# Do you pay more with ACA insurance than before ACA **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 3, 2015, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171 "2015-07-03T22:29:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/21 "2015-07-04T13:57:28Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > 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. Actually, as flawed as Medicare Part D is, the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act was passed with 207 Republican votes and only 9 Democrat votes. It’s a lot like the ACA in that, in spite of its problems, I’m glad it got passed instead of no reform. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/22 "2015-07-04T16:38:06Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > 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. This. I am an employee now, so I pay much less than I did when I was a contractor and purchased my own insurance. And, just to clarify, I pay less because my employer pays the bulk of it, not because the insurance itself is cheaper. When I was self-employed between the years of about 2008-2013, my single-payer policy went up between 25% and 50% per year. The policy my husband I had started out at about $250/month for the two of us, with a $6000 deductible IIRC. By the time we both became employees and were eligible for employer-based insurance, the premium had gone to ~$800/month (same deductible). Over a 300% increase, in 5 years. All of this was pre-Obamacare. Anyone who is claiming Obamacare made their health insurance go up was simply not paying attention pre-Obamacare. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/23 "2015-07-05T01:59:02Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Anyone who is claiming Obamacare made their health insurance go up was simply not paying attention pre-Obamacare. There I will have to disagree; too broad a brush to possibly be true. And since some plans like mine were cancelled under the system (despite what my POTUS promised in his sales pitch) and other glitches showed up after it was passed, some of the blame somewhere is going to land on the ACA. All of it? Totally unfair and untrue. But the opposite - that it had no negative effect on anyone - is equally unfair and untrue. What he (President Obama) intended was good and what I saw of the initial versions was damn good. If our Party (Democratic) had actually used the first two years we had to support him and it, it could very well be a different story. But we waited too long and the final version had too many compromises that hurt us (basic working poor and lower middle class) to the benefit of the insurance and medical industries. From there we can each decide how to proportion the blame. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/24 "2015-07-05T23:13:42Z")
Cheaper and it’s not even close. My last premium pre ACA was $2700 monthly after the ACA $405. I’m a business owner so I pay my own way. No, I don’t get premium support. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/25 "2015-07-05T23:29:15Z")
> [@Stuffy](#): > > Cheaper and it’s not even close. My last premium pre ACA was $2700 monthly after the ACA $405. I’m a business owner so I pay my own way. No, I don’t get premium support. That’s hard to believe. Can you clarify? I’m self-employed and my rates went up a lot. Considerably more than any year prior to the ACA. I had a top-notch plan, and I downgraded to keep may payments about the same. Still pretty good insurance, but not as good as before. It was pretty well known in advance that people like me (healthy, self-employed, not eligible for a subsidy) would be hurt by the law, so I wasn’t surprised. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/26 "2015-07-05T23:31:17Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > My insurance costs have increased _ **every single year since 1992** _. > > … This, only for longer. My insurance went up a little the year aca went into effect. About the same as every other year. My employer’s plan was tweaked around the corners in ways that don’t matter to me, as it is from time to time. No interesting changes in either coverage or price for me. The only difference is that I have to certify that I have health insurance in places that didn’t used to ask. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/27 "2015-07-05T23:46:15Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > That’s hard to believe. Can you clarify? What would you like me to clarify? It’s a different insurance company but I’m definitely happier with this company than I was the previous one. You know looking at it, I should say it went from 1400 and some to 405. The same policy would now cost me $620. My wife passed, so the policy decreased by her portion before the ACA. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/28 "2015-07-06T01:16:49Z")
I dont’ know how to answer your poll. The amount of coverage I had before is not sufficient to meet the minimum requirement. It had a $10,000 deductible. New insurance has a deductible of something akin to $3,300. It costs more. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/29 "2015-07-06T01:38:21Z")
Prior to the ACA, health insurance - both employer provided and privately purchased changed in price and coverage every year. The reasons for these changes were complex and often opaque. Since the ACA passed, all changes can to US healthcare be blamed on a single individual who may or may not be a socialist from Kenya… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/30 "2015-07-06T01:46:22Z")
> [@Stuffy](#): > > What would you like me to clarify? It’s a different insurance company but I’m definitely happier with this company than I was the previous one. You know looking at it, I should say it went from 1400 and some to 405. The same policy would now cost me $620. My wife passed, so the policy decreased by her portion before the ACA. The cheaper policy was not available prior to the passage of the ACA? That’s what I find hard to believe. I’m in the same situation as you, and I searched and searched and searched and couldn’t find anything anywhere close to what I had for even the same price, much less half the price. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/31 "2015-07-06T02:29:30Z")
My company pays 100% of mine and my business partner’s premiums. We both switched to ACA plans this year from our small-business-cooperative-backed plans, and saved about $750/mo as a company. My plan is much better than it used to be - I have no idea how my partner’s plan stacks up. The same, at least. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/32 "2015-07-06T12:42:35Z")
Our family health care needs are covered by an employer plan which is administered by one of the big healthcare companies. There was no changes to my costs or benefits last year, but everyone in the plan did get a “premium holiday” for June, July, and August which saved us around $600. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/33 "2015-07-06T12:52:23Z")
Pre-ACA my healthcare costs were affordable, rising with inflation. My coverage was great, co pays small, I was happy. When ACA kicked in, my plan was no longer available. The closest I could find was much more expensive, the coverage sucks, and the co pays are embarrassingly high. (Embarrassingly because my cardiologist’s receptionist thought she was screwing something up when her computer told her my copay was potentially more costly then my visit would have been for an uninsured patient) Maybe a lot of people are being helped, but I sure as hell got fucked over. ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/34 "2015-07-06T14:49:34Z")
The plan I had got cancelled post-ACA. My new current plan has premiums 50% higher and a deductible nearly 100% higher. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/35 "2015-07-06T18:13:38Z")
I answered about the same. The premium is a bit more expensive but is much more than balanced out by my company’s giving some money to the health savings plan, and the tax breaks from my employee contributions. However, this is also counterbalanced by having to pay out of pocket for all coverage up until the high deductible limit. Which isn’t as bad as it sounds at first glance, because we do get the price benefits of the insurance’s network. I’ve never had a visit or treatment over $150 in 2 years. However, I think my total coverage has improved for the price due to the ACA. The only scenario where I would come out behind relative to my previous insurance is if I hit the several thousand dollar yearly deductible year after year. If I had a huge medical expense then I still come out relatively ahead financially due to lack of caps, which wouldn’t be the case for most insurance before the ACA. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/36 "2015-07-06T19:01:59Z")
I’d say my health insurance (employer-provided) costs about the same, however my coverage plan is noticably worse than it used to be, with higher deductables and copays, and pretty brutal penalties for going out of network. Comparable coverage to what I used to have would be significantly more expensive. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/37 "2015-07-06T19:49:48Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > My insurance costs have increased _ **every single year since 1992** _. This. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/38 "2015-07-06T20:56:51Z")
Need the question clarified. I don’t have “ACA insurance” - that is, I get my insurance through a midsize employer and not through an exchange - but obviously my current plan is subject to a number of ACA provisions. For what it’s worth, my premium went up by almost zero but my deductible and maximum out-of-pocket did too. It’s not exactly ACA-related, though; my employer has been putting off a switch to a cheaper plan for several years, while waiting to see what plan costs would look like once all the ACA provisions came into effect. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/39 "2015-07-07T01:18:59Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > The cheaper policy was not available prior to the passage of the ACA? That’s what I find hard to believe. I’m in the same situation as you, and I searched and searched and searched and couldn’t find anything anywhere close to what I had for even the same price, much less half the price. No trust me I was looking, hard. Every quote for insurance I got prior to the ACA was in excess of $1200 for me personally, with a $80-120 for dependents. You want me to scan some. After the ACA most policies that gave me the same coverage were between 405-700. I was stunned at first too. The long and the short of it is, I’m not being penalized for having a preexisting condition. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2015, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171/40 "2015-07-13T18:53:15Z")
Our office just had a meeting with our company’s insurance provider. For the second year in a row, our rates have come down. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pay-more-with-aca-insurance-than-before-aca/724171.md?page=1)