Holy Ship insurance is expensive... thanks Obama I guess?

[mugs]

What the fuck is going on with insurance prices? And how the hell could a teacher ever afford to pay those rates on her/his salary alone? Not to get political, but what exactly was "affordable" with this newfangled health care law?

There's not much in the ACA to make insurance more affordable to people like you who can afford insurance. It did make insurance much more affordable for millions of people who are poor. The reason her insurance is so expensive is because her employer probably doesn't subsidize (or subsidizes very little) the cost of insurance for her spouse and child(ren). Reducing these subsidies (and to a lesser extent employee subsidies) was a big trend while insurance prices were skyrocketing in the few years before the ACA was proposed and passed. You're seeing something closer to the true cost of insurance, when previously it was hidden from you.

What the ACA did for you was ensure that your insurance will actually be useful, e.g. if you get sick they can't set a limit on how much care they're willing to pay for, and you can't be denied insurance if you go through a period of being uninsured (as many people do between jobs because of our idiotic system of having employers provide insurance as a "benefit").

 

[Guurn]

I think it's called boutique or concierge medicine. WSJ link http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303471004579165470633112630

This will likely hit one specialty at a time. One of my friends is an Ophthalmologist, according to him reimbursement from medicare/medicaid is a growing problem. It is almost to the point that what they get doesn't cover the costs associated with doing the common procedures. It is an aging profession and any talk of simply retiring as well.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

Now that I'm no longer working for a firm (well, I guess I am since it's my own firm now), we need new insurance. My wife is a high school teacher (meaning she is basically paid in third world devalued currency), and for simplicity sake we're planning to put the family on her insurance plan.

When I was in DC, my firm had Blue Cross PPO - great coverage/benefits - paid about $400/mo.

Here in Florida, we had some shitty United HMO - paid about $400 - $500/mo.

For a teacher - a state employee making next to nothing in salary - there are two HMO options, both of which are $1100+/mo.

What the fuck is going on with insurance prices? And how the hell could a teacher ever afford to pay those rates on her/his salary alone? Not to get political, but what exactly was "affordable" with this newfangled health care law?

Well if you believe the rhetoric being spewed now the "affordable care act" was never meant to make healthcare affordable.

It is no surprise to me that the cost of private health care insurance. When lots of young healthy people move from private insurance to the public insurance exchanges, it means that there are less young healthy people to offset the cost of older, sicklier patients in the private healthcare plans. Cost of private healthcare plans will therefore go up by necessity. Its all part of the plan to put private health insurance providers out of business and put everyone on the exchanges.

 

[OutHouse]

just wait until next year when insurance rates will skyrocket.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Well if you believe the rhetoric being spewed now the "affordable care act" was never meant to make healthcare affordable.

It is no surprise to me that the cost of private health care insurance. When lots of young healthy people move from private insurance to the public insurance exchanges, it means that there are less young healthy people to offset the cost of older, sicklier patients in the private healthcare plans. Cost of private healthcare plans will therefore go up by necessity. Its all part of the plan to put private health insurance providers out of business and put everyone on the exchanges.

What. Young people weren't on the private health exchanges in the first place. Health care was so expensive that 18-30 year olds simply didn't have health insurance. The point of requiring insurance for everyone is that it forces everyone to pay premiums to offset the cost of requiring companies to accept people that have previous conditions. Public and private had absolutely nothing to do with it. Also, you DO realize the public insurance exchange is a way to get coverage through private companies?

You know, the entire reason ACA was panned by lots of people is that it doesn't set up a single player system, it just allows everyone a way to get private insurance from a single source.

 

[mugs]

When lots of young healthy people move from private insurance to the public insurance exchanges, it means that there are less young healthy people to offset the cost of older, sicklier patients in the private healthcare plans. Cost of private healthcare plans will therefore go up by necessity. Its all part of the plan to put private health insurance providers out of business and put everyone on the exchanges.

The exchanges are just a marketplace where you can buy private insurance plans that meet certain criteria. Additionally, the government is subsidizing the cost of private insurance plans for some people.

Medicaid expansion will reduce the potential customer pool for private insurers, but those people are too poor to afford insurance anyway.

 

[Exterous]

Man, I loved the government health insurance plan when the wife worked for the congressman. $250 deductible, $20 co-pays...

Well you wouldn't want them to have to deal with the same problems that Commoners have would you?

For a teacher - a state employee making next to nothing in salary - there are two HMO options, both of which are $1100+/mo.

Lies. I read the papers so I know all teachers make too much and have amazing benefits paid for by the tears of the bloodless husks of former citizens the vamphiric teacher unions leave behind

 

[Slew Foot]

This will likely hit one specialty at a time. One of my friends is an Ophthalmologist, according to him reimbursement from medicare/medicaid is a growing problem. It is almost to the point that what they get doesn't cover the costs associated with doing the common procedures. It is an aging profession and any talk of simply retiring as well.

A couple of the opthomologists at our hospitals quit doing surgery because insurance was paying them so little that they made more money selling glasses in their office.

The only thing that can save healthcare is to have hordes of beauracrats pushing paper around.

 

[lupi]

What is this "next year" you speak of.

Not including deductible amounts increasing across the board:

2011-$4817
2012-$5390
2013-$8348

 

[Sonikku]

Sure we pay a lot of healthcare in our country. But it's this or wait months for routine surgeries like in Canada.

 

[T9D]

I have no idea why my Kaiser is only $130 a month and I'm not young.

Seems every time I go in for tests for something they lower the monthly price. I guess since I'm really healthy, otherwise they assume you are like the average person your age and over weight and stressed out, near a heart attack or on the verge of diabetes. And charge you by the average health for your age. Which is pretty bad these days.

Still seems overly cheap though. Thank goodness I stay healthy though. (although I feel like crap most the time).

 

[highland145]

I Googled the reimbursement from Medicare... $19.06

http://www.qrsdiagnostic.com/sites/default/files/ECG/ML937 Reimbursement - Universal ECG.pdf

A new $10,000 ECG machine has a life-cycle of 5-7 years. After about 524 ECGs, Medicare has paid for the machine. You can purchase old machines on Ebay. $250.00

Can I get a little lube next time?

just wait until next year when insurance rates will skyrocket.

Will be interesting to see what happens.

I have no idea why my Kaiser is only $130 a month and I'm not young.

Unfortunately, not sold in SC.

 

[Anubis]

This will likely hit one specialty at a time. One of my friends is an Ophthalmologist, according to him reimbursement from medicare/medicaid is a growing problem. It is almost to the point that what they get doesn't cover the costs associated with doing the common procedures. It is an aging profession and any talk of simply retiring as well.

its already hit general surgeons
. Medicare/cade reimburses like 9$ for a vasectomy

my dad has basically stopped seeing Medicare/cade patients because it costs him money

 

[chowderhead]

its already hit general surgeons
. Medicare/cade reimburses like 9$ for a vasectomy

my dad has basically stopped seeing Medicare/cade patients because it costs him money

For Medicare, the government should be paying $9 back to the doctors. Why are 65+ yo men getting vasectomies anyways? For Medicaid ... I say the government should be paying the full cost. It is a good investment.

 

[MiniDoom]

Why are 65+ yo men getting vasectomies anyways?

So they don't knock up their mistress who's half their age. What 65 year old want to change diapers?

 

[Mermaidman]

I can't even afford a ship, so I don't know about insuring one. :|

 

[ViviTheMage]

I pay $40 every 2 weeks for ours (me + wife), but our out of pocket max is about 5k, and I dump 5% of my paycheck into an HSA anyway... we rarely use insurance thank god.

 

[xeemzor]

A couple of the opthomologists at our hospitals quit doing surgery because insurance was paying them so little that they made more money selling glasses in their office.

The only thing that can save healthcare is to have hordes of beauracrats pushing paper around.

I bet if they adopted a no-insurance prepayment business model and compete on price transparency and efficiency they could make a boat load of money.

 

[Markbnj]

Unlike life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness actual medical care is a tangible thing that is limited in supply. I'll just leave it at that, since that should be enough to inform anyone with a brain why aspirations of universal care and lower costs are doomed to remain unrealized.

 

[Slew Foot]

I bet if they adopted a no-insurance prepayment business model and compete on price transparency and efficiency they could make a boat load of money.

Americans dont want to shop around and pay for their healthcare, they want to go somewhere and have someone else to pay for it. Maybe someday they will learn.

 

[rsutoratosu]

because of the cost, my wifes company no longer covers me. Its mad expensive. 5k deductible, etc..

some doctors do not want to even take "obama care" they told me to switch

 

[Jeff7]

welcome to the 21st century. my parents pay 900$ a month for 8000$ deductible insurance on pay that is way way less than lawyer rates.

I think the government will eventually require more price transparency and possibly limiting from the healthcare industry, but who knows how long that will take.

There are plenty of lobbyists who can help ensure that this doesn't happen.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

because of the cost, my wifes company no longer covers me. Its mad expensive. 5k deductible, etc..

some doctors do not want to even take "obama care" they told me to switch

I wasn't aware that obamacare was a form of health insurance.

 

[xeemzor]

Americans dont want to shop around and pay for their healthcare, they want to go somewhere and have someone else to pay for it. Maybe someday they will learn.

You are seeing that change more and more in with insanely high deductibles and health savings plans. The market for ambulatory surgery price transparency is going to rise to from 500 million to 3 billion by 2016. There is big money to be made by providers that adapt.

 

[mugs]

Unlike life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness actual medical care is a tangible thing that is limited in supply. I'll just leave it at that, since that should be enough to inform anyone with a brain why aspirations of universal care and lower costs are doomed to remain unrealized.

Our per capita government healthcare spending is close to the highest in the world, and we only provide government healthcare to a fraction of our population. Our per capita private healthcare spending is about the same as our government healthcare spending. Our total [edit: per capita] healthcare spending is about double what most industrialized countries spend [edit: and many of them provide universal healthcare].

But i like how you used your simplistic logic and then accused others of "lacking a brain."