Ottakee Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I have been getting emails about Marketplace Health Insurance---the new Obama Care stuff???? Anyway, it looks like it would really help dh and I. Right now we are paying $1300/month in health insurance premiums as he had a heart attack 2 years ago and I had open heart surgery 40 years ago (but am totally healthy on no meds). They are showing premiums of only about $200/month and max out of pocket of $4500----just estimates but that would be about $8000/year savings which is HUGE. Who funds this though? Are there any "catches"? Dh is currently unemployed but very actively looking. We are in a very high unemployment area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Well, they are still with normal insurance companies. The subsidy kicks in based off of % of federal poverty level. My state isn't operating an exchange so our state will be part of the fed exchange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Lava Mama Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Be very careful before you sign up for anything! I have been reading about tons of scams going around right now that are ripping people off. It would be very terrible with your situation if you were scammed with this! (I haven't heard of that company you mentioned, but I haven't been following the nitty-gritty details, either.) Many people who are expecting "great" deals just end up being parted from their money, so be sure to check out the company, first. I have heard that the scammers are targeting elderly people and unemployed people, by the way. Perhaps there is an official number somewhere that you can call and make sure they are legitimate? Maybe try the health and welfare government site, first? As far as who is funding this: it is me, my neighbor, the guy down the street, anyone who pays taxes. It's the companies who now have to pay taxes on medical devices. It's the extra taxes on the sale of a home. (Yep, look it up.) The taxes are everywhere. I won't even get started on what they are doing to the economy, but, yeah, taxes are paying for it. Good luck! I do hope you get help! :) Hot Lava Mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted September 12, 2013 Author Share Posted September 12, 2013 What I am looking at is supposed to be the official government site, not any off shoots or private ones, etc. I certainly don't want to be scammed. I know the money has to come from some where. Right now health insurance is just killing us. It is about 25% of our monthly budget but we can't be without it. No place like Medishare or Samaritan's purse or other "Christian medical sharing" program would take us due to dh's heart attack and my previous heart surgery. Dh is very actively looking for a job---applying for 5-10 each and every day but there is just not much out there and even less that offer health insurance. Thankfully we are debt free and have an emergency fund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I don't know the specifics of what you mention, but I would expect significant savings in your situation. The new law is supposed to make it so anyone can buy true group insurance like that that was previously only available to corporations (or other very large groups). Insurance is supposed to work that the group shares the risk, but prior to this law private individual insurance was only available to low-risk people or higher risk people paid three, four, five, ten times the normal premium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 I don't know the specifics of what you mention, but I would expect significant savings in your situation. The new law is supposed to make it so anyone can buy true group insurance like that that was previously only available to corporations (or other very large groups). Insurance is supposed to work that the group shares the risk, but prior to this law private individual insurance was only available to low-risk people or higher risk people paid three, four, five, ten times the normal premium. This. The grand conservative idea circa 1990s was that you got everyone on the insurance pool, not just the sick people, but the kids and healthy adults. Then, much like an employer based group coverage, you spread out the risk amongst the entire pool and as a result premiums go down. For a certain section of the country, the government kicks in a portion of the premuium based upon income so that they can afford the insurance. The idea being that people like the OP can get the necessary medical care and onot be excluded because of pre-existing conditions. You know...so people don't go bankrupt because of insurance or medical care. I could care less about the taxes that I pay that go towards it. I wanted single-payer, but if this is what we have at this point then I consider it a cost of civilization and I happen to like civilization. OP - Open enrollment's coming up next month. Depending on the state you live in, you'll either go through the federal government's website or your state's website. Open enrollment on the exchange works the very same way as employer based coverage, if you miss open enrollment, you either have to wait for a qualifying event or the next calendar year so watch your dates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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