I'm retired and there were no deductibles when I was working. I don't know what the 80% v/s 55% means as far as cost per person.

Husband lost job, so no employer insurance now. Last year, we had all our preventative care (annual physical, colonoscopy, mammogram, immunizations) covered without copay or deductible. But hubby needed surgery, so it cost $2000 (deductible), plus another $3000 for our 20% of the charges (we had 20/80) of the doc's and OR/surgicenter. All-in-all once we'd spent out $6K out-of-pocket, all the rest of bill was paid, plus 20 visits to physical therapy were fully paid. This was after us paying out-of-pocket $985/month for our family share of premiums for the two of us. Hubby's employer paid $4200/for the part of the year before hubby lost job to help us with premiums.

Even when I was in a major car accident, I didn't want to go to the hospital because I felt ok. Why pay thousands out of pocket? EVERY person I know has said the same thing. Even those who used to have good insurance, their employers have changed to crappy insurance because they can. Everyone is paying for insurance but unable to use it.

that's why when The List!!11!!! comes around I usually ignore the line about the ACA.

My policy just went up another 30% this year, so I'm totally missing the great deals and rebate checks. I have a silver plan and the guy on the phone himself said it's useless junk. YAY!

Almost equals one month of pension. In the last three years I have had to pay the deductible after going on Medicare which occurred in November but I was still responsible for the yearly amount. In 2014 I had paid the deductible amount in January. This year a different insurance and I should not have to pay any deductible. I can see why some just have to skip getting the medical attention they need, it is too costly.

deductible. Even tho I am pretty healthy I know that that 20% can be pretty hefty on a huge medical expense. You just never know what could happen...

and this is why we need Single Payer...

exchange and I now have a no deductible policy. I guess when you retire and start SS benefits you suddenly find a pot of gold. I agree, you can not predict the future health problems.

What the article is saying is that the poor and formerly uninsured are getting covered and its being paid for by the working stiff that no longer can afford medical care.

This is impossible, it's called the AFFORDABLE CARE ACT!

Why is the USATODAY spreading these lies?

Heaven forbid I actually need expensive medical care.

Forgot the sarcasm thingie?

I ended this year a couple thousand in the black for the 1st time since 2008. Until this year, even heating my home in winter in Maine has been touch and go. We've been very, very cold here a couple times when I had to wait until the last minute to buy oil.

I decided to continue to forgo health insurance due to my really bad experiences when I had it, and my sole option being the same insurance company that left me to die a couple decades ago.

Had I jumped on the bandwagon, I would have been heading into winter absolutely flat broke. Instead I started winter with a full oil tank, a full larder and a thousand or so to to spend on health care should I need any.

This plan doesn't cover anything, including routines, until that $6k is covered. So, we put money each month into a HSA (which I am confused about - is it true that anything not used at the end of 3 years "disappears", or you no longer get the benefit, or...something like that) to cover co-pays, procedures, etc.

FSA's are an annual benefit that expires at the end of each calendar year.

HSA's are portable, you can open one on your own (providing certain exceptions are met such as having a high deductible plan and not being enrolled in Medicare), and continue growing for the life of the account. There is no "use it or lose it" element to them. The money is deposited on a pre-tax basis and remains tax-free providing the money is used for qualified medical expenses.

http://www.irs.gov/publications/p969/ar02.html#en_US_2013_publink1000204020

why is that?
..............
they will likely vote against Democrats.
seems like a bad move.

this will continue to be a problem. As a retiree, I live in Thailand where I see my GP, without any insurance, for under $10. That visit can run from 30 minutes to up to an hour. Over the last 10 years that I have been here, I have had dental work that in the US would cost me over $10,000 for under $1,000. Last year I had cataract surgery for around $1,000. I have difficulty understanding why anyone who is retired and has the option of living outside the US would chose to do otherwise. I have the comfort of knowing I can get top grade medical/dental care for out-of-pocket change.

Those of us in favor of single-payer knew that GingrichCare wouldn't solve the deductible problem.

Which makes a lot of places problematic to live.

got my statement six months in, it showed that my deductible was $6,000 for in network doctors and facilities and $25,000 for out of netork doctors and facilities. So my deductible is $31,000.
And it only will pay 60% of the costs after the deductible is met.

My whole family's medical deductions per year are rarely even $1,000. And the cost of that I surance just went up $90 per month with never a single claim made. What a racket.

Big Insurance was of course the huge winner, and a relative handful of really needy people finally got health insurance. As usual working stiffs got pummeled. My annual out of pocket max is now nearly 1/4 of my take-home pay.

We were scammed not only by the Heritage plan itself, but by the fact that SP is now officially dead.

BTW the next thing on the horizon is probably the de facto "Affordable Education Act". They won't call it that because of the distaste for the ACA, but some scheme that forces us into for-profit education is next. Luckily SS is still off the table for now.

I still think it's a goo thing for the poor who never had insurance to now be able to get it, but those deductibles are INSANE!

I thought part of the ACA was that ins. co's HAD to spend at minimum 80% of their premiums received on health care. I can't believe it's possible that they are doing that when so many people (company premiums, deductibles & copays) are paying in so much.

Is there some department of the gov't, either state or fed. that is making these thieves prove they are in compliance?

Thanks for posting.

nt

Some of us were saying this was going to happen all along but we got shouted down.

I agree with candidate Obama.

"If a mandate were the solution (for medical care) we could try that to solve homelessness by mandating everybody buy a house."

1.) It is waaaaay overpriced, the whole system, top to bottom has been taken over by MBAs and insurance racketeers.

2.) Most Doctors are too stressed out and indoctrinated and indebted and short of time to think about my problems coherently, and they have only two basic competencies: surgery (at which we have become quite good, but we are overly fond of it because the pay is very good) and drugs (which is a rat maze of regulations and ignorant and incoherent drug war laws), and if that is not what you want, you're going to get it anyway. In some respects that is all they can afford to take time for, they have to crank them through to pay their bills.

It doesn't provide a reasonable alternative to private health insurance. We may be technically "covering" more people, but people still can't afford to go to the doctor.