Obamacare Enrollees Are Reeling from High Deductibles

Fiscal Times ^ | November 16, 2015 | By Eric Pianin

[Brad from Tennessee]

First, the administration revealed that enrollments for Obamacare next year will barely hit 10 million, far below previous projections.

Then last week, the consulting firm of McKinsey & Company estimated that premiums for policies under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, were going up substantially in 2016. For instance, the median rate increase for the lowest priced, highly popular “Silver” plan will rise by 11 percent – compared to just a seven percent increase in 2015.

Now there are troubling reports that consumers will be facing soaring out-of-pocket costs for deductibles next year – increases that in many cases will neutralize the benefits of their health care plans or discourage some from purchasing coverage.

“That these deductibles are so high is clearly one of the reasons people aren’t buying a plan—they simply don’t see themselves getting anything for the money,” Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy & Strategy Associates, a business and policy consultant, said in a newsletter on Monday.

An eye-opening report by The New York Times published over the weekend found that many of the newly insured are “feeling nearly as vulnerable as they were before they had coverage.”

Indeed, in many states more than half the plans being sold on Obamacare insurance exchanges have a deductible of $3,000 or more, according to a survey by the newspaper. . .

[hal ogen]

I laugh at the tears of those effected who voted for LIBs/DIMs or RINOs. You are getting your hope & change as you are “transformed”. Bwahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

[Soul of the South]

“WHERE IS THE MONEY? O/care also allocated some $6 billion tax dollars——spending money for Dumbocrats ——which has yet to be traced.”

The GOP promised if it won the Senate in 2014, Congress would repeal Obamacare. They could have drafted and passed the bill in less than 60 minutes. Where is the repeal bill? Ah yes. Boehner and McConnell agreed in the most recent budget bill to fund all of Obama’s priorities for the next two years. They didn’t even try to send him a repeal bill or an appropriations bill with no funding for O’care.

We cannot blame Obama for bad legislation that has been funded by the GOP House of Representatives since January 2011 and the GOP Senate since 2015. Both parties own this monster.

[I am Richard Brandon]

"My GOP Congresswoman and Senators are doing nothing to change the law, or repeal it other than issuing statements indicating they oppose it."

Well, I am totally shocked by that! Members of The Uniparty rely on the sheeple for compliance. Perhaps you should support a Presidential Candidate who will 'blow up the boxes.' (Hat tip to Arnold)

[ilovesarah2012]

Deductibles of $10,000 do not help the majority of working people. It is the same as no insurance. When my kids were little (twenty-five years ago or so), there was no deductible for doctor visits and a small co-pay. And coverage was affordable. My daughter’s premiums just went up - again. Obamacare for the most part has hurt way more than it has helped.

[dfwgator]

That leads to my other point, ObamaCare was never supposed to work, it’s intention was to break healthcare to the point where people will accept the implementation of Single-Payer.

[ilovesarah2012]

That was pretty cold considering how many millions depend on Medicare and Medicaid. People like you would let others die in hospital parking lots. Not my idea of a conservative. Should people have to pay 50% of their income for health care? People like you make liberals look good.

[Bluebeard16]

I haven’t heard about that. I’ll have to watch and see what SSA does in January 2016. But I wouldn’t doubt they’d raise the premium and not give a COLA increase.

[i_robot73]

When you have a health credit card to pay for the incidentals, instead of insurance (the UNKNOWN)....

And the GOP, regardless of its ability to de-fund, let alone kill off, O’Care hasn’t done SQUAT to: open markets across States, give PEOPLE the same tax advantages employers enjoy, etc.

[MomwithHope]

Don’t know about that. Neither of us is on ss or medicare yet, getting closer. But we are investigating.

[A CA Guy]

My family of three pays $9,000 and that is going up to $12,000.
Each have an individual deductible of $6,500.

For those lazy, not working everything is FREE! Not fair at all.

[bajabaja]

I hear you.

FWIW, Trump says he will replace O’care. With what, I do not know. But whatever it is it would likely be better than the mandated payment to insurance companies.

There is Medishare, Liberty HealthShare, and others. I have not yet used them personally, but am considering. They are exempt organizations under the ACA.

Just today NY state’s largest “exchange” provider was ordered to shut down. It had hundreds of millions of a federal grant or loan, burned through that, and now the state shut them down for insufficient reserves.

This will keep happening, and for those of us who are pro-life, the Medishare and Liberty HealthShare options are ones I will investigate.

I only know the current configuration will not last fiscally.

[Nervous Tick]

MomInCombatBoots,

We are now in “full research mode” on Christian health cost sharing, and will pull the trigger on it (or not) before the obamacare open enrollment period ends in January. I have started to post info to my home page and will add to it as it comes available, which will probably be really spotty and unpredictable, knowing me. :-)

For now I highly recommend the pamphlet I linked on my homepage. It’s from one particular provider but representative of the others.

By the way, I love your screen name! Your kids can be proud that “their mama wears combat boots”.

Blessings, Thanks for your service, and FRegards