Being politically correct sucks!

[PorkChopExpress 820]

If I detailed the nightmares I had, dealing with the exchanges as an intermediary managing my healthcare services for me as a go-between to my insurance company, it would make your head spin. Stereotypical government efficiency and ineptitude. There's no way on God's green earth I would want this government taking 100% control of my health care. No, and no. They can't even administrate social security without sending it into a black hole, never to be seen again. You want them in charge of your health care?

[newjerseygirl60 45]

Lol

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[highfunctioningfatman 2,675]

I do agree that Obamacare didn't create this mess. Insurance companies and corporate greed did. This is why we go to Mexico for surgery and why I can have a biopsy done on my dog for $250 and on my wife the cost is $15000 for essentially the same surgery. In my case it is a company that is out of touch with its indians. The Chiefs haven't been here in this company and they don't understand. I've been involved in multiple projects at the corporate HQ and they are extremely out of touch.

[KeepCalm 223]

I'm trying to figure out how to post the snip shots I took of my open enrollment going on now - increases on a bit.

Currently

PPO 80 - 70.00

Dental - 16.90

Vision - 7.10

Flex - 212.50 (btw this is going down - went this high because of WLS)

Life - 13.72

Total monthly - 320.22

Deduct - 550

Out of pocket in-network - 2500

New Plan

PPO 80 - 80.00

Dental - 16.90

Vision - 7.10

Flex - 58.34 - might go lower, trying to adjust for the fact that I still have about 700 left in my current to use up by March 15th.

Life - 19.32 - cause I'm getting older

Total Monthly - 181.66

Deduct - 600

OoP in network - 2600

I'm not liking it, but at least I have it I guess... between insurance and taxes - I feel like I'm bringing home the same as I was before I had to pay for insurance - lower paying jobs. I just have better benefits and I pay for them.

[Travelher 915]

Universal Healthcare is not the answer either there is a lot wrong with that as well Canada has it and it is not working for them either they come to the US to get health care Look I work in the Emergency room and that is what most people that don't have insurance do use the ED as there pcp , it is against the law to turn away pt's we get a lot from other countries that has that kind of health care Universal healthcare but the catch is you can see a Dr. but it maybe months from now and you have a serious illness that don't work either so they come over here because non private hospitals like the one I work at has to treat you regardless if you have ins or not! What should be or could be is not the issue the issue is what is going on right now which is the ins companies are out of control

The canadian system is certainly not perfect (none are) but it is what I would call good. If I need to see a doctor I can get in same day and pay nothing, if I break my leg, I get seen same day and pay nothing. I recently had an ultrasound which found a tumour on my kidney, I had a ct scan scheduled within a week. (I think reasonable). Where I have experienced delays are in non-life threatening type things that require a specialist. I asked for an MRI on my knee...(I have a lot issues with my acl). That could take months because they put emergent cases ahead of you...but if I want to skip the line I can pay for an MRI at a private clinic (for significantly less than in the us). Bypass surgery is also covered here, depending on where you live the wait times are anywhere from 8 months to 18months...sometime requires up to 6months medically supervised diet. I didn't want to wait after my band failed so I went to a clinic and did self pay.

Frankly my work has asked me to move to the US, the biggest reason I won't is the Heath Care system. My husband has crohns and I worry if we were to move there it could threaten us financially...it just is not even something people think about here. I'm hoping Canada expands our system to include drugs as well, like many countries in Europe so the drug costs would come down as well.

[Shell Renewed 176]

As a Canadian I can't fathom this, and I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with crazy rates like this. There's a lot of misinformation out there about how things run here, but I'll take our system any day. I did self-pay my surgery but only because I didn't want the 2-3 year wait being only a 40BMI.

[Rosey posey 176]

Big John if you're on board today (10/29th) get with me, have some news. Rosey Posey. I have to have my right cataract removed soonish, I would cry but I already hardly can see out of that eye anymore. Wahhh!

Sent from my S55 using the BariatricPal App

[Shell Renewed 176]

I'm really surprised by your perspective. I'm a 49 year old Canadian that has lived from coast to coast (literally). I had a sister born with kidney issues and had one removed at 5 days old and the other a little later. We spent her 33-year life in the health care system and considered ourselves fortunate to have what we do in Canada. Wonderful care. Knowing as many people as one does by the time they're my age, I've seen and heard it all and it does not mirror what you state. Yes sometimes there are longer wait times for tests if a case is not urgent but it's not a common issue. The media will tend to focus on the extreme exceptions and people will tend to use examples that help their perspective, so I guess you'd have to live here to judge it

Universal Healthcare is not the answer either there is a lot wrong with that as well Canada has it and it is not working for them either they come to the US to get health care Look I work in the Emergency room and that is what most people that don't have insurance do use the ED as there pcp , it is against the law to turn away pt's we get a lot from other countries that has that kind of health care Universal healthcare but the catch is you can see a Dr. but it maybe months from now and you have a serious illness that don't work either so they come over here because non private hospitals like the one I work at has to treat you regardless if you have ins or not! What should be or could be is not the issue the issue is what is going on right now which is the ins companies are out of control

Edited October 29, 2016 by Shell Renewed

[newjerseygirl60 45]

Like said they both have good and bad I have a Nephew that's artistic That was born 3 1/2 pounds stay in the hospital for over a year did the Ronald McDonald housing for free thing, came to live with me because my house was just built so it was considered sterile that was the only way he could come home he had a trachea Nurses 24 hrs a day 7 days a week he had speech therapy, 3 x's a week respiratory 3x's a week he had a g-tube IV port and on a ventilar machine and it was all taken care of financially never paid a dime and when he got older and lungs developed well taken off the vent g-tube out no more IV port was able to eat by mouth. becames of age he started school he had Home health aides 5 hrs a day after school it was called resperate for all of his care never pai a dime so no there is nothing wrong with my perspective! like I said some good and some bad for both system. We all have stories to tell some good some bad.Not saying your right or wrong and I am not saying I am right or wrong. Just that we all have our own experiences and opinions from those experiences and I respect them all! and no I don't have to live there fo not judging anything just stating what I was told by pt'S and family members that come to the hospital for care don't get offended I think I really have seen my fair share working in a Level one trauma center, and a neuro care unit. I was not comparing any health care it just need to be fix. if you think it is perfect it is ok to feel that way, I don't think either system is perfect that's how I feel

[Shell Renewed 176]

@@newjerseygirl60 I agree there is no perfect system.

[summerset 5,265]

As a Canadian I can't fathom this, and I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with crazy rates like this. There's a lot of misinformation out there about how things run here, but I'll take our system any day.

Same in Germany. Not perfect, especially with the dual system kind of health care (GKV and PKV), but when I read about the issues people are having in the USA when it comes to health care, I'm glad that I live in a country where almost everybody has health insurance.

[smg 471]

I don't typically like to engage in discussions that end up being two sides "digging in" and defending their points of view because, in my experience, it typically escalates fairly quickly and in the end, neither side is willing to concede.

However, I think it's irresponsible of me to disengage entirely when there is some information that appears to have escaped the discussion, and I believe it's important to address it.

Yes, corporate greed is a factor in rising insurance premiums just as it's a factor in rising prices on a gallon of milk or a pair of shoes, but to blame increases of 20% year over year on corporate greed alone is absurd and just plain wrong.

The Federal Government itself has just said this week that the average mid-level Obamacare plan (the most popular choice) will cost about 22% more in 2017 than it did in 2016. This is based on data from 39 states where people sign up through the HealthCare.gov website. (SOURCE)

There's a large discrepancy nationwide. In Phoenix, people are looking at a premium increase of 145% while customers in Rhode Island may actually see up to a 14% decrease (mostly because their rates were substantially higher to begin with). (SOURCE)

It's been discussed for months that ObamaCare prices were going to rise substantially after he left office (SOURCE) so I don't quite get the comments blaming everything but the legislation itself.

These are numbers and they are indeed facts. There is no question that ObamaCare raises healthcare premiums even for those not previously insured. The big question now is whether this is a one-time jump in the premiums or if this is the start of a new increase pattern that we can expect yearly. The saddest part of all of this is that the largest increases are specifically against customers who purchase their own policies, many of whom would be penalized by regulations if they did not under the "Affordable Care Act".

Now, all of that being said, there are ways to get help with the increases, but it's artificial help and in the end amounts to more tax dollars being dumped into the program to cover the bills. Over 80% of Obamacare customers can qualify for subsidies to help pay the cost of their premiums. Those customers don't pay the full cost out of pocket, so they won't personally see the direct impact of the increases, as long as there is a less expensive plan available in their market and they are willing to switch. This may become commonplace, so switching often may be the new "best choice" in order to avoid stiff increases. As more and more major companies pull out of state obamacare exchanges, these less expensive options will become more and more scarce. Switching health plans may save money for these individuals, but as you can see above, switching health plans is a big deal. Having to switch often is a nightmare.

To compound problems, customers who have to switch plans often to save money when premiums increase, may also have to change their healthcare providers as well since obamacare plans tend to cover a narrow group of physicians and hospitals. (SOURCE). This can be problematic for those with complex health needs. This means those with the most needs will undoubtedly be hit hardest, forced to make decisions whether to switch all of their doctors and records around, or suffer the increases. (SOURCE) (Keep in mind that frequent switching is part of the obamacare design, and not an accidental flaw, which in and of itself is a head scratcher).

Premiums from plans offered by corporations are not very affected by these changes to individual programs. Though it may seem that rates are increasing because, well, they are, those provided by corporations are actually increasing at comparatively low rates when compared to individuals forced to buy policies to meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Prices for most employer programs are rising by 3%. (SOURCE). The most notable change in these corporate plans are the deductible amounts, which has gone up quite steadily. This is because employers have been shifting costs to the employees which, to be fair, is a trend that started long before obamacare.

$32 billion of tax dollars was spent on subsidies for low-income people who buy insurance in Obamacare markets, according to the Congressional Budget Office. If premiums continue to rise by more than 20% per year, as it will from 2016 to 2017, the strain on the Federal Budget will be extraordinary.

There is no doubt that Obamacare is a problem financially speaking. There is also no doubt that every American needs access to medical coverage. Hopefully, whoever becomes the next President can reform this program to make it more affordable to those who need it without such a heavy financial burden being placed on other Americans in order to pay for it.

With a tax bracket about to cross 40% in my household, I can't imagine having to pay even more into taxes while dealing with everything else increasing as well. Something really needs to be done, and hopefully it can be a program that helps everyone. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not the way to go about this, and unfortunately that's the way things are heading.

[jessgnc 167]

I am so grateful for my current job. We're on the top 20 list of best places in the US to work for and my policy is amazing. For $300/month, I have embarrassingly good insurance for myself and my husband which covers medical, mental, vision and dental. It is only about $250 for myself, so adding him was a no-brainer.

At my last job, I was paying $500/month (WHAT) for a terrible plan. Nothing was covered. My copay for regular doctors visits was $60 and only covered saying hi, everything else went towards my deductible. My deductible was $2800/year. I'm a healthy person so I never even came CLOSE to that. I looked into adding my husband to the plan when we got married and it was an additional $400 for him. HAHA NO.

I'm so grateful for the policy I have, but it is disgusting how the system works. Someone with money or a good job doesn't have any more of a right to live than someone in a bad situation. If I got horribly ill and a friend got horribly ill, why do I get the right to live and get good medical treatment when they will either die or have to eventually declare bankruptcy? The system is broken.

[Guest]

@@LisaMergs Wow, great loss (I'm pre-sleeve) and always looks at people's stats.

[LisaMergs 2,854]

@@LisaMergs Wow, great loss (I'm pre-sleeve) and always looks at people's stats.

Thank you!!! I'm thrilled beyond words at how well this new life has progressed. More changes will come, and I embrace each of them and tackle the difficult ones with a new sense of purpose.

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