Obamacare Costs Are Shrinking

Same here. Before Obamacare I had a PPO policy (with HSA account) that cost me $250/month with a $2,500 deductible. That same policy is now $600/month with a $6,000 deductible.

...

I had to go to a high deductible plan last year to keep my premiums at a reasonable rate.

As a result I pay contracted rates for office visits and prescriptions not co-pays.

Not sure who is being helped by Obamacare. If it's cutting the deficit, how? Who was receiving benefits before on the government dole that are paying their own way now.

IMO this shit about cutting deficits and slowing cost increases is a bunch of smoke and mirrors but we already new that...#grubered...didn't we? Originally Posted by boardman

I'm loving it

A friend of mine, a 48yo SF, couldn't afford healthcare before Obamacare. She still can't afford health care but now has to pay a penalty for not being able to afford it. Her office visit fees and prescription costs have not gone down. Where has this helped her?

I had to go to a high deductible plan last year to keep my premiums at a reasonable rate. Originally Posted by boardman

How is that even possible? Is she also paying insurance premiums on a ferarri?
Because it was my understanding that if you can't afford health insurance, you can either apply for a subsidy or go through the Medicaid? One of my friends lost a job last year, and she's been on Medicaid since. I've never once heard her complain.

You guys bitch and moan about the good ol' days but in truth you lack any idea of what those days were like. Health care costs have been going up for two decades now. We already all know that. The spiking of Healthcare costs IS what caused Obamacare to be enacted in the first place. Here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...e-act/9960093/
It says that healthcare premiums went up 10% for each of the 3 years BEFORE the affordable care act. This year, premiums went up an average of 8%. Couple that with the fact that in the private marketplace, the insurance companies were screwing people over, denying them healthcare for pre-existing conditions, even manageable ones like diabetes. So if you were sick before you look for a health plan, you're shit out of luck. You might be paying more for Health care but you get more coverage.
Its clear that none of you know shit on this matter. One "Genius" even said he was ON Obamacare. Hey IDIOT, you're never ON Obamacare. You're on your private marketplace plan that fits the requirements set forth by the affordable care act. DOLT

Spoken like a guy who has shit for brains.

Obamacare is cost shifting; healthy people (and the young) are paying more and getting less. Sick people are paying less and getting more.

It is simple economics. Ask Professor Gruber.

......... You might be paying more for Health care but you get more coverage.
... Originally Posted by shanm

Spoken like a guy who has shit for brains.

Obamacare is cost shifting; healthy people (and the young) are paying more and getting less. Sick people are paying less and getting more.

It is simple economics. Ask Professor Gruber. Originally Posted by Whirlaway

For the record, I was never FOR Obama care. Still am not. What I don't stand for, is people on here making up absolute bullshit in order to save their point. Obamacare is actually much less bad than I thought it might have been.
I think the government should have passed an act that only limited the insurance companies on who they could deny coverage to and what they could deny coverage on. The rest, let the market figure itself out. As it is, the plan is too invasive into the healthcare market and limits our options. Anyone who needed Gruber to tell them what you just told me above is obviously an idiot who didn't do his research. But that isn't really surprising, 90% of the american voters are idiots.

"So you're saying that EVERYONE will have coverage?"

"yes"

" Everyone? But how will we pay for the ones who couldn't afford coverage before?"

"I just told you that EVERYONE will have coverage."

LMAO @ climate, err, ACA deniers!

A friend of mine, a 48yo SF, couldn't afford healthcare before Obamacare. She still can't afford health care but now has to pay a penalty for not being able to afford it. Her office visit fees and prescription costs have not gone down. Where has this helped her?

I had to go to a high deductible plan last year to keep my premiums at a reasonable rate.
As a result I pay contracted rates for office visits and prescriptions not co-pays.

Not sure who is being helped by Obamacare. If it's cutting the deficit, how? Who was receiving benefits before on the government dole that are paying their own way now.

IMO this shit about cutting deficits and slowing cost increases is a bunch of smoke and mirrors but we already new that...#grubered...didn't we? Originally Posted by boardman

That doesn't even sound possible.

I had my policy for 4 months and then it went up 20%.

How is that even possible? Originally Posted by shanm

That doesn't even sound possible. Originally Posted by UnderConstruction

You geniuses tell me how it's not possible. I'm telling you that is her reality.

Subsidies, Who the fuck do you think pays for the subsidies? The Obama himself?

Fucking subsidies and Medicaid. She's white and has an office job that pays an avg. of 32hrs a week. Standard for that industry. Roughly $600 per week, $2400 per month gross $1800/ mo take home. People like that don't get subsidies and medicaid. They get money taken out of their check, to pay for other's subsidies.
Then she has to pay for a place to live, $700 - $800/month including utilities
Groceries, $200 - $300/ month
a car note or car repairs on the regular if they have a car that's paid off plus car insurance. $300 - $600/month plus another $100 - $150 for gas. That's $1300/ month if everything fell on the low side and I haven't even covered incidentals. The gal doesn't have an extravagant lifestyle, doesn't even have cable TV, and puts a little back each week for that inevitable major car repair, tires or root canal. She would have gotten a little bit of a refund this year on taxes but the "penalty" took care of that. So, Geniuses, where is she gonna come up with the extra to afford an Obamacare plan?

That's not true. Maybe you ought to give her a raise Big Daddy.

You geniuses tell me how it's not possible. I'm telling you that is her reality.

Subsidies, Who the fuck do you think pays for the subsidies? The Obama himself?

Fucking subsidies and Medicaid. She's white and has an office job that pays an avg. of 32hrs a week. Standard for that industry. Roughly $600 per week, $2400 per month gross $1800/ mo take home. People like that don't get subsidies and medicaid. They get money taken out of their check, to pay for other's subsidies.
Then she has to pay for a place to live, $700 - $800/month including utilities
Groceries, $200 - $300/ month
a car note or car repairs on the regular if they have a car that's paid off plus car insurance. $300 - $600/month plus another $100 - $150 for gas. That's $1300/ month if everything fell on the low side and I haven't even covered incidentals. The gal doesn't have an extravagant lifestyle, doesn't even have cable TV, and puts a little back each week for that inevitable major car repair, tires or root canal. She would have gotten a little bit of a refund this year on taxes but the "penalty" took care of that. So, Geniuses, where is she gonna come up with the extra to afford an Obamacare plan? Originally Posted by boardman

Bullshit. Even if you are a family of one, with an income of less than 30,000 you qualify for healthcare subsidies. $2400/month puts her to less than 30,000/annum, and still I'm only assuming she lives alone. I believe families of 8 or more can even go to 100 grand a year and still qualify. Either she is extremely stupid or extremely lazy to not fight for what she deserves in this case. That's no one's fault but her own.

People are going to have to repay the "subsidies" while others are going to have to count it as "income" to be taxed. Someone has "free money" etched on the brain. It ain't free.

Boardman is spot on. I talk to 3-4 different people each week in that same boat.

Over the weekend I talked to a guy, who was terminated as an employee, when ACA was coming down the pike, and was "rejoined" with the same company on an hourly contract basis with no benefits, with a family of 4 (2 kids), and his wife went to work to get health insurance through a different employer, and her pay is consumed almost completely with health insurance and after school day care costs. They don't get a subsidy; don't qualify.

It's not bullshit. It's bullshit to say it ain't happening.

Bullshit. Even if you are a family of one, with an income of less than 30,000 you qualify for healthcare subsidies. $2400/month puts her to less than 30,000/annum, and still I'm only assuming she lives alone. I believe families of 8 or more can even go to 100 grand a year and still qualify. Either she is extremely stupid or extremely lazy to not fight for what she deserves in this case. That's no one's fault but her own. Originally Posted by shanm

Take that word "deserves" and shove it liberally up your asshole.

Bullshit. Even if you are a family of one, with an income of less than 30,000 you qualify for healthcare subsidies. $2400/month puts her to less than 30,000/annum, and still I'm only assuming she lives alone. I believe families of 8 or more can even go to 100 grand a year and still qualify. Either she is extremely stupid or extremely lazy to not fight for what she deserves in this case. That's no one's fault but her own. Originally Posted by shanm

What she deserves?
Fucking idiot.
Yeah, she lives alone.
The subsidy is about $100 per month. You get that back as a tax credit when you file taxes at the end of the year, right? In the mean time what is she supposed to do. Borrow the money? That doesn't pay shit for a decent policy. Yeah for about $300 or $200 per month with the subsidy she could get a high deductible plan with no co pays. She'd have to reach a $6000+ deductible by paying $100 office visits.( At least that's the contract rate on my plan) and prescriptions. She'd be eligible for an HSA but where's the money gonna come from for that once she pays the premium? Anything with a co-pay set up is gonna cost at least $100 more.
This is not a one off example. I could show you at least a 1/2 dozen people I know in basically the same boat.

As for subsidies. A guy I graduated high school with in a very rural part of another state does taxes for his neighbors. Out of about a dozen returns not one has been a tax payer. They have all actually gotten back more than they paid in. Why? Tax credits and subsidies. One family to the tune of nearly $6000 more. Who do you think pays for that? That's right, you, if you pay tax, me, I definitely pay tax and my female friend who just filed her taxes and didn't get a damn dime back.

Now, who do you think those people that got more back than they paid in will vote for in 2016?
That's what this all boils down to. Creating a voter base. The government doesn't care about a 48yo SWF who is just getting by as long as she is paying her "fair share". They don't give a damn about my health or well being either but they'll damn sure hassle the fuck out of me if they think I made a mistake on my return and now I have to pay my accountant to write letters to the idiot fucks explaining their own laws to them. One thing you can be sure about is that a whole bunch of politicians care about making sure a certain demographics of folks are receiving their fair share and they'll use the same agencies fucking with me to make sure they get theirs.

What she deserves?
Fucking idiot.
Yeah, she lives alone.
The subsidy is about $100 per month. You get that back as a tax credit when you file taxes at the end of the year, right? In the mean time what is she supposed to do. Borrow the money? That doesn't pay shit for a decent policy. Yeah for about $300 or $200 per month with the subsidy she could get a high deductible plan with no co pays. She'd have to reach a $6000+ deductible by paying $100 office visits.( At least that's the contract rate on my plan) and prescriptions. She'd be eligible for an HSA but where's the money gonna come from for that once she pays the premium? Anything with a co-pay set up is gonna cost at least $100 more.
This is not a one off example. I could show you at least a 1/2 dozen people I know in basically the same boat.

As for subsidies. A guy I graduated high school with in a very rural part of another state does taxes for his neighbors. Out of about a dozen returns not one has been a tax payer. They have all actually gotten back more than they paid in. Why? Tax credits and subsidies. One family to the tune of nearly $6000 more. Who do you think pays for that? That's right, you, if you pay tax, me, I definitely pay tax and my female friend who just filed her taxes and didn't get a damn dime back.

Now, who do you think those people that got more back than they paid in will vote for in 2016?
That's what this all boils down to. Creating a voter base. The government doesn't care about a 48yo SWF who is just getting by as long as she is paying her "fair share". They don't give a damn about my health or well being either but they'll damn sure hassle the fuck out of me if they think I made a mistake on my return and now I have to pay my accountant to write letters to the idiot fucks explaining their own laws to them. One thing you can be sure about is that a whole bunch of politicians care about making sure a certain demographics of folks are receiving their fair share and they'll use the same agencies fucking with me to make sure they get theirs. Originally Posted by boardman

Creating a voter base? Is that really what you think this is about? If you do, I think you have replaced IB Hankering as the dumbest idiot on this board. Take a step back, and for one god damn second look at this with some objectivity. Do you think, that if our healthcare system was so peachy in the first place, ANYONE would have even dared introduce healthcare reform??? I'll save you the trouble of thinking this one through; the answer is NO. Read my last post, it links to an article that proves that our Healthcare costs were going up by 10% each year. THIS WAS BEFORE ACA WAS IMPLEMENTED. Under Obamacare they went up 8% last year.
That's a reality we all have to face: that our healthcare system is ridiculously expensive and equally ineffective. What do you think caused this price increase. An idiot above mentioned the term "simple economics". Well does "simple economics" not dictate to you what caused this price increase without any government intervention? No, it doesn't, because you would rather be blinded by your hatred for anything Obama than listen to logic and reason.

And don't think I believe your "personal experience" bullshit for a second. It is a fact that if you qualify for healthcare subsidy, your healthcare market plan CANNOT cost you more than 9.5% of your income. That's beside the tax credit. Your friend is obviously living below the 400% Federal Poverty line limit, and therefore qualifies for a subsidy. Therefore, she can not pay more than $3000 per year for her market plan, no matter if she chooses a plan that has a high deductible or a low deductible. That right there is the socialist part of the healthcare plan. The ACA is definitely socialist in nature, thats what "healthcare for everyone" means but for you to claim that someone as poor as her is getting fucked by the ACA even though she is specifically the kind of person the act is built for, well that's just absolute utter bullshit. Don't get me wrong, its a huge possibility that you aren't making this up. But the only other alternatives are that she is either lying to you (probably a republican) or she is not aware of what she qualifies for and therefore is not getting the best plan she could get.
I don't claim the healthcare system is perfect. I personally could think of alternatives that could be better. But I have no clue as to their real life practical application. But apparently, everyone on this hooker forum board is a Ivy League economist who can each come up with their own brilliant plan to get this country on track. Face it, if any of you had any credibility, you wouldn't even be here in the first place.