Seems like you guys are knowledgable about this thing. What do I need to do to keep my health insurance for me and my little boy for $140/month. It's a high deductible plan.

10/1/2013 10:50:08 AM

i'm assuming its an individual plan? mostly likely you don't need to do anything, although it's in your interest to at least price out other options on the exchange

assumptions:
your plan meets minimum requirements, they will let you know if they have to change the plan to meet those
you wouldn't qualify for subsidies, you have to purchase through the exchange marketplace to get those

[Edited on October 1, 2013 at 10:53 AM. Reason : .]

10/1/2013 10:51:14 AM

Yes individual. Where do I look?

10/1/2013 10:53:06 AM

http://www.healthcare.gov, although the website is having issues from everyone trying to hit it right now. try tomorrow or later today.

10/1/2013 10:54:12 AM

you can't keep your plan more than likely. Rising healthcare costs as a direct result of obamacare have ensured that.

10/1/2013 10:58:01 AM

I received a letter from Cigna the other day saying my premium was going up by 30 dollars for the same coverage starting on december 1st.

10/1/2013 11:00:31 AM

I'm trying to call blue cross blue shield now to see what my current plan will cost me. The healthcare website keeps taking me to some calculator.

10/1/2013 11:22:13 AM

Quote :

"I'm trying to call blue cross blue shield now"

you probably won't have to wait on hold very long

10/1/2013 11:23:40 AM

I'm assuming that if I already have my own individual insurance w/ BC/BS I don't need to do anything?

10/1/2013 11:24:39 AM

I'm assuming the folks posting here thus far do not already have employer sponsered healthcare, that you are paying for your own, completely out-of-pocket? Just wondering if anybody is switching from their employer sponsered coverage to ACA coverage.

10/1/2013 11:34:43 AM

^^That's what I'm wondering? I've had three friends say they've gotten letters telling them about premiums on their current plans. I haven't got that yet.

^ yes. Self employed.

[Edited on October 1, 2013 at 11:36 AM. Reason : ^]

10/1/2013 11:34:47 AM

Quote :

"Just wondering if anybody is switching from their employer sponsered coverage to ACA coverage."

why would they want to do that? your employer wouldn't be required to cover any of the ACA coverage. or do you mean the employer is getting rid of healthcare?

10/1/2013 11:37:24 AM

My company (small engineering firm) is trying to decide what makes sense. Our insurance broker has already told us to bet on premiums going up 20-40% per year for the foreseeable future. So it seems pretty clear to me who is paying for the ACA.

Basically it's going to have to be a hell of a tax break for our company to keep providing coverage, otherwise it just doesn't make financial sense not to dump everyone onto the exchange.

10/1/2013 11:40:21 AM

^

Quote :

"dump on everyone"

am i rite?

10/1/2013 11:41:58 AM

Either in the case of the employer getting rid of their sponsored coverage, or if maybe if the exchanges offer better coverage at better prices. My wife's insurance isn't worth the paper her statements are printed on, so in such cases, I'm wondering if it might make sense for people to jump from what their employee offers to the exchanges.

10/1/2013 11:42:02 AM

as if old people needed more money from us

10/1/2013 11:43:31 AM

We switched from a group plan because our premiums were going to go up 40% (not speculation, that was our quote). Now we have individual plans, which was a wash for me and saved money for some of the old people.

[Edited on October 1, 2013 at 11:51 AM. Reason : and the company is saving $20k/year with the new individual plans]

10/1/2013 11:45:57 AM

How big of a company?

10/1/2013 11:53:05 AM

15 people

[Edited on October 1, 2013 at 11:55 AM. Reason : wait, we hired a few people. might be up to 20]

10/1/2013 11:54:17 AM

Do you do laundry for a living?

10/1/2013 11:59:53 AM

project manager for a consultant. so i guess i clean up other people's dirty laundry, my billing rate is just much higher.

10/1/2013 12:01:22 PM

So should group plans just go away then? No matter the size of the company?

10/1/2013 12:03:19 PM

why should group plans go away? i don't think that would make any sense but maybe i'm missing your point.

10/1/2013 12:07:48 PM

Im saying the small size of your company made such a switch relatively easy.

10/1/2013 12:09:11 PM

it seems that you think that i'm making a point that i'm not making and am not aware of, and it also seems that you may not understand how group plans work

10/1/2013 12:13:27 PM

It seems to me that you naively assume this process will be as easy for everyone as it was for you.

10/1/2013 12:15:24 PM

It seems to me, you don't want to talk about it. You just turn your pretty head and walk away.

10/1/2013 12:16:39 PM

Do you even have the choice to purchase insurance through the exchange if you employer provides coverage that meet the minimum requirements of ACA? Either way I'm staying put, my employer pays 100%.

10/1/2013 12:20:46 PM

Most employers dont let you opt out.

10/1/2013 12:22:25 PM

^^you could, but it probably wouldn't make sense for you
https://www.healthcare.gov/what-if-i-have-job-based-health-insurance/
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/09/29/2682291/obamacare-questions-2/

[Edited on October 1, 2013 at 12:23 PM. Reason : unless your employer doesn't let you opt out, ^]

10/1/2013 12:22:58 PM

Direct Primary Care DPC

read about it

http://kpbj.com/cover_story/2013-09-30/for_members_the_doctor_is_in

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davechase/2013/07/20/direct-primary-care-key-issues-and-the-future/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davechase/2013/07/06/health-plan-rorschach-test-direct-primary-care/

[Edited on October 1, 2013 at 12:50 PM. Reason : .]

10/1/2013 12:46:11 PM

the ObamaCare 911 book is 75% off now

https://www.newsmaxstore.com/nm_mag/obamacare_911b.cfm

10/1/2013 1:07:28 PM

Bcnsnc cheapest plan for me is now $350 with $11,000 deductible.

Most comparable plan Is $450/month with $5k deductible

Exchange site is down but do you guys really think it will be much better?

10/1/2013 1:48:06 PM

Wow, where the eff are you located???!!! I just tested out BCBS (not that I need just testing) and I got quoted for a comparable insurance that I have now @ ~ $260/mo. All doctor visits have copays (25-60), and ER visit is $150 and the deductible is like $1000 or something low like that.

10/1/2013 1:59:32 PM

I'm in nc. My little boy is in my plan

10/1/2013 2:02:10 PM

OIC.

10/1/2013 2:03:15 PM

Can anyone opt to use the exchange (on their own dime) if they want to? My employer provides the bulk cost of my insurance, but my kids might be better off on another program.

10/1/2013 2:05:51 PM

christ, my premium is already around $800/month with me, my wife and daughter on it. A 20-40% increase would send me to the fucking poorhouse

10/1/2013 2:08:13 PM

Quote :

"Seems like you guys are knowledgable about this thing"

LOL

10/1/2013 2:13:01 PM

easiest way to save money on your insurance is to get sterilized

10/1/2013 2:13:33 PM

^^^, ^^^^^^

You might qualify for subsidies and can open and HSA account if you have High deductible plan.


[Edited on October 1, 2013 at 2:14 PM. Reason : /]

10/1/2013 2:14:22 PM

Quote :

"Most employers dont let you opt out."

wat?


Insurance is a cost center, not a profit center-- or at best a wash. I'd imagine any company would incur fewer costs by folks opting out.

FWIW, I opted out of my employer's insurance because my wife's policy is superior.

10/1/2013 2:16:04 PM

I don't qualify for subsidies

So clearly I can't afford a 150% increase on my insurance premiums

[Edited on October 1, 2013 at 2:17 PM. Reason : L]

10/1/2013 2:16:13 PM

Thanks Obama!!!

10/1/2013 2:17:52 PM

My insurance premium went up 6.5%. Thanks Obama!

People who have to foot their own bill (and have BCBS) are getting fucked though. Too bad the insurance companies had to shift that cost to them since they can't rely on medicaid anymore. That and BCBS can pretty much charge whatever they want since they own 85% of the market in NC. Why would we need an exchange that offers competition?

[Edited on October 1, 2013 at 6:18 PM. Reason : s]

10/1/2013 6:10:43 PM

according to my bank statement, BCBS charged me $80.50 for my coverage in September

it can't be that much more in October, can it?

10/1/2013 6:19:29 PM

^

10/1/2013 7:05:31 PM

Could someone explain the entire "expand Medicaid" thing to me?

The idea is that low-income people will have that other option, and people talk about the "hole", where people won't qualify for Medicaid and don't have an employer option. But that's nonsense. Medicaid doesn't have anything to do with just income.

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/medicaid/who.htm

Quote :

"Medicaid serves low-income parents, children, seniors, and people with disabilities."

Nothing about low-income people. So those people now have to face penalty and get nothing from this. Nothing changes for them aside from a new tax on being alive.

10/2/2013 9:58:36 AM

which is why ACA was going to expand coverage to most other low-income people up to 133% of the poverty line, but the supreme court removed that part

[Edited on October 2, 2013 at 10:04 AM. Reason : or 138%?]

10/2/2013 10:03:25 AM

has anyone actually been able to get through the account setup?

it keeps saying my security question answers are an invalid format. i'm just using lowercase single word answers??

10/2/2013 11:59:58 AM