Obamacare and you

[garbon]

Did any of us not have insurance?

[derspiess]

Did any of us not have insurance?

Seedy signed up.  Not sure about Ide.

[garbon]

Hadn't Seeds been on Cobra before? (if so in my mind then not sure that counts as somewhat who hadn't had insurance)

[Admiral Yi]

COBRA runs out a year after getting shitcanned.

[derspiess]

I think he did jump from COBRA to his silver or gold plan.  But it was going to run out, so he would've been uninsured otherwise.

[KRonn]

The administration announced that the March 31 deadline won't be extended.  Do all the Americans on this forum have some form of approved health insurance (or plans to get one by March 31)?  Is anyone planning on taking the penalty?

I have good health insurance with my company, a health care provider. But I've been looking into new plans for myself as I'm seriously considering retiring sometime this or next year.

[merithyn]

What a mess.

I'm embarrassed for my country.

The administration announced that the March 31 deadline won't be extended.  Do all the Americans on this forum have some form of approved health insurance (or plans to get one by March 31)?  Is anyone planning on taking the penalty?

At this time, we have insurance. I'm looking into whether it would be cheaper to have my oldest two boys get insurance through the exchange than through me, however. They get to piggy back on my insurance until they're 26, but because they're young and healthy (other than Carter's asthma), they may get cheaper, better insurance elsewhere. With their income, they would be subsidized.

[Savonarola]

At this time, we have insurance. I'm looking into whether it would be cheaper to have my oldest two boys get insurance through the exchange than through me, however. They get to piggy back on my insurance until they're 26, but because they're young and healthy (other than Carter's asthma), they may get cheaper, better insurance elsewhere. With their income, they would be subsidized.

That's good; I don't know the specifics of your situation but I've also heard that if you claim an uninsured person as a dependent you assume their penalty (and, contrary to what's been widely reported, $95 is the minimum penalty.  The actual penalty is 1% of taxable income or $95 whichever is greater.)

[Savonarola]

Here are some Cover Oregon advertisements:

Live long in Oregon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv2UUcXCo9g

Fly with your own wings:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLpKDNVU9dA

Washington got Woody Guthrie songs for the Bonneville Power Administration.  Oregon got these.  Life is unfair in the Pacific northwest.   

[KRonn]

The monthly premiums of Bronze plans, the cheapest ones, in Massachusetts seem ok, though with high deductibles and copays. Most Bronze plans seem to have $2000 out of pocket per year before insurance pays, $1000 per hospital stay. So if I have that insurance I'd basically be paying for everything except if I had a hospital stay for many thousands of dollars. But that could be ok since what I most worry about is a hospital stay, given that I had nearly a week long hospital stay a year and a half ago. My insurance paid for all of that, I didn't see a bill.

I think that maybe Mass does better since the state had its own plan before the ACA kicked in, but the state didn't get a waiver from the ACA, though the Governor was urged to by legislators. I think he tried but didn't push the issue.

Then the Mass state website is apparently full of problems, huge back log, problems using the site. The same company did the state ACA changes that did the Federal site. I was able to get around ok but I didn't go so far as to sign up, didn't go too far, so it may have problems as I get further in. Another thing I worry about is the security which is said to be very poor on the Federal site. I'm hoping/thinking the Mass site is in much better shape for security since it's been up and running for years now. But the new stuff could have security holes, who knows.

[MadImmortalMan]

Is there anything available with a higher deductible, like 5k? Does it lower the premiums significantly?

[KRonn]

Is there anything available with a higher deductible, like 5k? Does it lower the premiums significantly?

Bronze are the lowest tier, ranging from in the three hundreds up to over 500. I didn't see anything with 5k deductibles and I would think those would be in the Bronze plans, the cheapest priced but you should pay more out of pocket.
Plans are Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum. I checked the Gold plans and they're two or three hundred more in monthly premiums (500 or more) and have half the yearly deductible ($1000) than the Bronze plans. Silver plans are in the middle, a bit cheaper premiums, but some still with $2000 deductibles. So I think that's about the breakdown. I could even go with a Gold or Silver plan I think. Premiums can vary a lot even within the same categories, up to a few hundred per month.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Is there anything available with a higher deductible, like 5k? Does it lower the premiums significantly?

This site is good for finding basic info.

In Texas, the Bronze plans are in the $5k - $6k range.  Seems to cut the premium roughly in half.

[Admiral Yi]

If qualified plans have 5k deductibles, it makes me wonder what in the hell those non-qualified plans were offering. 

[DGuller]

If qualified plans have 5k deductibles, it makes me wonder what in the hell those non-qualified plans were offering. 

Peace of mind while you're healthy?