Health Insurance Open Enrollment

[elgringo]

Great point, NoSuchReality.  When I was at one of my doctors, someone came in with a plan from Blue Cross, the receptionist said that the office wouldn't accept that plan.  The visitor was very angry and said that he was told the office accepted Blue Cross.  The receptionist said they accepted most group plans from Blue Cross but not individual plans in that specific "subnetwork."  It gets very confusing.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Great point, NoSuchReality.  When I was at one of my doctors, someone came in with a plan from Blue Cross, the receptionist said that the office wouldn't accept that plan.  The visitor was very angry and said that he was told the office accepted Blue Cross.  The receptionist said they accepted most group plans from Blue Cross but not individual plans in that specific "subnetwork."  It gets very confusing.

It's basically how the insurance companies hide increases in premiums...and they've been doing it for years.  That's the one thing that people don't seem to get.  Insurance companies have been increasing premiums and decreasing coverage for years, even with employer plans.  Most employers have been eating the costs difference for a bit of time but in the last few years, employers have been either passing the costs to their employers or changing to cheaper/inferior plans.  That is also one reason while real wages have not gone up.

Employers in the US are a disadvantage to their counterparts in Japan, UK, Canada, and Germany because those countries have universal healthcare.  As such, employers in those countries don't have to solely bare the costs of healthcare for their employees. 

 

[riznick]

Obamacare has nothing to do with employer plans...

Actually, it can have a lot to do with the new Obamacare laws.  I got kicked off of my employer Kaiser plan specifically because of Obamacare.  I have the letter from Kaiser to which specifically states Obamacare as the culprit.  Anyhow, I stuck with Kaiser, but to get back on my costs were 30% higher for an equivalent plan.

One of my big clients found that it was more beneficial for most it's employees to go on Obamacare.  Obamacare requires that the company not offer insurance at all in order to be eligible for subsidies.  Because of this, the company dropped health insurance as a benefit. 

It's basically how the insurance companies hide increases in premiums...and they've been doing it for years.  That's the one thing that people don't seem to get.  Insurance companies have been increasing premiums and decreasing coverage for years, even with employer plans. 

Going after the insurance companies was chasing a false premise.  Obamacare was based on going after false premises.  Yes, insurance companies are part of the problem but their profits weren't shooting up proportionally to their price increases.  There were other culprits that we didn't go after.

Employers in the US are a disadvantage to their counterparts in Japan, UK, Canada, and Germany because those countries have universal healthcare.  As such, employers in those countries don't have to solely bare the costs of healthcare for their employees.

I think it's insane that we of all countries put these requirements on employers.  I'd much rather see universal health care.

 

[lnc]

Obamacare was based on going after false premises.

+1

They called it Affordable Care Act and it's neither more affordable nor provide better care.  Our premium goes up,  many doctors don't take (some of) the insurances and restricting patient's access to medical care.

I'm all for universal health care but the execution of ACT is very poor and borderline disastrous.