Who actually has Obamacare? Or knows someone that does?

[sportage]

I just wonder if the Supreme court kills Obamacare, the republicans won't and can't, but the court could. So I was wondering how many actually take part in an ACA exchange thru Obamacare?
Or know someone that does?

While in theory ACA sounded great, allowing those uninsured to finally have healthcare.
But I myself actually know of no one that has healthcare thru an ACA exchange.

My sister tried to sign up thru the website just days before the deadline (naturally waited till the last minute, but thats my sis), and she could not get verified.
So she called the 1-800 number and the verification process also failed.
She was told to expect something in the mail to complete the enrollment.
It never came.
Then, on the last day of ACA open enrollment she went to one of those local "ACA live-help sites" to sign-up.
Again, the verify process failed.
The person at the live-help desk was just as confused and clueless why the verify failed as my sister was.

Naturally, I heard all the flack over her failures with signing up.
And since she would turn 65 in less than 6 months, and get Medicare, I told her to just wait and get her Medicare.
Which would replace Obamacare for her situation, anywho.
She now has Medicare and she had no problem signing up for that. Hmmmm

But if you knew my sister, totally anti-government.
She voted for Ross Perot then Ralph Nader.
Never the republican or the democrat.
So I have my suspicion she never tried as hard as she claimed to sign up for Obamacare.
Plus, I don't think she'd spend the money for a policy anyway.
So with her, its hard to tell what really happened.

ANyway...
So, of the millions who currently have Obamacare, who are they? I want names.
Not that I question it.
But personally I do not know of one single person that actually has healthcare thru an exchange via Obamacare i.e. ACA.
So I'm fast-forwarding to the day when and if the Supremes should kill off ACA.
Playing my favorite game of, WHAT-IF.
Who and what that impact would be?

Anyone here have their healthcare thru Obamacare?
Or know someone personally of anyone that does?
People that would directly feel the impact with the loss of ACA?

And for the rest of us, all those with employer-based-insurance, you do realize don't you that with a negative court ruling over the ACA law, that would also impact you as well?

ACA repeal and or termination would also kill off all the ACA "reforms".
Reforms that concern our employer-based healthcare insurance.
Such as....
Cap limits.
Pre-existing conditions.
And that little ACA rule where private insurance must spend your collected premiums on actual healthcare and not on their advertising.

Yes, all of the "reforms" would go bye bye along with Obamacare.
And if you think your private employer-based healthcare rates are rising under Obamacare, just wait until all those reforms are swept away.
Nothing is free under our healthcare for profit system.
To private insurance wolves, you are the red meat.
And if you are rotten meat or meat with pre-existing conditions, they don't want you.
They only want that fresh red juicy virgin insurable meat.

Remember kiddies, currently "under" the ACA reforms, "anyone" can now apply, re-apply, and get healthcare from their employer whether they had been turned down before, or, never applied when first hired and since developed some disqualifying pre-existing condition, or, had employer based healthcare but later dropped their employer based healthcare then developed some condition where they need coverage but no longer qualified, or, wanted to add a family member that had some pre-existing condition.

Yes, under open enrollment time for your employer-based healthcare insurance, and WITH ACA reforms in place, every single employee could now take part in employer-based healthcare insurance, regardless of past history.

But that would be no more, if the supremes kill off Obamacare, and with it the "reforms".
THAT will impact YOU Mr and Ms employer-based healthcare insurance person.
WTF you say...? You don't even have Obamacare. You have employer-based-insurance?
Doesn't matter.

I just wanted to remind all those Obamacare haters out there that as Frankenstein might say, REFORM, GOOD. NO REFORM, BAD.

So.... Anyone have Obamacare? Or know someone that does?

 

[Rakehellion]

Yes.

 

[tygeezy]

I'm on Medicaid ( called medical here in California) I was laid off and then that very same month I was diagnosed with type 1.5 diabetes. My medication is very expensive (insulin and test strips, needles are all expensive). Not to mention all the doctor visits and blood tests they had to run.

 

[OverVolt]

I'm on Medicaid ( called medical here in California) I was laid off and then that very same month I was diagnosed with type 1.5 diabetes. My medication is very expensive (insulin and test strips, needles are all expensive). Not to mention all the doctor visits and blood tests they had to run.

Thats rough, glad you got treatment. Thats the type of scenario that scares me shitless.

 

[Jhhnn]

My family has Kaiser coverage through the exchange & I'm on Medicare w/ Kaiser supplement. Our income this year was too high for much subsidy- $14/mo.

At that, it's a few hundred a month less than we were quoted a year earlier when I was exploring early retirement.

 

[Thump553]

I have it. Just about every self-employed person I know has it. It was far, far less hard to sign up for that than under the old system where you had to submit a 40 page application listing each and every medical procedure you or a family member had during their lifetime-with the probable result that would be excluded from coverage as a pre-existing condition.

Quite frankly I'm sick to death of those who whine about Obamacare. Every single person I know who fit into that category (and there are quite a few) are state employees, retirees, ex-military or others who already have golden quality health insurance coverage guaranteed for life at next to no cost.

Under Obamacare health insurance for my wife and I runs about 2/3 our mortgage payment. Before Obamacare it was double our mortgage payment and easily the highest monthly bill we had-and we had absolutely no health issues at all.

Obamacare is far from perfect but it is a step in the right direction.

 

[RockinZ28]

Nope. I very much regret even signing up for the website, uploading photos of my id's and ss card to get verified. In the end, the same or similar plans offered there were more expensive than just going to ehealthinsurance.com.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

Nope, I work for a self insured employer.

 

[Fern]

-snip-
And for the rest of us, all those with employer-based-insurance, you do realize don't you that with a negative court ruling over the ACA law, that would also impact you as well?

How would the court case affect employer provided coverage?

Fern

 

[Chaotic42]

I do. It was surprisingly easy to sign up, though it's pretty expensive at $410/mo with an almost $5K deductible.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

I do. It was surprisingly easy to sign up, though it's pretty expensive at $410/mo with an almost $5K deductible.

No thanks, hopefully the company I work for will remain self insured. I pay $275/month for a family of 4, $300 individual/$700 family deductible, and $2,000 individual/$4,000 family max out of pocket.

 

[OverVolt]

I do. It was surprisingly easy to sign up, though it's pretty expensive at $410/mo with an almost $5K deductible.

Yea its a good general rule that any big law like this is named after wishful thinking. Its the unaffordable care act in reality.

 

[Zorkorist]

We were supposed to be facing Obama Care this year, but apparently our December 1 start date has bought us another year.

Doesn't really matter, as we all get free health care.

I'm just glad I'm not paying $400+ per month like the person up thread.

That's a lot of sin...

-John

 

[Jhhnn]

No thanks, hopefully the company I work for will remain self insured. I pay $275/month for a family of 4, $300 individual/$700 family deductible, and $2,000 individual/$4,000 family max out of pocket.

Of course. Employer sponsored plans mean less out of pocket because they're subsidized by the employer. OTOH, ACA plans' sliding subsidies make those plans less expensive than individual plans for a lot of people. As Thump553 points out, it's a lot better for the self employed. The combination of income % caps & subsidies makes it affordable.

Would ACA participants prefer the terms of good employer sponsored plans? Yes, but it's a helluva lot better than it was.

 

[Jhhnn]

How would the court case affect employer provided coverage?

Fern

It means that employer sponsored plans can fall below the thresholds of coverage demanded by the ACA, for starters. It means a lot more customizations & loopholes you won't notice until you need what you thought you had & it's not there.

 

[Zorkorist]

LOL.. universal heath care.

It's more like, which politician have you greased recently?

-John

 

[Zorkorist]

Corruption, socialism, bureaucracy... what's not to hate?

-John

 

[sportage]

Thanks much for those that chimed in. I sincerely mean that.
I was really wondering how many had, tried, gave up, or just decided not to take part in Obamacare.

From what I know, cost and options relies a lot on the state you live in and the number of providers taking part. And expansion of medicare (Medicaid?) for those states that opted in.
People want to push this idea Obamacare is some government insurance takeover.
It is not and never was.
We still have our "insurance for profit" system fully intact.
So don't anyone panic.

How would the court case affect employer provided coverage?

Fern

Employer provided insurance must comply with the new rules under ACA i.e. Obamacare.
If you have employer based insurance, you should have received a letter from your employer that anyone previously turned down due to pre-existing conditions should re-apply for employer based insurance because no longer could they be turned down.
That change was solely made possible thru ACA Obamacare.

The way it works with the employer, when you are hired on you can opt to take the company offered health insurance. And with no questions asked i.e. pending health issues.
That is only for the new hire-on.
Most take the employer insurance. Some do not because they do not feel the need.
Or they are single and only have to worry about their own history of health issues.
Just the simple cold and sore throat from time to time.

But if that new employee had originally turned down employer insurance, then later discover some health issue where they suddenly need coverage, that employee must meet very strict health qualifications in order to get employer based health insurance.
You need to tell all, and fill out all the forms.
And most likely you will be denied because you now have high blood pressure, or you are a woman with a family history of breast cancer, or you were diagnosed with diabetes, you will be denied insurance.

And if you later get married and your wife (and kid) decides it would be a good idea to take part in your employer health insurance, that employer insurance you originally turned down, you will need to tell all and fill out all the forms for every family member. With a doctors proof of insurability.
If either you, your child, or your kid has any health issues or pre-existing conditions, you will not get that employer based health insurance. Period!
That was the old way before ACA Obamacare "reforms" came to be.

Now under the ACA reforms, no one can be turned down.
Not when applying for Obamacare, and not when applying for employer based health insurance.
So should the US Supreme Court pull the plug on ACA Obamacare, all the ACA reforms go away as well. And we are back to slot one with insurance companies turning down anyone they chose due to pre-existing conditions. An that includes your employer based health insurance also turning you down.

As a general rule, the new employee should always accept any and all employer based health insurance offered, upon hire.
Because you never know if you might get married, have a kid, or come down with some uninsurable health issue of your own in the future.
And when you then try to re-apply for employer health insurance with a pre-existing condition, or your new wife has a pre-existing condition, or your child, you will be denied insurance plain and simple.

Obamacare reforms did away with all that being denied insurance from your employer.
Obviously, people still do not realize that.
And that is one reason employer based health insurance costs have risen.
The insurance company that supplies your employer with health insurance, must now accept people with pre-existing conditions.
And naturally that raised some costs.
But the alternative?
No insurance at all for anyone with a pre-existing conditions.

And if you ever watch those TV commercials for drugs and treatments, there are a lot of people out there with health issues. Health issues no insurance company wanted to take on.
ACA brought an end to that.

And considering how fat Americans are, and the trend for kids to become obese at an early age, by the time the kids are in their 30's they will have a lot of uninsurable health issues.
Without Obamacare and it's reforms, those kids and adults will have no chance to get health insurance. They will all be denied.

So like I said, if the court destroys Obamacare and it's ability to function, people will suffer.
People with Obamacare, and also the people with employer based insurance.
Because if you turn down employer insurance as a new hire, and need that insurance later, you will then need to fully qualify and that means being very very healthy with absolutely no health issues what so ever.
And the same goes for your wife and your kids.

What gets me, is why republicans do not want people to have healthcare insurance?
Especially the people that really need it.
And what logic goes thru their minds thinking millions showing up at the ER, unable to pay for treatment, is somehow less costly to society than simply allowing people to have health insurance thru Obamacare? And the ability to pay. And to see a doctor rather than the ER.

And as we all know, it is a lot cheaper to go see a doctor with a cold and sore throat than run to the ER. Especially when it is your child that is sick and running a fever.
With the doctor, and insured thru Obamacare, you pay your co-pay and save hundreds.
With the ER, you receive a huge bill for hundreds or thousands, a bill you can not pay, and that cost is passed onto everyone else.
There is no such thing as free healthcare in America.

You have two choices. The doctor, or the ER.
Obamacare, or no Obamacare.
Covered costs, or personal bankruptcy.
And no doctor will see you if you can not pay in advance, or, prove you have health insurance to cover the cost.
The ER must see you. But not for on-going medical conditions.
The ER is a one-time shot. The ER does not refill prescriptions.
The ER does not provide ongoing healthcare treatments for a single condition.
The ER will instead and always, re-direct you to a private doctor for ongoing conditions.
And if you have no insurance or no bucket of cash, that doctor will simply not see you.
And has no moral nor legal obligation to see you.

So why republicans would fight people having health insurance, is beyond me.
But thats how they are....
.
.
.

 

[alcoholbob]

Nope. I assume most of the people who have it had self-purchased plans (i.e. catastrophic insurance) that did not meet the government's requirements for Obamacare. A lot of people just ended up qualifying for expanded Medicare in California. Should be interesting to see how this affects the state's budget in the future. My guess is the plan is bankrupt Medicare and eventually go Single Payer.

 

[FerrelGeek]

Nope, I work for a self insured employer.

Same for me

I do. It was surprisingly easy to sign up, though it's pretty expensive at $410/mo with an almost $5K deductible.

Similar for my sister-in-law. Not sure how easy it was for her to sign up, but between her premiums (for the bronze plan, or whatever they called the 'cheap one') and her deductible, she and my brother will have to pay ~$13k/yr out of pocket before the plan kicks in.

No thanks, hopefully the company I work for will remain self insured. I pay $275/month for a family of 4, $300 individual/$700 family deductible, and $2,000 individual/$4,000 family max out of pocket.

Wow, that's not bad! I pay $340/month for an 80/20 plan with a $500/1000 individual/family deductible. And I hope mine stays self insured as well.

 

[WackyDan]

I have two friends that are impacted by Obamacare/ACA. One in a positive way and one negative... Oh and myself in a negative way. I'll explain.

An old friend from NY and his wife both have had transplants for various ailments. No fault of their own, just bad genetics. Before the ACA he was paying over 20k a year for a plan that offered somewhat decent prescription coverage. It was essentially a rip off, but they couldn't afford their meds without insurance - He is self employed. To that end, he had worked a corporate job for years and invested as much as he could in real estate property so he could soft retire and afford healthcare. His diligent planning meant that without the ACA he could afford insurance even if it was stupid expensive. Now with the ACA his premiums have dropped by roughly 75% (they get zero subsidy).

He and is wife are exactly who are being helped by the ACA and I have no problem with that. They were almost priced out of health insurance prior.

Another buddy lives in VA. Family of four. His ACA rate was higher than his previous insurance and had higher deductibles. He wasn't eligible for any subsidy. The higher deductibles are what made the ACA compliant plan unaffordable and he chose to go without insurance for now.

As for me? I have an employer sponsored plan and a daughter with some elevated healthcare costs. Her risk has gone down quite a bit, but we used to leverage the FSA account to help with the out of pocket costs associated with her health needs. The ACA reduced our ability to leverage an FSA by half - capping FSA's at $2500. That hurt... A lot.

 

[Jhhnn]

As for me? I have an employer sponsored plan and a daughter with some elevated healthcare costs. Her risk has gone down quite a bit, but we used to leverage the FSA account to help with the out of pocket costs associated with her health needs. The ACA reduced our ability to leverage an FSA by half - capping FSA's at $2500. That hurt... A lot.

Puh-leeze. How bad can it hurt, really? Give us the math.

"Previously, I saved $X per year with a $5K FSA. It works like this- let me explain."

Do the same with a $2500 cap.

Otherwise, it's too vague for honest assessment.

Your friend in VA? Family of 4 with income in excess of $94K? Again, way too vague. ACA rate higher? By how much? Same for the deductibles.

 

[OverVolt]

Puh-leeze. How bad can it hurt, really? Give us the math.

"Previously, I saved $X per year with a $5K FSA. It works like this- let me explain."

Do the same with a $2500 cap.

Otherwise, it's too vague for honest assessment.

Your friend in VA? Family of 4 with income in excess of $94K? Again, way too vague. ACA rate higher? By how much? Same for the deductibles.

If you're implying that the ACA plan might have good deductibles you don't know much about the ACA plans

Its like $12,700 for a family of 4.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Me. Temporary until I switch to my employer's health insurance. Good price with no subsidy. ~$300 a month, no deductible, low co-payments. Kaiser, which is what I had before under my parents. Website was glitchy, but overall I am happy with it. I might keep it and just have my employer continue to reimburse me for not being on their plan.

 

[wetech]

If you're implying that the ACA plan might have good deductibles you don't know much about the ACA plans

Its like $12,700 for a family of 4.

I think what he's implying is that the tax benefit on the difference of 2500 isn't big enough to "hurt" in his eyes. In other words, "stop bitching, you need to pay for someone else"