What options do people have if the ACA is repealed?
Leave the country and go overseas
Move to a Blue state that keeps the aca (didn’t California enshrine the aca into state law in case it got repealed?)
Move to a state that has other plans to cover people like Hawaii or Massachusetts.
Look for a state plan that covers the sick or infirm?
Any other options? If the ACA is repealed then pre existing condition bans, subsides, the medicaid expansion, etc all go away.
This option isn’t very realistic, especially if the reason you don’t have health insurance is that you can’t afford it or have pre-exisintg conditions. To emigrate to another country, you have to meet the immigration requirements of that country, which often require substantial assets and a clean bill of health. (A friend of mine wanted to move to New Zealand and almost got excluded because of a medical condition from 25 years ago.)
Well Trump did say he was going to replace it with something great. So wait to see what that is?
For some reason many seem to think that the U.S. is the only country with an immigration policy and laws.
Couldn’t afford it before Obama, can’t afford it with Obama, probably won’t afford it when its gone.
So, the option is “go without”.
Well of *course *every other country wants all the American expats it can get!
Not.
I was thinking of recommending moving to latin america, India or southeast asia. Health care there is pretty good and affordable.
What are the immigration rules for those countries, particularly if you have a pre-existing condition?
And, would you be able to work in those countries? Or do you have enough money to live without working?
Last time I was able to obtain private Health Ins (a decent PPO from Blue Shield) was circa 2010.
It was $700/mo.
I was eligible for Medicare (disabled), so ACA would not subsidize my insurance.
(ACA is a “Last Chance” program - if you have ANY employer-provided care, or if you are eligible for Medicare, you are required to take them.)
Now, if ACA is repealed (and, if you think it will be replaced, I think you are dreaming) and insurance companies are again able to deny coverage to pre-existings, I would be unable to get any coverage.
I really believe that most people have no idea just how cruel the US medical system is. Oh, you are already sick? Too bad - maybe you can sell the house and pay for a couple of month’s care that way? 'Cause we sure as Hell ain’t going to insure your sickly ass.
Can someone PLEASE explain to this dumb furriner how the American health system works (esp wrt insurance)? Even after being on this board for so many years, it befuddles me totally.
FTR, I’m an Australian, low-income earner and have no private health insurance. I pay app $500 per year into the public health system (Medicare) via my tax payments. For that, I can see a doctor whenever I wish, be referred to medical specialists as per need, and have surgery also as needed at no extra expense. If I am seriously ill or have been involved in an accident, I will be treated at a world-class medical centre by world-class doctors.
I cannot imagine having to pay for med treatment, nor paying hundreds of dollars a MONTH to be covered for even the most basic of medical care.
How does it work and how do you do it?
Welcome to America. We don’t understand how it works either. The health insurance system is a big black box, and we pour money in it and just have to hope that it spits something useful back out when we need it.
Mispost
The way it works for me is that I have premiums deducted from my paycheck, but I also have a huge deductible so I’m basically paying out of pocket for everything until sometime in October when I meet the deductible and the insurance kicks in for the last couple months of the year.
Sara Palin will be in charge of the Death Panels.
Before ACA I had an affordable plan that had small co-pays, great drug coverage, and I was happy.
After ACA my plan disappeared. The nearest I could find was not affordable. I eventually found coverage with high co-pays and shitty drug coverage. While trying to find a plan I went for a few months with no coverage in place. I accepted the situation because I heard that most people were better off.
If (when) ACA is repealed I’m at the point where I might just say fuck it.
The thing is, no one understands how it works and what anything will cost. I’ve heard of studies in which someone called various hospitals to ask what knee replacement surgery would cost, paid out of pocket, and the numbers quoted were all over the place. Make it impossible to shop around.
I’ve always bought my own health insurance. Before the ACA I had decent coverage - low premiums, low-ish deductible. However, I had shoulder surgery from a sports injury and a rider on my coverage that made my shoulder 100% uninsured. Someone could have taken a gun and shot me in the shoulder, and it wouldn’t have been covered because of the pre-existing condition in my shoulder.
Since ACA I’ve lost coverage every single year (twice this year!) and had my replacement plans become more expensive and less comprehensive in every way. I’m the demographic that was thrown under the bus to pay for some aspects of the ACA.
I have no idea what to expect going forward. I’m most concerned about insurance companies being able to deny coverage due to pre-existing conditions again. Knowing what a nightmare that could be, I’ve avoided going through my insurance and paid cash for some medical things the past few years. I wanted to keep as little information on my medical records as possible in the event it could come back to bite me.
I’ve read a few things saying that there’s a chance the pre-existing condition protections will remain in place if ACA is dismantled, but I don’t know enough to evaluate how accurate that is.
Well, if you’re in a situation like me - healthy, no pre-existing conditions, no ACA subsidy - we should be better off without it. By taking an ACA plan as a healthy and relatively well-off (unsubsidized) person I was subsidizing those with pre-existing conditions who were charged the same price. That’s not to say I’m happy about ACA disappearing - I was totally fine to pay my share, that’s the way the world should work. It’s high-risk people with pre-existing conditions who are totally screwed.
Really, what should happen is that the funding should come out of general federal taxation. If payment is obligatory for everyone (through general taxation), then it’s equivalent to taking out a lifelong health insurance plan before you are born, when your level of risk is unknown - i.e. before you know your healthcare needs. Under a Rawlsian veil of ignorance, everyone would surely be in favor of this. Of course people are not all in favor - but the dissenters tend to be those on the right who think their wealth and others’ poverty is attributable solely to people getting what they deserve in life. Those people are deplorable.
Well, won’t help everyone, but if you’re still young and healthy enough, join the military for a couple years and get your VA benefits. The VA won’t turn you away for lack of ability to pay, and if you rack up $100k in medical bills, just declare bankruptcy. Or just don’t pay. I mean, that is how business is done now, right?
Amen.