Affordable Care Act (AKA Obamacare)

[slide_into_first]

The lawyers who wrote the ACA ambiguously without proofreading face no consequences for incompetence, nor do the crooks who voted without reading it.

[Freed Roger]

Interns run across the plaza of the Supreme Court in Washington to deliver the written opinions to television stations, an event sometimes referred to as the "running of the interns." (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP

[pioneer98]

Health and hospital stocks surge on Obamacare ruling
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-stocks ... 34934.html

[pioneer98]

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/28/obamacar ... ealth.html

The study found marked gains in the number of people with insurance—as other research has repeatedly confirmed—as well as improved access to doctors and medications, affordable health care and good health status after implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

But the research published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association also noted that the the gains in health coverage and access to care for low-income adults were particularly striking in states that expanded their Medicaid programs under the ACA to include more poor people.

The number of people who lacked health insurance fell by 7.9 percentage points, and there was a 3.5 percentage-point drop in the number of people who lacked a personal physician, the study found.

The number of people who reported being unable to afford care fell by 5.5 percentage points. People who said they were just in fair or poor health dropped by 3.4 percentage points after the ACA took effect, the study found.

There was also 2.4 percentage-point reduction in the number of people who lacked easy access to medicine.

[Fat Strat]

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/28/obamacar ... ealth.html

The study found marked gains in the number of people with insurance—as other research has repeatedly confirmed—as well as improved access to doctors and medications, affordable health care and good health status after implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

But the research published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association also noted that the the gains in health coverage and access to care for low-income adults were particularly striking in states that expanded their Medicaid programs under the ACA to include more poor people.

The number of people who lacked health insurance fell by 7.9 percentage points, and there was a 3.5 percentage-point drop in the number of people who lacked a personal physician, the study found.

The number of people who reported being unable to afford care fell by 5.5 percentage points. People who said they were just in fair or poor health dropped by 3.4 percentage points after the ACA took effect, the study found.

There was also 2.4 percentage-point reduction in the number of people who lacked easy access to medicine.

Those numbers are good. What I'm curious about, though, is what impact we are seeing in the reduction in cost of health care and insurance premiums. My anecdotal experience indicates that has not happened. More people are certainly insured, but it seems like costs have gone up considerably. My HSA account went up by 25%. My wife runs a non-profit and they had to switch to plans because of the increased cost. My secretary qualifies for exchange programs. I can't remember her story at the moment, but she is paying more, as well.

[wart57]

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/28/obamacar ... ealth.html

The study found marked gains in the number of people with insurance—as other research has repeatedly confirmed—as well as improved access to doctors and medications, affordable health care and good health status after implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

But the research published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association also noted that the the gains in health coverage and access to care for low-income adults were particularly striking in states that expanded their Medicaid programs under the ACA to include more poor people.

The number of people who lacked health insurance fell by 7.9 percentage points, and there was a 3.5 percentage-point drop in the number of people who lacked a personal physician, the study found.

The number of people who reported being unable to afford care fell by 5.5 percentage points. People who said they were just in fair or poor health dropped by 3.4 percentage points after the ACA took effect, the study found.

There was also 2.4 percentage-point reduction in the number of people who lacked easy access to medicine.

Those numbers are good. What I'm curious about, though, is what impact we are seeing in the reduction in cost of health care and insurance premiums. My anecdotal experience indicates that has not happened. More people are certainly insured, but it seems like costs have gone up considerably. My HSA account went up by 25%. My wife runs a non-profit and they had to switch to plans because of the increased cost. My secretary qualifies for exchange programs. I can't remember her story at the moment, but she is paying more, as well.

I am paying significantly more in premiums as is my employer. My co-pays went up and so did my deductible.
Such is life.

[GeddyWrox]

My company has an odd fiscal year, and we just rebooted our health plan a month ago. Kept UHC, same coverage, same cost (to me anyway).

[pioneer98]

My deductible went up to $4500 for my family and I don't have a co-pay. I just pay for everything until I hit my deductible. I do get like a 20% discount if I stay in network, and preventive care (like a once a year checkup) is covered 100%. Before Obamacare my deductible was $4300 for my family but otherwise everything was the same.

When I first started in 2002, my deductible was $500 for my family and I had co-pays of different levels for different things. I get way, way more paperwork in the mail now. It would literally take me several hours per week to read and understand it all. So it just goes straight in the trash.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/07/28/obamacar ... ealth.html

The study found marked gains in the number of people with insurance—as other research has repeatedly confirmed—as well as improved access to doctors and medications, affordable health care and good health status after implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

But the research published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association also noted that the the gains in health coverage and access to care for low-income adults were particularly striking in states that expanded their Medicaid programs under the ACA to include more poor people.

The number of people who lacked health insurance fell by 7.9 percentage points, and there was a 3.5 percentage-point drop in the number of people who lacked a personal physician, the study found.

The number of people who reported being unable to afford care fell by 5.5 percentage points. People who said they were just in fair or poor health dropped by 3.4 percentage points after the ACA took effect, the study found.

There was also 2.4 percentage-point reduction in the number of people who lacked easy access to medicine.

Those numbers are good. What I'm curious about, though, is what impact we are seeing in the reduction in cost of health care and insurance premiums. My anecdotal experience indicates that has not happened. More people are certainly insured, but it seems like costs have gone up considerably. My HSA account went up by 25%. My wife runs a non-profit and they had to switch to plans because of the increased cost. My secretary qualifies for exchange programs. I can't remember her story at the moment, but she is paying more, as well.

I am paying significantly more in premiums as is my employer. My co-pays went up and so did my deductible.
Such is life.

Yes - it is same as it ever was here. ACA is better but it hasn't done anything for the rising costs. Maybe this will spur the country to single payer. Maybe I'll bang Halle Barry.

[New Pagodi]

Yes - it is same as it ever was here. ACA is better but it hasn't done anything for the rising costs./quote]

Actually:

For the past five years, health-care costs have grown at roughly the same rate as the rest of the economy. This is unusual; for decades now, medical spending growth outpaced pretty much every other sector of the economy.

It's not clear if that was due to the ACA, the economic slowdown, or something else. Since health care costs are starting to rise again, it would be nice if we could implement some new programs to slow down the rise, but Republicans won't accept any health care policy except repeal Obamacare.