How many of you enrolled in the ACA?

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

So, while you do have 6 months to enroll, I'm curious if any of you enrolled today?

If you did, how was the experience?
If you are planning to do so, any concerns?
If you didn't, why not?

Genuine questions, not trolling.

[Category Mistake]

My wife has a pre-existing condition and is a doctoral student. Previously, student health insurance had maximum payouts of 100,000 and even lower prescription drug benefits that made it impossible to use. ACA changes have forced student health insurance to eliminate these limits. With school insurance now viable, we will not have to turn to other options until she completes her degree.

[Whirlin]

It's not ACA, but I can mention our experiences with MassHealth.

My GF was a part of MassHealth last year. Her employer didn't offer health insurance, and she needed to obtain it through the health care connector that MA has set up. Beyond MA requirements on health insurance, it was just one of those things that if you never need to use it, you're lucky.

She wasn't so lucky, and without going into too many details, it's saved her life at least twice in the last two years.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

My wife has a pre-existing condition and is a doctoral student. Previously, student health insurance had maximum payouts of 100,000 and even lower prescription drug benefits that made it impossible to use. ACA changes have forced student health insurance to eliminate these limits. With school insurance now viable, we will not have to turn to other options until she completes her degree.

So you enrolled today? What were the premiums versus the prior quoted premiums?

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

It's not ACA, but I can mention our experiences with MassHealth.

My GF was a part of MassHealth last year. Her employer didn't offer health insurance, and she needed to obtain it through the health care connector that MA has set up. Beyond MA requirements on health insurance, it was just one of those things that if you never need to use it, you're lucky.

She wasn't so lucky, and without going into too many details, it's saved her life at least twice in the last two years.

What did it cost versus the alternatives?

[Kembal]

So you enrolled today? What were the premiums versus the prior quoted premiums?

Don't think they enrolled in the exchange, based on what they wrote. ACA, in the first phase of implementation, eliminated certain caps and restrictions for all insurance plans nationwide. This is part of that.

[Category Mistake]

We did not enroll because her student health coverage is now viable. Previously, even though her stipend paid $3,000 a year for student health insurance, it was so limited as to be unusable by someone with a serious pre-existing condition. In other words, ACA changes to student health coverage made it so that we do not need to enroll through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

[Back]

My state's site has too much traffic. Once I get in I'll post what is offered to me.

[Gelston]

I did not because my coverage through the VA meets the minimum requirements.

[Taernath]

My state's site has too much traffic. Once I get in I'll post what is offered to me.

Yeah, I'm getting 'account creation is unavailable, try back later'.

[NinjasLeadTheWay]

I did not because my coverage through the VA meets the minimum requirements.

I hope everyone that is in favor of the Affordable Care Act gets the great service and treatment we get at the VA from now on.

[Whirlin]

What did it cost versus the alternatives?

While she was working as a chef, $200 a month... However, following all that's happened, she's been unable to go back to full time work, so she's attending school, working retail part time, and is currently eligible for the fully subsidized health care.

[Taernath]

I hope everyone that is in favor of the Affordable Care Act gets the great service and treatment we get at the VA from now on.

I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

[GTG]

As a veteran who has spent days at the VA I second that.

[Wrathbringer]

As a veteran who has spent days at the VA I second that.

I've only had one issue where I waited an hour, but that was due to an emergency case. No complaints with the rest of VA medical services over the years. I'm more upset about my VA guaranteed home loan not being able to happen until the fat rich guys in Washington stop acting like 6 year olds. "Mr. Wrath, we know you served your country honorably and held up your end of the bargain, but... HE STARTED IT!"

[Gelston]

One of the nurses that worked at the local VA hospital is a good friend of mine. She got me enrolled in the VA Health system and all that in about 30 minutes.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

My company will be continuing to offer coverage, and my personal insurance has gone from $38 a month in 2010, to $58 a month in 2011, to $78 a month in 2012 and as of last open enrollment, $515 a month. I'd like to get me some of that young, healthy person funded free healthcare...

[Allereli]

My firm is still covering 100% of healthcare costs. However, our generous FSA (firm funded $2500 per year to cover vision/dental) now loses $700 to make up for the difference in deductible. This means if I fall on my ass again, I'll be paying for all of the gauze and bandages.

[Taernath]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOjt35jgmz4

VA 2.0

[Atlanteax]

I hope everyone that is in favor of the Affordable Care Act gets the great service and treatment we get at the VA from now on.

Unfortunately this ill-will curse shall be fulfilled if the ACA becomes a single-payer system.

[Buckwheet]

I was most of the way through the enrollment process when the website went down for maintenance.

I have previously mentioned that we pay about $500 a month for myself, my wife, and our 1.5 year old daughter. Our company splits the premium costs 70/30 with us. So they are paying about another $1000 a month for this coverage. What does this buy us? A $5,000 per person deductible with the maximum you can pay for the entire family of $10,000. We are able to then put in the max contribution into a HSA which is like $6,000. That doesn't really cut it when you are exposed to a $4,000 risk every year. Currently my employer has just under 300 people that are full time employees, they give no money to our HSA and they subjected all employees to a medical check for the first time this year. If you don't participate you don't get offered the normal insurance you get offered something that costs even more than what we are paying now and has a higher deductible and the company will not split that premium 70/30.

So this year we were forced to do blood draws, weight check, and height check along with a waist and wrist measurement. If you were pregnant in the last 6 months you are moved to a special plan that is higher out of pocket costs but the company will cover that 70/30 of the premium. This year spouses were not required to come in for the evaluation, however in the paperwork it says the company waived that this year but will implement that next year. There are five tests and if you pass three of them you get the same coverage. If you pass two or less tests you are moved to the same plan that people who opted out are on, but they feel like you tried so a $500 contribution to your HSA will be given. Only if you pass all five tests will you qualify for the company to cover an additional percentage of the premium, that amount has not yet been disclosed. They also did not disclose prior to the tests what numbers you needed to meet in order to get this discount. Most of us believe they will test us and then create a special curve to push people into the higher coverage costs but yet produce enough people to say look at these healthy people.

This all was told to us before the courts ruled that the ACA was legit, so I believe this would have been implemented even if the law was struck down.

What I saw on the exchange was $384 for my family with no tax credits(we make too much money) for the bronze plan. The bronze plan as I understand it is 60/40 split with a maximum out of pocket of $12,700 per year. This will not save us a great deal of money, however the ~$1400 per year we will save between the premium cost will be added to our savings account(not HSA). This means that we will be paying $1300 for not taking our company mandated medical exams and the uncertainty that a unknown medical issue(high blood pressure or cholesterol) would make you miss your test targets to stay where you normally are and then bear the full burden of the premium($1500+). The only event that they will allow for you to change plans is the people who are put on the maternity plan. They MUST be re-tested after 6 months to be placed on the appropriate plan after passing the tests.

The tests are confidential so I get my results mailed to me and told where I fall on the insurance spectrum. So unless another employee tells me their numbers and we do our own collective data mining we will have no idea if its accurate.

I am all for the evil overlords and while I understand that many of you have been poorly treated by the VA, and that is a travesty, my grandfather was career Marine in WWII and after and my father in law was career Army from Vietnam forward. Both of them receive(d) what my wife and I felt was decent care the times we attended with them to have surgeries for things like gall stones, bypass, and for regular treatments for emphysema and COPD. We will have to see what happens.

Edit: Any life event also would let you switch insurance. But if you got 2 of 5 tests all you can do is sign up your other family members if you have a kid. You can't request a re-test and have to wait until next year.

[Thondalar]

One of the few benefits of where i'm at in my industry is that hourly employees basically get jack-dick, and the vast majority have been moved to part-time positions because of this...salaried employees (myself) have a really good health plan that far exceeds all ACA requirements.

Way to stick it to the young, healthy people, ACA.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

One of the few benefits of where i'm at in my industry is that hourly employees basically get jack-dick, and the vast majority have been moved to part-time positions because of this...salaried employees (myself) have a really good health plan that far exceeds all ACA requirements.

Way to stick it to the young, healthy people, ACA.

I'm good with it if we do indeed "stick it" to the young healthy people (to pay for the older, unhealthy people). They would be "paying it forward" in a sense, since they'll receive the benefit when they become old and unhealthy.

Gotta pay for it somehow... I mean my $500 plus monthly premium seems like a lot to me, but it's still not bad considering if I get very sick or hurt. $500 bucks wouldn't cover the ambulance ride.

Conceptually I kind of like the plan. I'm curious how the entitled youth of America (over 26 obviously) feel about it...

[Gelston]

Gotta pay for it somehow... I mean my $500 plus monthly premium seems like a lot to me, but it's still not bad considering if I get very sick or hurt. $500 bucks wouldn't cover the ambulance ride.


Ambulance costs are ridiculous. I got hit with a bill for one, once. 1200 bucks. I was in the military at the time, so that paid for it, but I think next time I'll just take a cab.

[diethx]

VA healthcare must vary so much between hospitals. Departments too I guess. When my father in law was in the palliative care ward at the VA hospital here in Atlanta, they were amazing and wonderful. The nurses, the doctors, everyone. They made the experience easier.

[Gelston]

VA healthcare must vary so much between hospitals. Departments too I guess. When my father in law was in the palliative care ward at the VA hospital here in Atlanta, they were amazing and wonderful. The nurses, the doctors, everyone. They made the experience easier.

Usually once you are in a care unit it is better. The slow parts are enrolling and the benefits/payment departments... Or anything involving paperwork.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

So it's been 2 1/2 months, who's signed up and what are your premiums/deductibles?

Any good stories, bad stories?

[Gelston]

So it's been 2 1/2 months, who's signed up and what are your premiums/deductibles?

Any good stories, bad stories?

Obama ran over my dog and kept driving.

[Ashlander]

I signed up but haven't wasn't able to do the first month's payment and haven't heard anything from the companies I signed up with yet.

[~Rocktar~]

As I have said elsewhere, I used to have insurance that is better than the gold plan with an HSA account that didn't roll over. Now, I have a much higher deductible, no co pay until you use up that deductible and much higher cost and all this through my company. Previously I paid just about 90 a pay check which included my HSA contribution so that was 180 a month and I am salaried management. Now, I will pay about 118 a paycheck through my employer for crappier insurance and that doesn't include my HSA contribution. I also started asking around, you can't get co-insurance or supplemental insurance. So, I get a bif fat fuck you from the ACA without a reach around or a kiss. The up side is that the cost is nearly the same in the exchange as through my employer (I think I save something like 20 a month with my employer) so you KNOW they are saving money on contributions. Supposedly my HSA will roll over now so that is good. OH, and as a single white male, I am covered for prenatal care, maternity and so on. Way to go ACA, I needed that!

[Back]

The way you bitch about Obama you should at least be happy about the free pap smear for your vagina.

[Wheelerm]

Fortunately, my company's Health Insurance benefit meet the ACA requirements, so I still have health insurance through my employer. My premiums did go up from $15 per month (HDHP) to $25 per month and I believe the maximum allowable contribution to the HSA has been lowered (I could be wrong). My company uses United Health Care, which uses Express Scripts as the perscription drug benefit rider and they have dropped a shit tonne of perscriptions from their "covered" list, raised their deductable, and any purchase of a medication that is not "on the list" does not count toward your annual deductible requirements. So, I'm still being shafted by the ACA in some respects.

[~Rocktar~]

The way you bitch about Obama you should at least be happy about the free pap smear for your vagina.

The way you suck his dick, you need the papillomavirus vaccination. Or a movie contract.

[diethx]

The way you bitch about Obama you should at least be happy about the free pap smear for your vagina.

I lol'd.

[waywardgs]

I'm good with it if we do indeed "stick it" to the young healthy people (to pay for the older, unhealthy people). They would be "paying it forward" in a sense, since they'll receive the benefit when they become old and unhealthy.

Just like social security! Oh wait...

[ClydeR]

I signed up but haven't wasn't able to do the first month's payment and haven't heard anything from the companies I signed up with yet.

First, check your e-mail spam folder. Then, if you haven't received an e-mail from the insurance company, just call them. Tell the insurer when you signed up and ask if they have received your information from the exchange. Give them at least a week from the time you signed up before you call.

[mesuvar]

Thought I'd bump this. My receptionist is a single mother. Today on Healthcare.gov she purchased a Blue Cross policy covering her and her daughter (and which conformed to the minimum requirements of the ACA) for a quoted premium of $288/mo. But, according to her, because she is a single mother she is also entitled to tax credits that reduce her effective premium to about $50/mo. I don't know her deductible (and don't plan to ask her), but she seems thrilled with the premium and plan.

[Tgo01]

Thought I'd bump this. My receptionist is a single mother. Today on Healthcare.gov she purchased a Blue Cross policy covering her and her daughter (and which conformed to the minimum requirements of the ACA) for a quoted premium of $288/mo. But, according to her, because she is a single mother she is also entitled to tax credits that reduce her effective premium to about $50/mo. I don't know her deductible (and don't plan to ask her), but she seems thrilled with the premium and plan.

Why aren't you paying her a living wage huh? HUH?!