How did your insurance rates change?

> My rate up 63%.

Similar to the subsidy question, these increases should be considered in light of the differences in level of service. I'm thinking that most of that 63% (48% if you discount the age bracket change) is due to a higher benefit level. The customer may not want or need the additional benefits, but those benefits do have value that need to be taken into account.

Actually the two I was looking had reduced benefits, but higher costs. :-O

higher premiums, higher deductibles, less coverage, higher costs: now there were some things covered like contraceptive, pregnancy, but these were both single men so......

The ACA compliant coverage that I was offered was definitely more generous on the medical benefits for routine medical tests and such. For instance, the Florida Blue plan that I was supposed to go to had pediatric dental services provided which is worth something. But it seemed like the insurance coverage was worse than I had by going from a 5,000 deductible to over $12,000 deductible. I would rather pay for the routine medical stuff out of pocket knowing that my max out of pocket would be no more than $5,000 if something catastrophic were to happen.

I would rather pay for the routine medical stuff out of pocket knowing that my max out of pocket would be no more than $5,000 if something catastrophic were to happen.

Yeah particularly when you're young.;-)

> > My rate up 63%.
>
> Similar to the subsidy question, these increases should be considered in light of the differences in level of service. I'm thinking that most of that 63% (48% if you discount the age bracket change) is due to a higher benefit level. The customer may not want or need the additional benefits, but those benefits do have value that need to be taken into account.

No, Mr. Frame, zero of the increase is for additional benefits. My plan was grandfathered and met all the minimum requirements before the new law. No additional benefits, my policy is exactly the same policy as last year. It just costs several hundred dollars more per month.

Depending on how you want to slice the pie I can make a good case that my benefits were greatly reduced by the new law. Now, I can only go to certain facilities that "participate in the program". Very soon we will see lots of doctors decide they are paid less than their costs for patients under the new rules. When that happens there will be an extreme shortage and we will have few choices. The next logical step will be for the government to require doctors to participate in the program. I know several doctors who will be forced into retirement at that point. It makes no sense for them to be forced to work by the government for wages less than their cost.

Larry P

> No, Mr. Frame, zero of the increase is for additional benefits.

Interesting that yours went up 63% and mine only 7%. To what do you attribute the difference?

> > No, Mr. Frame, zero of the increase is for additional benefits.
>
> Interesting that yours went up 63% and mine only 7%. To what do you attribute the difference?

What I've been hearing is that the increase varies greatly from state to state. Clients in some states have been paying higher premiums all along. In those areas, the increase is much less than in other states where past premiums have been low.

Larry P

Larry and Jim
Another somewhat hidden cost, at least with the plans I am familiar with here in Oregon, is that that ACA plans require your deductible to be met before the plan pays anything. Prior to ACA all I paid was a small copay and 20% until the deductible was met then the insurance picked up 100%. I suspect there will be a lot of people very surprised when they get their bill for a doctor visit.

> Larry and Jim
> Another somewhat hidden cost, at least with the plans I am familiar with here in Oregon, is that that ACA plans require your deductible to be met before the plan pays anything. Prior to ACA all I paid was a small copay and 20% until the deductible was met then the insurance picked up 100%. I suspect there will be a lot of people very surprised when they get their bill for a doctor visit.

If you haven't been "surprised" by annual premium increases, skyrocketing "doctor bills", or prescription costs for at least the last 25 years, you've been living under a rock.

Take a long hard look at any EOB (Explanation of Benefits) from your insurance company before the ACA...SURPRISE!

... I paid was a small copay and 20% until the deductible was met ...

In Florida, I've never heard of a plan that pays 80% until your deductible is met. Perhaps you are confusing the terminology. In an "80-20 plan", the 20% you pay is typically called a "copay" or "co-insurance". That applies to things like regular doctor visits, lab tests, prescriptions, etc.

For more expensive care, like hospital stays & surgery, you typically have a deductible that you have to pay 100% out of pocket before insurance kicks in.

At least with the ACA marketplace plans, as I understand it, there are 62 preventative care doctor visits and screenings, and procedures like colonoscopies and mammograms can had with no cost, no co-pay, no deductible.

I'm in one now that pays part of doctor's visits and part of other costs before you reach your deductable, you have to write a check for $35 when you leave the office, but it pays for preventative procedures also.........it's not ACA insurance.

Yeah, that was my point. Most insurance plans will pay for most of your small bills, like doctor visits, you just pay 20% or a fixed copay ... that's all outside of the services that the deductible applies to. If you need to get checked into the hospital or have something major done, that's when the deductible kicks in and you have to pay the first $5000 (or whatever your deductible is) out of pocket. At least, that's my understanding of how it normally works, and how they've worked in the past, and how they continue to work under ACA.

I think people are freaking out when the go to the ACA website and see "$10,000 deductible", thinking they'll have to pay $10,0000 out of pocket every year until the first dime of insurance kicks in, but that's not how it works. First, it's normally like $5000 per person, up to $10,000 per year, and that only applies to major medical events. With most of the plans I've seen, there is still just a co-pay for regular doctor visits, prescriptions, specialists, ER, etc.

If I can get a $10,000 deductible plan that covers nothing up to that, then everything after that, which used to be easy to purchase for little cost I'd jump all over it......don't think those kinds of plans will be available anymore. Now I'm on the wife's plan which will end when she retires soon, the premiums are around $16,000 a year for a couple and over $20,000 for a family. We pick up $400 a month of that.

Pseudo Ranger,
I'd be the first to admit that I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box when it comes to healthcare insurance especially considering the myriad offerings between bronze, silver, gold and platinum to say nothing of differences between each state's offerings.

As to your reference to 62 preventive care offerings, without enumerating each of them, my old plan already has them so ACA isn't offering me any additional benefit to justify the increase in costs to me.

No change here.
I went from zero coverage to zero coverage... and plan to stay that way.

Last time I was in serious need of a Dr. I pitched a fit and it was either I'm staying home and deal with it our they were going to call an ambulance on me. I relented and let her take me to the ER. I knew exactly what I was ailing from and saved them a bunch of time and x-rays. 105 fever and trouble breathing... it's called full blown pneumonia - duh. I knew good and well a fever that high is making for some bad news for anyone over the age of 5 or so.
So instead of several hundred for the ambulance call I got taken to the ER in my own vehicle, paid my own way to the tune of about $150 out of pocket [my pocket]. The prescription cost about $70 and I was fine in a few days.

Fast forward to about 5 years later and I end up with a disease which is common among kids but rare in adults. I had it when I was a kid so I knew what it was. A phone call to my sister Dr. and an email with some [nasty] pics confirmed that. She called in a "scrip" for me here locally. Cost to me: a phone call and an email. Cost to "my Dr.": receive said phone call and email and call in the "scrip". Total cost: pretty much zero. Impetigo is what it was.

About 6 months later I end up with another fracking disease. This one was down right unbelievably painful and unfortunately not treatable - except for the pain. You all might laugh when I say it's similar to "hoof and mouth" disease with horses and such but it's about the same thing in humans except far worse. In humans it's fairly common amongst kids but again rare in adults - lucky me. It's called "hand foot and mouth disease" (HFMD). That was plain ole hurtful like I've never experienced. Again, a couple phone calls to Dr. Sis she confirmed it and basically just said to suffer through it unless I wanted some serious pain meds - which I didn't, nor would she prescribe anyhow. I told her I was about to call 911 on myself because I couldn't function at all. I hadn't ate or drank anything in about 4 days by then. I couldn't walk because the bottoms of feet hurt so bad I couldn't stand for long. Dare not eat or try to drink because the insides of my mouth hurt too bad. Drinking from a straw didn't help either - tried that. Couldn't use my hands much either because of the pain. The symptoms are pretty straight forward with cherry-red rash in the palms of your hands, the bottoms of your feet and inside your mouth. I was also suffering hellish nose bleeds like I've never seen even among hemophiliacs. Knowing I was getting dehydrated and lack of food I wondered should I call 911 and admit myself. Dr. Sis assured me if I could suffer a while longer that it would pass and that they rarely, but do, sometimes have to put kids in the hospital just for that reason. By then I was about brought down to the level of a sobbing baby. I sure felt like it but suffered through it none the less. No drugs, no Dr. visits - just suffer. And boy did I!! In the end she was right. It did pass but only after about a week of serious pain like I've never felt. It hurt just to try to talk.
Total out of pocket cost: a bottle of aspirin.
If it were to happen again (God's grace and will it won't) put me in a comma for a couple weeks. I don't ever want to suffer through that crap again.

Sorry to ramble on.
In the end, I'm a fan of "pay as you go".
Now should anything "catastrophic" happen... well, I guess I'll see you all in the ever after....God's grace and will of course.

E.

I had an individual plan that went from $197/mo to $298/mo.

The past couple of years, my rate had stayed pretty steady.

I noticed no additional benefits to me in the plan I would have to change over to. In fact, the deductible went up significantly and the co-pay went up a little.

Fortunately, I was in the process of discussing taking a job that would provide insurance as one of the benefits. The insurance costs per month definitely factored into my decision to take the job. My employer pays the bulk and I now pay $35/mo.

Insurance? What's that?

ACA doesn't apply here. No requirement to be insured, no subsidy, and for individuals and small business, NO HEALTH INSURANCE AVAILABLE AT ANY COST.

If my wife or I get seriously sick, we sell the boat and then the house. Then move to a state where we can get pre-existing condition coverage, a result of the ACA.

The hospital here isn't too bad, but when I had a simple cardiac stent put in, I needed a lawyer to get the bill down from $50K (without the doctors fee).

grandfathered blue cross blue shield, up %7. the $5,500 deductible, with some testing 100% covered, makes for catastrophic coverage.

Just wanted to mention that I've removed several posts thus far that took this thread into a distinctly political direction. I suspected that might happen so I've been keeping an eye on it. However, I'm growing tired of babysitting it, this being Sunday and all, so there's a good chance it will get deleted completely if the political rants keep showing up.

Anyway, just a head's up. I know it was mainly intended as a financial issue, so let's please keep it that way.

Thanks.

No change here, family plan of 4 thru anthem we've had for several years. Same coverage same cost. It's been going up every year until now.