Obama's health plan caused my rates to double.

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OrByte

Diamond Member
Jul 21, 2000
9,303
144
106
I didn't makeup my COBRA amount.

seriously. If I had to pay my employer provided insurance it would be 1400.

mind you, thats a family of 4.

you are talking about an individual plan...which would be cheaper.

 

Patranus

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2007
9,280
0
0
Originally posted by: OrByte
I didn't makeup my COBRA amount.

seriously. If I had to pay my employer provided insurance it would be 1400.

mind you, thats a family of 4.

you are talking about an individual plan...which would be cheaper.

Do you have PROOF? Why don't you scan a copy of your COBRA statement, a ex-coworkers COBRA statement, or an ex-employees COBRA statement..........

(I won't hold my breath)

By the way the coverage does cover dependents as COBRA offers the ex employee the EXACT SAME PLAN they had while employed.
 

DaveJ

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,337
1
81
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: jonks

The ARRA amendment subsidizes coverage for only 9 months. Additionally, if you are unemployed COBRA will eat up your unemployment check. Further, the stimulus bill as applied to this year has no bearing on the fact that COBRA has historically always been prohibitively expensive which is why less than a quarter of those laid off ever took advantage of it.

Or they hopped on their spouses plan, more likely. That's a qualifying life event and would allow the spouse to change their insurance coverage (and benefits at work if that's where they got insurance). Basically the doom and gloom argument doesn't hold any water because there are a large number of ways for one to get insurance should they lose their job.

1) Buy your own, affordable plans are available
2) COBRA with ARRA, affordable
3) Change to spouse's insurance if they work, affordable
4) Medicaid or other state programs, affordable or free
5) Choose not to have health insurance, affordable but incredible dumb as you'll have a lapse in coverage

All are available and allow you to take responsibility for your insurance. Personal responsibility - the devil to libtards.

1. I have a pre-existing condition. Without my insurance through my employer, I am SOL.
2. "Affordable" in the sense that I'd have to pay a large chunk of my unemployment benefits that could be going towards basic expenses.
3. I'm single.
4. Either Medicaid or my state's high risk pool both take months to qualify for. Plus, the state plan won't cover pre-existing conditions for 12 months after initial enrollment.
5. Not an option, if I want to stay solvent.

Frankly, you haven't provided any truly viable options here. Sorry, but the status quo just does not work, especially in my case.
 

umbrella39

Lifer
Jun 11, 2004
13,816
1,126
126
Originally posted by: Patranus
Originally posted by: OrByte
I didn't makeup my COBRA amount.

seriously. If I had to pay my employer provided insurance it would be 1400.

mind you, thats a family of 4.

you are talking about an individual plan...which would be cheaper.

Do you have PROOF? Why don't you scan a copy of your COBRA statement, a ex-coworkers COBRA statement, or an ex-employees COBRA statement..........

(I won't hold my breath)

By the way the coverage does cover dependents as COBRA offers the ex employee the EXACT SAME PLAN they had while employed.

You are in no position to be making demands of people here. :roll: You are young and single so you just don't get it. Some people have what they call, families... gasp

This is current Cobra rates if separated :

Single - $575
Married w/o children - $1,150
Married w/ children - $1,475
Single w/children - $900

So as you can see $575 != $1475 a month.
 

Athena

Golden Member
Apr 9, 2001
1,484
0
0
Originally posted by: spidey07
1) Buy your own, affordable plans are available
Study after study has shown that "affordable" plans are virtually useless when people really need care -- between exclusions and maximums, they end up very little security for any one but investors (whivch makes sense given that health insurance is financial product and not healthcare)..

2) COBRA with ARRA, affordable
The average COBRA premium equals 84% of the average unemployment benefit (in 9 states, the average COBRA premium actually exceeds the unemployment benefit) and employers with fewer than 20 employees (41 million workers) are not required to offer COBRA at all. Even when subsidized for 9 months, that leaves still leaves the recipient having to spend a third of his unemployment check on health care "insurance". Between housing and food, few people can afford it.

3) Change to spouse's insurance if they work, affordable
That's possible far less often than you imagine. Over 50% of emploees work for small businesses and only 40% of small business offer coverage. When the spouse's job does offer insurance, it was usually the less affordable option to begin with.

4) Medicaid or other state programs, affordable or free
Many Medicaid and other state programs rolls have been frozen for more than a year; in most places, the rolls are being cut right now to meet deficits. That's the reason the OP's premiums are rising; because Washington state, which has frozen its roll, has decided not to drop anyone already enrolled. And in many states, able-bodied men are ineligible for medicaid -- it's women and children only.
 

PELarson

Platinum Member
Mar 27, 2001
2,289
0
0
Originally posted by: quackerww
Obama's health plan caused my rates to double.
Next year I have to pay $40 from $19
My mother has to pay $230 from $130

We are on different providers.
Thanks Obama.

You just allowed the insurgence industry to price gouge.
Either pass this bill or stop fucking around.

Yup.... back in June Obama's Health Plan forced the state of Washington to raise your rates!

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/406971_health08.html

"That figure includes an additional 40,000 people who had been scheduled to be cut from the state's Basic Health plan this year, but it's not certain that many people will be removed from the health plan for the working poor.

The state said Monday that it will raise rates rather than force anyone off the program. Average monthly rates will increase by about $25. The yearly deductible will also increase, from $150 to $250.

"
 

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
33,986
3,321
126
Originally posted by: Patranus
Originally posted by: OrByte
I didn't makeup my COBRA amount.

seriously. If I had to pay my employer provided insurance it would be 1400.

mind you, thats a family of 4.

you are talking about an individual plan...which would be cheaper.

Do you have PROOF? Why don't you scan a copy of your COBRA statement, a ex-coworkers COBRA statement, or an ex-employees COBRA statement..........

(I won't hold my breath)

By the way the coverage does cover dependents as COBRA offers the ex employee the EXACT SAME PLAN they had while employed.

COBRA is NOT affordable.
When I left my Hospital gig just for me COBRA was over $700 a month.....for my family we would be talking at least 3 times that much....
You don`t know shit Patranus!!
 

jonks

Lifer
Feb 7, 2005
13,918
20
81
Originally posted by: Patranus
Originally posted by: 0marTheZealot
COBRA allows you to keep your employer's healthcare but the employer pays zero dollars towards it. So you end up eating the employer's input and your own. It's definitely not affordable for people, especially when you have just lost a job and collecting unemployment.

I provided EVIDENCE that COBRA payments for FULL coverage INCLUDING prescription, vision, and dental is WELL BELOW the $1000 that was made up by the other poster.

For single coverage it's under $1000, for family coverage it's well over $1000.

Not only that but this doesn't include the money for COBRA under the stimulus so it is even less - well 60% less - than what I posted.

The stimulus went into effect this year, meaning COBRA has been prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of elligible recipients since its inception decades ago, which is why less than a quarter of people ever opted for it, and in 2006 why fewer than 10% opted for it. It also only supplements coverage for 9 months, so if you're out of work any longer than that, it's back to prohibitively expensive for you (i.e. no mo' coverage). It's also a stopgap measure and will no longer be available after the stimulus funds are used up. Though it is amusing to see you arguing the benefits of Obama's stimulus.

So lets see, 40% of $600 (I will round UP for you) is $240
Now Unemployment in California is roughly $950 every other week so $1900/month.
$240/$1900 = 12% IE VERY affordable.

You forgot benefits are taxable too so you aren't bringing home $1900, that's your gross pay. The average unemployment check in the US? $293/wk., before taxes Oh, and only about 38% of those currently unemployed are receiving benefits.

http://articles.moneycentral.m...pay-would-you-get.aspx

A simple google will show you that COBRA is considered by nearly everyone to be prohibitively expensive since its creation. I agree that if your coverage was $240/mo and you were bringing in $1900/mo in unemployment that you could make an argument that such is "affordable", but hardly "very." However that ratio is not indicative of the overwhelming majority of unemployed.