There was a recent thread about this but it did not specifically ask if people paid more with ACA insurance than they paid before ACA. The thread seemed to indicate people did pay more. People I talk to IRL say it costs more. They also say coverage is less and deductibles are more. But I live in Georgia, a state not friendly to ACA. Please share any and all opinions or experiences you have with ACA. I am in support of better health care for all people but it appears ACA is not working to that goal. Also, one specific question from me, if it was enacted in the way Obama/Democrats wanted it, would there still be these problems?
When I changed job recently from being self employed I was a bit reluctant to take my new employer’s group policy. They cover it all, which is great, but they kept trying to count the full amount they were paying as part of the compensation they were offering. That’s fair enough, except they’re paying far more than I was paying for my exchange plan and both plans were very similar.
I think people who’re used to being on an employer sponsored plan aren’t sufficiently open minded about the plans offered on the exchanges. If your employer covers all or most of your premium it may be hard to beat, but anyone paying all or most of their premium should look into declining coverage and getting an exchange plan. They’re quite good in my experience.
My insurance costs have increased every single year since 1992.
And I work in the health insurance industry.
BTW, the poll is flawed; most people can’t say for certain if the ACA made their insurance more expensive, or if greedy fucking insurance executives did because their state doesn’t have any protections from that kind of thing, or if their employer decided to make up the projected profit difference this year by paying less in employee benefits.
You actually answered your own question when you said:
If certain state governments hadn’t decided to throw hissy fits, many, many people would be better off. But these states decided that political posturing was more important than human lives.
I think you’re confused about what the ACAis , because this is a nonsense question:
I assume you mean “how much does your job pay toward your health insurance premium”. “ACA” is the name of the law, not an insurance plan.
Yep. Unless you’re an actuary working for your insurance company or a state auditor, I’m not sure how you’d really know what your rates are based on. All you can really evaluate is whether your rate has increased faster or slower than the pre-ACA projections. I gather that for most people the answer is “slower.”
The rate was higher because the coverage increased. I don’t have ACA coverage right this second, my wife got a government job, but I had Personal Insurance for probably 6 or 7 years before the ACA and switched to an ACA policy when that became available - so for plan year 2014. I did not switch companies, just policies within the company, and I didn’t change my deductibles much - I think it went from 4k to 5k, or switch plan types - both were PPO/HDHP. The network may not have been identical but was close. I did not receive subsidies in advance. My rate was higher by maybe $50/month. But the big difference was guaranteed issue (omg, the health questions and checks before), and the old personal plans didn’t cover maternity or a couple of other things required by the ACA. And to add a maternity rider, if you could even get it when you had personal insurance, was more like 5 grand a year extra not $600.
I would pay more if I still went to the doctor but I can’t afford it, so I don’t. The premiums are higher and the deductible is higher and copays no longer exist.*
I do think ACA is a start. Once we have accepted that, maybe we can go on to something that actually works.
*Just as an example, pre-ACA, took kid to emergency room, paid $50 copay. Post-ACA, took kid to emergency room, paid $1700. In both cases he was there for 3 or so hours, got checked out, in first instance had wound debriding and bandaging, in second case had wound cleaned and salve applied. (He has now aged out of our insurance so that won’t happen again.)
I went with the first choice but its a little more complicated than that. My rates didn’t go up much but quite a bit more isn’t covered and my deductible went through the roof. I was one of those few caught in a really great plan that was cancelled. I now neglect more illnesses and injuries than I care to admit to because of cost and that was never the case before. I also have to negotiate with my doctor about “that drug/treatment is best but this drug/treatment is the best I can afford”. That also was never the case pre-ACA.
That being said I don’t totally blame the ACA; at least most days. If I had to write a check to some hospital or doctor this month MY mileage could vary.
First we kill all the lawyers. And since most politicians are lawyers -------
But seriously, I think tort reform (and major forms of tort reform) are a big part of the equation. I also think we need some reform in the FDA; especially towards Orphan Drugs.
Something along the lines of a “profiteering” regulation for health care could be in order as well but the Libertarian and Capitalist inside me get really nervous when I think about that part.
True; and even if you’re an actuary, you probably don’t *really *know. There’s an awful lot of obfuscation in the health insurance industry. Never trust any industry that won’t sell you their product because you went to the doctors for zits, hay fever, and heartburn (true story, pre-ACA denial of coverage).
Single payer. There’s no reason that a company that doesn’t actually bring anything to the table should profit out of the equation for health insurance. Private health insurance can live on as it does in other countries, as a way to obtain perks and possibly treatment not covered under the national health plan.
And then, we go after pharmaceutical companies, who charge Americans 5x what they charge other countries for the same drugs. Those pharma companies are based in the US and get tax breaks here. We make a deal with them, same as other countries do. No reason we shouldn’t do that!
Those charges normally get adjusted once the hospital submits the bill to insurance, because they have to bundle charges, and can only charge the reasonable and necessary amounts to insurance.
The irony is, it’s the uninsured who are charged separately for every bandage, every syringe, and every bit of IV tubing. That billing is not allowed under guidelines used to bill insurance companies.
More expensive except, as noted, it ALWAYS has gotten more expensive over time. And, in my previous job, we’d change plans once every two years or so to try and keep costs down while sacrificing quality and out-of-pocket affordability along the way. So it’s always been impossible to clearly say what insurance cost three years ago when that was a different carrier and two hikes ago.
I read a piece the other week that suggested that a Republican president wouldn’t dare try killing the ACA now since his name will just be slapped on whatever comes next and every regularly scheduled rate hike, increased deductible or dropped plan will be blamed on “BushCare” or whatever. Just like it’s all perceived to be because of the ACA now.
Since the Supremes pretty much said ACA is here to stay with their latest decision, the insurance industry has wasted no time:
[ul]
[li]Aetna bought Humana on July 2 - $37 billion[/li][li]Centene Corp. bought Health Net on July 1 - $6.3 billion[/li][li]CVS last month bought Target’s pharmacy business for $2 billion[/li][li]Anthem is buying Cigna for $54 billion[/li][/ul]
Rates will go up no matter what as the industry consolidates into mega-systems, and the Republican Congress will do nothing for the consumer as their way to punish the Democrats (Obama).
Republicans will do nothing for consumers because Republicans have never done anything for consumers regarding healthcare. It’s not as though Democrats were beating back all that healthcare reform during the Bush & GOP Congress years.
