Health Issues (US) Obamacare (Affordable Care Act)

[Amy SF]

http://www.care2.com/causes/10-reasons-to-love-obamacare.html

It's coming. Full implementation is almost upon us. I need it. I will have to sign up soon or pay a fine as I currently have no job and no health care. I am lucky that I live in a blue state that embraces healthcare reform and Obamacare. California has set up an insurance exchange. Others in the US are not so lucky. Their states are red, governed by Republicans who don't want healthcare reform and refuse to move quickly to set up an insurance exchange in their state, forcing the federal government to step in.

I was supposed to get a colonoscopy four years ago, when I turned 50. I've been putting it off. Looks like I won't have any more excuses once I have Obamacare insurance.

Who else here will be directly affected by Obamacare?

 

[ledboots]

Some provisions are already in effect.
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http://m.theweek.com/article.php?id=231466

1. Free preventative care for women
As of Aug. 1, insurance plans are required to cover free annual physicals for women, HIV testing and counseling, HPV DNA testing, screenings for gestational diabetes, screening and counseling for domestic violence, breastfeeding medical support, counseling for sexually transmitted infections, and FDA-approved contraceptive products.

 

[beancounter]

Free preventative care

My health plan covers annual physicals for everyone. It just makes sense. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

I'm surprised more health plans don't do this.

 

[Scorpius]

My health plan covers annual physicals for everyone. It just makes sense. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

I'm surprised more health plans don't do this.

A few years ago, my parents had a very fancy (EXPENSIVE) BC/BS plan that covered just about everything (no copays or anything) BUT preventative medicine. If the doctor wanted to do bloodwork on you for any reason, they had to attach a diagnosis code on it, or the insurance wouldn't cover it. I thought that was ********.

You're absolutely right about the importance of preventative medicine. I feel like this is lost upon many people (namely, my father and others from his era, who 'only go to the doctor when they need to'- like his father who only saw a doctor when his colon cancer was in its 4th stage ) as well as their insurance companies.

Private insurance companies are the biggest Ponzi scheme happening in this country, IMHO. Sadly, what has been voted on in the Obamacare act will drum up lots and lots and lots of business for these horrible companies, but everyone's too damn afraid of a single-payer system to even THINK about implementing a plan like that.

 

[ledboots]

My health plan covers annual physicals for everyone. It just makes sense. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

I'm surprised more health plans don't do this.

I think most health plans have traditionally included a physical , but some did not include women's pelvic exams in the"preventative" category.

Many insurance companies don't care much about an "ounce of prevention" because odds are that the person would have different insurance or medicare before the problems needing "the pound of cure" arose...

 

[shyvas]

http://www.care2.com/causes/10-reasons-to-love-obamacare.html

It's coming. Full implementation is almost upon us. I need it. I will have to sign up soon or pay a fine as I currently have no job and no health care. I am lucky that I live in a blue state that embraces healthcare reform and Obamacare. California has set up an insurance exchange. Others in the US are not so lucky. Their states are red, governed by Republicans who don't want healthcare reform and refuse to move quickly to set up an insurance exchange in their state, forcing the federal government to step in.

I was supposed to get a colonoscopy four years ago, when I turned 50. I've been putting it off. Looks like I won't have any more excuses once I have Obamacare insurance.

Who else here will be directly affected by Obamacare?

Why would you have to pay a fine Amy ? What happens if you have no or little money ?

 

[ledboots]

Why would you have to pay a fine Amy ? What happens if you have no or little money ?

It is a law now that Americans have to buy health insurance or pay a fine. Low-income people can get free health insurance like always through medicaid. That program is expanded and easier to qualify for under the new healthcare laws, but some states have not signed on, which is a huge issue because medicaid is state-run, but partially federally funded.

 

[shyvas]

It is a law now that Americans have to buy health insurance or pay a fine. Low-income people can get free health insurance like always through medicaid. That program is expanded and easier to qualify for under the new healthcare laws, but some states have not signed on, which is a huge issue because medicaid is state-run, but partially federally funded.

Come to think of it, we also have to pay for it via our pay slips as it is automatically deducted.

 

[beancounter]

Many insurance companies don't care much about an "ounce of prevention" because odds are that the person would have different insurance or medicare before the problems needing "the pound of cure" arose...

Well that's short sighted. If every plan covered preventive care, then every plan would benefit from that coverage in the long run in terms of a larger pool of lower risk clients.

 

[ledboots]

Well that's short sighted. If every plan covered preventive care, then every plan would benefit from that coverage in the long run in terms of a larger pool of lower risk clients.

Insurance companies used to be able to just refuse to insure those with expensive conditions, but the new law makes that illegal. I hope the health of the nation improves as more people seek care earlier.

 

[Kitties]

I have insurance now but I'm wondering in a couple of years when I plan to quit my job as an RN. Seriously, this job is taking my life and I'm hopeful I will be able to quit. Insurance is the one thing I do worry about. I would hope there will be some insurance I can buy and it will be reasonable. I could eat the occasional doctor visit and/or walk in clinic on my own. The thing that worries me is hospitalization.

I'm very confused about how all this works. Can they turn you down? I'm healthy but certainly over an ideal body weight. Now of coarse insurances would hold that against me and I wonder if they will be able to continue. I rarely use my insurance but it's a relief to know it's there. I'm 53 and only spent one night in the hospital to have my gall bladder out. But If I didn't have insurance I'm worried something will happen.

 

[Amy SF]

Teresa, one of the provisions of Obamacare is that the insurance co's can't turn you down, at least for any preexisting conditions. Since California is going ahead with an insurance exchange, once you're in a position of not having insurance you should look into what the state/federal govt. provides. You'll have to, or pay a fine.

Take a look at this site: http://www.coveredca.com/getting_covered.html

 

[ledboots]

http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/marketplace-insurance-choices

 

[Amy SF]

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/...eriods-obamacare-means-young-people-cant-wait



These conservative idiots really are willing to sacrifice the health and the lives of a lot of people just for a stupid political stance.

 

[Kitties]

Thank you very much Amy! I looked around that site and will more.

It's so confusing. My hope is to take a little time off and after that I won't make all that much. I just need something to cover hospitalization.

I'll have almost two years to look into it if all goes as planned. Thanks again.

 

[Amy SF]

So I sent an email to Covered California with a question...

Subject
Where can I go to get help choosing a plan and to enroll?

Response By Email (Alex A.) (09/16/2013 09:24 AM)
Thank you for contacting Covered California! Recently you e-mailed us. Please see our response to your e-mail below:


Covered California will open the marketplace and begin enrolling eligible Californians for health coverage Oct 1, 2013 and lasting until March 31, 2014, for coverage that will begin January 1, 2014. You must purchase health insurance during this open-enrollment period in order to obtain coverage in 2014. The next open-enrollment period will begin in October 2014 for coverage starting 2015.


If you have more questions, you can e-mail us or call 1-888-975-1142, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and someone will be able to help you. Again, thank you for contacting Covered California!

Which is not what I asked about, as you can see above, bolded. I wanted to know about actual physical places I can go to talk to someone, compare plans, and actually enroll in a plan.

So it looks like I'm going to have to make a phone call to get my answer instead.

 

[ledboots]

For those uninsured, you can sign up for the new health care plans beginning Oct 1.
Healthcare.gov I believe is the site.
There are 4 levels, bronze, silver, gold, and platinum. Bronze is cheapest in premiums, but your copay is 40%! If you have insurance from your employer, you won't need the marketplace.

For those under 30 or very low income, there are plans that just cover catastrophic situations. If you don't have insurance, you must buy some or pay a fine to the irs. It kicks in 1/1/2014.

 

[Amy SF]

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/17/2801311/obamacare-oregon-medicaid/

Thanks to Obamacare, the number of uninsured in Oregon has been cut 10% in the past two weeks.

Oh, and I edited the thread title to add the real name of the program, since Obamacare was originally coined by the Republicans as a pejorative, and apparently some people are still offended by it.

 

[Calliegirl]

http://www.care2.com/causes/10-reasons-to-love-obamacare.html

It's coming. Full implementation is almost upon us. I need it. I will have to sign up soon or pay a fine as I currently have no job and no health care. I am lucky that I live in a blue state that embraces healthcare reform and Obamacare. California has set up an insurance exchange. Others in the US are not so lucky. Their states are red, governed by Republicans who don't want healthcare reform and refuse to move quickly to set up an insurance exchange in their state, forcing the federal government to step in.

Individual states should not be allowed to prevent people from getting healthcare.

About 5.2 Million Poor People Won't Get Insurance Because Their States Resisted Obamacare: Study
About 5.2 million poor, uninsured adults will fall into the “coverage gap,” created by 26 states choosing not to expand Medicaid under the federal health law next year, according to a study released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

These people are projected to have incomes too high to qualify for their state’s existing Medicaid programs, but below the federal poverty level (nearly $11,500 for an individual) required to be eligible for federal subsidies to buy private coverage on the new online insurance marketplaces set up by the Affordable Care Act. Medicaid is the state-federal health insurance program for the poor.

“Millions of adults will remain outside the reach of the ACA and continue to have limited, if any, options for health coverage,” the study concludes.

The law provides full federal funding for three years to states that expand Medicaid to cover residents under 138 percent of the poverty level (or just under $15,900 for an individual). But the Supreme Court made that requirement effectively optional for states, and most Republican led-states have opted against expanding the program...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/16/obamacare-medicaid-gap_n_4108450.html

 

[Amy SF]

Yes, because the Republican governors of those states care more about toeing the party line than helping their constituencies that they'll do anything to sabotage the ACA and keep people from taking advantage of it.