Well said. But it's worth pointing out that lots of people were on the other side too, no health insurance until Obamacare.
lol +1
I had the opposite experience - we had to step down to a cheaper insurance plan and our prescription costs rose significantly. Both plans were health savings accounts so the cost is 100% out of our HSA account either way. Why the hell would a not-for-profit insurance company like BCBST negotiate separate prescription prices for different levels of plans when the BCBST cost is zero until we've made our deductible? Are they paying the old price after we've made our deductible while we're paying the new higher price until then?
I'm not sure what you're referring to as a lower limit on deductibles set by the ACA. My plan is administered by BCBS, and my annual deductible is $0. I just pay copays. In fact, I just got a check the other day from my doctor for $20. Seems my 2 visits were considered "wellness" visits; I go in for a check-up every 6 months, blood work, etc., and I'm not supposed to have paid a copay for them.
In 2012 or 2013 we all received letters from BCBST that stated our deductible would increase from $2,700 to $3,700. Our family rates decreased about $200 a year for this lower deductible IIRC. The reason stated was that the ACA mandated a minimum $3,700 deductible for HSAs. Now, I recognize that Obamacare mandated certain freebies that were not previously provided, so our health insurance costs increase. Since BCBST is a not-for-profit, obviously our costs have to go up to cover this, which could be handled by raising the deductible or increasing the premium. I'm okay with either of those; there is no free lunch. My problem is that this change was specifically attributed to the ACA mandating a higher deductible for our HSA, and that apparently isn't true. There is a minimum deductible for HSAs, but unless I'm missing something we were already over it.
I agree, but that's kind of a cop-out. Some smart people figured out the exact number at which the new, higher deductible balanced the new, slightly lower premium. Now, I'm not at all sure if this included the cost of Obama's freebies as this was a grandfathered plan and when it was dropped, the new Obamacare-mandated cost (which definitely included the cost of Obama's freebies in addition to normal medical inflation) was simply beyond our means, so we had to step down a tier to the cheap plan. Therefore I don't have an apples-to-apples comparison, so it's possible that some requirements affected the grandfathered plan and others affected only the ACA-compliant replacement plan. It's also possible that none of the mandated freebies were in the cost. I don't know, but the letter was written very clearly blaming the increased deductible on the ACA. It appears (though I'm far from certain) that was not true. If so, I don't believe it was accidental because of the regulatory maze because the underlying calculations are not at all trivial. BCBST's actuaries had to calculate their outlays at the new, higher deductible (not an easy calculation since not everyone meets the deductible every year, and an extra $1,000 will definitely affect behavior) to arrive at the properly decreased premium.
Dunno. I've only had one emergency room visit in the last twenty years and it was wrapped around a fairly expensive hospital stay.
How much do you pay per month for your health insurance? I always wondered with teachers. I'm hoping they take care of you.
Also: we need goat kid pics
It`s a Newell Steamer thread what did you expect.......Hell...even that Jedi guy has more truthful threads.......
Facebook
Twitter