My health insurance premium is going down $100/month next year.

[Bette Noir]

I blame Obama.

[PasadenaTrudy]

1. Mine is going up!

By $72 a month. I am with Blue Shield of CA, and I'm a self-subscriber. I can't wait until 2014, maybe it will get better? I turn 50 in 2014 and it is scheduled to go up again

[flamingdem]

7. Have you gotten any info on what will happen in 2014?

I'm in CA also and can't get much clarity about what to expect. I just got a 20% increase and just like you can't wait until 2014 but I hope that it's the cost of the premium that changes.

Right now my deductible is so high the insurance is useless, just an in case policy but right now I'd rather simply have lower premiums that lower copays or deductibles since I tend not to use it, ever, out of habit I've learned to tough it out for most things. They really are strangling us here.

[PasadenaTrudy]

18. No, just hoping

at this point. I go on the CA health exchange sites and can't find much info. I really hope things get more affordable for us that already have ins. My bf doesn't have any ins. so at least he will be able to get covered...

[latebloomer]

2. Mine will be skyrocketing

We are paying $1700 a month for a family of four on Cobra, which will be running out in February. A comparable plan would cost us $3K a month, impossible since my husband is still unemployed. We will probably have to settle for a $1546 HMO with a $5K deductible. After the $5K, the plan only pays half of any expenses, up to an out-of-pocket max of $10K.


Where is the "affordable" part of this plan? Seems to me the health insurance companies are continuing to rape and pillage.

[PasadenaTrudy]

23. It hasn't kicked in yet n/t

[graham4anything]

31. We are now paying the last 2 years $3000 a month. It did NOT go up last 2 years, thanks to the Pres.

its the people paying $100 or $200 a month that are the loudest whiners and I tell you, I don't feel I can feel sorry for them if theirs goes up a few bucks, as they are getting a windfall benefit from their jobs that I can't get.

But as said, every year since we were off Cobra 19 years ago, it has gone up 15% as we are selfemployed. We have same other stuff too, it ends up being catastropic insurance, though there are no caps and we can see any doctor without calling first.

France's system is so much better, but try telling the people of America that.
the other side gave us Freedom Fries if you recall.

[daa]

3. Ours went up a little but covers much less. Nt

[etherealtruth]

19. Same here ...

... but its not Obama .... my employer guards the gates to hell

[daa]

20. Agree. Nt

[slackmaster]

4. What other provisions of your coverage will change?

Will you have a higher deductible?

[antiquie]

5. No insurance for us

'cause we are on early SS and California is broke.
Plus, my son's family of five insurance went up $400 to $2300.
I know Obamacare will be good for many -- I keep telling myself that, anyway.

[flamingdem]

8. Can you explain how California being broke impacts insurance here?

I am trying to find an alternative to useless and expensive individual policies with high deductibles. Do you mean Medicare? From what I understand one has to have less than 2000 in the bank to be eligible. I know that is changing in 2014 but do you think California will not be able to offer subsidies or Medicaid?

[antiquie]

10. I am only aware of my personal situation.

Right now, with subsidies, I could get insurance for $500 but that is almost half my SS and, since I lived on my IRA October 2007 until I could get early SS last May, is out of the question.

Medicaid, right now, seems to be only available for people with minor children (or over 65?). If Medicare is still available in when I'm 65, it will be almost eight years for me without seeing a doctor. No problem, I live healthy and feel better than when I was on BP meds.

Do you have more general, current info? I still have hope...

[antiquie]

11. P.S.

Blue Cross/Shield told my son the steep increase is specifically due to Obamacare because they are required to cover a lot more problems, such as autism, etc.

[renate]

37. my mother-in-law was told something similar

Only she was told that a pathologist's report wasn't covered because of Obamacare. I mentioned that here on DU and sinkingfeeling was sweet and found me some information specifically demonstrating that that was a lie.

I think the insurance companies are trying to just fob off any consumer complaints with "Obamacare!!!" and they will get away with it. Granted, there may be something to what your son was told; it's kind of disgusting that insurance companies had been allowed so much leeway concerning essential services that they simply decided not to cover.

[antiquie]

38. Agree.

The insurance companies are the root of most evil. I want healthcare, not insurance.

[shintao]

21. Learn to hide Money like Romney does. nt

[Honeycombe8]

35. What does CA being broke have to do w/you not being able to afford ins.?

I guess I'm not understanding the link.

Also don't understand the link of your son'ts ins. to yours, or are you just pointing out increases in cost?

Yes, I expected ins. to increase because of the mandatory things ins. cos. are required to cover that they didn't have to before. Contraception for all women...hugely expensive. We all have to pay for that. I pointed that out in several posts, but others poo-pooed me for saying that. But it's just math. Gonna increase premiums when costs go significantly up. And something you provide to millions of people on a perpetual basis, year after year...you're talking a huge expense that we all have to pitch into the bucket to pay. I estimated the increased cost to the ins. co. at my company as being in the neighborhood of $10,000 extra a year...and that would be every year, for eternity, and increasing in cost because of inflation. So I knew the premiums would be going up.

Add to that the cost of preventive care. We used to have to kick in the co-pay. Now, ins. cos. have to cover the whole cost, which means we all have to pitch into the bucket to pay for that.

And so on and so forth. My co. changed ins. cos. because of a huge increase in premiums from the old ins. co., and they actually managed to get a lower premium. But I think that's a first year bid-low rate, and it'll go up substantially next year. And the coverage isn't great.

Still, I'm protected from a financial catastrophe because of medical costs.

[antiquie]

39. Glad you are covered.

I am not understanding what you are asking.

[Honeycombe8]

41. You said you don't have ins. in part because CA is broke.

So I was wanting to know why CA being broke would affect you having insurance. I didn't understand the connection.

[antiquie]

42. It had to do with Medicaid or MediCAL

or whichever is available for low income.
Sorry for the confusion. Did not realize I was off-topic.
All I have to say.

[Honeycombe8]

43. I see. Medicaid isn't insurance...and MediCal must be something unique to CA. We don't have that.nt

[LWolf]

6. Mine is going up. Again. nt

[leftstreet]

9. Donate that $100 to someone who can't afford insurance n/t

[NV Whino]

12. Good for you. Mine went up.

I won't deny that Obama Care benefits some people, but it sure as hell doesn't benefit me.

[Lex]

24. FYI, 2014 is when it kicks in. nt

[NV Whino]

28. 2014 is when some of it kicks in

Some of it has already kicked in. In the mean time, the insurance companies are still screwing us every which way through the major cracks left open. And in 2014 you can bet your booty they will find more cracks through which to screw us.

[Lex]

33. It's when the part you were talking about kicks in. nt

[NV Whino]

34. Sorry, still not much there that affects me

Pre existing conditions kicks in — won't affect me
Insurance pools kicks in — won't benefit me, it's still insurance and mandatory participation will be a mess.

Only thing that would benefit me (and the rest of the country) is single payer.

[Lex]

40. Since it hasn't begun it's impossible to say

if it will help you or not. Of course single payer is preferable.

[davsand]

13. Higher premiums and lower coverage. I do not blame Obama.

I blame the money robbing insurance companies and their greed. Someday we will see real reform in this country and I pray I live long enough to see it.



Laura

[flamingdem]

14. Obamacare hasn't kicked in yet, that's in 2014 n/t

[flamingdem]

15. Is that for certain? Obamacare starts in 2014

and aren't there supposed to be subsidies?

[Honeycombe8]

27. Provisions of the ACA started kicking in a couple of years ago.

Certain provisions become effective each year. Some important provisions have become effective already.

The exchanges and the mandatory coverage provisions kick in next year, I think.

Making the ins. cos. cover 100% of preventive dr visits and radiology - that has already kicked in.

No cap to the amt the ins co will have to pay for any given illness - that has kicked in.

Coverage for all women for contraception - I THINK that has kicked in already, but am not sure.

Can't reject for pre-existing illnesses (must cover seriously ill people) - I think that kicks in next year?

The timeline is clearly set out in www.healthcare.gov, in a great timeline format.

[shintao]

22. Its easy, embrace Socialism for National Security issues

By Nationalizing oil in America, we can sell gas for $2.00 a gallon and completely fund 100% National Health Care for everybody. Its just a state of mind that prevents it.

[Honeycombe8]

25. Well, the country HAS made the ins. cos. cover some things they didn't before, so premiums will

increase because of it.

Contraceptives for all....very expensive. Cha ching.

Full payment of preventive dr visits and radiology (mammograms). No co-pays to defray cost. Cha ching.

No cap on amount ins. co. will have to pay, in event of severe illness. Cha ching.

Must cover the seriously ill, whereas before they rejected them as policyholders. Cha ching. (although in this case, the ins cos are allowed to charge higher premiums for those subscribers, but not as high as the previous high risk pools)


These coverage items are valuable and worthy, each in its own way. But they cost.

However, when the mandatory-coverage provision kicks in, hopefully this will lessen premiums, as the # of policy holders increases.

[Hoyt]

32. I agree. And the competitive pressure of the Exchanges will help in 2014.

But, if one wants/needs the cheapest plans, one is going to have to give up free choice of physicians, hospitals; get a plan with restrictive drug formularies; and the like.

I think things will eventually work out, but it's going to suck for some of us along the way.

[Scurrilous]

16. LOL

[TheKentuckian]

17. That is always good news.

Mine is actually going up like triple and the deductible almost that but it will still be affordable so clearly I was getting a good deal. The increase in premiums is almost all from plan structure issues and accounting practices and has little to nothing to do with The Wealthcare and Profit Protection Act or the gouging cartel, to be honest.

Well...maybe in part to do with the insurance modification law but for what I think is in of its self a good thing, accounting for the value of coverage. By its self that is just daylight on our compensation packages but of course it will be used for purposes I am at odds with which is to tax "Cadillac" plans. The downward pressure on comprehensive coverage and the upward pressure of medical inflation make for a dangerous mix, we'll be the bronze nation in 15-20 years. A bunch of suckers paying for shit they can little afford to use. Especially if the war on wages continues as it has the last generation.

I guess we could get lucky and most of the population will get Medicaid, it usually (some states are pretty bad) beats more than a few of the individual market plans for sure (even if you had to pay the same premium) and a fair amount of the large employer plans too.

If the poverty level was less brutal and dishonest and the court didn't give states an out we'd be half of the way to single payer and most of the other half would be quickly demanding the same (though I don't have much more than hope to say they wouldn't almost as likely demand it be taken away since we are so simple and greedy).

Anyway, I'm glad you are getting gouged less and hope it becomes the trend.

[notadmblnd]

26. mine went up a dollar

[Turbineguy]

29. Mine goes up 22%

I blame the compromises to fuck the ACA so that the GOP would pass it.

The GOP is the most expensive thing in the history of the world.

[lumberjack_jeff]

30. You're a woman with an individual policy, right?

Women's insurance rates go down under Obamacare and men's go up.

I expect men with individual policies will go up about $150.

[union_maid]

36. Ours went up less than in previous years

It's gone up like crazy each year. Now, because of some provision in Obamacare, there's a limit to how much it can go up. But, it's an employer plan and under the rules that we have in this state for that type of policy it already covered most of what is newly mandated. I guess that accounts for why it hasn't gone up more. They didn't have to change the plan.

[haele]

44. My premium is going down, but the deductible is going up.

They're changing from a straight PPO ot one of those "Consumer choice" ppos with an HSA associated with it. They're expecting everyone in the company to "just choose the right lifestyle and get healthy" - which they will pay for, but for people that already have chronic issues and disabilities, it become a drain on the paycheck.

Primary care doctor's visits are less, but specialists are more. Annual "Preventative" lab work is less, but diagnostic labs and other tests are more expensive.
Prescription medicines are going up.

As I said - if you're healthy, it's great. Unfortunately, if you're older or have an issue that may or may not be a "lifestyle choice" type of chronic problem.

This is supposed to be cheaper for the company as well as meeting the requirements of the ACA. The free market speaks.

I can't wait to be eligible for TriCare Prime - seven more years.

Haele