Posted on 02/14/2015 10:13:04 PM PST by grundle
WHEN Karen Pineman of Manhattan received notice that her longtime health insurance policy didn’t comply with the Affordable Care Act’s requirements, she gamely set about shopping for a new policy through the public marketplace. After all, she’d supported President Obama and the act as a matter of principle.
Ms. Pineman, who is self-employed, accepted that she’d have to pay higher premiums for a plan with a narrower provider network and no out-of-network coverage. She accepted that she’d have to pay out of pocket to see her primary care physician, who didn’t participate. She even accepted having co-pays of nearly $1,800 to have a cast put on her ankle in an emergency room after she broke it while playing tennis.
But her frustration bubbled over when she tried to arrange a follow-up visit with an orthopedist in her Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield network: The nearest doctor available who treated ankle problems was in Stamford, Conn. When she called to protest, her insurer said that Stamford was 14 miles from her home and 15 was considered a reasonable travel distance. “It was ridiculous — didn’t they notice it was in another state?” said Ms. Pineman, 46, who was on crutches.
She instead paid $350 to see a nearby orthopedist and bought a boot on Amazon as he suggested. She has since forked over hundreds of dollars more for a physical therapist that insurance didn’t cover, even though that provider was in-network.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I'd say you've just exposed (ok, re-exposed) a major problem with ObamaCare. One of many, of course...
How long will it be until doctors are forced to provide care under ObamaCare? That'll have wonderful effects. /s
“There is no free lunch”
And millions of suckers were born on this one. They’re just now starting to realize that it’s to late and that they are on the hook for good.
Racism!
Such things are relative. I lived in Manhattan for a couple of years, a long time ago. Stamford might as well have been the moon. There's a pretty good chance she doesn't even have a car. You don't need one in the city. At least, you didn't, pre-Obamacare.
In Manhattan, the presumption is that you should be able to find anything you need within a mile or two, and probably less. There are probably plenty of orthopedists within easy range. Just not in-network. What should have been a short taxi ride has just been turned into an all-day expedition.
>> her frustration bubbled over when she tried to arrange a follow-up visit with an orthopedist in her Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield network
If this woman voted for Obamacrap, she got what she deserves.
Empire BCBS was a complete #up. I essentially paid $17k (base premiums) in 2014 for what amounted to catastrophic coverage given doctors visits were paid out of pocket due to erroneous info on participating practitioners. The entire process beginning late 2013 was nothing but one massively expensive nightmare.
I loathe the socialists occupying our Country. They’re selfish, stupid, and dangerous.
I laugh at this typical LIB idiot. Bend over, seweetie.
I love it when it’s the Obama supporters who get screwed.
She lives in Manhattan. With all those NYC area doctors she has to travel to CT? ACA—ObarryCare in unAffordable and it doesn’t Care and that’s a fAct.
i live in NYC and lived in Stamford for 9 years and its a bit more than 15 miles.
My recollection is that it is about an hour train ride?
I remember taking it in from a buddies house in Darien, CT.
I guess you get what you paid for.
Its a scam.
Of course, the Democrats wrote it as a sweetheart deal to benefit the insurance industry and not to provide coverage to the truly uninsured.
Its not affordable when you have to drive hundreds of miles to see a specialist.
Obamacare isn’t flawed. Its working exactly as intended.
What you said.
“After all, she’d supported President Obama and the act as a matter of principle.”
After, all, she’d supported President Obama because anything a lefty ideologue shovels out is way better than thinking for yourself.
There, fixed it.
It is easily 35 or 40 miles and depending on traffic and transportation 1 to hours 1 way
they lie.
1 to 2 hour away
sorry new computer
Let her cry.
As you sow, so shall you reap.
I expect to see a increase in delayed diagnoses, complications and mortality rates simply because the vast majority of people forced into the market place cannot afford the deductibles.
It is not just a matter of seeing a doctor. It is labs, Xrays, scan, etc., none of which is covered unless the deductible is met.
Do I have “insurance?” Yes
Am I covered against high and unexpected healthcare costs? Hell no!
Stanford is at least 35 miles from NYC, so either the NYT is lying, or BCBS is lying.
Fourteen miles from Manhattan will barely get you to Westchester County, let alone Connecticut. If you have no car, a trip to Stanford to many NYC residents might as well be the equivalent of Magellan's voyage.
However, instead of bringing up the distance (fake or real), this dimbulb brings up "another state", as if that would have any impact. Heck, Portchester NY is on the Connecticut border, so "another state" brings no weight to her argument.
But hey, she voted for this boondoggle, so she is reaping what she and her friends have sown.
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