Buying Health Insurance - Infuriating

[thedave1164]

obungocare was designed to fail, the ins companies signed on to it because there were back room deals cut that insured the policies would be bought up from them by the gov when ACA failed and single payer was ushered in.

We have already seen bailouts, remains to be seen what else happens, hopefully repeal, but neither side really wants to lose all the control the ACA affords.

[mackbamf]

I'm self employed and there are five of us in my family. There were essentially three plans to choose from here in Arizona. The cheapest option was $1,400 per month and the plan coverage and deductibles were absolutely shitty. Beyond frustrating.

[BushMasterBoy]

Just another way to imprison us. That is what O'care is.

[electronman1729]

I feel your pain OP.

We are paying a lot, almost as much as our mortgage, for a pretty crappy plan that according to our insurance guy we are lucky to have because I am self employed and insurers are pulling out of the small biz/employer market.

I have close friends (two bread winners) where one of them is pretty much working for insurance and retirement. She nets nothing that comes home.

Every time I think about healthcare I get angry. I don't understand why people have allowed Dems to doublespeak "affordable" and defend this Obamacare mess. I have yet to know a single person in real life that has benefited. Most people on the internet who claim to have benefited don't understand how insurance works (copays, deductibles, etc).

Yeah!

There is nothing affordable with these plans at all! I found some plans for $400 a month with a $5000+ deducible! I dont understand how these exchanges are affordable for anyone. I guess if you were really sick, but you would still have to pay $10,0000 out of your own pocket for the insurance to kick in which make no logical sense to me.

[Irving]

Ours is over $700 a month with a $10,000 deductible.

[electronman1729]

Ours is over $700 a month with a $10,000 deductible.

Wow that is a lot of money!

Is that for a family or just you and your spouse?

[Irving]

Me, wife, and kid.

[CS1983]

Electroman, what you looking for exactly?

Something to check the Obamacare block? something to assist you if you have sniffles? something to take take of actual problems that a self-pay doctor visit+generic meds (under deductible cost in total) cannot handle? Something to ...

CHM does not cover dental and vision, and incidents if it is under the deductible amount. Incident related medications are eligible for sharing under the Gold plan.

http://www.chministries.org/prescriptions.aspx

CHM Gold plan is $150 per person/month w/ a $450 cap per family. Husband and wife would be $300. H/W and child would be $450. H/W/C/C/C/C/C/C/C/C would be $450, etc.

I highly recommend the Brother's Keeper add-on (its cost is negligible).

From their site:

Gold program
$150 per unit, per month

Please see the CHM Guidelines for more information.

The Gold program provides members with the ministry’s most extensive financial support.

At the Gold level, you have a $500 personal responsibility per unit, per year. Total bills incurred per medical incident must exceed $500. Obtaining discounts on your bills may reduce or eliminate your $500 personal responsibility amount. You can receive assistance up to $125,000 per illness.

Example: You receive treatment early in the year for a gallbladder problem. Your bills total $7,500. CHM shares the total amount less your personal responsibility ($7,000). In the middle of the same year you have some blood tests done (for an unrelated illness) that cost $400. CHM does not share these bills because the total cost of the incident is less than $500. At the end of the year, you break your arm and the treatment amounts to $2,500. CHM shares the entire amount of $2,500 because you have already paid your $500 personal responsibility in the beginning of the year.

Gold plus Brother’s Keeper

If you join at the Gold level and also join Brother’s Keeper, you will have unlimited financial assistance available to you for all eligible medical bills (after your personal responsibility is met).

http://www.chministries.org/programs.aspx

When my job mailed me the "benefits" package for medical, I read through it and LAUGHED because CHM was so much better.

Also, they have a "Prayer page" where non-covered incidents can be submitted and other members can contribute toward those things.
https://www.chministries.org/downloa...CHMMay2014.pdf
(see page 7 sidebar, 8 and 9 full)

Last year they received so many add-on donations they were able to cover non-eligible incidents in total.

Again, if you decide to go with CHM, let me know and I'll split the referral award w/ you (this goes for everyone).

[Rumline]

The problem with not doing a plan through your employer is you can't deduct insurance premiums from your taxable income (assuming you or your spouse are eligible for a plan through an employer).

[Skip]

Ours is over $700 a month with a $10,000 deductible.

Many of my friends are the same boat with a high deductible (as are we). What I've discovered talking to them over drinks is that a significant health event would still mean bankruptcy (or at minimum be financially devastating to them) because they don't have the funds for the deductible.

Add that to, if someone got seriously sick and couldn't work (ran out of sick time/FMLA), they couldn't pay the premiums and would lose the crappy plan entirely.

Remember in 2008 when Dems said the Republican plan was "don't get sick?" Yeah, even worse now.

We decided to save up our individual deductible as part of planning for this BS (took us a while). So my wife/kid can afford to get sick now. But I can't.

And this is what I mean about people not understanding insurance...

Show me the person who benefits with an exchange subsidy but has $6,500 to pay a ObamaBronze deductible? You can't. You can show me a person with a preexisting who benefited but prices are creeping to the point even that advantage is being wiped out. So what people have is a piece of paper but not insurance.