More than two-thirds of Obamacare enrollees unsatisfied with coverage(did any vote for Obama?)

The Washington Times ^ | 08/03/15 | Tom Howell Junior

[pepsionice]

Around fifteen years ago....I was upset with the car insurance going up yearly, and finally sat down with the agent to discuss a big change. I finally said....I wanted the deductible to change. He thought I was discussing going from $500 to $1000. I suggested $2000. He did the numbers and suddenly I cut my yearly cost by fifty percent. He gave me a list of ten reasons why this wasn’t smart. I noted I hadn’t had an accident in my life and was approaching 40.

[Qiviut]

What happened? All I’ve been hearing from the enemedia is how happy & grateful those who have Obamacare are to have insurance and how much they “love” it. Buyer’s remorse (finally!) setting in ... hmmm?

[HotHunt]

Under ObamaCare, if you earn $50,000 and have a $400 monthly premium and a $6,000 deductible, that means you will have to pay $10,000 or one-fifth of your gross annual income, to cover your portion of your medical expenses before the insurance even kicks in to pay any costs. Then it probably is still an 80-20 split between you and the insurance company after the deductible is covered.

This is why many people are not buying the insurance and just paying the tax penalty. It's cheaper that way.

[HotHunt]

My deductible on my auto insurance has been $2500 for years. And our premiums have been very low, as a result. The key is to be a good, defensive driver.

I tend to look at insurance like it's supposed to work. It's there to cover the big losses, not the nuts and bolts stuff. You cover the routine things and, if the car is totaled, the insurance picks up most of the tab. Otherwise, I think you're throwing money down a rat hole with a low deductible.

Medical insurance should work the same way.

[Lou L]

Here's a question for anyone arguing for a "single-payer" system, now that Obamacare costs are hitting them particularly hard: what if single-payer costs are no lower? What if between taxes, fees and other payments single-payer actually costs more than what you're paying for a marketplace plan? Then what do you do?

[pieceofthepuzzle]

Yes, high deductibles make sense for those with the lowest risk, especially if it results in a significantly less expensive policy. That said, that isn't what's happening. The administration and democrat legislators essentially decided against promoting low-cost catastrophic coverage, and instead insisted that everyone have extensive bells and whistles in their policies - which is why they are so expensive despite the high deductibles (not to mention that they are making everyone pay for the policies of the uninsured). It's the equivalent of the government making everyone buy cable packages with 100s of channels they don't want and that they'll likely never watch.

[ChicagahAl]

If you make less than $50,000 a year....this $6,000 deductible is a big deal.....but once you cross the $5,000 range in money spent....just ‘go-for-it’.

It's worse than that.

After the deductible is met, unlimited co-pays can be too expensive for a lot of folks.

You might meet your $6k deductible toward the end of a calendar year, and have to start all over again at zero on January 1st. A $6k deductible can become a $12k deductible in a short period of time.

Some health-care expenses might not be covered. (death panels, etc.)

Some doctors or hospitals may not accept your insurance. If you are traveling and you need medical attention, you may unwillingly become a cash-and-carry patient.

You can also be told up-front that your insurance will pay, and then find out afterward that they won't pay (for whatever reason).

A lot of folks are simply afraid to even approach the subject; so they put off going to the Doctor until it's an emergency.

[Hardens Hollow]

https://www.healthcare.gov/lower-costs/save-on-out-of-pocket-costs/
has the income brackets for the cost sharing reduction plans. Those in the income brackets get a lower subsidy, plus a lower deductible and out of pocket max.

Not all that get a subsidy get a CSR plan. Ie, a couple can get a subsidy under ~$60k, but can only get a CSR plan under ~$40k.

[Hardens Hollow]

Good job! There are options also that agents ‘forget’ to tell us are not required but are optional - like medical, uninsured motorist, etc.