Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare)

[Fat Strat]

Sounds like they're to allow insurers to continue plans that had been canceled. Press conference at 10:35 CST.

I'm just kind of catching up on this, but what? How is the government going to allow insurers to continue plans that had been canceled? It's the decision of the private insurance companies to keep or drop plans. Is the govt going to offer some kind of incentive to the companies to keep those plans or take the plans on themselves? Or are they going to just dictate to the companies what they can or can't do? And if they do that, won't that require congressional action... which means it won't actually happen?

I'm curious to hear the details.

BTW, our plan is scheduled to be dropped the first of January. That was after they had raised our insurance premiums by almost 80% over the past 3 years. Good riddance. We're going to an HSA. We're going to pay almost half as much.

[Leroy]

Amazing that it only took three years to figure out how flawed this is.

[Jocephus]

Amazing that it only took three years to figure out how flawed this is.

if only you were in congress

[Socnorb11]

Anyone who insists on keeping their junk policy should be required to sign a waiver relieving the rest of us responsibility when their plan proves to be completely useless.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Anyone who insists on keeping their junk policy should be required to sign a waiver relieving the rest of us responsibility when their plan proves to be completely useless.

What?

[Socnorb11]

Anyone who insists on keeping their junk policy should be required to sign a waiver relieving the rest of us responsibility when their plan proves to be completely useless.

What?

People are angry because their current policy is being cancelled. Much of the reason it's being cancelled is because it doesnt' meet the minimum requirement of the ACA.

Sally has a junk insurance plan that doesn't meet ACA requirements.

Sally is diagnosed with cancer.

Sally's insurance company cancels her policy or

Sally's policy doesn't cover major medical expenses, because it's a "junk" policy.


Who pays for Sally's medical costs (which are going to be astronomical)? You do. I do. We all do. All because Sally didn't want to pay a little extra for a REAL plan that can't be cancelled.



Under the ACA regulations, this can't happen.

[Fat Strat]

Anyone who insists on keeping their junk policy should be required to sign a waiver relieving the rest of us responsibility when their plan proves to be completely useless.

It's not just junk policies that are getting canceled. Ours wasn't a junk policy. It was a pretty typical independent policy for a young, healthy family.

[Socnorb11]

Anyone who insists on keeping their junk policy should be required to sign a waiver relieving the rest of us responsibility when their plan proves to be completely useless.

It's not just junk policies that are getting canceled. Ours wasn't a junk policy. It was a pretty typical independent policy for a young, healthy family.

Why was it cancelled?

[Fat Strat]

Anyone who insists on keeping their junk policy should be required to sign a waiver relieving the rest of us responsibility when their plan proves to be completely useless.

It's not just junk policies that are getting canceled. Ours wasn't a junk policy. It was a pretty typical independent policy for a young, healthy family.

Why was it cancelled?

We're not really sure, to be honest. The company claims that it's because of the ACA, and I'm pretty sure they pulled their independent policies for Missouri and several other states. We're actually guessing that it has more to do with MO's refusal to accept Medicaire expansion. Or maybe the volume of policies wasn't enough to justify the added risk of having to offer things like maternity or whatever.

Again, I don't really mind that it was canceled since we're going to an HSA option that will be much cheaper for our monthly budget. I have known several other people who have had their policies in Missouri canceled. They want the same coverages, but can't get it without paying 2x-4x what they were paying. That hasn't been our experience, but both of those families have some major medical issues. One is a recent cancer survivor. The other has diabetes (she's relatively young, in her upper 30's). I wonder if they're just not looking hard enough and have referred them to our agent.

[Arthur Dent]

Sounds like they're to allow insurers to continue plans that had been canceled. Press conference at 10:35 CST.

I'm just kind of catching up on this, but what? How is the government going to allow insurers to continue plans that had been canceled? It's the decision of the private insurance companies to keep or drop plans. Is the govt going to offer some kind of incentive to the companies to keep those plans or take the plans on themselves? Or are they going to just dictate to the companies what they can or can't do? And if they do that, won't that require congressional action... which means it won't actually happen?

I'm curious to hear the details.

As I understand it, the plan is to expand the grandfather clause. Previously, existing plans could be continued if they were unchanged. Now, insurance plans can renew for a while with some changes, so long as you are informed on all the things the plan doesn't covered compared to a market compliant plan. My guess, though I have no expertise, is that this won't make much difference, and most cancelled individual market plans will remain cancelled. The old-style individual market plans weren't canceled only because of rules restricting them but because they are going to lose market share and competitiveness.