# Affordable Care Act - any effect on you? (U.S. only)



## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

I'm just curious...there seems to be a lot of...um...debate going on about the Affordable Care Act. Who really knows what's truth, what's rumor, and what's political posturing, as I can imagine there's quite a bit of all three of those out there right now.

But I'm wondering, without getting into any kind of political debate, do you anticipate the ACA impacting you? Are you hopeful? Excited? Nervous? Not sure?

Me? I'm really not sure...probably leaning toward nervous. My husband and I get wonderful health insurance through his employer. I'm hopeful that it won't change, that we won't have to pay more (a bigger portion of the premium), that our copays and deductibles don't increase, etc.

Lots of unknowns. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next several months.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Octavia said:


> I'm just curious...there seems to be a lot of...um...debate going on about the Affordable Care Act. Who really knows what's truth, what's rumor, and what's political posturing, as I can imagine there's quite a bit of all three of those out there right now.
> 
> But I'm wondering, without getting into any kind of political debate, do you anticipate the ACA impacting you? Are you hopeful? Excited? Nervous? Not sure?
> 
> ...


I feel it is a wonderful thing for those who need it and plenty do. We are all free to do as we chose. It's just another opportunity and it impacts the soft side of my nature as I do angst over all of the people, especially the children, who need medical care.

No system is perfect but some is better than none.

Humble input!!!


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Our health insurance change last year in preparation for the Obamacare in my opinion.

All of a sudden we had 2 choices - both with a higher deductable which essentially doubled our cost.

Not looking forward to the 2014 plan as I have a feeling it's only going to cost more.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Lovlkn, is your insurance through an employer or on your own?


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Yes, our health care will change considerably. My husband used to carry the coverage and when he retired, I picked it up through my employer. I work part-time and purchase it now at a pro-rated rate. I expect our cost to double and our coverage to be much less than it is currently. So, I am nervous.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

My husband just sent an email saying that his employer's "open enrollment period" (when people choose/keep/change their benefits each year) is starting today, so they've sent out all of the information.

It looks like our premiums will be increasing by $20 per month. I can live with that.

I'm not sure whether our copays & deductibles will be increasing, as they don't have a side-by-side comparison table like they do with the premiums. But the ones listed for 2014 don't look too outrageous. When my husband gets home, I'll take a look and compare next year to this year.

I have to say...after reading comments here and on other sites from people throughout the U.S., I am very relieved that it appears my husband and I are not going to be heavily impacted in 2014. *sigh of relief*


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Octavia said:


> Lovlkn, is your insurance through an employer or on your own?


This happened thought my husbands employer. We're both considering self employment but are both fearful of what healthcare premiums will be.

Obamacare is going to destroy the small businesses of America.


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

Here's an actual phone call to the Affordable Care Act. They are open and clear that the rates ARE going up. This phone call explains SOME ACTUAL COSTS to opt out NOW and the actual costs in the future (by percentages etc.) It's long - you might want to start it at around the 4 minute mark.

http://www.westernjournalism.com/called-obamacare-heres-recording/


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Octavia said:


> My husband just sent an email saying that his employer's "open enrollment period" (when people choose/keep/change their benefits each year) is starting today, so they've sent out all of the information.
> 
> It looks like our premiums will be increasing by $20 per month. I can live with that.
> 
> ...


And that increase is probably based on the usual yearly cost of living increase.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Swimmer said:


> Here's an actual phone call to the Affordable Care Act. They are open and clear that the rates ARE going up. This phone call explains SOME ACTUAL COSTS to opt out NOW and the actual costs in the future (by percentages etc.) It's long - you might want to start it at around the 4 minute mark.
> 
> http://www.westernjournalism.com/called-obamacare-heres-recording/


I listened to the call. It was interesting. Although it was an "act," I suspect it's fairly representative of the confusion and questions that exist. That was the first time I heard about any percentages or caps on premiums, so that was informative. But with the costs he provided over the next several years, I just don't see how a low-income family can make that happen. Having said that, though, I don't know if those figures were the cap for low-income families, or if they were the standard fees for any family. Because they were pretty low, I suspect they were the caps/maximums for low-income families, but still, if people are very low-income, I don't see how they could do it.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Andros said:


> And that increase is probably based on the usual yearly cost of living increase.


Yes, it very well could be.


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

I'm not even sure how middle class families can do it - in the USA, a lot of people bought homes. A lot of mortgages (monthly) as I understand it, consume more than half of the families budgets, and many people have tons of credit cards, are paying on cars, car insurance and cel phones - not to include that the cost of food (for healthy wholesome food especially) is expensive and expected to go up -- these are just a few costs - not including healthcare costs, co-pays, braces, shoes, etc...

So... For middle income families to suddenly be able to pay more than they pay now... It cuts into the economy... They will have to make cuts... I'm hearing from people first hand about the how the cost has risen for their family... And again and again I'm hearing how someone with NO insurance -- cannot afford the insurance on the AFA and yet they now have to pay to have NO insurance...


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Swimmer said:


> A lot of mortgages (monthly) as I understand it, consume more than half of the families budgets, and many people have tons of credit cards, are paying on cars, car insurance and cell phones - not to include that the cost of food (for healthy wholesome food especially) is expensive and expected to go up -- these are just a few costs - not including healthcare costs, co-pays, braces, shoes, etc...


Some of this is a matter of poor decision making...not to mention predatory practices by mortgage companies...but even with that, someone should never agree to a mortgage that consumes half of their income. But you're right, even for some middle-income families (who likely won't qualify for the subsidies), buying the health insurance may prove to be difficult. I will be the first to say, however, that I don't have enough information to make a judgment one way or another. I'm just very curious about all of it.

Swimmer, are you in the U.S.?


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

Hi Octavia, yes, and I know a small business owner who has been hurt by this. Additionally a doctor in our state committed suicide as well -- the insurance shift (Kaiser withdrew insurance from being allowed to be used at his clinic (other docs there too) & left the longstanding well love clinic without enough patients to keep his practice that was handed down to him from his father, and his father's father. He was too old to get another job - early 60's - and felt defeated. So sad. (As far as the patients who wanted to stay but had Kaiser insurance, the "promise" to keep the doctor they had -- failed.

Our current president believes in a "single payer system." We may be well on the way to that.


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

Yes, and there has been talk about doing away with the mortgage deductions and mortgage insurance premiums, as I understand it, then who will want to buy a home? The cost of rent in America has been very near the cost of a mortgage for a long time here in America. (No one will want to be saddled in a place they can't move away from.) Then real estate agents and mortgage companies and bankers will lose money, jobs, etc. There has also been talk about estate taxes. So in addition to people who used to not be able to afford insurance NOW having to PAY to not afford insurance, things are definitely not the same here in America... We are currently amidst a huge storm of "change" -- just what we were "promised..." I guess that's one promise that has been kept. Meanwhile, literally, we have some foods here that have pesticides literally "grown" into them. Yup... That's the reality. Our current president believes in a "single payer system." We may be well on the way to that.


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## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

I think making insurance available for all had to start somewhere, although I'm not sure if this is the best system (I really don't understand the point of fining people who don't want or can't afford insurance under this new system). But I'm with the millions who are incredibly frustrated that the government had 3 years to get this ready and it was still a disaster when it rolled out.

I am very lucky to have good insurance through my employer (and it's not going up too much next year), but it scares me to think about what might happen if I ever lose my job and have to get insurance on my own. I don't know that I could afford it with all of my preexisting conditions. Hopefully, this system evens out and gets better down the road.


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

It's sad and disruptive that instead of helping the people who couldn't afford insurance to obtain it in some fashion, this current implementation has brought about the cancellation of apparently hundreds of thousands of insurance plans (forcing them to the AFA plans or - if they can't afford it - to pay the fine to opt out.) Thousands Of Consumers Get Insurance Cancellation Notices Due To Health Law Changes -- Here's just one article. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2013/October/21/cancellation-notices-health-insurance.aspx So instead of just helping the people who needed help (who weren't already being helped out by their state), now, many more are thrust into this AFA marketplace, and numerous people who can't afford insurance get to "PAY" to not have it -- That's the new USA.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

jenny v said:


> I am very lucky to have good insurance through my employer (and it's not going up too much next year), but it scares me to think about what might happen if I ever lose my job and have to get insurance on my own. I don't know that I could afford it with all of my preexisting conditions. Hopefully, this system evens out and gets better down the road.


Me, too. I am self-employed, and my husband was laid off a couple of years ago, and we had insurance through his employer. We were paying $1400/month for COBRA while he looked for another job, which took almost two years. Luckily, during that time, he landed a contract gig that came with insurance, and even though it was only temporary, our COBRA 18-month clock started over with that new insurance from the contract gig. Since he and I are the king and queen of pre-existing conditions, we pretty much had to get something through an employer, and if he hadn't found a job, I was going to start to look. That would have meant ending my self-employment (my own business) purely for insurance. 

I just wish our guys and gals in Washington, both parties, worked harder for US. And I wish the two-party system was not so divisive. Most people are so strongly "on board" with one party or the other that they dig in their heels and are incapable of stepping back and seeing other possibilities. That goes for people like us as well as our elected officials.

But I digress...I really didn't want this thread to become political. I just wanted to know some first-hand assessments of how, if at all, any of us were being impacted by the ACA.


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

I want to hear what people are experiencing -- I'd like to hear the facts on actual people regardless of political ideals -- It would be good to hear the facts.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Swimmer said:


> I want to hear what people are experiencing -- I'd like to hear the facts on actual people regardless of political ideals -- It would be good to hear the facts.


Exactly...you said it much better than I did!


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## Swimmer (Sep 12, 2013)

I wonder if you want to delete this thread and start it over?

It could be a thread ONLY for those who have enrolled in the affordable care act or those who have opted out -- OR the known experiences of people in these cases?


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

In Vermont, the enrollment process has had so many glitches that the governor announced today that nothing would happen before 3/31/14. Not too promising.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Oh, wow. That's interesting.


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## puritanize (Apr 11, 2013)

We are waiting for things to die down. This is though really going to cost us big time. My mom is the collections manager for a major hospital chain here, they are just now getting their training for all this, she will then be able to tell us what will happen to us... We shall see, a little nervous about this.


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