Health insurance premiums?

[offroad]

So what are folks doing for health insurance? For something that can be purchased now? Are you just living in a state that rejects obamacare knowing that you don't pay taxes so you can't be forced to get insurance ?

http://money.cnn.com/2014/06/12/retirement/retirement-health-care/index.html

 

[Lucky mike]

Tell that story to the IRS if you plan on filing a return ......they took the cant word out and it has nothing to do with the state....its federal.

that being said.......I have Medicaid /medicare....prior to the start of OBC I was in a state high risk pool insurance and that was brutal !!

 

[offroad]

Was looking for discussions from persons who have NO MEDICARE-CAID. NO VETERAN BENEFITS. NO WORK SUPPLIED MEDICAL.

It's obvious if you have something already as a benefit, you have some subsidized discount.

Am looking at folks that have no subsidy. What do they do?

 

[Lucky mike]

whether or my benifits are supplied I was just trying to clear up your Statement from your post......you cant avoid not having it without paying the penalty it is not up to the states..it is a federal law....if the state does not offer it you must buy it off the federal exchange....if you cannot afford it you will be placed on a federal heath program so you have it.

if you avoid it and file for your tax refunds or apply for any federal benefits you will have to pay up first..........

my Benefits dont start until august for medical ......I was paying for an OBC plan out of pocket prior.

 

[psytechguy]

Stay healthy?



Yeah, I'm still trying to figure this one out myself. I haven't found a plan I can afford that would really give me anything even vaguely resembling "health care."

Just lots of added bureaucracy that picks my pocket and lines the pockets of the health care industry...

but I guess I'm getting into politics here, so I'll shut up.

 

[Lucky mike]

no politics involved.....all you have to do is apply and it is based on your income.....if you have no income then you will be added to medicaid......the only problem is that whatever state you apply in is most likely will be your care and it will not travel outside of it....there is a company to get you a quote for your lowest premium for your needs dedicated to RVers

http://rverhealthinsurance.com/?ap_id=rvdreams

see if they can get you some better numbers

 

[akrvbob]

I don't have any yet. This year I will just pay the IRS tax penalty. But I understand it's going to go up so I may be forced to get something. From the little I've looked unto it the federal subsidies to assist in paying for it are very generous and you can earn quite a bit and still get a lot of help.

Most of us are low enough income to be able to get enough help to be able to afford it, it's just so complicated I (and lots of others) just don't even try. Being mobile adds tremednously to the complications.

Bob

 

[SoulRaven]

I called the heathcare.gov 800 number during the grace period in April and got a plan thru one of the best health systems for $56.33/month starting May 1.

Silver enhanced plan with $200 annual deductable NO copay, $3 generic scripts.

Spent 1.5 hours yesterday with new primary a 2nd year resident and his supervisor.

Getting complete blood work on Monday and then on to PT.

Getting well over 10X per month is services, scripts vs. premium I am paying.

 

[Bdog1]

That sounds like a great deal! I pay more for less, and that's through my employer.

 

[offroad]

Looread -you mean obamacare worked? Nice.

 

[blars]

I've got free healthcare/dental through obamacare. For anything other than an emergancy room visit, I have to return to my county of residence. So a doctors visit would cost me more than just paying over the counter.

 

[ZOFCHAK]

I have had a PPO with Health Alliance Plan in Michigan for several years now. I only pay $110 per month and have a $4,000 per year annual deductible after which my plan covers 100%. It also qualifies as an HSA plan so I can invest tax free dollars every year and use those to cover anything health related including my deductible. I'm young and have never had any health issues and that's why my premium is so affordable. With that said, because of Obamacare my days with this plan are numbered. Unless the Feds provide more extensions I will lose my plan at the end of this year and will have to sign up for another which is likely see my premium at least double (Probably more than double). Another "great" part of Obamacare is that if I am unfortunate enough to be diagnosed with a serious illness in the next year I still have to change plans and my new insurance company (while being forced to accept me) can charge me sky high premiums due to my "preexisting condition". That would not be the case if I were allowed to remain on my current plan.

I think for many Obamacare will end up helping, and I really think the healthcare system needed a drastic change. That being said, the main thing Obamacare has managed to do is shift more of the burden from those that are were sick, old or could not afford to pay to those that are healthy, young and able to pay. It did nothing to lower overall costs and in the end it actually will raise them. I would much rather seen a single payer system that covered everyone but at the same time limited costs and limited the ability of for profit corporations to literally bleed the public for every last cent.

 

[offroad]

Zofchek - you are just way smarter than the average people out there. And the planners for this law outsmarted you. Thinking the next congress will try to fix the law again, and hope they control costs.

 

[jeanontheroad]

I spent a decade or so in the accounting department of insurance companies. Re costs, Obamacare did 2 big things. It limited administration fees to 20% (still an abomination, but the insurance companies used to take a lot more and, boy, do they not like it!). It also now gives people the financial help to get medical attention when problems are small and cheap instead of waiting until they are big, devastating and expensive.

Total costs will go up. First, because the country is aging. Second, more people will be getting care instead of dying. There are still lot of issues to address cost saving tweaks that can be made. Hopefully, Congress can get itself together after the coming election and make them instead of posturing and blowharding 24/7. You never know. A miracle could happen.

Dental care is one issue. I think it is part of Medicaid. Not sure. Most employer packages have it. But it is not part of Medicare or normal Obamacare plans. Dental would be almost $3000 a year for the two of us, and that's for high deductibles and copays. I have just adjusted my savings plan to self-insure at the dentist.

 

[compassrose]

We don't have insurance, we self-insure. David has a heart condition and is on medications. We use Walk-In Clinics for checkups and Sam's Club for filling prescriptions. We pay cash. We both wear glasses (I wear contact lenses). Sam's Club has eye doctors. We cannot afford insurance. We do not qualify for subsidies nor do we want them. We do not spend enough money on doctors to surpass the Obamacare deductables. I will pay the penalty. In a couple of years, David will put in for early SS. I doubt he will qualify for Medicaid.

 

[offroad]

I self insure (pay direct) all the dental bills. Root canal is $1000. Crown is $1000. Filling is $100. Cleaning in $70. Or you can go to Mexico and cut the price in half.

 

[jeanontheroad]

Compassrose, even if you think you can't afford the premiums or qualify for the subsidies, check it out to make sure. I don't know your circumstances, but I do know that one major medical episode can financially destroy you. Now that the insurance is available to most, there are moves to make a bankruptcy harder to get if it is based on medical debt. You could lose everything you have or ever expect to have.

---

Offroad, you are right. The big expense for us would be dentures, which you and I don't have but hubby does. Even with dentures, dental insurance is outrageous for us. We worked out an arrangement with our dentist to pay the same rates our insurance company did when we had it. We save money and the dentist gets paid right away instead of in 3 months.

---

BTW, for those who are holding out on Obamacare and subsidies for philosophical reasons, Wolf's bill for his knee replacement was $111,000 for the hospital, alone. That did not include the doctors or therapy. He was in constant pain and limited mobility until he had it done and the surgeon would not even make an appointment without insurance. What are your chances of having that in the piggy bank?

 

[offroad]

USA prices? England maybe half that. Same quality.

Don't forget most insurance has to take pre existing conditions.

 

[jeanontheroad]

Ok.

All you have to do is come up with a plane ticket plus $55,000 for the hospital pus doctor fees plus therapist fees for several months plus living expenses for the time you are with the therapist.

 

[offroad]

Wait until next open season. Sign up. Get er done