Heeeeeeere's Obamacare!

Newtons Bit said:
You can't, you must* take your employers coverage.

* in most cases.
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Cite? Still trying to understand the rules. I thought if your employer plan cost more than X percent of your total income you can choose to go on the exchange. Also, it may be better for the company to decouple from insurance as well.
 
Unabogie said:
Cite? Still trying to understand the rules. I thought if your employer plan cost more than X percent of your total income you can choose to go on the exchange. Also, it may be better for the company to decouple from insurance as well.
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Yup, that's the exception. It's unlikely this will be the case if you are a full-time salaried employee, however.
 
Unabogie said:
That seems much higher than most people. Is that $700 just for you? Also, would you qualify for subsidies?
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That would be for my family and myself. I have 3 kids, my wife, and I.

I didn't really check into it all that much, as either way my work benefits will be more beneficial than anything presented by Obamacare. I am not knocking it, again, I am all for it.

DavidJames said:
Is there a reason why you wouldn't continue to go through your employer?
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Nope, not at all. I fully intend on continuing to go through my employer. I was just curious, and since that link was so quick to use I just ran through it.

Emily Cat said:
I'm guessing he's a bit older than the average bear. Or he lives in Missouri or Montana or whichever "M" state it was that had really high rates. I can't remember.
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I am 32 years old, my wife is 30, and I have a 14 year old and 2-10 year olds. I am actually in North Dakota. None of the M states.

Newtons Bit said:
Or he gets his coverage through his employer and his employer pays a fair chunk.
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Bingo, I work for a great company that is employee focused so they've always exceed the average market.
 
plague311 said:
That would be for my family and myself. I have 3 kids, my wife, and I.

I didn't really check into it all that much, as either way my work benefits will be more beneficial than anything presented by Obamacare. I am not knocking it, again, I am all for it.
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No problem, but I'm genuinely interested in hearing how the plan affects people in other states and other circumstances. As I've written here, my own situation is about to get much better, but I run my own company and pay for insurance as an individual. We also have a preexisting condition in the family.

I do wonder if you'd be better off if your employer just gave you the money directly and you bought your own insurance. My old company paid for group insurance coverage, and I recall it being much more than $700 per family per month. IIRC, it was around $2000 for two families.
 
Unabogie said:
No problem, but I'm genuinely interested in hearing how the plan affects people in other states and other circumstances. As I've written here, my own situation is about to get much better, but I run my own company and pay for insurance as an individual. We also have a preexisting condition in the family.

I do wonder if you'd be better off if your employer just gave you the money directly and you bought your own insurance. My old company paid for group insurance coverage, and I recall it being much more than $700 per family per month. IIRC, it was around $2000 for two families.
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Yeah, I actually really love my insurance. My employer gives us $1,500 for HSA, and they cover almost everything. We have a $3,000 deductible, so it's not too terrible as far as hitting it. Over all I'm covered for everything. Medical, dental, and vision. We have a history of heart problem, and my insurance covers a ton for me as far as preventative.

I don't think I'd start utilizing anything from Obamacare unless it was clearly beneficial, and my benefits aren't broke so I probably won't even go searching. I did sign up on the website though. I went from opening the page, to being registered and shopping on the exchange in less than 5 minutes without a problem.
 
ehcks said:
I just looked at mine. In Missouri, came out to $140 for Bronze.

Then I checked the subsidy calculator. Twenty dollars a month. Now how do I tell my employer to cancel their plan and just pay me the amount they were paying for it?
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Newtons Bit said:
You can't, you must* take your employers coverage.

* in most cases.
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Sadly true :(

The next few years are going to be interesting. We've got office pools on how many of our small to mid-size groups are going to A) Drop coverage altogether or B) Change hours or job descriptions to legally remove coverage for some segment of people. Thing is, a lot of those employers wouldn't be doing it to be jerks; they'd be doing it because their employees get a much better deal and so do they - it's a win-win for them both. I haven't been watching the small group market right yet; it's not my bailiwick. At some point we'll start doing some migration studies and see how it all falls out.
 
bonzombiekitty said:
Yeah, sorry. I wrote it before my 3rd cup of coffee. The last PPO and HMO are backwards, the PPO is the cheaper one, and that's what I found odd.
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That makes more sense. Do you happen to recall if they were all within the same companies? I mean, was the HMO for the Bronze, Silver, and Gold all form the same carrier, or were they different carriers?

There's a lot of moving parts, and there's many different possible explanations that would make sense. If the bronze was a different carrier, then it could be due to different contracted rates with doctors and hospitals. It could be due to differences in administrative efficiency. IF they're the same carrier, it could be that the silver and gold HMOs include supplemental services - things not required to be covered by law, but that they thought would sell well. It could be that they're trying to draw more membership to the bronze than to the other two in an effort to manage risk. It could be that they're taking a loss and they're trying to buy market share with that plan. Lots of possibilities...
 
Emily Cat said:
That makes more sense. Do you happen to recall if they were all within the same companies? I mean, was the HMO for the Bronze, Silver, and Gold all form the same carrier, or were they different carriers?
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Same company, both Independent Blue Cross Blue Shield.
 
Seems that Obamacare is actually more popular now than before the government shutdown.

From the article:
... Here are maybe the most worrisome numbers for the GOP in our poll: After the shutdown, the health-care law has become MORE popular, and a majority believes the government should be doing MORE. Per the poll, 38% see the health-care law as a good idea, versus 43% who see it as a bad idea -- up from 31% good idea, 44% bad idea last month. In addition, 50% say they oppose totally eliminating funding for the law. That’s up from 44% who said they opposed that move in a Sept. 2013 CNBC poll. And by a 52%-to-44% margin, respondents believe the government should do more to solve problems. Back in June, the public was split, 48% to 48%, on whether the government should do more or less. “That is an ideological boomerang,” says NBC/WSJ co-pollster Bill McInturff (R). “As the debate has been going on, if there is a break, there is a break against the Republican position.” ...
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Thanks, Republicans! :)
 
I tried four states. Florida and Texas won't even let you see prices until you complete an application form. Jersey's was up and running. Prices were high, but they didn't include subsidies. New York was doing maintenance until tomorrow morning.

California's is the best, imo. They ask for your household income, and then give you a price INCLUDING your subsidy. I didn't try to sign up. California seems to be leading the country on ease of access so far.

As I said before, a family of four (parents in 30's, pre-teen kids) at the median income level can get unbelievably good insurance (Anthem, which is not some fly-by-night company) on the California exchanges for about $250-$350 a month, depending on what kind of coverage you want. The $250 coverage is good, the $350 coverage is phenomenal: PPO, no deductible, 80% coverage.

One caveat to California's coverage: the kids at that income level are covered by Medi-Cal. But even if you were a childless couple, the price is still extremely good.

The GOP is right. This is going to be a huge income-transfer program. Good.
 
MattusMaximus said:
Anyone tried the federal site lately? Is it better?
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I just went onto healthcare.gov, and it seems to be working nicely. No problem with the login, no problem with the verification, and I zipped right into the application process.

Thanks Obama :)
 
Okay, finally got in. So what's up with those username requirements and the annoying way that they were worded? I had to read it a few times just to figure it out.

Then I used the email verification and I got to the log in page and it wouldn't let me log in.

I will complain because I have nothing better to do since I can't get in!
 
MattusMaximus said:
I just went onto healthcare.gov, and it seems to be working nicely. No problem with the login, no problem with the verification, and I zipped right into the application process.

Thanks Obama :)
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You're in the minority. Still not working for me and most other people.

Even though enrollment in the exchange began almost two weeks ago, it’s not easy for the general public to view the wide variety of rates. Because of computer glitches, consumers have encountered difficulty establishing accounts and using the website that serves as Illinois’ online marketplace for private coverage.
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http://www.sj-r.com/health/x452551381/Tax-credits-contribute-to-affordable-rates?zc_p=1
 
WildCat said:
Yeah, damn the Illinois GOP and the GOP governor and GOP-controlled Illinois House and Senate! :rolleyes:
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I was talking about my experience. I tried two large liberal sites, two large conservative sites, and my own state (California). The two conservative states were harder to navigate. Sorry, if that bugs you. You can try it yourself, if you like.
 
I used the forgot password and forgot username links. Still haven't received an email...

Also, there is an error code in the URL when I am sent back but nothing on the page telling me what the error is.

Obama clearly needs to brush up on his UX skills.
 
Tsukasa Buddha said:
I used the forgot password and forgot username links. Still haven't received an email...

Also, there is an error code in the URL when I am sent back but nothing on the page telling me what the error is.

Obama clearly needs to brush up on his UX skills.
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I have a friend who has your identical issue, was able to register an account but can't log into it.

On the plus side you made it farther than me!
 
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