff rotated insurance billing. No one could do the job full time, it was too demoralizing dealing insurance companies decided they would not cover a life saving treatment or medication because it was too expensive.

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I get the frustration. I have it too. My question is that I don't understand how people have worse insurance? All ACA plans are required to cover preventative care and no yearly or lifetime caps. They're required to cover mental health benefits, dental and vision for kids and a bunch of stuff I'm forgetting. 

 

The price is killing us, as a family. Because we buy from the exchange, we have to use our post-tax income on premiums. BCBS is going up 12% next year, which means for a family plan with dental, we're looking at about $2200/month in premiums. We have a deductible on top of that. So, it sucks and DH and I are seriously considering going without insurance for a year and just covering DS. 

 

We make just a hair over the limit for receiving tax premium assistance, so we will end up having to pay about 1/3 of our income towards health insurance next year. WHICH IS RIDICULOUS. It's more than my entire take-home paycheck. So I don't know what we are going to do. 

 

But, although they're super expensive, the coverage is mandated to be good. Here are our BCBS VT plans for next year. Dental is about $300/month on top of it. The plan we have this year is the gold standard. Next year, it's about $1850 +$300 for dental = $2150. 

 

http://www.bcbsvt.com/wps/wcm/connect/0d29ba0a-f166-458d-a375-ad2ef4484942/2018-bcbsvt-qhps-quick-compare-group.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

 

A plan "covering" something isn't the same as the insurance company actually paying for it or charging a sane rate to cover it.

 

There's a dentist near us who has a package for self-pay.  For one person: $300/year gets your two cleanings/exams, a set of x-rays, and 20% off any other work you might need.  For the price of your dental premiums, her offer would cover routine dental care for 12 people each year.

 

I don't know what to do for super expensive stuff, though, honestly.  I know one visit to a neurologist can cost $100k.  This fortunately relatively healthy family dropped Medicaid, remained self-pay, and will pay the fine for the freedom to do so.  I can get better deals and doctors both on my own than I can with insurance.

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The point is they've been doing it all this time.  Why now?  Why done this way when it will screw everyone even further?

 

Because it is not permitted by the U.S. Constitution?  The subsidy payments, to private companies, were not authorized, by the U.S. Congress, in any law.  The U.S. Congress will need to write a law that authorizes those payments to private companies. There needs to be a provision in the law that permits those payments to private companies. That provision does not exist at this time. Those payments are illegal.  

 

It would be interesting, if the U.S. Government tries to "claw back" those payments to the private insurance companies who've received them in the past...   If they subsidize private insurance companies, today,  who will they subsidize tomorrow, without it being a matter of law?  

 

I agree with your last question. It will, at least temporarily, add more confusion, to an already problematic system.  

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Healthcare premiums were always horrible if you were sick--if you could even get coverage. I used to bill insurance in the 90s, and I had the awful responsibility of informing families their million dollar cap had come up and insurance was no longer paying their claims.

 

Obamacare is as bad as it is because of compromises across the aisle. The same people who ensured it would be bad are making it worse in the name of choice.

Also, there was a chart I saw (I'll try to find it) that showed the steady increase in healthcare premiums before and after Obamacare. The trend for premiums was going up regardless. I do think that the implementation of Obamacare bumped premiums a bit, but now they're following the same upward pattern. And I agree that the concessions made in order to pass the healthcare law contributed to this.

 

ETA: I wanted to comment but forgot, that I thought we were moving in the right direction by passing Obamacare, though I really hoped for a single payer system. Access to standard healthcare needs to be a right for every citizen, not a dream. We have chosen to take our chances, paying for healthcare for our family out of pocket, with a backup catastrophic policy, as we are both self employed and can't afford the premium plus the deductibles.

Edited by extendedforecast
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<snip>

 

But those making the laws and running the companies all have theirs (good health care and plenty of money partly from health insurance or similar stocks) so...  :glare:

 

And the Pharmaceutical companies...  I was astonished, earlier this year, or last year, when a U.S. Senator I normally respect threatened Colombia, if they came out with a Generic drug for I think Hemophiliacs, because of the price the Pharmaceutical company was charging here in Colombia.  The Pharmaceutical industry and Health Insurance companies, and the Hospitals and doctors and everyone pay tremendous sums of money, to people on both sides of the aisle, and that money gets them tremendous results. The system is currently set up the way those industries want it set up.

 

That U.S. Senator threatened Colombia that if they began producing that drug here, he would cut off the aid we are supposed to get for the so-called "Peace" plan with the guerrillas.  The 2 issues have nothing to do with each other, but his loyalty is to the Pharmaceutical company, which is based in the EU. They pay him for that influence...

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In the late 80's and early 90's my mom worked in a small doctors office where the nurses and office staff rotated insurance billing. No one could do the job full time, it was too demoralizing dealing insurance companies decided they would not cover a life saving treatment or medication because it was too expensive.

 

I moved from TX during February 1995, so this was before that...  My primary Physician (an Internal Medicine/Cardiologist) had approximately 6 or 7 people working in his office, full time.  One of them did nothing but handle Insurance claims.  In those days, it was probably far more simple than it is for them today. He probably has 2 or 3 people doing that Insurance work now, but I'm guessing.  It is a nightmare for the providers and part of what the patients pay to the providers goes for handling that "overhead".  

 

OT: In those days, I did have Major Medical coverage, that I paid for myself, but it didn't cover a lot of things, so I had some examinations done in Mexico, where the care is excellent and the cost is much lower. I had a *thorough* physical examination done in Cancun and that M.D. (in TX) told me he was very impressed with the workup the doctor in Cancun had done.  I would not have been able to have that kind of physical exam in the USA, because it was not covered by my Major Medical policy and was too expensive for me to pay out-of-pocket, as I did in Mexico.

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m

News flash, sick people aren’t actually monolithic in their support of healthcare alternatives either. I’ve paid those 10k premiums six of the last eight years. More than half our long standing debt has been medical. I still don’t agree with you on this. Karma is a nice way of saying that you hope people suffer so they see things your way. Lovely.

 

As long as your definition of "seeing things your way" means everyone gets health care when they need it without having to worry about whether or not they can afford it, then yes, I guess it is.

 

I don't think ACA is great FWIW.  I'd like to see something better and I don't particularly care who comes up with it.  I think there are worse things though... and cutting subsidies fits in there as it hits that affordability factor for many more.   

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I moved from TX during February 1995, so this was before that... My primary Physician (an Internal Medicine/Cardiologist) had approximately 6 or 7 people working in his office, full time. One of them did nothing but handle Insurance claims. In those days, it was probably far more simple than it is for them today. He probably has 2 or 3 people doing that Insurance work now, but I'm guessing. It is a nightmare for the providers and part of what the patients pay to the providers goes for handling that "overhead".

 

.

Definitely not the case.It was at least as complicated, if not more so due to differing contracts, rates, capitations, coverages, disallowed charges, etc. My husband has been in health care finance for 30 years and single payer may ensure he loses his job. I'm rooting for it anyway. Edited by Barb_
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Also, there was a chart I saw (I'll try to find it) that showed the steady increase in healthcare premiums before and after Obamacare. The trend for premiums was going up regardless. I do think that the implementation of Obamacare bumped premiums a bit, but now they're following the same upward pattern. And I agree that the concessions made in order to pass the healthcare law contributed to this.

 

ETA: I wanted to comment but forgot, that I thought we were moving in the right direction by passing Obamacare, though I really hoped for a single payer system. Access to standard healthcare needs to be a right for every citizen, not a dream. We have chosen to take our chances, paying for healthcare for our family out of pocket, with a backup catastrophic policy, as we are both self employed and can't afford the premium plus the deductibles.

Yep I saw this too.  I'm thinking the bump was a simple act of greed on the parts of the insurance companies.  They took advantage of a change to wail and moan so they could hike premiums.  

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This is scary. Since I don't have an employer to get coverage through I have to pay for an individual policy and before the ACA it was too expensive to even get a crappy policy. The ACA dropped the price for individual coverage for me to where it was closer to what people pay through employers so I could afford it plus it actually includes at least decent coverage now. If prices go up then I'm back to not being covered at all which means I could lose everything if I end up hospitalized :( sigh.

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This is scary. Since I don't have an employer to get coverage through I have to pay for an individual policy and before the ACA it was too expensive to even get a crappy policy. The ACA dropped the price for individual coverage for me to where it was closer to what people pay through employers so I could afford it plus it actually includes at least decent coverage now. If prices go up then I'm back to not being covered at all which means I could lose everything if I end up hospitalized :( sigh.

:grouphug:

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Yep I saw this too. I'm thinking the bump was a simple act of greed on the parts of the insurance companies. They took advantage of a change to wail and moan so they could hike premiums.

Insurance companies profits are through the roof. I saw it called a "profit spiral". Just google health insurance profits 2017 for an eyeful

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Also, there was a chart I saw (I'll try to find it) that showed the steady increase in healthcare premiums before and after Obamacare. The trend for premiums was going up regardless. I do think that the implementation of Obamacare bumped premiums a bit, but now they're following the same upward pattern. And I agree that the concessions made in order to pass the healthcare law contributed to this.

 

The trend for premiums was definitely going up. That why at the time we perceived the US healthcare system to be in crisis. Healthcare reform wasn't implemented because the system was working well.

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Yep insurance companies make millions and spend a lot on trying to get people to believe that all sorts of things cause them to increase rates when it's really just greed.

The change happening now is that subsidies to insurance companies from the govt are being stopped because those subsidies are not legal.

 

Mandating people buy a product from a private company and then sending govt subsidies to those private companies (illegally!) in order to artificially change prices that the ACA by its very nature raised in the first place was always a bad idea. Now we're reaping what we sowed.

Edited by EmseB
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Barb, I am wondering about what happens when hospitals write off people's bills. For example, is someone comes in and cannot pay but gets treated, where does the money come from? Certainly all of the workers still get paid and the electricity stays on, etc. I am not being snarky. I really wonder about this. I read people say all the time that they called the hospital and it cancelled some huge portion of their bill. Since your DH is is hospital finance, I thought you might have the answer.

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Barb, I am wondering about what happens when hospitals write off people's bills. For example, is someone comes in and cannot pay but gets treated, where does the money come from? Certainly all of the workers still get paid and the electricity stays on, etc. I am not being snarky. I really wonder about this. I read people say all the time that they called the hospital and it cancelled some huge portion of their bill. Since your DH is is hospital finance, I thought you might have the answer.

We all do, in the form of higher prices.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/who-bears-the-cost-of-the-uninsured-nonprofit-hospitals/amp

 

The government has some set aside for indigent care but the rest has to come out of any profits and compensation. A certain amount of uninsured coverage is averaged into hospital budgets each year

Edited by Barb_
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Insurance companies profits are through the roof. I saw it called a "profit spiral". Just google health insurance profits 2017 for an eyeful

For comparison purposes:  Return on Equity for Target last year was 22.33%; for Costco it was 23.44%--for Humana it was only 5.84%; for Aetna it was only 13.36%  

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Yep I saw this too.  I'm thinking the bump was a simple act of greed on the parts of the insurance companies.  They took advantage of a change to wail and moan so they could hike premiums.  

 

I posted data on this multiple times on this board, but everyone time the discussion would come up again there would be those who acted like rates had not been increasing at an unsustainable prior to the ACA.  There is a reason this was a hot topic in the 1992 election.

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It's a big part of why my mind hopes Karma comes around. That seems to be the only thing that can give people some empathy.

 

But those making the laws and running the companies all have theirs (good health care and plenty of money partly from health insurance or similar stocks) so... :glare:

This! I could say so much, but I will get into trouble, I'm sure. I'll just say that I sure hope that Senator McCain has met a few children in the waiting room at Mayo. You gain a little perspective after talking with families of kids with cancer.

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Affordable Care Act was the first time I could get coverage without an employer plan.  I had been in Florida's high risk pool, which had crappy care, sky rocketing costs, and bad coverage--but was better than nothing.  I also faced being pregnant (high risk) without insurance but ineligible for Medicaid pre-ACA.  That was a thrill, let me tell you.  Current coverage is an employer sponsored plan with  a 30% co-insurance, no max.  I live in fear of cancer or a bad accident.

 

I first started having my own health insurance back in 1990.  It has grown progressively more expensive, with worst care regardless of who is in office.  ACA did help in eliminating the coverage caps, eliminating pre-existing conditions, ensuring that some basic preventative things are covered.  It didn't go far enough.  Medicare for all, paid for through a VAT and/or payroll tax, is the only thing that makes sense to me. Time to take the power away from the for-profit insurance agencies.

Edited by umsami
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For comparison purposes: Return on Equity for Target last year was 22.33%; for Costco it was 23.44%--for Humana it was only 5.84%; for Aetna it was only 13.36%

1. Failure to cite sources

2. Cherry picking data (for example, Walmart has averaged 10%-11% this year)

3. Are you saying insurance companies are hurting because they aren't making the kind of profits Costco makes? I don't even know where to begin there because I reject your premise

 

 

Health insurance companies are NOT hurting because of the ACA, which is the reason they gave for the large bump. The fact that retail companies are more profitable is completely irrelevant to the converstaon.

 

Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Humana and UnitedHealth Group — the big five for-profit insurers — cumulatively collected $4.5 billion in net earnings in the first three months of 2017. That was by far the biggest first-quarter haul for the group since the ACA exchanges went live in 2014

Here is the source/

 

https://www.axios.com/profits-are-booming-at-health-insurance-companies-2418194773.html

 

Edited to remove crappy example

Edited by Barb_
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Time to take the power away from the for-profit insurance agencies.

The fact that insurance companies or hospitals are beholden to shareholders at all should give us reason to pause and ask ourselves, "why in earth is that the case?"

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We were eligible for the highest subsidies and still couldn't afford an insurance plan. It would have taken almost 25% of our take home pay plus deductibles and co-pays. None of the many local hospitals or doctors accepted the lower priced plans either. We make a little too much for expanded Medicaid. It's fortunate we were able to get into a healthshare because we've had two major injuries this year so we at least have some help paying for them. Health insurance is so messed up, I don't know if anything can make it worse.

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We were eligible for the highest subsidies and still couldn't afford an insurance plan. It would have taken almost 25% of our take home pay plus deductibles and co-pays. None of the many local hospitals or doctors accepted the lower priced plans either. We make a little too much for expanded Medicaid. It's fortunate we were able to get into a healthshare because we've had two major injuries this year so we at least have some help paying for them. Health insurance is so messed up, I don't know if anything can make it worse.

 

"Oh yeah? Hold my beer." -- Congress

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I posted data on this multiple times on this board, but everyone time the discussion would come up again there would be those who acted like rates had not been increasing at an unsustainable prior to the ACA.  There is a reason this was a hot topic in the 1992 election.

 

It's been a hot topic longer than that. Barbara Jordan referenced it in the opening to the Watergate hearings. 

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We are pawns in a game, where the players don't risk anything. 

 

Anyone here who thought healthcare was affordable and not going up every year before ACA, I want to visit your cloud, it seems like a nice lovely fantasy land.

 

But deliberately slashing benefits in a way that won't save the government a penny, that's a new low.

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We are pawns in a game, where the players don't risk anything. 

 

Anyone here who thought healthcare was affordable and not going up every year before ACA, I want to visit your cloud, it seems like a nice lovely fantasy land.

 

But deliberately slashing benefits in a way that won't save the government a penny, that's a new low.

 

I just heard some startling numbers on NPR. It will "save" $7 billion, but cost $200 billion. The tax credits aren't going away, just the cost-sharing piece. The premium increases will be passed on to the federal government for the 85% of people on the exchange who receive the tax credits. 

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I could fix healthcare, easy.

 

1. Ninety percent of healthcare dollars are spent in the last 5 years of life. Eliminate those last five years by focusing on hospice care rather than prolonging life. Ouch. This is like killing grandma.

 

2. Also, eliminate risky procedures. Did I see the UK is thinking of postponing some surgeries for the obese until there is weight loss? (I hope this was a Facebook fake news) Obesity is just one risk factor for surgical complications. I would guess it should be OK to eliminate surgeries for anyone who has any type of risk factor.

 

3. Get rid of lawyers.

 

4. Get rid of unnecessary tests. Do not allow patients to request expensive testing.

 

5. Get rid of insurance covering expected expenses. Go back to Major Medical. We all know we will have to buy birth control pills, a couple of doctor visits a year for colds and sore throats. This regular, routine stuff should not be insured. We all know we will get hungry after church on Sundays. There is no reason to purchase insurance, which would add to the costs, of Sunday dinner.

 

6. Get rid of government mandated medical practices. It is not the recommendations that are bad. Most are based on decent evidence. But, the government requires more administrators to prove healthcare is in compliance. Administrators now outnumber those actually taking care of the patients. I am sick of seeing hospitals continually cutting staff in patient care areas just to add more administrative positions.

 

7. Get rid of all the middlemen. Healthcare should be between the patient and the doctor. No one else should get a vote, certainly not some foreigner sitting in a basement office deciding what tests will be allowed. The back and forth crap between healthcare providers and payers has gotten beyond ridiculous.

 

8. Get rid of malpractice lawsuits. While surprisingly, this doesn’t add a ton of cost to Medicine directly, indirectly it does. The amount of over-prescribing and over-testing is beyond out of control.

 

9. Life sucks and then you die. Get rid of the perception that healthcare is the road to happiness. It should not be considered a way to be totally pain free, stress free, emotion free, and glamorous appearing. These perceptions have created a bunch of addicts, very expensive procedures, and even more expensive drugs.

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Aww gee, but I thought some magical unicorn was gonna come into office and make it all better...and it would be so great and we'd love it....

 

huh...seems the unicorn has forsaken us... :ohmy:

That's the thing about unicorns. They are so dang elusive.

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