Companies lay off millions and then call on Congress to reform immigration

[KestrelBike]

Right. I get the assumption. My company's premiums increased by 24% this year. Going back over the past 5 years (excluding this year) showed an average annual increase of 19%.

I'm not defending 'Obamacare' here. I'm of the opinion that we either need to go all in or stay completely out of it. I'm just wondering how policy going into affect 4-6 months from now is affecting operating costs today - aside from your particular provider participating in speculation.

And here is a small business owner pro-tip for those that do provide healthcare benefits: Tell your employees to give you a quote for their health insurance costs after the first of the year. Kill your benefits, and give them a pay raise equal to their annual premium cost under AHA. Granted, not every business can do this, and it might be against your beliefs, but it will save both you and your employee money. At least for year 1 of this thing.

Haha my company doesn't do shit for their employees. Oh we made ten thousand of extra profit that month? Let me buy you all lunch for $70 total.

[jhood001]

My premiums for my personal policy (and I know of one company policy that performed similarly) increased >10% (and I had gone to a GP once the previous year for a ~$100 physical), ostensibly all in order to prepare for obamacare.

I'm right there with you, man. I haven't seen a doctor in 4 years, I'm not married, and I have no kids and yet I pay through the ass because I'm a part of a 'group'.

However, at the end of the day, myself and everyone else in my company will be okay in the event of something really serious... so there is still reason to pay for it.

Our healthcare system is broken. It was before the Affordable Healthcare Act. And it will be after it, too. Possibly even more so. I say 'possibly' only because I haven't figured out the whole time travel thing yet.

I guess we'll see.

[KestrelBike]

I'm right there with you, man. I haven't seen a doctor in 4 years, I'm not married, and I have no kids and yet I pay through the ass because I'm a part of a 'group'.

However, at the end of the day, myself and everyone else in my company will be okay in the event of something really serious... so there is still reason to pay for it.

Our healthcare system is broken. It was before the Affordable Healthcare Act. And it will be after it, too. Possibly even more so. I say 'possibly' only because I haven't figured out the whole time travel thing yet.

I guess we'll see.

Agreed. I've talked about it a bit with my dad, and what we (ok mostly he) concluded were the following, somewhat obvious factors/conclusions:
- insurance companies through their practices and reactions to their customers add greatly to the cost of healthcare, to the point that nowadays healthcare costs so much *because* of insurance
- the technology in healthcare today is just nuts expensive because it really is miraculous. MRI, CT-scanner, artificial organs, etc. the companies that have researched; developed, manufactured, and service these machines have some pretty sophisticated cost structures that must be met, they're not in the business for free and if it does not make economical sense, grandma ain't gettin that angiogram. So you're going to have two different types of customers: the ones who can afford it and receive treatment and its benefits, and the people who cannot afford it and get palliative (ease your suffering but no cure) pills to take home. This was really how things existed pre-insurance days afaik. Money, as a token of work output, provided for the earner a quality of care. Cue insurance who existed to bridge the gap between those two types of customers, by providing a speculative pool that could help the statistical minority in need of care receive care that they otherwise would not have been able to afford. It was up to the individual to invest in this market if it was worth it for them.

Now, along comes obamacare and removes the choice of participation, and deincentivises much of the individual's reason for staying healthy on their own.

[Irving]

Being in insurance, I don't think it should even be called health "insurance" as it is more healthcare. The relationship between insurance and healthcare providers certainly causes the costs to rise. Finally, insurance companies are great at watching to only pay what they owe when liability is involved; but that mind set doesn't transfer smoothly to healthcare. It's certainly a complex issue.

[MarkCO]

I'm curious about this statement. How has Obamacare increased your operating expenses? I believe it will next year, but how has it done so now?

Have your premiums increased this year?

Premiums, yes. My provider actually broke down the increases directly related to Obamacare. Filing those extra forms and providing notice to employees is not free either. Obamacare is not the totality of my increased costs, but it is a part of it. I did my company renewal last month in order to have a smaller increase than if I had renewed end of the year.

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

- the technology in healthcare today is just nuts expensive because it really is miraculous. MRI, CT-scanner, artificial organs, etc. the companies that have researched; developed, manufactured, and service these machines have some pretty sophisticated cost structures that must be met, they're not in the business for free and if it does not make economical sense, grandma ain't gettin that angiogram.

So is lasik and orthodontic work - but the price on that keeps DECREASING because of free market economics. $0.02
Don't blame insurance companies, blame the government. Insurance companies follow the cards being played by CMS.

And here is a small business owner pro-tip for those that do provide healthcare benefits: Tell your employees to give you a quote for their health insurance costs after the first of the year. Kill your benefits, and give them a pay raise equal to their annual premium cost under AHA. Granted, not every business can do this, and it might be against your beliefs, but it will save both you and your employee money. At least for year 1 of this thing.

In this market? Why give them the raise at all? Chances are, your penalty for not providing benefits is LESS than what you'd have to give them in a raise to "make them whole" by dumping them on the exchanges. Yeah, you'd be kind of a jerk for doing it, but business is business and in this market of unemployment, you can replace those who don't like it. Hate that this is the case, but in many cases, it is. But then again, are you [the business] the jerk? No, the government is for setting up these circumstances. $0.02

[Singlestack]

Reading the Obamacare survival guide now - which I HIGHLY recommend to all to read. Got it got $4.95 through AMAC I think. I find it to be very fact-based and balanced. While overall I really do not like Obamacare, there are some provisions that I agree with such as eliminating Recissions (where an insurance provider drops you after you come down with a serious illness) and closing the medicare prescription donut hole. I think Obamacare hurts Seniors the most with huge cuts in Medicare, but young people won't like it much and businesses get very screwed. If you have 50 or more employees in a company and all subsidiaries, look out.

[nynco]

We live in a 2 party dictatorship where both sides are owned by the same money. Big money wants profit over country interests. It will get it. Sooner we all stop fighting each other over party lines and work to fix the system the faster we can put the needs of the country first.

I suggest people learn about Instant Run Off Voting and demand that all elections have some form of it. I don't think it is in our national best interest to be forced to chose between a giant douche and a turd sandwich.