Posted on 10/23/2013 10:13:22 AM PDT by Kaslin
Rebecca was stunned when she opened her mail last week.
Her insurance carrier, Highmark BCBS, said her health insurance premium would rise 40 percent this year and her policy would be canceled on Dec. 1, 2014.
She had purchased the policy in 2009, after her husband had passed away from lupus, which he'd contracted 10 years before. His employer's insurance covered virtually all of the $1.1 million cost of his care during the last 66 days of his life.
With three children to raise, Rebecca knew how important it was to have good coverage. Her husband's company covered her for three months after he died. That gave her time to buy her own coverage with Highmark - though paying the $400 monthly premium would not be easy.
She worked two or three jobs to make ends meet - jobs that allowed her to be home when her kids got home from school. She was thankful to receive $1,300 a month in widow's benefits from Social Security, which her husband had paid into for years (she will soon lose these benefits when her youngest turns 16). Her combined income is $47,000 a year.
By scrimping and saving, she has been able to pay her mortgage and insurance, feed her kids and get the oldest two through college (thanks to several loans she is repaying).
So, she was stunned when she found out what her new insurance policy would cost.
The Highmark representative explained that her new policy had to meet all the requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). It would have to cover things she does not want or need - such as mental health problems, substance abuse and maternity care.
She asked the representative to help her choose a policy similar to what she had. The closest match he could find was a comprehensive PPO policy.
Her deductible would go from $1,200 to $1,500 per person, but her family deductible would increase from $2,400 to $5,000.
Her 90-percent copay would rise to 80 percent. Instead of being responsible for only 10 percent of her medical bills, after the deductible is met, she would be responsible for 20 percent. Her maximum out-of-pocket costs would soar from $2,000, after deductibles, to $12,000.
Her premium would go from $400 to $884 per month - an increase of almost $6,000 per year.
If she or one of her children were to get ill, as her husband did, her out-of-pocket costs would run about $24,000 a year.
Surely there are subsides for people in Rebecca's position?
Not in her case.
If her three children were younger, she would be eligible for a $6,000 tax credit. But her two oldest kids have just entered the workforce and their combined income disqualifies them.
If she covers just herself and her youngest child, her $47,000 income is still too high to qualify for subsidies.
She is too proud to accept subsidies in any event. She doesn't want taxpayers picking up the tab for her coverage. In fact, ObamaCare subsidies will cost taxpayers $1.9 trillion over the next decade.
Her only solution is to find a full-time job that provides benefits - if she can find an employer that offers them. Employers, too, are seeing their premiums soar.
Virtually everyone agrees our country needs to help the uninsured and those with pre-existing conditions get coverage and care.
However, ObamaCare is essentially forcing those who buy their own insurance to pay double or triple costs to cover those without insurance or who have pre-existing conditions - and a good many of these middle-class people will not qualify for subsidies.
The shame here is that there are creative ways for the government to solve the problem by establishing guidelines while unleashing market forces. This is demonstrated by Medicare Part D, a successful entitlement program that provides drugs to the elderly poor.
Under Part D, seniors are free to choose among a variety of benefits, costs and plans offered by private insurers. According to the Heartland Institute, Medicare trustees estimated a 2013 average monthly cost of $61 - the actual costs are HALF that.
In any event, lots of people are getting sticker shock as they learn how much their premiums will increase. And despite the president's promises, many people will not get to keep their current coverage.
Just ask Rebecca.
or does a single drop of rain?
no.. I don't agree to that at all!
They made the CHOICE to not get insurance when they were well, and now they must live with the consequences of that decision.
Under no circumstances am I FOR forcing a private business to accept sick costly people into their insurance plans and making them and in the end all the healthy responsible people foot the bill.
If the government wants to set up some sort network of charity hospitals which care for these people, fine, I might be inclined to go along with that.
But I would no more force a doctor to perform care on a person than I would force a restaurant to feed someone that was hungry, or force a hotel to give away it's rooms for free to those who have no home.
I’d also ask Rebecca who she voted for.
RE :”It would have to cover things she does not want or need - such as mental health problems, substance abuse and maternity care. “
There ya go.
So, if she doesn’t hit her 5000 deductable she is paying over 800 a month for the privilege of paying her med expenses out of pocket. This is a middle class wealth redistribution on a breathtaking scale.
She probably voted for that arrogant pos, and if she did, she got exactly what she deserved.
Keep in mind that Obamacare is imposing crushing fines on nonprofit (majority are Catholic) hospitals for the crime --- literally --- of offering free care for the indigent.
http://tinyurl.com/fines-for-charity-hospitals
Interesting, is it not?
I haven't read the article, but I assume in general things like heart attacks and going postal?"
Her premium is 2X to $884 per month. Her maximum out of pocket deductible is 6X to $12K. Great job Barry.
So
$5000 deductible
$12000 out of pocket after deductible
$10608 in premiums
______
$27608 per year on a $47k salary
haaaaaarrrrrrr
This article does not even begin to touch on the coming wave of increases. When the actuaries get done analyzing the losses by insurers (2 years from now?) for covering all of the here-to-fore uninsured people, it will require a 1,000% jump in premiums.
All the homosexual diseases selected against insurers by the “Come out health sign up” folks (last Friday and following), the illegals who are given amnesty (dreamers, etc.), the pre-existing conditions, and non-underwritten folks with dangerous lifestyles (drug users, alcoholics, skateboarders, skydivers, etc.), and the non-tax paying insureds (low income) will send the premiums into the ozone for the rest. We are facing a 4 trillion dollar a year bill in two years...just for health care.
Reading comprehension problems?
Specially those with foresight and responsibility are being bankrupted...
Consequences have little to do with the debacle.
What is the Federal Government Form that we taxpayers can use to file to recover our taxpayer dollars spent by the Administration on the Obama’care’ Insurance Boondoggle?
Since the US House approved this waste of taxpayer money, should we file against the House majority Red Ink Republicans, or the House minority Red Ink Democrats?
Good point but you responded to the wrong person.
I won’t say anything about reading comprehension problems in reply ;)
The perfect place to start is the center of Detroit! However, construction costs for a 100M$ care center will balloon to 1B$ cuz of the graft, theft, repeated theft and graft, union cost overruns, until it finally gets built. Then the graft and theft continues only this time with a roof over the head.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.