@NeedaChuckle, well, lucky you. Unfortunately, the rest of us get higher deductibles and premiums. And since we earn a couple of dollars too much, we can’t get subsidies. This year, it’s a tough call deciding whether to budget food for the family OR medical insurance.
If we had a Congress that cared for and worked for the people and small businesses, instead of political ideologies, we would have long ago had a single payer health-care system instead of trying to preserve a buggy whip style insurance company system imposed between people and their health-care providers.
My premiums on group plan increased an average of 15% annually for years before ACA. After, 1 and 3%, and after a bad year with surgeries and health problems, the combination of Medicare and “Private” group company led to ZERO co-pay on thousands of dollars in costs after my small annual deductible. NO, it isn’t cheap to have good insurance, until you need it! Single payer wiith all the younger, healthier people getting on board for THEIR future needs, IS the soundest, cheapest, and most efficient, with regulatory control over drug and treatment costs, like VA is allowed, but Medicare is NOT! (Thanks Republicans!)
Overall healthcare spending is growing much more slowly since ACA passed.
.
What you neglect to mention is that with ACA deductibles are relatively large, and that people will forego at least some treatments in order to avoid direct costs to themselves. I have not made that up. My wife worked as a nurse at a small surgical center, and helped people with their insurance. Many patients stopped coming, and those that did complained about their increased deductibles. So ACA has been a true bonanza for the insurance companies. They got to jack up rates, and with the higher deductibles, people are not using the insurance, except as they absolutely must.
.
My own experience is an example. I had to get on ACA for 3 months, before I could get onto Medicare. I had had a very nice Blueshield California plan. The ACA plan that I chose — because it had a slightly smaller deductible and would allow me to use my local hospital instead of the crappy next-closest one cost me twice as much per month, with twice the deductible of that previous plan. Only one of my doctors was in network, and it wasn’t my primary physician or my cardiologist.
.
So I got all my appointments done the month before I went on ACA, and had none until after I was on Medicare, when I got all my doctors back.
.
So BlueShield made a lot of money with no real expense in that 3 months. But I was lucky it was only for 3 months and I was not forced to use some Indian or Pakistani doctors who were pretty much the only ones allowed on that plan’s network.
.
Again, that is just a small sample. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands, and see if you can’t figure out why spending was down.
.
The ACA was crap, for which both parties must be thanked. And both bear the blame for it continuing to be crap.
“Narrowindeed”! New Zealand, and many other countries do very well with single payer and control of prices, and PRIVATE health providers are doing just fine, and getting paid!
Until we refocus our efforts on prevention it won’t matter how we crunch the numbers. Diabetes is at an all time high.Probably at least half my patients are 20 pounds overweight and about a 1/4 are morbidly obese. Our health care system is really a disease care system. I’m not a big Obama fan, but at least he and the first lady tried to set an example by having their own vegetable garden; the largest in the history of the White House. My understanding is that large corporate agribusiness applied pressure to the President and First Lady; they then changed their focus to exercise. These corporations sit on the very boards that are supposed to be controlling them. My vote is for the guy that is hated by his own party, the opposing party and the press; It doesn’t get more anti-establishment than that.
“These corporations sit on the very boards that are supposed to be controlling them. My vote is for the guy that is hated by his own party, the opposing party and the press; It doesn’t get more anti-establishment than that.”
.
Riiiight. The same guy who bribes legislators will make all that illegal.
You know, like the guy who hires illegals will prosecute anyone else who does.
NeedaChuckle Premium Member over 7 years ago
My premiums were much higher before ACA and 22% hardly compares to the 70% I had before ACA. Not everyone is affected either.
comicsrrd over 7 years ago
@NeedaChuckle, well, lucky you. Unfortunately, the rest of us get higher deductibles and premiums. And since we earn a couple of dollars too much, we can’t get subsidies. This year, it’s a tough call deciding whether to budget food for the family OR medical insurance.
superposition over 7 years ago
If we had a Congress that cared for and worked for the people and small businesses, instead of political ideologies, we would have long ago had a single payer health-care system instead of trying to preserve a buggy whip style insurance company system imposed between people and their health-care providers.
Jason Allen over 7 years ago
I don’t know why they would. It’s a Republican plan.
Happy Two Shoes over 7 years ago
You want to really scare republicans?
Mention socialized health care.
kaffekup over 7 years ago
“These new insurance company premiums scare the heck out of me.” There, Ramirez, fixed that for you.
Dtroutma over 7 years ago
My premiums on group plan increased an average of 15% annually for years before ACA. After, 1 and 3%, and after a bad year with surgeries and health problems, the combination of Medicare and “Private” group company led to ZERO co-pay on thousands of dollars in costs after my small annual deductible. NO, it isn’t cheap to have good insurance, until you need it! Single payer wiith all the younger, healthier people getting on board for THEIR future needs, IS the soundest, cheapest, and most efficient, with regulatory control over drug and treatment costs, like VA is allowed, but Medicare is NOT! (Thanks Republicans!)
Radish the wordsmith over 7 years ago
Trump supporter charged with voting twice in Iowa
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Trump-supporter-charged-with-voting-twice-in-Iowa-10422067.php
DrDon1 over 7 years ago
Just remember that the ‘Health Care’ complex spends more on lobbying in D.C. than the ‘Defense’ complex and the Fossil Fuel’ complex combined !!
Baslim the Beggar Premium Member over 7 years ago
Overall healthcare spending is growing much more slowly since ACA passed.
.
What you neglect to mention is that with ACA deductibles are relatively large, and that people will forego at least some treatments in order to avoid direct costs to themselves. I have not made that up. My wife worked as a nurse at a small surgical center, and helped people with their insurance. Many patients stopped coming, and those that did complained about their increased deductibles. So ACA has been a true bonanza for the insurance companies. They got to jack up rates, and with the higher deductibles, people are not using the insurance, except as they absolutely must.
.
My own experience is an example. I had to get on ACA for 3 months, before I could get onto Medicare. I had had a very nice Blueshield California plan. The ACA plan that I chose — because it had a slightly smaller deductible and would allow me to use my local hospital instead of the crappy next-closest one cost me twice as much per month, with twice the deductible of that previous plan. Only one of my doctors was in network, and it wasn’t my primary physician or my cardiologist.
.
So I got all my appointments done the month before I went on ACA, and had none until after I was on Medicare, when I got all my doctors back.
.
So BlueShield made a lot of money with no real expense in that 3 months. But I was lucky it was only for 3 months and I was not forced to use some Indian or Pakistani doctors who were pretty much the only ones allowed on that plan’s network.
.
Again, that is just a small sample. Multiply that by hundreds of thousands, and see if you can’t figure out why spending was down.
.
The ACA was crap, for which both parties must be thanked. And both bear the blame for it continuing to be crap.
Dtroutma over 7 years ago
“Narrowindeed”! New Zealand, and many other countries do very well with single payer and control of prices, and PRIVATE health providers are doing just fine, and getting paid!
J Short over 7 years ago
Until we refocus our efforts on prevention it won’t matter how we crunch the numbers. Diabetes is at an all time high.Probably at least half my patients are 20 pounds overweight and about a 1/4 are morbidly obese. Our health care system is really a disease care system. I’m not a big Obama fan, but at least he and the first lady tried to set an example by having their own vegetable garden; the largest in the history of the White House. My understanding is that large corporate agribusiness applied pressure to the President and First Lady; they then changed their focus to exercise. These corporations sit on the very boards that are supposed to be controlling them. My vote is for the guy that is hated by his own party, the opposing party and the press; It doesn’t get more anti-establishment than that.
braindead Premium Member over 7 years ago
“These corporations sit on the very boards that are supposed to be controlling them. My vote is for the guy that is hated by his own party, the opposing party and the press; It doesn’t get more anti-establishment than that.”
.
Riiiight. The same guy who bribes legislators will make all that illegal.
You know, like the guy who hires illegals will prosecute anyone else who does.
.
DUH.
fuzzbucket Premium Member over 7 years ago
Even if the program gets wiped out, we’ll be stuck with the oversized premiums for the next year. I wish my pension would go up as much as inflation.