My ACA/Obamacare Experience...

[SPECTRE1]

I finally got onto Healthinsurance.gov and compared rates from when I had insurance before and after the ACA goes into effect. My insurance rates nearly tripled from $85 to $220 as the lowest with a $6000 deductible! I might be eligible for a subsidy depending on my income.

What is the point of coinsurance of 15% when the max out of pocket is $300 more at $6,300. You will have to pay $6000 deductible first before the coinsurance kicks in for only $300, than everything is covered by the insurance company.

My deductible was $1500 before under my old plan.

Update: I found a reason for the increase, my state allows insurance companies to cherrypick customers - which allows insurance companies to scour your medical records and exclude people that have pre-existing conditions. Now they can't do that, so that has increased costs. Some states have banned that practice prior to the ACA, these states typically will have lower rates under the ACA.




I can't believe covering people with pre-existing conditions raises rates that much plus they are compensating with much higher deductibles...I believe the ACA will help somewhat with preventative care, giving people with existing conditions treatment.

However, a single payer system allows people that don't feel right that is getting ready for a heart attack to see a doctor without costs. The U.S. system with high deductible may cause people to linger, resulting in death. I would have liked to have preventative and also being able to visit a medical facility when you are getting pain in your chest or arm pain that does not immobilize you for free.

Expect to pay double, but you don't have the hassle of underwriting and the fear of not being covered with a pre existing condition.


The big thing is that employers with 50+ employees are mandated to cover you now, so people complaining about the rates jumping up might work at a company that will be mandated to provide coverage; the small employers will have to offer coverage to compete with the bigger companies to keep employees.

The other scenario is working as a contractor making $50,000 dollars a year which will probably come out to $3000 a month. You will now have to pay $220 a month; however, the premium will be tax deductible bring the costs down further. If you went uninsured before, you are looking at a big tax increase. However at least you know this tax is not going for defense spending or other useless shit that the government does. It is a tax that will benefit me directly.

If you get fired or laid off, you can go on ehealthinsurance.com and get coverage for $220 with no hassle.

 

[SPECTRE1]

http://www.salon.com/2013/10/18/ins...ine_i_fact_checked_sean_hannity_on_obamacare/

I decided to hit the pavement. I tracked down hannity’s guests, one by one, and did my own telephone interviews with them.

First i spoke with paul cox of leicester, n.c. He and his wife michelle had lamented to hannity that because of obamacare, they can’t grow their construction business and they have kept their employees below a certain number of hours, so that they are part-timers.

Obamacare has no effect on businesses with 49 employees or less. But in our brief conversation on the phone, paul revealed that he has only four employees. Why the cutback on his workforce? “well,” he said, “i haven’t been forced to do so, it’s just that i’ve chosen to do so. I have to deal with increased costs.” what costs? And how, i asked him, is any of it due to obamacare? There was a long pause, after which he said he’d call me back. He never did.

There is only one obamacare requirement that applies to a company of this size: Workers must be notified of the existence of the “healthcare.gov” website, the insurance exchange. That’s all.

next i called allison denijs. She’d told hannity that she pays over $13,000 a year in premiums. Like the other guests, she said she had recently gotten a letter from blue cross saying that her policy was being terminated and a new, aca-compliant policy would take its place. She says this shows that obama lied when he promised americans that we could keep our existing policies.

Allison’s husband left his job a few years ago, one with benefits at a big company, to start his own business. Since then they’ve been buying insurance on the open market, and are now paying around $1,100 a month for a policy with a $2,500 deductible per family member, with hefty annual premium hikes. One of their two children is not covered under the policy. She has a preexisting condition that would require purchasing additional coverage for $600 a month, which would bring the family’s grand total to around $20,000 a year.

I asked allison if she’d shopped on the exchange, to see what a plan might cost under the new law. She said she hadn’t done so because she’d heard the website was not working. Would she try it out when it’s up and running? Perhaps, she said. She told me she has long opposed obamacare, and that the president should have focused on tort reform as a solution to bringing down the price of healthcare.

I tried an experiment and shopped on the exchange for allison and kurt. Assuming they don’t smoke and have a household income too high to be eligible for subsidies, i found that they would be able to get a plan for around $7,600, which would include coverage for their uninsured daughter. This would be about a 60 percent reduction from what they would have to pay on the pre-obamacare market.

Allison also told me that the letter she received from blue cross said that in addition to the policy change for aca compliance, in the new policy her physician network size might be reduced. That’s something insurance companies do to save money, with or without obamacare on the horizon, just as they raise premiums with or without obamacare coming.

If allison’s choice of doctor was denied her through obamacare then, yes, she could have a claim that obamacare has hurt her. But she’d also have thousands of dollars in her pocket that she didn’t have before.

When I spoke to Robbie, he said he and Tina have been paying a little over $800 a month for their plan, about $10,000 a year. And the ACA-compliant policy that will cost 50-75 percent more? They said this information was related to them by their insurance agent.

Had they shopped on the exchange yet, I asked? No, Tina said, nor would they. They oppose Obamacare and want nothing to do with it. Fair enough, but they should know that I found a plan for them for, at most, $3,700 a year, 63 percent less than their current bill. It might cover things that they don’t need, but so does every insurance policy.

Shows you how media propaganda works that try to distorts reality to fit an agenda.

 

[QueEx]

I heard somewhere that if you log on to the healthcare .gov page and then log on to BGOL to complain they are tracking you.

 

[thoughtone]

I heard somewhere that if you log on to the healthcare .gov page and then log on to BGOL to complain they are tracking you.

So they must know anything and everything about GREED.

 

[QueEx]

 

[SPECTRE1]

Staggering out the States would have reduced the load on the server singificantly. The website glitches is a bureaucratic management problem, rather than the contractor who designed the website.


If on October 1, there was 20 million people that tried to log on, than afterward there is only a million visitors that come to the site. Building server capacity to 20 million would be a waste. This is not something that a person needs to log on everyday.


I think Fox News and other media outlet are exaggerating the problem. Spending more tax money is waste.

 

[Greed]

So they must know anything and everything about GREED.

Don't equate my level of pride with your own. I would never go on welfare.

 

[Greed]

COINTELPRO, how did you put this much thought into this subject and still come to conclusion that more government involvement in the health care industry is the answer. Government involvement brought us the unnatural linkage between your health care and your employer. Government involvement brought us Obamacare. And now that won't be good either, you want a single payer program to put an even bigger middle-man between an individual and their doctor?

 

[thoughtone]

Don't equate my level of pride with your own. I would never go on welfare.

Who says you are "go on welfare"? I guess your attempt to disparage Obamacare.

So all of these "points" you have made on the board over the years have come from third person information?

You have never actually consulted actually government data when you try to bash the government?

If this ain't ideology, that what is?

 

[SPECTRE1]

COINTELPRO, how did you put this much thought into this subject and still come to conclusion that more government involvement in the health care industry is the answer. Government involvement brought us the unnatural linkage between your health care and your employer. Government involvement brought us Obamacare. And now that won't be good either, you want a single payer program to put an even bigger middle-man between an individual and their doctor?

I don't like employers getting involved in making my healthcare decisions. Many companies are providing subsidy and allowing people to go on exchanges to get coverage. I buy my healthcare and will continue to do so, regardless of whether my employer provides it.

I am not a big fan of single payer system due to the lack of choice and reliance of the government who could enact retribution when you are at your weakest.

 

[QueEx]

source: KHOU

Poorest of the poor left out of Affordable Care Act's health insurance expansion

​

Left out, but not by accident.

The Ongoing and Continuing Fight Against Healthcare
Trench Warfare
Funded & Orchestrated by
The Koch Brothers & their Americans for Prosperity
​

<iframe src='http://player.theplatform.com/p/2E2eJC/EmbeddedOffSite?guid=n_maddow_1aca_131021' height='500' width='635' scrolling='no' border='no' ></iframe>


​

 

[Greed]

Who says you are "go on welfare"? I guess your attempt to disparage Obamacare.

So all of these "points" you have made on the board over the years have come from third person information?

The law just went into effect, so the "points" you have made on the board over the years have come from third person information?

You have never actually consulted actually government data when you try to bash the government?

If this ain't ideology, that what is?

Unlike you I have been consulting government data when I bash the government PROGRAM. The CBO and government actuaries have tracked this fairly well and openly say this is a cost nightmare. Go check your own thread about Obamacare saving people billions.

 

[thoughtone]

Unlike you I have been consulting government data when I bash the government PROGRAM. The CBO and government actuaries have tracked this fairly well and openly say this is a cost nightmare. Go check your own thread about Obamacare saving people billions.

 

[mangobob79]

Interesting

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk 4

 

[thoughtone]

source: Salon


Sean Hannity on Obamacare

UPDATE I re-reported a Fox News segment on Obamacare -- it was appallingly easy to see how it misleads the audience


Enlarge
I happened to turn on the Hannity show on Fox News last Friday evening. “Average Americans are feeling the pain of Obamacare and the healthcare overhaul train wreck,” Hannity announced, “and six of them are here tonight to tell us their stories.” Three married couples were neatly arranged in his studio, the wives seated and the men standing behind them, like game show contestants.

As Hannity called on each of them, the guests recounted their “Obamacare” horror stories: canceled policies, premium hikes, restrictions on the freedom to see a doctor of their choice, financial burdens upon their small businesses and so on.

“These are the stories that the media refuses to cover,” Hannity interjected.

But none of it smelled right to me. Nothing these folks were saying jibed with the basic facts of the Affordable Care Act as I understand them. I understand them fairly well; I have worked as a senior adviser to a governor and helped him deal with the new federal rules.
<DL style="WIDTH: 310px" id=attachment_13510038 class="wp-caption alignleft"><DT class=wp-caption-dt></DT><DD class=wp-caption-dd></DD></DL>
I decided to hit the pavement. I tracked down Hannity’s guests, one by one, and did my own telephone interviews with them.

First I spoke with Paul Cox of Leicester, N.C. He and his wife Michelle had lamented to Hannity that because of Obamacare, they can’t grow their construction business and they have kept their employees below a certain number of hours, so that they are part-timers.

Obamacare has no effect on businesses with 49 employees or less. But in our brief conversation on the phone, Paul revealed that he has only four employees. Why the cutback on his workforce? “Well,” he said, “I haven’t been forced to do so, it’s just that I’ve chosen to do so. I have to deal with increased costs.” What costs? And how, I asked him, is any of it due to Obamacare? There was a long pause, after which he said he’d call me back. He never did.

There is only one Obamacare requirement that applies to a company of this size: workers must be notified of the existence of the “healthcare.gov” website, the insurance exchange. That’s all.
<HR>

 

[Greed]

Obamacare: More than 2 million people getting booted from existing health insurance p

Obamacare: More than 2 million people getting booted from existing health insurance plans
October 29, 2013 7:18 AM

(CBS News) CBS News has learned more than two million Americans have been told they cannot renew their current insurance policies -- more than triple the number of people said to be buying insurance under the new Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.

There have been estimates about hundreds of thousands of people losing coverage, CBS News' Jan Crawford reported on "CBS This Morning." CBS News has reached out to insurance companies across the country to determine some of the real numbers -- and this is just the tip of the iceberg, Crawford said. The people who are opening the letters are shocked to learn they can't keep their insurance policies despite President Obama's assurances to the contrary.

The White House is on the defensive trying to explain it, after Mr. Obama repeatedly said, "If you like your doctor or health care plan, you can keep it."

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, "What the president said and what everybody said all along is that there are going to be changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act to create minimum standards of coverage."

It's an unexpected reality of Obamacare being told through anecdotes in local papers and on social media. But the hard numbers reveal the evidence is far more than anecdotal. CBS News has confirmed with insurance companies across the country that more than two million people are getting notices they no longer can keep their existing plans. In California, there are 279,000; in Michigan, 140,000; Florida, 300,000; and in New Jersey, 800,000. And those numbers are certain to go even higher. Some companies who tell CBS News they've sent letters won't say how many.

Industry experts like Larry Levitt, of the Kaiser Family Foundation, say the insurance companies have no choice. "What we're seeing now is reality coming into play," he said.

Obamacare forces them to drop many of their plans that don't meet the law's 10 minimum standards, including maternity care, emergency visits, mental health treatment and even pediatric dental care.

That means consumers have to sign on to new plans even if they don't want or need the more generous coverage. Industry experts say about half the people getting the letters will pay more -- and half will pay less, thanks to taxpayer subsidies. Levitt said, "The winners outnumber the losers here, but because of all the website problems, it's hard to find out who the winners are because they don't even know it themselves."

And for the people who've gotten the letters, the broken website is a real problem, Crawford added on "CTM." They don't know what to do. They don't know if they get subsidies. And then there are others getting the letters who have very good insurance but are being told they can't keep it. Industry experts CBS News talked to say for everyone, the best bet is to just call their insurance companies to get the information.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_...-booted-from-existing-health-insurance-plans/

 

[actinanass]

I've been out of the loop. Whats going on with Obamacare now?

 

[QueEx]

You are soooo substantive.

 

[thoughtone]

I've been out of the loop. Whats going on with Obamacare now?

I know one thing, the republican party's image sucks in the latest polls.

 

[SPECTRE1]

Google Inc. (GOOG:US), Red Hat Inc. (RHT:US), Oracle Corp. (ORCL:US) and other technology companies are contributing dozens of computer engineers and programmers to help the Obama administration fix the U.S. health-insurance exchange website.

The help is arriving as the government’s main site for medical coverage remains plagued by repeated outages a month after its Oct. 1 debut. Michael Dickerson, a site reliability engineer on leave from Google, and Greg Gershman, innovation director for smartphone application maker Mobomo, are among those helping, the Obama administration said today.

“They are working through the analytics of what happens on the site to prioritize what needs to be fixed,” Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told reporters on a conference call. Dickerson is working to improve the stability of the website, while Gershman is “helping the development process be more agile.”

http://www.businessweek.com/news/20...e-engineers-enlisted-for-obamacare-tech-surge

It is a life or death situation to get health insurance. Overall, there are design flaws in how it is setup...

 

[Greed]

Former MSNBC Host’s Health Plan Cancelled, New Plan Costs 3.5 Times More

Former MSNBC Host’s Health Plan Cancelled, New Plan Costs 3.5 Times More
by Noah Rothman
7:41 am, November 8th, 2013

“Thnx Mr. President.” That’s all former MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan had to say to President Barack Obama on Thursday when he announced that the health insurance plan he purchased on the individual market after leaving the news network was being cancelled. The new plan he was eligible would cost him 3.5 times more than his previous plan.

“I bought a catastrophic health policy for $170/mo when I left MSNBC,” Ratigan confessed. “Obamacare cancelled the policy. New rate $600/mo. Thnx Mr. President!”

His tweet admission was met with a flurry of ACA supporters who attempted to explain to Ratigan why he should welcome the elimination of his previous plan. Ratigan’s subsequent tweets consist of debating his followers who advocated for the abolition of simple, catastrophic coverage plans.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/former-msnbc-hosts-health-plan-cancelled-new-plan-costs-3-5-times-more/

 

[SPECTRE1]

Re: Former MSNBC Host’s Health Plan Cancelled, New Plan Costs 3.5 Times More

What needs to be done is that the president needs to declare War on the Southern states and use the War Powers to decree through a Health Insurance Emancipation Proclamation that they adopt a State based health insurance exchange and Medicaid Expansion. This is my recommendation to fix the website.


This is the only way you can deal with the Southern Aristocrats like the Koch Brothers through strength. The ACA should have been announced with the military flanked to the side instead of the HHS secretary.

 

[SPECTRE1]

Re: Former MSNBC Host’s Health Plan Cancelled, New Plan Costs 3.5 Times More

Former MSNBC Host’s Health Plan Cancelled, New Plan Costs 3.5 Times More
by Noah Rothman
7:41 am, November 8th, 2013

“Thnx Mr. President.” That’s all former MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan had to say to President Barack Obama on Thursday when he announced that the health insurance plan he purchased on the individual market after leaving the news network was being cancelled. The new plan he was eligible would cost him 3.5 times more than his previous plan.

“I bought a catastrophic health policy for $170/mo when I left MSNBC,” Ratigan confessed. “Obamacare cancelled the policy. New rate $600/mo. Thnx Mr. President!”

His tweet admission was met with a flurry of ACA supporters who attempted to explain to Ratigan why he should welcome the elimination of his previous plan. Ratigan’s subsequent tweets consist of debating his followers who advocated for the abolition of simple, catastrophic coverage plans.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/former-msnbc-hosts-health-plan-cancelled-new-plan-costs-3-5-times-more/

It looks like New York City already has single payer, except it isn't the state that is the payor, it is the private sector...



With the ACA, it is easy to verify the insurance rates a person will pay since they do not have to fill out all that medical bullshit and be cherrypicked by insurance companies.

I look at his wikipedia and punch in his age and location which is all you need. Unfortunately there is only one company offering health plans in his possible area, there is absolutely no competition. If anything there should be an investigation for price fixing by the DOJ, I don't know if there is some type of gentleman agreement for companies not to enter the market.

For double what he paid, not 3.5 times, he can get a plan that is significantly better than the catastrophic self insurance he had now. $600 a month which is the price he claimed to be paying now, he has virtually no deductible.

If anything, he should have called for competition in his state, rather than exaggerating and picking the worse plan you can get. If he lived in a state that had competition such as mine, the rates drop even more to $220 for a much better plan. He does not have to go through Healthinsurance.gov since he is not eligible for subsidies.


This commentary is really not about Dylan Ratigan, but the sad state of affairs about the media that no longer investigates stories like these, and is just a propaganda machine for the corporations. If we want real news, we will have to pay for it through donations. No advertising or other financial support from corporations that will result in something like this.

 

[Greed]

Re: Former MSNBC Host’s Health Plan Cancelled, New Plan Costs 3.5 Times More

It looks like New York City already has single payer, except it isn't the state that is the payor, it is the private sector...

With the ACA, it is easy to verify the insurance rates a person will pay since they do not have to fill out all that medical bullshit and be cherrypicked by insurance companies.

I look at his wikipedia and punch in his age and location which is all you need. Unfortunately there is only one company offering health plans in his possible area, there is absolutely no competition. If anything there should be an investigation for price fixing by the DOJ, I don't know if there is some type of gentleman agreement for companies not to enter the market.

For double what he paid, not 3.5 times, he can get a plan that is significantly better than the catastrophic self insurance he had now. $600 a month which is the price he claimed to be paying now, he has virtually no deductible.

If anything, he should have called for competition in his state, rather than exaggerating and picking the worse plan you can get. If he lived in a state that had competition such as mine, the rates drop even more to $220 for a much better plan. He does not have to go through Healthinsurance.gov since he is not eligible for subsidies.


This commentary is really not about Dylan Ratigan, but the sad state of affairs about the media that no longer investigates stories like these, and is just a propaganda machine for the corporations. If we want real news, we will have to pay for it through donations. No advertising or other financial support from corporations that will result in something like this.

COINTELPRO, how is your name in line with your insistence on regurgitating the government's logic for restricting people's personal preference on the type of health insurance they want to hold?

You and the rest keep promoting that people like Ratigan shouldn't even have the level of coverage they chose and wanted to keep. It shouldn't be up to you. People expressed satisfaction with their current plans and expressed dissatisfaction at the Obamacare alternatives and your response is the policyholders are wrong.

Between you and Ratigan, I'm going to trust that Ratigan was competent enough to sort through the different plans that came up, and Ratigan found that he would have to pay 3.5x more for the particular features he wanted to keep.

 

[Greed]

Re: Former MSNBC Host’s Health Plan Cancelled, New Plan Costs 3.5 Times More

You and the rest keep promoting that people like Ratigan shouldn't even have the level of coverage they chose and wanted to keep. It shouldn't be up to you. People expressed satisfaction with their current plans and expressed dissatisfaction at the Obamacare alternatives and your response is the policyholders are wrong.

I've avoided posting the vast majority of the anecdotal stories that I've been reading, but this one is exactly what I was talking about.

"I'm a 55-year-old woman in excellent health and have a catastrophic health plan," she wrote recently to Obama and California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. "I am completely happy with my plan. I received notice that the plan is being canceled and that to stay with a "comparable" plan my premiums would increase 88%, or $200 extra per month. To add insult to injury, the plan is INFERIOR to my existing plan."

Obama supporter miffed at botched healthcare rollout

 

[Greed]

Obama Moves To Delay Cancellations Of Insurance Plans

President Obama announced Thursday that Americans who have had their health insurance plans canceled because of his Affordable Care Act can keep those plans for another year if they wish.

Obama Moves To Delay Cancellations Of Insurance Plans

 

[Greed]

Obamacare 101: Why do men need to buy maternity coverage?

Obamacare 101: Why do men need to buy maternity coverage?
Americans searching for new health insurance plans under Obamacare are finding they need to pay for coverage they don't want or need. That idea is fundamental to Obamacare.
By Francine Kiefer | Christian Science Monitor
12 hrs ago

http://news.yahoo.com/obamacare-101-why-men-buy-maternity-coverage-235322821.html

 

[Greed]

Woman cited by President as Obamacare success story frustrated by sign up process

Woman cited by President as Obamacare success story frustrated by sign up process
Posted by CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta
Updated 1:20 a.m. ET, 11/19/2013

(CNN)– Washington state resident Jessica Sanford was bursting with pride when President Obama mentioned her story during a Rose Garden event on health care reform last month at the White House.

"Who wouldn't?" Sanford asks. "I'm a nobody really to have him mention my story."

Back in October, Sanford had written a letter to the White House to share her good news. The 48-year-old single mother of a teenage son diagnosed with ADHD had just purchased what she considered to be affordable insurance on the Washington state exchange.

"I was ecstatic. I couldn't wait to call the doctor for an appointment on January 2nd," Sanford told CNN about the feeling she had when she first enrolled.

Her heartfelt letter made it to the President's hands and then into his October 21 speech.

"'I was crying the other day when I signed up. So much stress lifted.'" Obama said, reading from Sanford's letter.

The president said Sanford's story was proof, despite the technical problems with the healthcare.gov website, that the Affordable Care Act was working.

"That's what the Affordable Care Act is all about. The point is, the essence of the law - the health insurance that's available to people - is working just fine," Obama said.

But then, after Obama mentioned her story, Sanford started having problems. Sanford said she received another letter informing her the Washington state health exchange had miscalculated her eligibility for a tax credit.

In other words, her monthly insurance bill had shot up from $198 a month (she had initially said $169 a month to the White House but she switched plans) to $280 a month for the same "gold" plan offered by the state exchange.

Sanford said she was frustrated with the state's error. But she decided to purchase the new plan and thought everything was fine.

It wasn't fine. Last week, Sanford received another letter from the Washington state exchange, stating there had been another problem, a "system error" that resulted in some "applicants to qualify for higher than allowed health insurance premium tax credits."

The letter said the state exchange was "disappointed to have discovered this issue" and apologized.

The result was a higher quote, which Sanford said was for $390 per month for a "silver" plan with a higher deductible. Still too expensive

A cheaper "bronze" plan, Sanford said, came in at $324 per month, but also with a high deductible - also not in her budget.

Then another letter from the state exchange with even worse news.

"Your household has been determined eligible for a Federal Tax Credit of $0.00 to help cover the cost of your monthly health insurance premium payments," the latest letter said.

"I had a good cry," Sanford said about her reaction to the latest news from the state.

As a self-employed court reporter, the new quote was simply out of her range.

"This is it. I'm not getting insurance," Sanford told CNN. "That's where it stands right now unless they fix it."

Sanford, an Obama supporter who voted for the president twice, is careful to say she blames the state of Washington's online marketplace for the mixed signals and not the White House.

She is sorry Obama mentioned her during the October 21 speech.

"I feel awful about it. I support (the Affordable Care Act)," Sanford said.

But the messy rollout in the other Washington, the nation's capital, was not far from her mind.

"What the hell? Why is it the same story as the federal government?" Sanford says in disgust with the Washington state exchange. "They didn't have it ready."

"They screwed up," she added.

Sanford reiterated her frustration in a post to the Washington HealthPlanFinder's Facebook page last Friday.

"Wow. You guys really screwed me over," Sanford wrote. "Now I have been priced out and will not be able to afford the plans you offer. But, I get to pay $95 and up for not having health insurance. I am so incredibly disappointed and saddened. You majorly screwed up."

In response, a HealthplanFinder posting tried to direct Sanford to a broker for help.

"Jessica, we are very sad and disappointed that the tax credit miscalculation affected you so heavily," the comment read, suggesting she try to find a new plan on the site. Sanford responded on Facebook the issue was affordability.

Bethany Frey, a spokeswoman for Washington HealthPlanFinder told CNN on Monday night, "I'm already looking into this with our client specialist team. I'll let you know what I hear."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.co...tory-frustrated-by-sign-up-process/?hpt=hp_t1

 

[SPECTRE1]

Re: Woman cited by President as Obamacare success story frustrated by sign up process

Woman cited by President as Obamacare success story frustrated by sign up process
Posted by CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta
Updated 1:20 a.m. ET, 11/19/2013

(CNN)– Washington state resident Jessica Sanford was bursting with pride when President Obama mentioned her story during a Rose Garden event on health care reform last month at the White House.

"Who wouldn't?" Sanford asks. "I'm a nobody really to have him mention my story."

Back in October, Sanford had written a letter to the White House to share her good news. The 48-year-old single mother of a teenage son diagnosed with ADHD had just purchased what she considered to be affordable insurance on the Washington state exchange.

"I was ecstatic. I couldn't wait to call the doctor for an appointment on January 2nd," Sanford told CNN about the feeling she had when she first enrolled.

Her heartfelt letter made it to the President's hands and then into his October 21 speech.

"'I was crying the other day when I signed up. So much stress lifted.'" Obama said, reading from Sanford's letter.

The president said Sanford's story was proof, despite the technical problems with the healthcare.gov website, that the Affordable Care Act was working.

"That's what the Affordable Care Act is all about. The point is, the essence of the law - the health insurance that's available to people - is working just fine," Obama said.

But then, after Obama mentioned her story, Sanford started having problems. Sanford said she received another letter informing her the Washington state health exchange had miscalculated her eligibility for a tax credit.

In other words, her monthly insurance bill had shot up from $198 a month (she had initially said $169 a month to the White House but she switched plans) to $280 a month for the same "gold" plan offered by the state exchange.

Sanford said she was frustrated with the state's error. But she decided to purchase the new plan and thought everything was fine.

It wasn't fine. Last week, Sanford received another letter from the Washington state exchange, stating there had been another problem, a "system error" that resulted in some "applicants to qualify for higher than allowed health insurance premium tax credits."

The letter said the state exchange was "disappointed to have discovered this issue" and apologized.

The result was a higher quote, which Sanford said was for $390 per month for a "silver" plan with a higher deductible. Still too expensive

A cheaper "bronze" plan, Sanford said, came in at $324 per month, but also with a high deductible - also not in her budget.

Then another letter from the state exchange with even worse news.

"Your household has been determined eligible for a Federal Tax Credit of $0.00 to help cover the cost of your monthly health insurance premium payments," the latest letter said.

"I had a good cry," Sanford said about her reaction to the latest news from the state.

As a self-employed court reporter, the new quote was simply out of her range.

"This is it. I'm not getting insurance," Sanford told CNN. "That's where it stands right now unless they fix it."

Sanford, an Obama supporter who voted for the president twice, is careful to say she blames the state of Washington's online marketplace for the mixed signals and not the White House.

She is sorry Obama mentioned her during the October 21 speech.

"I feel awful about it. I support (the Affordable Care Act)," Sanford said.

But the messy rollout in the other Washington, the nation's capital, was not far from her mind.

"What the hell? Why is it the same story as the federal government?" Sanford says in disgust with the Washington state exchange. "They didn't have it ready."

"They screwed up," she added.

Sanford reiterated her frustration in a post to the Washington HealthPlanFinder's Facebook page last Friday.

"Wow. You guys really screwed me over," Sanford wrote. "Now I have been priced out and will not be able to afford the plans you offer. But, I get to pay $95 and up for not having health insurance. I am so incredibly disappointed and saddened. You majorly screwed up."

In response, a HealthplanFinder posting tried to direct Sanford to a broker for help.

"Jessica, we are very sad and disappointed that the tax credit miscalculation affected you so heavily," the comment read, suggesting she try to find a new plan on the site. Sanford responded on Facebook the issue was affordability.

Bethany Frey, a spokeswoman for Washington HealthPlanFinder told CNN on Monday night, "I'm already looking into this with our client specialist team. I'll let you know what I hear."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.co...tory-frustrated-by-sign-up-process/?hpt=hp_t1

If she is self-employed, the cost of the insurance plan is tax deductible against income. She is looking at $100 savings a month plus she can setup an HSA that will shield additional income. Her state may not have enough competition to bring her rates down. The government provides subsidies to keep the costs within 3-6 percent of income. As a court reporter, she is making enough to keep her healthcare within that range.


If you are self-employed, you may be eligible to deduct premiums that you pay for medical, dental and qualifying long-term care insurance coverage for yourself, your spouse and your dependents. This health insurance write-off is entered on page 1 of Form 1040, which means you benefit whether or not you itemize your deductions. Unlike an itemized deduction, this deduction treatment is beneficial because it lowers your adjusted gross income (AGI). Having lower AGI can reduce the odds that you’ll be affected by unfavorable phase-out rules that can cut back or eliminate various tax breaks. Keep in mind that this deduction treatment also means you can’t deduct the premiums when you calculate your self-employment tax liability.

If she was a W-2 for a company, they would have been mandated to provide coverage. These manufactured sob stories need to state what percentage of their income is going towards healthcare. If she loses this high income job as a court reporter that exceed six figures, she can get on Medicaid or be eligible for subsidies if her income drops for her next position.

I heard this sob story on corporate media, so I knew it was slanted to malign the law. Businesses don't like the mandate to provide coverage when they have 50 employees or more, they are using the media outlets they control to attack the law to influence voters.

 

[thoughtone]

The law just went into effect, so the "points" you have made on the board over the years have come from third person information?

Obamacare has been in effect since 2010 and will be in effect longer than the Tea Party.

 

[thoughtone]

Re: Woman cited by President as Obamacare success story frustrated by sign up process

Woman cited by President as Obamacare success story frustrated by sign up process
Posted by CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta
Updated 1:20 a.m. ET, 11/19/2013

(CNN)– Washington state resident Jessica Sanford was bursting with pride when President Obama mentioned her story during a Rose Garden event on health care reform last month at the White House.

"Who wouldn't?" Sanford asks. "I'm a nobody really to have him mention my story."

Back in October, Sanford had written a letter to the White House to share her good news. The 48-year-old single mother of a teenage son diagnosed with ADHD had just purchased what she considered to be affordable insurance on the Washington state exchange.

"I was ecstatic. I couldn't wait to call the doctor for an appointment on January 2nd," Sanford told CNN about the feeling she had when she first enrolled.

Her heartfelt letter made it to the President's hands and then into his October 21 speech.

"'I was crying the other day when I signed up. So much stress lifted.'" Obama said, reading from Sanford's letter.

The president said Sanford's story was proof, despite the technical problems with the healthcare.gov website, that the Affordable Care Act was working.

"That's what the Affordable Care Act is all about. The point is, the essence of the law - the health insurance that's available to people - is working just fine," Obama said.

But then, after Obama mentioned her story, Sanford started having problems. Sanford said she received another letter informing her the Washington state health exchange had miscalculated her eligibility for a tax credit.

In other words, her monthly insurance bill had shot up from $198 a month (she had initially said $169 a month to the White House but she switched plans) to $280 a month for the same "gold" plan offered by the state exchange.

Sanford said she was frustrated with the state's error. But she decided to purchase the new plan and thought everything was fine.

It wasn't fine. Last week, Sanford received another letter from the Washington state exchange, stating there had been another problem, a "system error" that resulted in some "applicants to qualify for higher than allowed health insurance premium tax credits."

The letter said the state exchange was "disappointed to have discovered this issue" and apologized.

The result was a higher quote, which Sanford said was for $390 per month for a "silver" plan with a higher deductible. Still too expensive

A cheaper "bronze" plan, Sanford said, came in at $324 per month, but also with a high deductible - also not in her budget.

Then another letter from the state exchange with even worse news.

"Your household has been determined eligible for a Federal Tax Credit of $0.00 to help cover the cost of your monthly health insurance premium payments," the latest letter said.

"I had a good cry," Sanford said about her reaction to the latest news from the state.

As a self-employed court reporter, the new quote was simply out of her range.

"This is it. I'm not getting insurance," Sanford told CNN. "That's where it stands right now unless they fix it."

Sanford, an Obama supporter who voted for the president twice, is careful to say she blames the state of Washington's online marketplace for the mixed signals and not the White House.

She is sorry Obama mentioned her during the October 21 speech.

"I feel awful about it. I support (the Affordable Care Act)," Sanford said.

But the messy rollout in the other Washington, the nation's capital, was not far from her mind.

"What the hell? Why is it the same story as the federal government?" Sanford says in disgust with the Washington state exchange. "They didn't have it ready."

"They screwed up," she added.

Sanford reiterated her frustration in a post to the Washington HealthPlanFinder's Facebook page last Friday.

"Wow. You guys really screwed me over," Sanford wrote. "Now I have been priced out and will not be able to afford the plans you offer. But, I get to pay $95 and up for not having health insurance. I am so incredibly disappointed and saddened. You majorly screwed up."

In response, a HealthplanFinder posting tried to direct Sanford to a broker for help.

"Jessica, we are very sad and disappointed that the tax credit miscalculation affected you so heavily," the comment read, suggesting she try to find a new plan on the site. Sanford responded on Facebook the issue was affordability.

Bethany Frey, a spokeswoman for Washington HealthPlanFinder told CNN on Monday night, "I'm already looking into this with our client specialist team. I'll let you know what I hear."

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.co...tory-frustrated-by-sign-up-process/?hpt=hp_t1

Is CNN suppose to have less of a slant than Faux Snooze?

Waiting for the fact checkers!

 

[Greed]

Re: Woman cited by President as Obamacare success story frustrated by sign up process

Is CNN suppose to have less of a slant than Faux Snooze?

Waiting for the fact checkers!

So once again, anything not positive is instanly not legitimate.

What's wrong? Are there not enough direct quotes from Jessica Sanford to add validity to her experience? Is her saying she doesn't blame the White House not enough cover for you?

 

[Greed]

Re: Woman cited by President as Obamacare success story frustrated by sign up process

If she is self-employed, the cost of the insurance plan is tax deductible against income. She is looking at $100 savings a month plus she can setup an HSA that will shield additional income. Her state may not have enough competition to bring her rates down. The government provides subsidies to keep the costs within 3-6 percent of income. As a court reporter, she is making enough to keep her healthcare within that range.


If you are self-employed, you may be eligible to deduct premiums that you pay for medical, dental and qualifying long-term care insurance coverage for yourself, your spouse and your dependents. This health insurance write-off is entered on page 1 of Form 1040, which means you benefit whether or not you itemize your deductions. Unlike an itemized deduction, this deduction treatment is beneficial because it lowers your adjusted gross income (AGI). Having lower AGI can reduce the odds that you’ll be affected by unfavorable phase-out rules that can cut back or eliminate various tax breaks. Keep in mind that this deduction treatment also means you can’t deduct the premiums when you calculate your self-employment tax liability.

If she was a W-2 for a company, they would have been mandated to provide coverage. These manufactured sob stories need to state what percentage of their income is going towards healthcare. If she loses this high income job as a court reporter that exceed six figures, she can get on Medicaid or be eligible for subsidies if her income drops for her next position.

I heard this sob story on corporate media, so I knew it was slanted to malign the law. Businesses don't like the mandate to provide coverage when they have 50 employees or more, they are using the media outlets they control to attack the law to influence voters.

Why is it that every time one of these stories pop up you write it off as the person doesn't know how to use the website or the person doesn't know how to properly apply?

She was a supporter who's experience was vetted by the White House and had multiple contacts with her state officials who kept reassessing her information to eventually declare she was ineligible for a subsidy.

Why do you keep making excuses for a bad law?

 

[SPECTRE1]

Re: Woman cited by President as Obamacare success story frustrated by sign up process

Why is it that every time one of these stories pop up you write it off as the person doesn't know how to use the website or the person doesn't know how to properly apply?

She was a supporter who's experience was vetted by the White House and had multiple contacts with her state officials who kept reassessing her information to eventually declare she was ineligible for a subsidy.

Why do you keep making excuses for a bad law?

How come it was not reported that her health insurance premiums are tax deductible? Why did she not disclose what percentage of her income is going to health insurance premiums?

I want people to get the facts instead of being mislead by corporate media with half truths. I think the law increases capitalism in the insurance market by increasing choice and is the reason I support it. Previously, you had one or two health insurance companies that were posing as faux capitalism with a board of directors, shareholders, and the appearance of independent ownership from the government. Yeah the government did not run them, but they resembled a state run enterprise out of China, Cuba, or North Korea.

This is faux capitalism!!! Take this state run enterprise shit to North Korea or Cuba, it does not matter if you have independent ownership from the government. The end result is the government has to pass legislation to basically manage the company like a state run enterprise, because consumers and workers don't have choice in the marketplace. Many of these companies because of multiple mergers reduce the need of workers and set the wage, allowing them to make ridiculous profits.

The ACA beautifully balances power so that government and the private sector do not have complete control of our health care decisions.

 

[thoughtone]

Re: Woman cited by President as Obamacare success story frustrated by sign up process

So once again, anything not positive is instanly not legitimate.

What's wrong? Are there not enough direct quotes from Jessica Sanford to add validity to her experience? Is her saying she doesn't blame the White House not enough cover for you?

Like something so monumental will not have problems on it's launch.

You had less concern about government incompetence, in fact I can't even find one criticism on this board from you about Katrina and the Bush wars during the Bush years, which fundamentally changed the economy for the worse for the foreseeable future.

A month in to a web site roll out and you and the Tea Party (one in the same) have more negativity for it than you of your hypocritical Tea Party member's drug bust.

How convenient!