Being politically correct sucks!

[shedo82773 1,236]

I totally agree that the system is broke!! But like it has been said many times: IT WILL TAKE AN ACT OF CONGRESS to get things fixed. A new President doesn't have any more say in most things than the past Presidents. They can only do so much and then Congress has to pass it. When I was raising our kids, we did not have insureance. My husband did bartering to pay our DR.. bills. Thank Goodness now that we are retirement age and far from being healthy we now have great medical coverage. Also when we were young, between jobs or moving for his jobs we had to apply for food Stamps. Do you know we couldn't get them or medical for our kids. Now because of our broken society people can work at the lumber mills and make $20 plus dollars an hour and still get food stamps AND medical also. I understand that it cost more now than back then but something needs to be worked out!!!! I don't want to piss anyone off but....Maybe this is why our Country is so broke. People that get handed insurance sometimes abuse it by waiting until after the DR's office is closed and then go to the ER. This also raises the cost. Not everyone does this and I'm not pointing fingers at anyone. I don't know how to get things fixed but I feel like everyone does deserve good medical services. Keep on keeping on!!

[Guest]

@sheedo82773 OMG, love this....Now because of our broken society people can work at the lumber mills and make $20 plus dollars an hour and still get food stamps AND medical also. I understand that it cost more now than back then but something needs to be worked out!!!!

I hadn't commented because some might get upset. You just don't know how broken it is. I have a business with my husband (10 yrs going into 11th), we pay all taxes and pay ourselves a whopping $21,000 combined. We work 7 days a week, are at the biz a minimum of 70 hrs a week. I have a torn meniscus, fractures on foot and ankle, blah blah. About 5 yrs ago I went for an MRI, and ended up paying almost $3,000 when it was all said and done. I didn't qualify for any assistance because of the income the biz makes (which we don't get to take home because it is what makes the biz run---Insurance for building, insurance for vehicle, insurance for us---life--for our loan). I have no savings, neither does he. We live very minimal, we are here all the time and take 2 weeks off in October. We meet some on disability, can't do this and do that, but magically they are going to a casino in New Orleans for the weekend. All we ever hear is, "we don't know how you two do it"----IT'S CALLED HARD WORK. We are probably some of the few that haven't filed bankruptcy. Many do it, and after it's over they are back at purchasing their $500 handbags, and still getting mani/pedis. The system is beyond broken.

[Travelher 915]

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.

I have to say from someone who has worked in HR since the 90's 20% premium increases annually is pretty typical. for the 20 ish years I've practiced HR. the only thing that typically reduces this at the company level is claims experience level. I've experienced the odd year of flat increases or drops but it is unusual.

[smg 471]

I have to say from someone who has worked in HR since the 90's 20% premium increases annually is pretty typical. for the 20 ish years I've practiced HR. the only thing that typically reduces this at the company level is claims experience level. I've experienced the odd year of flat increases or drops but it is unusual.

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.

Those numbers I quoted are for individual Obamacare plans. Company provided plans would not be included in these figures. Though your experience might be high increases with the plans at the company or companies you've been involved with, the average for corporate plan increases is less than 5% per year.

The worst part in all of this is the constant switching of plans that individuals have to go through to "get the best rates". This is by design, and it's a poor design at that, especially for those that have complex health issues and in addition to changing plans may also be forced to change providers.