Obamacare may cost you $$$. Understand what you are buying.

Pachyderm,
As I understand, much of the missing substantive info needed for people to make choices will not be on the site until October 1 because negotiations and decisions are still being made by the insurance companies, the states and the federal regulators.

I would expect even after October 1, we will see many more changes as the system must be flexible as new issues/problem appear.

Word of caution: do not try to go through the entire process on October 1. Look at the website once or twice then formulate your questions. It may be quite awhile before someone will answer your questions. But while you are talking with them, also ask if they could recommend a plan for your needs. While they probably cannot actually recommend they are likely able to help narrow your choice and then highlight the difference between plans you are left considering. The people hired by the exchanges to help you have had very little training. Evaluate the program you are interested in based upon all the info you obtained. I would then recommend calling an exchange employee back reciting your reasons and making sure all the questions you asked before are still answered the same way.

I gather that any insurance you choose will not go into effect until January, so you have plenty of time after October 1 to check the site.

The fine the first year is only $96 or so... which will be my option if I have to drop my current private insurance this year...which I had to dumb down / change from Blue Cross/Shield last year because of the exorbitant rate increase.

Believe in Him or not --- GOD LOVES YOU!

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I personally think insurance companies, like many, tho they are larger than many, like the big banks, will get away with what they can.

I'm really scared. My Mom is having cancer surgery soon and on top of all the medical stuff, her retiree group insurance is ending and I have to figure out this thing and get her signed up for something else.

I hope and pray that when I have to get my own insurance (which will either be if/when my mom gets a new job, or when I turn 26 -- I hope it's the latter since that will give me more time). I think Obamacare has the potential to be quite good for many people, but in this beginning stage, it seems like a nightmare. I would love it if I had a pdoc that took my insurance though. I used to, but the one I see now doesn't, so instead of a mere $20 copay each visit, it's $150 a visit. Talk about ouch!

Hello everyone!

This is my second post, but since I work for an insurance company that will be working directly with the Affordable Care Act I thought I would chime in on what is going to happen Oct. 1st.

-First off, similar plans to this were suggested by both Republican and Democrats a like.

-Each plan in the Marketplace is required to cover what they call the 10 essential health benefits. This includes maternity inpatient care, substance and mental health disorders, preventative wellness services, prescription drugs and a whole load of stuff that would normally require getting extra insurance or normally isn't covered.

-An insurance company cannot reject some one due to pre-existing conditions. Which will make a huge difference to a lot of people.

-By law, to have affordable coverage, the amount you pay can not exceed 9.5% of your annual income. However, (as mentioned before) if you are lower than 400% of the FPL and with a cost sharing silver plan the amount you pay can be deducted out of a tax credit. For example: If you make 22,000 a year the amount of your premium would be roughly 120.

-Insurance companies are required to spend 80% of their profit on the insured. What was not spent on medical expense with be refunded to those in a cost sharing plan.

-The rate that you will have to pay can not exceed 3x that of what a 21 year would pay. If you are a smoker, the rate can only 1.5x higher of that of a non-smoker.

-Your children can stay on your insurance until they turn 26. Even if they're married, or can be covered under insurance provided by their work.

-Under certain circumstances you will not get a fine for being uninsured, however like it was mentioned before, if you do not have creditable coverage for over 3 months then you will have to pay a 95 dollar fine or 1% of your income, which will raise each year. However, if you live in a state that didn't expand medicaid and you can not afford to buy insurance than you will not have to pay a fine.

After getting my license and learning so much about how health insurance I'm honestly a lot happier how things are going to change. The idea imo is that insurance companies will be encouraged more to spend on the insured. Nearly half of all working Americans are uninsured or under-insured and this has given us more of an opportunity for better healthcare overall. Most insurance companies has always been about profits until this point. There's still a lot of unknowns but I feel it is progressive thinking.

Thanks for letting me rant!

Thanks Rubbish. Valuable info for all of us.

I don't understand forcing people to pay....

I'm starting to feel like the united States is becoming a dictatorship except instead of jail...you pay until you are broke ......

Clever.....

I just learned today that as a smoker I am going to have to pay 1.5 times extra for my healthcare once the affordable care act kicks in, what's so affordable about that. I have schizophrenia and we smoke at a rate of 70 to 90%, much higher than the general population. This is in my opinion discrimination. Why not charge those who eat high cholesterol diets pay more, or the obese, why not the alcohol abuser or known drug abuser, how about the sedentary. Fact is there are more than one unhealthy lifestyles yet only one is being made to pay more. In my opinion this is BS.

I am so glad to be a Canadian. Our system isn't perfect, but you aren't going to lose your house if you get sick. We pay more taxes on our income, and we pay high taxes on our purchases (especially in Ontario & Quebec), but not on medicine or healthy food. We can see a doctor at any time, at no cost, but you wait. And wait. Family doctors are hard to find, and of course you have to make an appointment to see them, but you'll never be turned away because you're broke. If you have a prescription, it's out of pocket, unless you have insurance through work to cover drugs, dental, glasses and extras (like semi private hospital rooms, chiropractic, massage therapy, etc). However, if you get cancer and you can't afford treatment, you still get the treatment. There are agencies in place in the health care field who find the coverage for you and get you something. My ex brother in law needed a kidney transplant, and had no healthcare coverage. The specialist he was seeing found him a representative who worked to find him a free health care plan, because he had pre-existing conditions, not trying to preclude him because of it. His mother donated a kidney, he didn't have to pay a dime, and his meds to prevent rejection are covered at 80% for the rest of his life. He also received medical leave pay, and his mother also paid nothing out of pocket. My sister was also offered the medical coverage since she had none. He would have died without the surgery, and had no collateral to pay for it if he had to. I don't know how you Americans do it - in Canada, an illness like cancer is a disease, but for millions of Americans, it's a death sentence.

Thanks, crazy. The way we've been doing things down here hasn't made sense. I think it's ridiculous for anyone to say America can't afford to provide good basic healthcare to all. Until we get that situation covered, we can't afford all this military spending that has gone on in the middle east.

America has resources that are sitting around unused. The main ingredient in getting anything done is labor. We have unused labor sitting idle in this country. People who have jobs and health insurance and are kind of happy with the way things have been fear that, if some poor person down the road is given some healthcare, that the cost of it is coming out of their pocket. This is a simplistic view of things and not how it really works. America has the resources. It's time to marshal them.

It's ridiculous to think that we can't do what Germany, and France, and Sweden can do. We can!

I'm blessed to live in a place where the local county provides a plan for all low income people. So I am covered to the hilt for just about everything, even though my income is extremely low. I get great healthcare through the local state university teaching hospital. A week ago, I was sent for a CT scan because of abdominal pain and diagnosed with something new and effectively treated for it. It would be false to think that, somehow, America would be richer, if that CT machine were not used on me. It is false to think that someone in my county is going without something they need because I got an expensive test performed on me. That's not how economies work.

As a nation, we do fritter away our wealth on all sorts of crap. If a little of that gets crowded out by Obamacare (which I doubt will happen) twill be no loss. Improved health care implies improved mental health care, which we here at PC should really value. A healthier nation is a more productive nation. Better mental health care could make life better on a number of fronts.

Lots of stuff can be found on the Internet. For instance:

"The Obama White House continued with its policy of official coverup of the extraterrestrial presence on Mars, as well as coverup of U.S. President Barack H. Obama's personal visit to Mars..."

Obama Visited Mars, President Response To 'ET Disclosure Petition' Continues ET And Mars Coverup - UFO Blogger : Exclusive 2013 UFO News Stories, Flying Saucers and UFOs Sightings Videos

Well, I know it to be true.... I heard him in those speeches and I also heard him and the Mrs say lots of things others seemed to ignore (like how she promised we wouldn't recognize our country when they were done). I heard him and couldn't believe it... and discussed it with those around me at the time...

you know the days, when he told Joe Plumber what he did? That's when he was saying the things about not wasting resources on the elderly and the disabled...of which I am both.

So don't believe me, you have that right. I say we were warned and we deserve everything this guy is giving us because of our ignorances.

Believe in Him or not --- GOD LOVES YOU!

Want to share your Christian faith? Click HERE

LOL. I just almost fell off my chair. What a great example. Thanks for finding this.

When so many Americans seem so disgruntled with their country and they way things are.....just maybe not recognizing it when they are done is a good thing.

JD, As a chistian I am sure you are familiar with concepts like rebirth and transformation, in a positive context. Why then does transformation or rebirth of a country have to be a bad thing? Did you and the people around discuss that as well?

Ad Infinitum

This living, this living, this living..was always a project of mine

Or Hank may be covevered through msp if he qualifies... for 10 or is it 12 visits per year to physio/ chiro/ massage/ or nautropath. I know with my coverage I have that. I am not sure how universal that is ? Sadly nothing will help Hank now anyways. :'(

Ad Infinitum

This living, this living, this living..was always a project of mine

Seems like Hank wasn't covered by his work policy since it happened when he was not at work? That didn't make sense to me at the time. Or was he suspended? Shouldn't that have been with benefits. But then it would fit the story. I think they stretched the obscure facts there.

I got 10 per year partly covered with my school extended medical policy. Probably typical.

...don't know if this is right place to post this but,

I just spent 3.5 hrs trying to creat an acct for husband.

No go, says system is unavailable.

So not even close to the ins part yet...

When? Also, what will be left?

I am totally confused.

No need to reply, just a rant.

H3rmit, wow, that sounds really good to me.