Anyone else seeing their healthcare premiums skyrocket?

[Attic]

Is cost of healthcare going down or not? The ACA was written and designed to get more folks into health insurance to feed/ensure insurance company profits, not decrease healthcare costs. Now a bunch of folks who can't afford healthcare costs can get subsidized health insurance (good but not free). Insurance companies have guaranteed profits thanks to back room deals if they keep premiums from skyrocketing for a few years. Fireworks will go off after a few years when the full exposure of the law is revealed. Healthcare costs have not been solved, that was the REAL problem with our healthcare system.

I've never seen so many of my stanch republican friends support the ACA (most thes guys make a living in health insurance and one does a 40k month rent on beachfront, another just bought a 100k Aston Martin) that was the tip off for me as to what the ACA was really about, $$$ first.

The ACA was a clever (somewhat to the kool aid drinkers) redistribution of wealth.

Thanks for doing your part. If you were on the other side of the equation you'd sing a different tune?

The law was designed by insurance companies and sold to the public with one lie after another. The lying part is fairly standard operating procedure for government (Obama pre election #1 a noteable and refreshing exception). The subsidies have to be offset by something/s.

Now one of the most productive countries in the history of the world can give affordable health insurance (Not affordable health care!!!) to its people. Real winners were health insurance companies who can pocket over market prices from people who couldn't otherwise prop up insurance company profits. The ACA tackled a part of the problem of massive wealth inequality in the USA, but it subsidized the massive wealth inequality in the country. Health insurance execs who have fucked over many decent people are enjoying beachfront property designed and signed off on the ACA. Don't be a fool as to what the motivation for this law was, $$$ to a few people through incredible gamesmanship from your gubment overlords.

 

[Matt1970]

Is cost of healthcare going down or not? The ACA was written and designed to get more folks into health insurance to feed/ensure insurance company profits, not decrease healthcare costs.

That would be a goalpost move unless you never heard the repeated promise of $2500 savings.

 

[Jhhnn]

I don't know why you're asking me these questions. My employer paid 100% of my premiums and also told us exactly how much they paid. I didn't compare the cost before ACA and after to my company. I switched to my wife's plan when I switched jobs last year and it was very reasonable to put me on it. I can't comment on how much it did or did not go up. I've had friends who told me their premiums went up significantly, but I haven't asked for details because it isn't any of my business.

Nothing personal- I just used your attack on Dave as a segue to talk about the incessant & dishonest whining about the ACA. Somebody throws up some numbers they don't even understand & it's a dogpile of well indoctrinated know-nothing malcontents.

 

[zephyrprime]

My employer pays $1600/month per employee for their policy. That doesn't seem very high at all.

$1600 a month is nuts. My monthly premium for PRIVATE health insurance is $204. Even the full cost of my parents' policies is a lot less than $1600 a month and they are ~76 yo. Your employer is getting reamed. I've gotten kobra notices before when I've left jobs and the premiums were around $500. The management at your workplace must be getting kickbacks in the form of BJs from the insurance seller to accept premiums that high when you could get much cheaper insurance anywhere.

 

[zephyrprime]

It looks like those are the rates for the government subsidized plans.

For the sake of the country I hope you are right that insurance premiums for government sponsored and private insurance purchased by employers are both lower, and it is just my employer screwing me. I truly hope that you are right.

You're not understanding the system. Government subsidized plans and private plans are the SAME PLANS. What makes a plan subsidized is whether or not the buyer is poor. If you are poor, the government will pay for part or all of your premium. The plan and the premium costs is the same as a rich person could buy.

 

[zephyrprime]

Is cost of healthcare going down or not? The ACA was written and designed to get more folks into health insurance to feed/ensure insurance company profits, not decrease healthcare costs. Now a bunch of folks who can't afford healthcare costs can get subsidized health insurance (good but not free).

That's all true but the subsidy money isn't paid for from premiums. It comes from tax revenue. Any increase in the cost of nationwide health care will show up in increased taxes or government debt - not premiums. ACA provides more insurance benefits to everyone ergo it will raise insurance premiums costs. However, it also pulls more people into the system and reduces expensive emergency room costs due to people without insurance. This reduces insurance premium costs. The net effect is essentially zero.

Again - people are looking for increased costs in the wrong place. They will not be present in premiums - they will show up in taxes.

 

[piasabird]

I am trying to get my wife on disability till she is 62 and can get some SS. This is probably happening a lot in the USA.

 

[alcoholbob]

$1600 a month is nuts. My monthly premium for PRIVATE health insurance is $204. Even the full cost of my parents' policies is a lot less than $1600 a month and they are ~76 yo. Your employer is getting reamed. I've gotten kobra notices before when I've left jobs and the premiums were around $500. The management at your workplace must be getting kickbacks in the form of BJs from the insurance seller to accept premiums that high when you could get much cheaper insurance anywhere.

When I shopped for private insurers in my area the four insurers I looked at were offering $800-$900/month for $1500 deductible plans so I dont think my company is being reamed, its just health care costs are bananas in my area.

 

[HumblePie]

LOL at the people complaining about high premiums. Most of the businesses around here don't pay much into premiums unless they are DoD contract jobs. Even then, it's a slight amount more usually.

For myself, to get the basic shitties bronze tier marketplace equivalent coverage from my employer it's $150 a month for myself. $350 for a spouse, and $530 to a family. That's $530 for a family bronze tier package. It's basically $25 cheaper a month than just going to the market place because that is really all my employer contributes $25 to the employee, and nothing to spouses or family plans. It's crap. Which means I am basically paying marketplace prices, which strangely enough, are cheaper for silver/gold tiers than what I can get through my employer for equivalent packages.

 

[Jhhnn]

When I shopped for private insurers in my area the four insurers I looked at were offering $800-$900/month for $1500 deductible plans so I dont think my company is being reamed, its just health care costs are bananas in my area.

Silver grade family plans, correct?

If your family income is less that ~$94K, Exchange plans provide sliding scale subsidies. Not much at the high end, but substantial at moderate to low incomes. It's often a lot more economical than COBRA coverage for the temporarily unemployed because of the subsidies & the fact that it isn't a full benefits package. No vision, dental, whatever.

Most employers subsidize their own plans at a higher rate, however.

 

[alzan]

Insurance costs for myself and my wife went down ~40%.

w00t!!

 

[werepossum]

Insurance costs for myself and my wife went down ~40%.

w00t!!

Hey NetGuySC, here's the guy Obama makes you subsidize. Get him!

Mine went down a tiny bit, but our out of pocket jumped a grand so bottom line we are paying a few hundred a year more which isn't too bad considering that the purpose is to make everyone pay more to subsidize those who had no insurance. Policy isn't as good though - it pays out less, so we've lost a few hospitals and a few doctors who won't accept this plan. I'm still good with both major chains and all my doctors but one. Interestingly, my family doctor's multi-doctor practice sold out to a major hospital chain just before Obamacare; they needed the bargaining power against the insurance companies similarly reducing the provider pay-outs.

Honestly our biggest change is the number of new people coming on board. Several of our employees have spouses who are teachers in the surrounding government school systems. They had that great gubmint insurance - dental, vision, butt-wiping, etc. (We have the, um, more basic version: "Your insurance doesn't cover enemas, so I'm gonna have to slap the shit out of you before your endoscopy.") The cost of those plans skyrocketed, and the school systems have responded by drastically raising the employee contribution AND kicking spouses off the plans. I'm just hoping we don't lose employees to big companies with better insurance.

 

[brycejones]

Nothing personal- I just used your attack on Dave as a segue to talk about the incessant & dishonest whining about the ACA. Somebody throws up some numbers they don't even understand & it's a dogpile of well indoctrinated know-nothing malcontents.

I prefer the term nattering nabobs of negativism.

 

[zephyrprime]

LOL at the people complaining about high premiums. Most of the businesses around here don't pay much into premiums unless they are DoD contract jobs. Even then, it's a slight amount more usually.

For myself, to get the basic shitties bronze tier marketplace equivalent coverage from my employer it's $150 a month for myself. $350 for a spouse, and $530 to a family. That's $530 for a family bronze tier package. It's basically $25 cheaper a month than just going to the market place because that is really all my employer contributes $25 to the employee, and nothing to spouses or family plans. It's crap. Which means I am basically paying marketplace prices, which strangely enough, are cheaper for silver/gold tiers than what I can get through my employer for equivalent packages.

Your best bet would be to get insurance for yourself and buy private insurance for your spouse. If you have kids, you can get them covered under your spouse for nothing.

 

[alzan]

Hey NetGuySC, here's the guy Obama makes you subsidize. Get him!

Mine went down a tiny bit, but our out of pocket jumped a grand so bottom line we are paying a few hundred a year more which isn't too bad considering that the purpose is to make everyone pay more to subsidize those who had no insurance. Policy isn't as good though - it pays out less, so we've lost a few hospitals and a few doctors who won't accept this plan. I'm still good with both major chains and all my doctors but one. Interestingly, my family doctor's multi-doctor practice sold out to a major hospital chain just before Obamacare; they needed the bargaining power against the insurance companies similarly reducing the provider pay-outs.

Honestly our biggest change is the number of new people coming on board. Several of our employees have spouses who are teachers in the surrounding government school systems. They had that great gubmint insurance - dental, vision, butt-wiping, etc. (We have the, um, more basic version: "Your insurance doesn't cover enemas, so I'm gonna have to slap the shit out of you before your endoscopy.") The cost of those plans skyrocketed, and the school systems have responded by drastically raising the employee contribution AND kicking spouses off the plans. I'm just hoping we don't lose employees to big companies with better insurance.

Actually they went down because my wife now works for a healthcare provider that has a company-provided insurance plan; I don't know (or care) what the cost to the company is since it's part of my wife's compensation.

And we all subsidize healthcare for others, just as we did before the ACA.

 

[WackyDan]

LOL...

I'll just leave this right here.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...cut-for-some-who-get-health-credits/15958211/

 

[Jhhnn]

LOL...

I'll just leave this right here.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...cut-for-some-who-get-health-credits/15958211/

Just slathering on the FUD, right?

 

[WackyDan]

Just slathering on the FUD, right?

Nope... Just pointing out how short sited ramming a bill through congress can be.

They didn't solve anything really - and that is what pisses me off about the ACA.

 

[Pens1566]

Nope... Just pointing out how short sited ramming a bill through congress can be.

They didn't solve anything really - and that is what pisses me off about the ACA.

Because people making an error in reporting their income is the ACA's fault, amiright?

 

[Petros_k]

One of the most unfair aspects of the health care reform, whether it's the result of the legislation called the "Affordable" Care Act (but should have been called the Mandatory Care Act), or the result of how the Marketplace is actually run is this:

If your income falls within a certain range, 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level, and based on the number of people in the household, in general a person qualifies for a tax credit. This helps lower the annual cost of a premium.

*However--and this is often what most people either do not know or overlook-- a person who is offered employer sponsored health insurance is NOT eligible for tax credits, despite having the right income and household members for it, if the job-based insurance costs no more than 9.5% of the person's income (i.e., the ACA definition of "affordable" for job-based insurance), and if it pays for at least 60% of medical costs (the ACA definition for "quality"). It created a circumstance like this:

Person A needs health insurance. Living in a household of 2, he is the only person employed and his income is $32,000 annual. Because his income is between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level ($15, 510 to $62, 040 for a household of 2), he goes to the Marketplace and finds he is eligible for a tax credit. He buys the lowest cost insurance that meets the federal standard (the so-called bronze plan) and ends up with a monthly premium of $200, with a tax credit lowering the cost to about $175.

Person B also needs health insurance. Living in a household of 2, he is the only person employed and his income is $32,000 annual. Because his income is between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level ($15, 510 to $62, 040 for a household of 2), he goes to the Marketplace BUT -- when he is required to provide information asking if his employer is offering insurance, how much it costs, and if it meets the federal standard for quality, because this job-based insurance is not more than 9.5% of his income and it pays for at least 60% of medical costs, guess what? The results he gets do not indicate he qualifies for a tax credit. He can't get a Marketplace plan that is cheaper than his job-based insurance. The employer sponsored insurance has a monthly premium of $200, with no tax credit available.

Note the only difference between the two people above is one insurance plan is job-based and the other would be from the Marketplace. Anyone who is being offered job-based insurance is being denied the same opportunity for a tax credit as someone who can buy insurance through the Marketplace. The difference in cost depends on the case, but any way you look at it the person being offered employer sponsored health insurance is denied the chance of tax credits that could, based on the person's actual income, have lowered the cost of having to buy health insurance.

If the above doesn't convince you that something isn't quite fair, consider the numbers that are used to define "affordable" for an individual:

Job-based insurance: considered affordable as long as cost does not exceed 9.5% of the person's income

Private health insurance (including the Marketplace): considered affordable as long as cost does not exceed 8% of the person's income

So, 1) job-based insurance plans can cost an additional 1.5% of a person's annual income, PLUS 2) given it's job based insurance with a cost below 9.5% the person is disqualified for tax credits through the Marketplace, that's quite unfair for some people. In the case above, $200 is $200 whether you're paying for job-based insurance or a private/ Marketplace plan.

 

[Jhhnn]

One of the most unfair aspects of the health care reform, whether it's the result of the legislation called the "Affordable" Care Act (but should have been called the Mandatory Care Act), or the result of how the Marketplace is actually run is this:

If your income falls within a certain range, 100% to 400% of the federal poverty level, and based on the number of people in the household, in general a person qualifies for a tax credit. This helps lower the annual cost of a premium.

*However--and this is often what most people either do not know or overlook-- a person who is offered employer sponsored health insurance is NOT eligible for tax credits, despite having the right income and household members for it, if the job-based insurance costs no more than 9.5% of the person's income (i.e., the ACA definition of "affordable" for job-based insurance), and if it pays for at least 60% of medical costs (the ACA definition for "quality"). It created a circumstance like this:

Person A needs health insurance. Living in a household of 2, he is the only person employed and his income is $32,000 annual. Because his income is between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level ($15, 510 to $62, 040 for a household of 2), he goes to the Marketplace and finds he is eligible for a tax credit. He buys the lowest cost insurance that meets the federal standard (the so-called bronze plan) and ends up with a monthly premium of $200, with a tax credit lowering the cost to about $175.

Person B also needs health insurance. Living in a household of 2, he is the only person employed and his income is $32,000 annual. Because his income is between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level ($15, 510 to $62, 040 for a household of 2), he goes to the Marketplace BUT -- when he is required to provide information asking if his employer is offering insurance, how much it costs, and if it meets the federal standard for quality, because this job-based insurance is not more than 9.5% of his income and it pays for at least 60% of medical costs, guess what? The results he gets do not indicate he qualifies for a tax credit. He can't get a Marketplace plan that is cheaper than his job-based insurance. The employer sponsored insurance has a monthly premium of $200, with no tax credit available.

Note the only difference between the two people above is one insurance plan is job-based and the other would be from the Marketplace. Anyone who is being offered job-based insurance is being denied the same opportunity for a tax credit as someone who can buy insurance through the Marketplace. The difference in cost depends on the case, but any way you look at it the person being offered employer sponsored health insurance is denied the chance of tax credits that could, based on the person's actual income, have lowered the cost of having to buy health insurance.

If the above doesn't convince you that something isn't quite fair, consider the numbers that are used to define "affordable" for an individual:

Job-based insurance: considered affordable as long as cost does not exceed 9.5% of the person's income

Private health insurance (including the Marketplace): considered affordable as long as cost does not exceed 8% of the person's income

So, 1) job-based insurance plans can cost an additional 1.5% of a person's annual income, PLUS 2) given it's job based insurance with a cost below 9.5% the person is disqualified for tax credits through the Marketplace, that's quite unfair for some people. In the case above, $200 is $200 whether you're paying for job-based insurance or a private/ Marketplace plan.

I'm not sure that correct, but it's nothing that Congress couldn't rectify. Well, if we had a sane Congress.

 

[fskimospy]

Petros, I would say the real unfair part of the ACA is how tax credits abruptly end at the 400% mark. As with all tax/subsidies, there should be a phase-out method so that you're never penalized for making more money. While 8% vs. 9.5% isn't good, I think in the scheme of things the other issue is much more significant.

Hopefully that's something they fix soon.

 

[WHAMPOM]

The premiums for my family plan health insurance at my job will increase from $192.52 every two weeks to $343.66 starting Jan 1st.

Thanks Obama!!

Good for you, you are now a single payer, your employer probably withdrew from health insurance and dumped all the payments on you.

 

[Jhhnn]

Nope... Just pointing out how short sited ramming a bill through congress can be.

They didn't solve anything really - and that is what pisses me off about the ACA.

Two naked assertions unsupported by argument or fact.

"Ramming" is what happened with the Patriot Act. Dems wrangled with the PPACA for a year.

I keep seeing the means whatever you want it to mean "didn't solve anything" non argument.

Millions have been insured. Minimum standards have been set & the rules changed to benefit consumers in many aspects. It's not like nothing changed for the better.

Or is this the perfect set out as the enemy of the good?

 

[zephyrprime]

Petros, I would say the real unfair part of the ACA is how tax credits abruptly end at the 400% mark. As with all tax/subsidies, there should be a phase-out method so that you're never penalized for making more money.

There is a phase out. You get less the more you make. The people under the 400% mark don't all get the same credit.

http://healthedeals.com/health-care-reform-calculator?_ga=1.250527813.294873064.1411500982