“And everybody will have lower rates, better quality care and better access.”
“We’ll do it by investing in disease prevention, not just disease management; by investing in a paperless health care system to reduce administrative costs; and by covering every single American and making sure that they can take their health care with them if they lose their job,” he said at the time. “We’ll also reduce costs for business and their workers by picking up the tab for some of the most expensive illnesses.
“We won’t do all this twenty years from now, or ten years from now,” he said. “We’ll do it by the end of my first term as President of the United States.”
Never mind rate shock. Today, the Detroit Free Press hits a topic I’ve been writing about for weeks now — deductible shock. This, even more than the higher premiums, is the main reason I’ve written that Obamacare is junk insurance. If your deductible goes up, it leaves you paying for more of own care, so that means you’re not as well insured as you were before.
Many of the people seeing their policies canceled right now were in situations like mine — they previously had individual market plans with what they thought were already high deductibles. Then Obamacare goes into effect, and boom! The only plans coming anywhere near to being comparable in terms of premiums carry significantly higher deductibles than anyone was used to or willing to accept:
In southeast Michigan, deductibles in most of the 14 bronze plans listed on the marketplace — those with lower premiums — top $5,000 for a single person and $10,000-$12,000 for a family. Insurance won’t kick in until those out-of-pocket costs are met.
“(People) are saying ‘I can afford to buy health care, I just can’t afford to get sick,’ ” said Allen Zuppke, a Southfield insurance broker who helps consumers weigh risks, costs and options in buying health insurance….
There’s something left out of all three stories- the deductible.
One such person is Brad Camp, a small-business owner in Kingston, Wash., who received a cancellation notice in September from his insurance carrier. He went to the state exchange, the Washington Healthplanfinder, and for close to the same premium his family was paying before got upfront coverage for doctor’s office visits and prescription drug , vision and dental coverage. His family was able to keep the same insurance carrier and doctors and qualified for tax credits to help cover the cost.
Since Howard Stovall opened his sign and graphics business in Lexington, Ky., in 1998, he has paid half the cost of health insurance for his eight employees. With the help of Stovall’s longtime insurance agent and Kentucky’s health exchange, Kynect, Stovall’s employees are saving 5 percent to 40 percent each on new health insurance plans with better benefits. Stovall can afford to provide additional employee benefits, including full disability coverage and part of the cost of vision and dental plans, while still saving the business 50 percent compared with the old plans.
In Connecticut, Anne Masterson was able to reduce her monthly premiums from $965 to $313 for similar coverage, including a $145 tax credit. Masterson is able to use her annual premium savings of $8,000 to pay bills or save for retirement.
For a couple aged 65 and 62 with no dependents making $120,000 per year, the monthly premium is $1360 with a deductible of $10,000 and an annual maximum out of pocket cost of $12,500.
Instead of all those high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, people would be a lot better off paying their own way, except for catastrophic care. Most people don't spend $1000 per year in health care bills. Perhaps the concentration should have been catastrophic care, but then, that would ruin Obama's power trip.
Instead of all those high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, people would be a lot better off paying their own way, except for catastrophic care. Most people don't spend $1000 per year in health care bills. Perhaps the concentration should have been catastrophic care, but then, that would ruin Obama's power trip.
I just renewed my employer based plan for 2014. The Doctor Visit Co-Pay went up 300%.
It has been $15 per doctor visit for years, then bumped to $20 in 2013, - not a big deal. But for 2014 it has skyrocketed to $60 per visit. Makes you wonder what will happen in 2015 when the 1-year large company extension runs out.
Heck $60 a visit is more than most carriers even pay for a regular office visit and is what we charge our "established" cash patients.
Nearly everyone has house insurance that covers catastrophes. When the pipes are clogged, we call the plumber. When the furnace breaks down, we call a heating company. The same for repairmen for appliances. If our house insurance covered all these incidentals, it would sky-rocket. The same goes for our vehicles. We pay for oil changes and new tires. Insurance covers the big stuff, like accidents. Health insurance should be run the same way, since the government is sponsoring it.
Many don't believe in vaccinations, so why should they pay for someone else's. The same for abortions. The republicans should come up with a bill to address these issues, and make it easy to understand, as well as brief and to the point. No loopholes!