How has Obamacare effected you or your family?

[ZaneNBK]

Just a FYI- you were enrolled in PCIP, not CHIP. PCIP is the Preexisting Condition Insurance Plan, for those who can't get other coverage, and is out of money. CHIP is the Children's Health Insurance Plan and is a medicaid program for kids.

Nope, here it means Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool: http://www.chiparkansas.org/

The only requirements are that you've used Cobra to it's limit and have been turned down by at least one private insurer. Cost is done by age with no income limits or scaling.

What you're calling CHIP is referred to as ARKids First! (Medicaid http://www.arkidsfirst.com/home.htm) or TEFRA (Medicaid for disabled children https://www.medicaid.state.ar.us/InternetSolution/General/programs/tefra/tefra.aspx).

Edit: PCIP is federal, the plans I'm talking about and have been using are state. They're better than what are/were available federally when we were looking.

 

[MrColin]

I would be dead or sleeping outside under a pile of medical bills if some of the early provisions disallowing ins companies from fucking their customers had been enacted mere months later.

Prices go up because of the shareholder expectation that profits always increase. That's also why your income from work doesn't go up.

 

[Thump553]

Considering the mandate doesn't kick in until January 1st, the responses to this poll are highly suspect.

 

[etrigan420]

I've said it in other threads...our premiums went up a smidge, but that could just as easily be attributed to a butterfly fart.

I'm already paying near criminally low rates for pretty damn good coverage, so it's difficult for me to complain much...about this at least. :hmm:

 

[werepossum]

Considering the mandate doesn't kick in until January 1st, the responses to this poll are highly suspect.

The major parts of Obamacare already in place to my knowledge are prohibiting denial of overage for children due to pre-existing conditions, mandatory "free" preventative care, mandatory extension of "children" to age twenty-six, senior discounts on certain medications, "free" birth control, and elimination of lifetime caps. All of these inevitably drive up premiums or drive down other benefits. This is how the world works; nobody has a pool of free money to which government may entitle you.

 

[Engineer]

"free" birth control

Is that only for the exchange provided insurance plans or is it now for all plans? The reason that I ask is that a relative's insurance now requires the deductible to be met before it pays anything for prescription drug benefits. If that's the case, birth control would be included in that (i.e. the birth control prescription would skyrocket compared to what it would be with insurance). I find it strange that an insurance company would be willing to gamble on more people getting pregnant and costing 10's of thousands of dollars per baby (if not much more) vs paying for birth control.

 

[werepossum]

Is that only for the exchange provided insurance plans or is it now for all plans? The reason that I ask is that a relative's insurance now requires the deductible to be met before it pays anything for prescription drug benefits. If that's the case, birth control would be included in that (i.e. the birth control prescription would skyrocket compared to what it would be with insurance). I find it strange that an insurance company would be willing to gamble on more people getting pregnant and costing 10's of thousands of dollars per baby (if not much more) vs paying for birth control.

My understand is that it is for all health insurance plans, but I could be wrong. Sactoking could probably say for sure.

Insurance companies are always dicking around with what they will or won't pay. I have a BCBS HSA and was recently notified that they will pay for part of 30 day prescriptions and 90 day prescriptions, but nothing on 60 day prescriptions. WTF? (I have no idea if that has any relation to Obamacare.)

EDIT: I should also add that in my experience, the large majority of what insurance saves me is in "network savings", meaning the insuror pays nothing but has negotiated lower rates. Those lower rates still apply regardless of whether the insuror pays anything.

In my opinion we'd have a much better system if the providers were forced to charge everyone the same for every product and service, with insurance limited to actually paying part of the bill.

 

[smackababy]

My understand is that it is for all health insurance plans, but I could be wrong. Sactoking could probably say for sure.

Insurance companies are always dicking around with what they will or won't pay. I have a BCBS HSA and was recently notified that they will pay for part of 30 day prescriptions and 90 day prescriptions, but nothing on 60 day prescriptions. WTF? (I have no idea if that has any relation to Obamacare.)

My insurance company will pay for all prescriptions, but only if I mail order them... Wtf is up with that?

 

[Acanthus]

Three members of my family will be insured that could not reasonably afford insurance previously. This is a combination of subsidies, and the new regulations around pre-existing conditions.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I moved away from a healthcare career due to Obamacare.

 

[umbrella39]

My health care career is thriving due to Obamacare.

 

[werepossum]

My insurance company will pay for all prescriptions, but only if I mail order them... Wtf is up with that?

LOL It is bizarre, but I'm not sure if these things are truly responses to Obamacare or just typical bean counter-driven attempts to squeeze out a few more bucks.

Three members of my family will be insured that could not reasonably afford insurance previously. This is a combination of subsidies, and the new regulations around pre-existing conditions.

This is why Obamacare should not just be overturned without a replacement for the good parts, which for those who need them can quite literally be a life saver. People without health insurance (or otherwise provided with accessibility to health care) should not be acceptable in a first world nation. I agree with Warren Buffett that Obamacare should be scrapped and we should start from scratch, but that can be done without repealing Obamacare. Once we have a better system, it can replace Obamacare, without ripping health insurance from those who now have it.

For example, I know a lady whose son was diagnosed with stomach and liver cancer. Although he had no money and no insurance, he received the best of care, with medical bills well in excess of a hundred grand when he died. This is America; people WILL get health care. But had he had health insurance, might he have sought medical attention for a stomach pain and caught the cancer early enough to successfully treat it? No way to know, but statistically some people will surely be saved. My own thyroid cancer was caught while I was being treated for a ruptured lymph node; if I had had no insurance, it's quite possible that I never would have had the ultrasound that led to the needle biopsies that led to my diagnosis that led to my treatment. Had I been paying out of pocket, I'd have opted for the cheapest treatment, surgical removal of the infected lymph node and antibiotics, and my cancer might well have metastasized before ever being detected.

 

[werepossum]

Is that only for the exchange provided insurance plans or is it now for all plans? The reason that I ask is that a relative's insurance now requires the deductible to be met before it pays anything for prescription drug benefits. If that's the case, birth control would be included in that (i.e. the birth control prescription would skyrocket compared to what it would be with insurance). I find it strange that an insurance company would be willing to gamble on more people getting pregnant and costing 10's of thousands of dollars per baby (if not much more) vs paying for birth control.

I checked it out; the deadline for all employers to offer plans with free birth control was August 1st, so unless your relative's employer is an FOB with an exemption, they now have to offer a plan providing free birth control.

 

[shady28]

+25% premium increase for me this year for a minimum plan. This is the largest single-year increase I've ever seen. Usually it's more like 5-10% every other year.

This is on top of paying out an additional $2000+/yr for social security after the Jan 2013 increases.

Between this, and the SS increase, my taxes are going to be about $3000/yr more in 2014 (and yes I consider this a tax, after all Obama's white house lawyers said it was a tax to the supreme court - he mostly just lies to the american people, not to the supreme court).

 

[Engineer]

I checked it out; the deadline for all employers to offer plans with free birth control was August 1st, so unless your relative's employer is an FOB with an exemption, they now have to offer a plan providing free birth control.

I looked it up and that was supposed to take place on August 1st, 2012. I know some things were given a 1 year extension so I'm not sure about this. I also read that if the plan hasn't changed since 2010, it could be grandfathered. Not sure if that's the case or not.

 

[zinfamous]

instead of my normal piquant, sulfurous farts, I now fart rainbows that smell of jasmine.

thanks, Obama!

 

[werepossum]

I looked it up and that was supposed to take place on August 1st, 2012. I know some things were given a 1 year extension so I'm not sure about this. I also read that if the plan hasn't changed since 2010, it could be grandfathered. Not sure if that's the case or not.

What I read was that grandfathered plans had until August 1st, 2013 to comply. But there is so much honest confusion and dishonest propaganda pro and con that YMMV.

 

[werepossum]

instead of my normal piquant, sulfurous farts, I now fart rainbows that smell of jasmine.

thanks, Obama!

 

[sactoking]

Nope, here it means Comprehensive Health Insurance Pool: http://www.chiparkansas.org/

The only requirements are that you've used Cobra to it's limit and have been turned down by at least one private insurer. Cost is done by age with no income limits or scaling.

What you're calling CHIP is referred to as ARKids First! (Medicaid http://www.arkidsfirst.com/home.htm) or TEFRA (Medicaid for disabled children https://www.medicaid.state.ar.us/InternetSolution/General/programs/tefra/tefra.aspx).

Edit: PCIP is federal, the plans I'm talking about and have been using are state. They're better than what are/were available federally when we were looking.

I got it, it's the state's HIPAA Basic/Standard plan.

I looked it up and that was supposed to take place on August 1st, 2012. I know some things were given a 1 year extension so I'm not sure about this. I also read that if the plan hasn't changed since 2010, it could be grandfathered. Not sure if that's the case or not.

It was for plan years starting on or after 8/1/12, so technically a group plan that renewed 7/31/12 wouldn't need to be compliant until 7/31/13, which is where the 8/1/13 date came from. Grandfathered plans would not be subject to any of the market reforms.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Next year i should think

 

[Engineer]

It was for plan years starting on or after 8/1/12, so technically a group plan that renewed 7/31/12 wouldn't need to be compliant until 7/31/13, which is where the 8/1/13 date came from. Grandfathered plans would not be subject to any of the market reforms.

I'll talk to her later this week. What 'technically' does 'grandfathered' mean? Same exact plan forever? Changes allowed but under same insurance company? I don't know her choices this year vs what they were last year.

Oh, and I guess I should answer the OP. My wife's (and children's) insurance premium tripled but is still low relatively speaking (was dirt cheap - nearly free - for many years) but the deductible has went from $600 per person to $1,750 per person. There is a $250 per person HSA ($500 max family) that was added though.

My insurance, as of now, is still covered 100% by my employer. He stated that his premiums went up 60% but he also stated that his premiums had went down 50% for this (2013) year (new plan taken - about the same benefits).

 

[PrinceofWands]

Be sure to tell us how that all works out for you.

I'll be filing the administrative complaint the first week in October. After that it's a lot of waiting and hoop jumping. If it then goes to a lawsuit (which it almost certainly will) it will be filed in the Western Washington District Court, so you can follow it there. Probably about 180-210ish days from the filing of my administrative complaint (so about April of 2014).

 

[poofyhairguy]

My health care career is thriving due to Obamacare.

Many are. My cousin makes six figures signing up people for Obamacare exchanges.

 

[sactoking]

I'll talk to her later this week. What 'technically' does 'grandfathered' mean? Same exact plan forever? Changes allowed but under same insurance company? I don't know her choices this year vs what they were last year.

Oh, and I guess I should answer the OP. My wife's (and children's) insurance premium tripled but is still low relatively speaking (was dirt cheap - nearly free - for many years) but the deductible has went from $600 per person to $1,750 per person. There is a $250 per person HSA ($500 max family) that was added though.

My insurance, as of now, is still covered 100% by my employer. He stated that his premiums went up 60% but he also stated that his premiums had went down 50% for this (2013) year (new plan taken - about the same benefits).

Technically, a grandfathered plan is any plan that meets the requirements of ACA Section 1251 (42 U.S.C. § 18011) titled "Preservation of Right to Maintain Existing Coverage." In layman's terms, if you were enrolled in your plan (or your employer was enrolled in the plan) on the date the ACA was signed, you (or your employer) have been continuously enrolled in that plan since that date, and the plan has not undergone any major design changes, then the plan is grandfathered.

 

[cuafpr]

My plan is going up a small amount, but for my parents its going way UP. Also my grandmothers prescriptions are no longer being covered and the reason stated is the ACA so she is paying a ton more now.