Obamacare Facebook Erupts with Citizen Sticker Shock

reply to post by TKDRL


Thanks for the input. Is it like this throughout Canada, or just in the more populated areas?

I also find it interesting that its almost the opposite experience here (in my case). My doctors, until the ones I got a few months ago, were all asking me what course of treatment we should take. Given that I dont have a medical degree, and even one of the top bone specialists in the nation is stumped at my case, I am still in awe they continued to do this. My guess is that my desperately trying to find some answers as to why I am breaking bones constantly, having seizures (which break more bones), etc allowed them to profit quite nicely..

reply to post by Serdgiam


I am in rural NB, a few miles from the ocean, never lived anywhere else in Canada, so I really don't know how it is in other areas. Only other place I lived was CT until I was 4, then NY up until a few years ago. Mostly country living, spent a few years living in White Plains NY after I graduated high school.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000reply to post by Serdgiam


I am a strong willed person and I have been blessed, lucky or something....I am concerned with the volatility with my job, the government and the world right now. I have never been so worried about things actually!

I believe that you work hard and you have faith in God and anything will work out. This is my belief and I am not looking for any "God" flames.

I am compassionate and I do believe that a community or society or whatever should help the have-nots and can-nots. I am not so sure that I will not be a have-not, can-not some day but I will do my best to Do something as long as I can.

I take a neutral position on the care act happening right now. If it turns out to be helpful and work as it should then I am for giving something a chance. I don't know if this is what we need but we do need something that works and does not penalize someone who is doing their best to provide and pay for their own.

I agree that we should all do and pay our fair share for being American and what is best for America and Americans, so I will watch this play-out, continue to vote and express my concerns and pray that our country will always do the right thing for it's inhabitants.

I know that was a bit bloviated but it is about all I have to say when you read between the lines!

Good luck all.......

reply to post by TKDRL


I gotcha, thanks for the input.

Are there any active initiatives to reduce these wait times? Or is it just considered to be a "necessary evil?"

It seems like if that one facet was worked out, you guys would have an amazing method for keeping every individual in your nation healthy. Correct me if I am wrong?

reply to post by Serdgiam


I think one of the biggest issues up here with medical, is the best and brightest doctors end up in the US, because they make a boatload of money there. From what I have heard, doctors here make less than vets do... People here are now starting to get pet health insurance if that puts it into perspective lol. Up here a huge difference I have seen in the hospital parking lots, the doctor spaces are not all occupied with lexus, beemers and other high end cars. Just regular cars you see any middle class person driving. That confirms to me that they probably aren't making the big bucks. The big money seems to be in dental, as it's not government run, they charge whatever they want.

Sorry for drifting kinda off topic, but I do think it helps to see what it is like to be in a nationalized system that the US seems to be pushing hard to emulate.

To give a bit of contrast, the only real experience I have with major medical in NY. Pops one day got dizzy, and felt like he had really bad flu, almost fainted at the grocery store. So he went to the hospital(no insurance), it turned out that he didn't have the flu, but had such a low blood count, the doctor was amazed he was still alive, let alone conscious. He ended up getting a few blood transfusions, was in the hospital a little over a week, getting tests done and transfusions. They never found out where the blood went. Got a bill of over 40 grand. That is crazy, a week in the hospital will cost you more than a brand new car.....

There has to be a happy medium between the two systems at opposite ends of the spectrum, that both have some serious issues to overcome.

Will cost me 284$ per month with almost 8K deductible. I don't spend 284$ per year on this crap, now I am forced to spend on something I don't even need on a monthly basis. Are we stuck with this? Forever? Can a new president kick this to the curb or what?

Hollie
Will cost me 284$ per month with almost 8K deductible. I don't spend 284$ per year on this crap, now I am forced to spend on something I don't even need on a monthly basis. Are we stuck with this? Forever? Can a new president kick this to the curb or what?

Most of the PPACA power lies in the rules and regulations.

The law delegates that power to HHS and IRS.

So sure, a President *could* make dramatic changes.

All they need to do is issue some policy directives to the Cabinet Secretaries etc.

In fact, that's why we are seeing what we are seeing now.

Look at how the IRS was *directed* in all those targeting scandals

reply to post by Hollie


Looking back at history has the federal government ever abolished a law that was bad? You can't really count Prohibition. So no they haven't. I am afraid we are stuck with this for the foreseeable future.

Just wait until the IRS and insurance companies have access to your bank accounts. We will all bleed like stuck pigs.

Remember when Obama wanted to spread the wealth around?



My mother in law has a rare blood cancer and she is doing well but one of her prescriptions cost $5000 a pill which she has to take 2 a day, maybe for the rest of her life.

I fear that they may raise her cost which would bankrupt her and that will be the end. Her insurance now covers it 100% however that may change in January.

I told my wife if that happens she will need to quit her job move to section 8 housing and get on welfare so she can have the same "free" coverage millions of illegals and the rest of the poor people receive, while the rest of us foot that bill.

reply to post by xuenchen


Do you know what the fine is for not signing up to this garbage? Of course I do not mind paying into the aid of our citizens, but this is pure robbery. 3800$ per fricking year with a co-pay and outrageous deductible is more than any average citizens uses on their health, if they are healthy anyway.

What's the fine if you know? I'm gonna ask to be paid under the table or something.

ok, i took a few minutes to look over the posts since I last visited and I am starting to wonder if it is the pre existing condition that is making this so attractive to me and others like me. I had to take a physical the last time I had health insurance and I knew that it upped the rates because of the condition. With them being treated differently in 2014/2015 it seems they may be more attractive to people like me.

With that said, my condition, which I don't want to divulge on an internet forum, is only considered a "pre existing condition" by the insurance companies, my docs say it does nothing to affect my health or health expectations. I don't require any care for it but still have to divulge it. It shows up on any physical i take.

Thank you all for your insight so far. I never even thought of it from the angle that healthcare is just too expensive at the bottom line in the US. Like a previous poster said, band aid for $3.00. I remember getting a bill for an ER visit, broken arm, and the one Motrin 800 they gave me in the hospital was something like $29.00 on the bill. That is just insane when the cash price for the prescription was less than that at wal mart at the time. It does seem that something should be done about the prices but I just don't know how to even begin tackling problems like price gouging at ERs.

Anyway, I still am not wholly for or against Obamacare in its concept, I just think the way it is being implemented is wrong. I think it is the right direction to go - I don't mind paying more for insurance if it means that those with lesser means can get it for their children as well. I just don't know how the ACA could be changed at this point without derailing it completely, which obviously can not be done - the momentum is already there for it to go.

Anyway, I don't post a lot but I appreciate everyone's insight and input on this and all topics when I am just lurking, wish I could give ya all stars without logging in.

Take care all! Back to my dark corner for my voyeur view

--Blinky--

reply to post by Hollie



On the site it said something like $90. per family member and it increases per year until it hits some amount, looking into it now, will edit when I find it.


found it here on the healthcare.gov site.

The fee in 2014 is 1% of your yearly income or $95 per person for the year, whichever is higher. The fee increases every year. In 2016 it is 2.5% of income or $695 per person, whichever is higher. In 2014 the fee for uninsured children is $47.50 per child. The most a family would have to pay in 2014 is $285. It's important to remember that someone who pays the fee won't get any health insurance coverage. They still will be responsible for 100% of the cost of their medical care. After open enrollment ends on March 31, 2014, they won't be able to get health coverage through the Marketplace until the next annual enrollment period, unless they have a qualifying life event.

source

Hollie
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Do you know what the fine is for not signing up to this garbage? Of course I do not mind paying into the aid of our citizens, but this is pure robbery. 3800$ per fricking year with a co-pay and outrageous deductible is more than any average citizens uses on their health, if they are healthy anyway.

What's the fine if you know? I'm gonna ask to be paid under the table or something.

How much are the penalties for not buying a health plan?

The penalties are not very high to begin with. In 2014, the fine to remain uninsured is $95 per person (up to a family maximum of $285, or 1 percent of family income, whichever is greater).

But the penalty will increase more than sevenfold in the next two years, with the fine running as much as $695 per person by 2016. The family maximum would be as high as $2,085 (or 2.5 percent of family income, whichever is greater).

www.csmonitor.com...

reply to post by Blinkydoo


Blinky if that is all the fine is, I assume most people will go ahead and pay the fine? I would gladly donate a grand a year to our fellow citizens, but almost 4k is unaffordable to me. If that is the fine, I see everyone going that route. If I pay the fine for my whole family, it is still cheaper than one monthly payment of ObamaCare by one hundred dollars.

reply to post by Hollie


problem being, as see my edit above, it increases a lot come 2016 and no word if it will keep increasing another percent or two.

IAMTAT

Hollie
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Do you know what the fine is for not signing up to this garbage? Of course I do not mind paying into the aid of our citizens, but this is pure robbery. 3800$ per fricking year with a co-pay and outrageous deductible is more than any average citizens uses on their health, if they are healthy anyway.

What's the fine if you know? I'm gonna ask to be paid under the table or something.

How much are the penalties for not buying a health plan?

The penalties are not very high to begin with. In 2014, the fine to remain uninsured is $95 per person (up to a family maximum of $285, or 1 percent of family income, whichever is greater).

But the penalty will increase more than sevenfold in the next two years, with the fine running as much as $695 per person by 2016. The family maximum would be as high as $2,085 (or 2.5 percent of family income, whichever is greater).

www.csmonitor.com...

WTF!!!! That is crazy! Outrageous!!!!

reply to post by Blinkydoo


My last hospital visit was said to cost $168,000 by my insurance company. I was in ICU for a week, and that didnt include anything else other than the room costs.

Thats how much the hospital charged my insurance company for just the room (that doesnt include the surgeries I received, or the medications, etc.).

Even with my insurance (which as I said costs me 700/mo and 5k deductible), I still had to pay a sizeable portion of that and that is only ONE incident of many for me.

The costs are bloated, and even more so for patients with pre-existing conditions. It is *exactly* like trying to get car insurance when your license has been suspended. You wont be turned down by anyone, but the cost to you will be extreme.

It does seem like all of this benefits people with pre-existing conditions. But, perhaps those people already bring in so much money to the medical/pharma industry that they can reduce the costs on the coverage itself and still make boatloads of money. I think the only issue was trying to figure out how to also profit off of healthy individuals, and it seems Obamacare does that very well.

TKDRL
reply to post by Serdgiam

 

There has to be a happy medium between the two systems at opposite ends of the spectrum, that both have some serious issues to overcome.

There has to be, I agree. However, the people in power need to be willing to pursue it instead of just satisfying their corporate interests at the expense of the public.

I think there are some solutions to this, but I also feel its a much broader issue than Obamacare alone. Obamacare seems to just be a symptom of a systematic problem. How do we change that? Well, I am not sure, I have my ideas in my signature but... it requires actual participation from "the people." Do you think such a thing is feasible?

Tardacus
maybe that was the plan all along, force people to buy insurance that they can`t use so that the insurance companies have plenty of money for bigger profits and to pay for the people that can afford to use their insurance.

Did anyone else notice how silent the insurance companies were when Obama was pushing this idea? That alone should have caused the Obama fans to realize something was seriously wrong, but of course they couldn't see anything through their blind worship.

Back when Clinton tried this with the Clinton health care plan of 1993, the insurance companies ran commercials everywhere talking about how bad it was, and people got the message. This time Obama promised them their cut and they never said a word.

my daughters insurance went up by 2,112%, thats right percent not dollars.

I just got a notice from my insurance company telling me not to worry, because my great coverage and low deductables are going to continue, however my premiums will go up starting in 2014.

Nice job, Obamabots. You screwed us all. Except of course, Obama, Congress, and their biggest contributors.

reply to post by tracehd1


That's true. If you do not participate in the AHA or have private insurance, you are charged a penalty. That penalty is taken from your tax refund, if you are eligible for one, before it is given to you. Its really going to hit the fan when people go in to prepare their taxes for 2013 and it affects their wallets and not just there beliefs.

Blinkydoo
I don't mind paying more for insurance if it means that those with lesser means can get it for their children as well.

What people like you aren't getting is that whenever the government says "for the children", you should be hearing "for our cut". That's all this is - you are forced to buy something through the government so that they can take their cut.

I do agree, that paying a little more for insurance so that no one goes without on principle would be OK with me, however this plan goes way, way beyond that, and I can't even imagine how some people never saw this coming.