ObamaCare: What Are You Doing?

Myself | 12/2/2013 | Myself

[Awgie]

I was wondering what Freepers are doing with their own health insurance needs. How have you been impacted by ObamaCare? What are your plans to secure health insurance? What is your advise for others?

Perhaps we can share some insights and inform each other.

I am a self employed 63 year old married male. Neither my wife nor I have had health insurance for years. We are both fortunately, very healthy.

Wife takes thyroid and estrogen hormone replacement medications. I take none. I pay out of pocket for her meds and doctors when needed.

I do not plan to enroll in ObamaCare. I am 2 years from Medicare. She has 3 years to wait.

But I am uncertain about what to do. I know the penalty is very low the first year. Not sure after that.

Do the good Folk at Free Republic wish to share their personal strategies for dealing with their Health Insurance needs? It might be useful to others.

[nascarnation]

Very possible, I’ve never seen it in writing. I think they realized it would be a toxic quote.

[Bernard Marx]

Good. Let Medicare collapse along with Obamacare.

What makes you so sure Obamacare will collapse? With Medicare destroyed (which has been the strategy all along) Obamacare will morph into single-payer.

[Conscience of a Conservative]

I don’t necessarily think Obamacare or Medicare will collapse, though I hope both do. If Obamacare collapses (and certainly if it brings Medicare down along with it), it will be because it continued the trend that Medicare started - a wholesale shifting of medical expenses onto the backs of young, healthy people. It’s one thing for those younger people to see Medicare taxes coming out of their paycheck every month; it’s another to see those taxes AND sky-high health insurance premiums. Will that be enough to sink Obamacare and Medicare? Don’t know, but I certainly hope so.

[Molan Labe]

I took a stand. I will not comply. Come get me.

[Bernard Marx]

it’s another to see those taxes AND sky-high health insurance premiums. Will that be enough to sink Obamacare and Medicare? Don’t know, but I certainly hope so.

Medicare will collapse first because doctors will abandon it in a year or so when their payments are reduced. I disagree with your comment that the problem began from cost-shifting from old to young. It began when medical care ceased being a personal responsibility. By making it an employment benefit first, and second a federal program, both insurers and the medical industry were free to increase costs exponentially because no one was keeping them honest.

Now we have a real mess. When the political fit hits the shan I predict Republicans will obediently get in line to support single-payer.

[Mike Darancette]

I’m on VA the Mrs. on Medicare with a supplement.

[Old_Grouch]

I am on Medicare Advantage, hope that works out. My husband isn’t on Medicare yet, and we are trying to enroll him in one of the plans for Jan. 1. However, even though our income is below the cutoff for a family of two, they say we are not eligible for tax credit, so I put in an appeal on Nov 1. I have documented 10 calls to healthcare.gov so far, and two calls and several emails to my congressman, and several calls to a “navigator”. On 11/29 I finally got an automated call from Maximus Federal Services that they received our appeal and that it will be reviewed and someone will contact us. No time frame. We have until 12/23 to be accepted for 1/1 enrollment. They pushed the date back one week from 12/15 to 12/23.

[listenhillary]

Only if you get sick during the open enrollment period.

Obama has changed the law multiple times. You think if he needed a boost to his approval numbers he wouldn't change this?

[tbw2]

I wrote this after researching the alternatives.

Alternatives to Obamacare
http://tamarawilhite.hubpages.com/hub/Alternatives-to-Obamacare

This year, we are tightening the budget and paying more for employer based health insurance. Next year, if that’s not an option, we’ll do a Christian health sharing ministry.