Yesterday a federal judge in Texas ruled that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Here is one article on this ruling. This article states "Around 130 million people in the United States have pre-existing conditions, and without the ACA, insurers would no longer be required to cover those conditions." I don't care about the politics; both parties may have objections to the ruling. ("We expect this ruling will be appealed to the Supreme Court. Pending the appeal process, the law remains in place," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.) This ruling may or may not stand but I wonder if it has wider consequences than simply the ACA and if it is possible to discuss medical insurance without involving politics or partisanship. I am starting this thread on the assumption that the answer is "yes."
I should explain how I came to an interest in this topic. My son has (temporary??) medical issues and has an ACA health plan; his medical bills were well over $100,000 (probably $200,000 but this is a guess) and health insurance is essential to him. He is an illustration that going without health insurance is financially dangerous if one has any financial assets which could be put at risk; he was completely healthy until he suddenly became ill. I'm not sure what we can say about the ACA because it is out of our hands; the courts and Congress will decide. Thus I will focus on something over which individuals do have some choice (and hopefully is not "political").
I am trying to decide between choosing a Medical Advantage plan and a Medicare supplement ("medigap") plan. In both cases, a person has to pay Medicare Part B fees; for me, in 2019 these will be very high. Each Medicare Advantage program receives from the federal government about $10,000 per year for each person enrolled in its Medicare Advantage plan and I wonder if legal challenges to the ACA will impact Medicare Advantage programs; will this $10K per person per year subsidy be affected by legal rulings?
A friend of mine has a Medicare Advantage plan; this plan has no monthly premiums and it is my current favorite. What happens if Medicare Advantage disappears in a couple years because of lawsuits? My second choice is a medigap policy with my current health insurance company; for less coverage (no vision or dental, no gym membership), I would pay almost $300 per month more. After an initial period (one year?), switching to a medigap plan (or switching to a new medigap plan from an old one) requires you to meet their standards and you can be turned down. On the other hand, a person can switch Medicare Advantage plans every year with no restrictions (other than availability in a person's location).
1. If there are any lawyers reading this thread who can comment on the eventual effects on Medicare Advantage if this ruling is upheld, these comments would be most welcome. (I don't have much hope here but I can only ask.)
2. If you had to make a choice between Medicare Advantage and medigap health insurance policies, which did you choose and why?
People here have been very helpful and I thank you in advance. I do not consider health insurance as a "money matter" and so put it here; I understand that others might have made a different choice.
I should explain how I came to an interest in this topic. My son has (temporary??) medical issues and has an ACA health plan; his medical bills were well over $100,000 (probably $200,000 but this is a guess) and health insurance is essential to him. He is an illustration that going without health insurance is financially dangerous if one has any financial assets which could be put at risk; he was completely healthy until he suddenly became ill. I'm not sure what we can say about the ACA because it is out of our hands; the courts and Congress will decide. Thus I will focus on something over which individuals do have some choice (and hopefully is not "political").
I am trying to decide between choosing a Medical Advantage plan and a Medicare supplement ("medigap") plan. In both cases, a person has to pay Medicare Part B fees; for me, in 2019 these will be very high. Each Medicare Advantage program receives from the federal government about $10,000 per year for each person enrolled in its Medicare Advantage plan and I wonder if legal challenges to the ACA will impact Medicare Advantage programs; will this $10K per person per year subsidy be affected by legal rulings?
A friend of mine has a Medicare Advantage plan; this plan has no monthly premiums and it is my current favorite. What happens if Medicare Advantage disappears in a couple years because of lawsuits? My second choice is a medigap policy with my current health insurance company; for less coverage (no vision or dental, no gym membership), I would pay almost $300 per month more. After an initial period (one year?), switching to a medigap plan (or switching to a new medigap plan from an old one) requires you to meet their standards and you can be turned down. On the other hand, a person can switch Medicare Advantage plans every year with no restrictions (other than availability in a person's location).
1. If there are any lawyers reading this thread who can comment on the eventual effects on Medicare Advantage if this ruling is upheld, these comments would be most welcome. (I don't have much hope here but I can only ask.)
2. If you had to make a choice between Medicare Advantage and medigap health insurance policies, which did you choose and why?
People here have been very helpful and I thank you in advance. I do not consider health insurance as a "money matter" and so put it here; I understand that others might have made a different choice.
