How has Obamacare effected you or your family?

[shadow9d9]

"Effected"?

 

[werepossum]

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

LOL The ultimate proggie program to fix health care - take money away from health care providers, give it to people signing up others for government programs. Yup, no way that can't work!

 

[boomerang]

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

In what states are they already open?

 

[fskimospy]

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).

If you want to waste your time it's yours to waste, I guess. I might suggest taking up a hobby or something instead, however.

I would prefer if you just came back here and gave us recaps. I want to laugh at your failure but I also don't want to have to wade through court websites to do it. This would be one stop shopping for me.

 

[Harrod]

My wife who is a pharmacist lost her job. The hospital that she worked for had to layoff 176 people including 5 of the pharmacists. They cited the new rules and regulations that directly caused the problems with them to be unable to keep those positions.

 

[Doppel]

I can't tell yet. I received an alarming letter recently about some changes coming through but it was vague. My impression is that it involved bending over a barrel, but I don't have enough details yet to be sure. I also don't know if ACA is to blame.

 

[hans030390]

I have a fairly solid plan through my employer (very large company), and I've been told my rates are only going to go up a small amount due to the company having to change little about what they currently offer employees. How much exactly or when, I do not know...it might have already kicked in. I'll have to look into it further. My monthly payment towards my health care plan is already quite low relative to my income. I've got no issues paying a bit more if it means more/better health care for citizens, but I am curious to see how the ACA ultimately works out.

I feel sorry for anyone that has indirectly lost their job due to the ACA (because, let's be honest, the ACA did not force employers to fire anyone by law). While I know there are some business that are genuinely at that edge where it isn't feasible to keep as many people on full-time, a lot of these businesses are just highlighting that they view their employees as expenses or liabilities rather than strategic assets that are critical to business success (aka you're just a disposable sack of labor meat). I think investing in employees is an important part of a successful, sustainable business, even if it costs more otherwise, but too many companies are so short-sighted and small-minded when it comes to monetary expenses.

 

[boomerang]

I feel sorry for anyone that has indirectly lost their job due to the ACA (because, let's be honest, the ACA did not force employers to fire anyone by law). While I know there are some business that are genuinely at that edge where it isn't feasible to keep as many people on full-time, a lot of these businesses are just highlighting that they view their employees as expenses or liabilities rather than strategic assets that are critical to business success (aka you're just a disposable sack of labor meat). I think investing in employees is an important part of a successful, sustainable business, even if it costs more otherwise, but too many companies are so short-sighted and small-minded when it comes to monetary expenses.

What you think you know - you don't.

 

[werepossum]

I have a fairly solid plan through my employer (very large company), and I've been told my rates are only going to go up a small amount due to the company having to change little about what they currently offer employees. How much exactly or when, I do not know...it might have already kicked in. I'll have to look into it further. My monthly payment towards my health care plan is already quite low relative to my income. I've got no issues paying a bit more if it means more/better health care for citizens, but I am curious to see how the ACA ultimately works out.

I feel sorry for anyone that has indirectly lost their job due to the ACA (because, let's be honest, the ACA did not force employers to fire anyone by law). While I know there are some business that are genuinely at that edge where it isn't feasible to keep as many people on full-time, a lot of these businesses are just highlighting that they view their employees as expenses or liabilities rather than strategic assets that are critical to business success (aka you're just a disposable sack of labor meat). I think investing in employees is an important part of a successful, sustainable business, even if it costs more otherwise, but too many companies are so short-sighted and small-minded when it comes to monetary expenses.

I agree with your first paragraph. We're all going to have to pay more to cover the people who are not currently covered, and I'm fine with that.

For your second, it's not just companies being short-sided. Most companies do not have the assets, much less the cash flow, to support employees who are not needed and/or profitable in at least the near future. Problem is, government can and does pass laws that make certain employees and even whole departments non-profitable as long as the law is in affect. Those employees have to be let go, and we're seeing that now. Hard to get a feel for exact numbers though, because companies dislike admitting that certain operations are failures and will use such a law as the impetus for ending those operations, blaming the law when in effect the terminations were inevitable.

I suspect we're also seeing some pre-emptive and panic terminations; remember that Obamacare is still being formed and defined, and at this point no one really knows how big of a hit businesses will take. When there is a bureaucracy that can kill or severely hurt your business without Congressional action - and lately there are a LOT of those - then management has to carefully consider what harm that bureaucracy can do and what harm that bureaucracy is likely to do in addition to what harm that bureaucracy is currently doing. Better by far to take a small hit than to have the bureaucracy deliver a fatal blow, so management may well terminate at-risk operations rather than take that chance. The fiip side for management is that terminating those at-risk operations also has its own risk; if your competition does not terminate those at-risk operations and the bureaucracy does not make them non-viable as feared, the the competition has a competitive advantage. So it can go either way.

 

[nickbits]

"Effected"?

this

 

[Oldgamer]

Obamacare killed my dog and took my pick up truck.

I really won't know for abut another month.

LOL

 

[Oldgamer]

Well, one of my kids was able to get onto our healthplan. She is past the age of 18. That helped us tremendously because we were having to help her with medical bills and doctor visits when she needed them because she couldn't afford to get health insurance on her own. So yea, it saved us.. and we are looking at potential changes coming here soon, and they are all pretty positive and seem to be less expensive.

I really don't know about other companies though.

 

[Oldgamer]

my wifes hours got cut from 38, down to 28. so yea thanks government for fucking with my families income.

I think Walmart did this too, but I read an article the other day that they are losing big money since they did this, and are doing an about face now, and taking part time employees and making them full time now. They just couldn't run their stores it seems without more people or having people on the clock longer.

 

[dainthomas]

I think Walmart did this too, but I read an article the other day that they are losing big money since they did this, and are doing an about face now, and taking part time employees and making them full time now. They just couldn't run their stores it seems without more people or having people on the clock longer.

I am shocked that Walmart was jumping through hoops to try to maintain their strategy of having anyone but them cover the difference for their employees' substandard benefits.

And when I say shocked, I mean not really.

 

[BoberFett]

Depending on how you define a small increase, I voted that way. If I recall the memo I got said my rates would go up about $70/mo, so roughly $800-900/yr. I don't consider that a large increase, it's less than 1% of my income and my employer has graciously chosen to cover the difference for employees who are on that plan.

However if the same increase were foisted on someone who makes less than me, and the employer passes on the cost to the employee, that could be considered a large increase.

 

[88keys]

There was a big scare at work that our insurance was going to skyrocket. It turns out that the increase was only zero to marginal for us.

 

[zanejohnson]

it actually worked out very well.

 

[lotus503]

I find it odd that most of the folks referencing job loss or hours cut have a more conservative viewpoint.

Is it that no liberals or their friends have experienced the same or?

 

[zanejohnson]

I find it odd that most of the folks referencing job loss or hours cut have a more conservative viewpoint.

Is it that no liberals or their friends have experienced the same or?

no, there just pessimists.

 

[sportage]

I'll chime in here.
ACA? Effect?

Here is one major missed benefit that the fear mongrels for the right do not want you to know, is that the ACA plan is ""your"" personal plan.
If you have employer based insurance, fine. Keep it.
But if you do not, or are unemployed, or not offered employer insurance, or can not afford those employer health premiums, then you have a new option. ACA.

If you walk away from your job flipping burgers up street because the job flipping burgers down street pays more than up street, guess what.... Your ACA plan walks with you.

YES! ACA is not super-glued linked to ones employment.
You can change jobs, start your own job/business, take a break between jobs, take time researching a new job, and all the while have healthcare insurance thanks to ACA.
And don't even insult us by mentioning COBRA.
COBRA is fine if one has their own personal goldmine in the basement.
Or are related to Mitt Romney or Ross Perot as their financial sugar daddy.
Besides, cobra is temporary insurance.
ACA is not. You own it. It's yours.

Just another little unknown benefit of the ACAct. A benefit many will find a refreshing concept with affordable American healthcare.
And long over due....

 

[shady28]

I'll chime in here.
ACA? Effect?

Here is one major missed benefit that the fear mongrels for the right do not want you to know, is that the ACA plan is ""your"" personal plan.
If you have employer based insurance, fine. Keep it.
But if you do not, or are unemployed, or not offered employer insurance, or can not afford those employer health premiums, then you have a new option. ACA.

If you walk away from your job flipping burgers up street because the job flipping burgers down street pays more than up street, guess what.... Your ACA plan walks with you.

YES! ACA is not super-glued linked to ones employment.
You can change jobs, start your own job/business, take a break between jobs, take time researching a new job, and all the while have healthcare insurance thanks to ACA.
And don't even insult us by mentioning COBRA.
COBRA is fine if one has their own personal goldmine in the basement.
Or are related to Mitt Romney or Ross Perot as their financial sugar daddy.
Besides, cobra is temporary insurance.
ACA is not. You own it. It's yours.

Just another little unknown benefit of the ACAct. A benefit many will find a refreshing concept with affordable American healthcare.
And long over due....

You people live in some kind of dream world.

Here is what is going to happen to the manual laborers of the world.

1 - They won't sign up for $150-$400/month ACA because its too expensive for someone with a take home pay of $1500/month.

2 - Come tax time in 2015, the Government will 'fine' them about $100 on their return. They won't really notice this.

3 - Come tax time in 2016, the Government will 'fine' them about $700. They will most definitely notice this. Obama will conveniently be leaving office shortly after this.

Meanwhile they will still not have coverage.

Let's see what the enrollment rates actually look like from dual and single income households with under 40k / 20k per year income. I guarantee you it will be very very low.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

I find it odd that most of the folks referencing job loss or hours cut have a more conservative viewpoint.

Is it that no liberals or their friends have experienced the same or?

Since I'm a liberal, all of my friends are already hobos on welfare.

 

[raildogg]

So my premiums for a similar plan that I have now will cost me 3x more in 2014. Not sure what to do. Shop for a different plan on October 1st? I'm a little confused right now.

Honestly, for me, my healthcare plan was working just fine. Now, I have to make very difficult decisions about what I want to do. So from a very selfish point of view, so far, it has not helped one bit.

 

[nickbits]

My company landed the contract to do an insurer's aca web site, so aca has been money in the bank for me.

 

[shady28]

Depending on how you define a small increase, I voted that way. If I recall the memo I got said my rates would go up about $70/mo, so roughly $800-900/yr. I don't consider that a large increase, it's less than 1% of my income and my employer has graciously chosen to cover the difference for employees who are on that plan.

However if the same increase were foisted on someone who makes less than me, and the employer passes on the cost to the employee, that could be considered a large increase.

That's what makes this poll too vague to have meaning.

I usually look at "increase" in terms of % increase. If I'm paying $150/mo now, and it goes to $250/mo, that's a 40% increase. In my book, that's a hell of a big increase in one year for *anything*, but frankly I won't notice +/- $100/month.

Now, ask some guy with 2 kids who's making $45k/yr and it is significant.

Frankly, ACA was advertised and named "Affordable". It is supposed to reduce rates. It is not doing that, which means it is an obvious failure.