Poll: How has your insurance been affected by Obamacare?

[Smokin Joe]

We have heard a lot about the people who supposedly were not covered by health insurance but now are because of the ACA. We haven't heard anything about negative impacts.
So let's ask the tough question, and see.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

I can't really vote, because I don't know.

I always took what my employer offerred.  I can say that when I went off COBRA and had to go to that there $2 billion (with a 'b') website, my health insurance premiums went down about 40% and the deductible went through the roof.  I got pretty much the plan I want, and at a reasonable price, but I can't say if that's better or worse than what I could have gotten before.

[Oceander]

You're missing an option:  more expensive but worse coverage. 

[Smokin Joe]

You're missing an option:  more expensive but worse coverage.

You're right. I am.

[Ghost Bear]

Dang, I answered "more expensive but less coverage" (which is true) but I also could have answered "lost my insurance (carrier quit offering plan because of ACA requirements)". Both are true in my case: In 2015 and 2016 I paid Humana for private health insurance for me and my wife. In 2015 I paid ~$1100/month for Platinum coverage (no deductible, $20/$35 co-pays for office visits). In 2016 that plan was no longer being offered, but Humana still had a Gold plan for about $1200/month and a $1500 deductible, $25/$40 office visit co-pays, so I got that. For this year Humana no longer offered private insurance in Texas; the only two carriers who did were Blue Cross and some other company I'd never heard of before, and neither one had very good plans (I would have had to pay close to $2500/month for the same kind of coverage I had in 2016.) So I switched to a plan offered by my employer. I'm now paying about $1200/month, but our deductible is $4000. Until the deductible is met the insurance pays nothing; and even once it is met, they offer 80% "co-insurance" not a co-pay, which means we'll be paying for 20% of any medical bill including office visits. It's put our finances close to the edge; I'm a contractor, which means I only get paid for hours worked (no paid vacation, holidays, or sick days.) My wife doesn't work any more, so if I were to fall ill or have an accident, that would be it for us financially.

The way it looks right now, if the Republicans can't get their act together and repeal Obamacare, I'm seriously thinking of doing without insurance next year. This year it certainly hasn't provided any benefit to us, while the monthly premium has been a serious drag on our finances. 

[ConstitutionRose]

Dang, I answered "more expensive but less coverage" (which is true) but I also could have answered "lost my insurance (carrier quit offering plan because of ACA requirements)". Both are true in my case: In 2015 and 2016 I paid Humana for private health insurance for me and my wife. In 2015 I paid ~$1100/month for Platinum coverage (no deductible, $20/$35 co-pays for office visits). In 2016 that plan was no longer being offered, but Humana still had a Gold plan for about $1200/month and a $1500 deductible, $25/$40 office visit co-pays, so I got that. For this year Humana no longer offered private insurance in Texas; the only two carriers who did were Blue Cross and some other company I'd never heard of before, and neither one had very good plans (I would have had to pay close to $2500/month for the same kind of coverage I had in 2016.) So I switched to a plan offered by my employer. I'm now paying about $1200/month, but our deductible is $4000. Until the deductible is met the insurance pays nothing; and even once it is met, they offer 80% "co-insurance" not a co-pay, which means we'll be paying for 20% of any medical bill including office visits. It's put our finances close to the edge; I'm a contractor, which means I only get paid for hours worked (no paid vacation, holidays, or sick days.) My wife doesn't work any more, so if I were to fall ill or have an accident, that would be it for us financially.

The way it looks right now, if the Republicans can't get their act together and repeal Obamacare, I'm seriously thinking of doing without insurance next year. This year it certainly hasn't provided any benefit to us, while the monthly premium has been a serious drag on our finances. 

You are one of many in this situation.  A lot of contractors and small businesses. 

[Ghost Bear]

You are one of many in this situation.  A lot of contractors and small businesses.

Yes, and our situation isn't even as bad as what many people are going or have gone through. 

[Smokin Joe]

Yes, and our situation isn't even as bad as what many people are going or have gone through. 

But Obamacare was designed to attack the Middle Class the hardest. The poorest have medicaid, the next group up gets subsidies, the people who are in real good shape can afford to buy insurance and eat, too. It is the guy who is somewhere in between, trying to grow a small business, who makes too much for subsidies, too little to shell out for insurance without a serious fiscal pinch who got hit the worst.

That is a lot of sole proprietorships and small business owners who can't roll money into the business and eat, too, who can't get bigger to take advantage of the economy of scale because the money has gone down the Cadillac care rathole.

That's why Obama didn't improve the economy, except by the metric of a rising stock market, fed by quantitative easing dumps into the big banks and cooking the books as people ran out of unemployment benefits.

The real engines of the economy and economic recovery (small businesses) were choked out by Obamacare.

[catfish1957]

We have heard a lot about the people who supposedly were not covered by health insurance but now are because of the ACA. We haven't heard anything about negative impacts.
So let's ask the tough question, and see.

My retiree insurance costs me $7500 a year, and my employer $23,400.  Crazy!!!  Based on my old company benefit statements, this is up 41% Since 2010 ACA enactment.

[Applewood]

Well, as a retiree, I have a choice of plans.  I took one that is more expensive than most, but I have a number of health issues and the cheaper plans would have given me a deductible I could not afford, plus fewer choices of doctors and hospitals, higher co-pays and prescription drug coverage that may not have covered some of the meds I need.     I'm okay with paying more for the coverage I need, but what frosts me is that my plan includes coverage for what I don't need.  Why should I be paying for, say, a sex change operation?  God made me a female and I'm not about to tamper with His handiwork at 65 years old.   

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I live in Massachusetts so we already had Obamacare basically. It didn't have an effect.

[Cripplecreek]

Problem is that there is no going back to the way things were (which sucked anyway) even with a full repeal of Obamacare.

The insurance companies wanted Obamacare and aren't going to happily slash rates and make less money.

[Smokin Joe]

Problem is that there is no going back to the way things were (which sucked anyway) even with a full repeal of Obamacare.

The insurance companies wanted Obamacare and aren't going to happily slash rates and make less money.

Nope, but there is a market for lesser plans. Open that up and the Insurance companies will either cater to it or lose market share, which is how little companies get to be big players.

[DB]

But Obamacare was designed to attack the Middle Class the hardest. The poorest have medicaid, the next group up gets subsidies, the people who are in real good shape can afford to buy insurance and eat, too. It is the guy who is somewhere in between, trying to grow a small business, who makes too much for subsidies, too little to shell out for insurance without a serious fiscal pinch who got hit the worst.

That is a lot of sole proprietorships and small business owners who can't roll money into the business and eat, too, who can't get bigger to take advantage of the economy of scale because the money has gone down the Cadillac care rathole.

That's why Obama didn't improve the economy, except by the metric of a rising stock market, fed by quantitative easing dumps into the big banks and cooking the books as people ran out of unemployment benefits.

The real engines of the economy and economic recovery (small businesses) were choked out by Obamacare.

Exactly right, along with the new 30 hour work week...

[BassWrangler]

My employer had awesome coverage. When they saw Odumbocare coming, with the resultant price increases and taxes on "Cadillac plans", they decided to scale back the coverage significantly. It sucked, because when I decided to move out here and take this job, the fact that they had this coverage was one of the reasons. Oh well.

Also, I've noticed that my doctor behaves a lot differently now. He's very reticent to order tests, whereas before he was not. That's not necessarily all bad, but it's certainly not something the OdumboCare proponents were forthright about.

[Applewood]

My employer had awesome coverage. When they saw Odumbocare coming, with the resultant price increases and taxes on "Cadillac plans", they decided to scale back the coverage significantly. It sucked, because when I decided to move out here and take this job, the fact that they had this coverage was one of the reasons. Oh well.

Also, I've noticed that my doctor behaves a lot differently now. He's very reticent to order tests, whereas before he was not. That's not necessarily all bad, but it's certainly not something the OdumboCare proponents were forthright about.

I believe insurance no longer covers as many tests as they once did.  Using myself as an example -- I have heart problems.  Before Obamacare, I had to have a stress test every year.  After Obamacare it was every other year.  Now, no more stress tests.  Asked the cardiologist and he gave me a cock and bull story about how new research indicated I didn't need the test all that often because my heart has been "healthy" the last few years.  Now a stress test is not pleasant and I guess I'm supposed to be glad I don't have to get one, but the stress test is a good way to spot heart problems before they get serious -- or so I was told way back when.  How does anyone know without it that I don't have a blockage or some other problem I may not be aware of? 

This supposed new research either doesn't exist or it's possibly suspect.  But the insurers and/or those who enforce Obamacare will still use it as an excuse to not pay for a test you might really need. 

But hey, if I need that sex change operation, I'm good to go.  Sigh!