Anyone else getting screwed on health insurance?

[edg1967]

I'm wondering who else out there is getting screwed over on their health insurance. I have no idea how they can use the term "affordable" in the title Affordable Care Act. I just got my renewal notice for 2016. Our premium with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Minnesota took a 63% increase which equates to $590 more per month than it did this past year. They also increased our deductible about $500. Since the ACA implementation, our insurance has doubled and will be costing us over $23000.00 next year when I factor in a $4000 deductible on top of our $1600/month premium. I own my own business (resort) and am self employed, my wife is a self-employed contract mortgage underwriter. Both are full-time jobs, so having another full-time job that provides benefits isn't an option. Where we live, part-time positions are generally $8-12/hour and offer no benefits. It's almost to the point that I'm going to have to sell my business to get a full-time job that offers benefits in order to cover our health care costs.

We could raise our deductible, but with the new programs our options are limited. The higher deductible will lower our monthly premium, but if we have a lot of doctor visits or a surgery we will meet the deductible and the total overall cost will be about the same. Even though our two kids (1 & 4) are pretty healthy, there are almost always an unplanned visit to the doctor or ER when the clinic or Urgent Care isn't open. My wife may potentially need knee surgery this winter so the higher deductible will be reached with that anyway. We can enter into the MNSure marketplace to determine if we get a subsidy, but the way the system works in MN once we hit the "Submit" button we have to take what they give us. Which could potentially mean that the kids would be placed on medical assistance and only be able to go to a doctor or specialist that accepts medical assistance payments...that's not an option as far as I'm concerned.

I am so frustrated by this I can hardly see straight!

 

[good2eat]

I told those in favor of ObamaCare from the start, watch what you wish for......guess the "chickens are coming home to roost". Unfortunately no help in sight and your premiums will continue to increase significantly into the future (and/or your coverage will necessarily have to decrease).

You ain't seen nothin' yet....

 

[dotman]

In time you will see employers drop medical. Our premiums and deductibles jumped as well. Yes still cheaper today but big business will realize the savings eventually and we all will be on Obamacare, sucks ass!

 

[Elkfitness]

I think a single payer system is/was their goal all along.

 

[Shrek]

We are on a fast track to Medicare for all. A single payer system is on the way. We can't spend 18+% of GDP and survive as a country. What is and has to come is universal healthcare but it will be low quality for the poor and the wealthy will buy supplemental golden care. There will be "Medicaid" gap insurance for the poor. I normally would be opposed to a big government solution but there isn't really a functioning market for healthcare service. I can't understand what I really need nor can I competently shop for services. There isn't any easy or good solution. It won't be pretty ! Jmo

 

[edg1967]

According to my agent, BC/BS lost $330 million last year on the current system. I don't know if those were actual losses or just on paper. I doubt any execs took a pay cut. At the same time, doctors & hospitals made 40% profit...not sure where that figure came from. One carrier will not even write policies in our area of the state because of their losses last year.

And I'm from the state represented by Stuart Smally who cast the deciding vote for this garbage.

 

[Ironman8]

When you have a very large percentage of the population already not paying for healthcare, the difference has to be made up somehow...unfortunately it's hard-working people like you, me, and the rest of the members here that are left footing the bill. Hospitals, Dr.s, and Insurance Cos. are going to get theirs one way or another...at our expense. And those who say that the plan all along was to have everyone on .gov healthcare, are absolutely right, it's definitely heading that way.

 

[Carlin59]

As a healthcare management professional, I absolutely believe that we are moving toward a single-payer system, and that this was the intent of the PPACA (Obamacare) from the beginning. If executed properly it *could* (read: doubtful) save on the overall cost of healthcare as a nation eventually, but plan on the trend of increasing cost for reduced care continuing for quite some time. Ironically, the OP's home state of MN has one of the better public assistance healthcare programs in the country, but since he and his wife workhard to make a living they have to struggle to pay for their own medical care.

 

[mtswampfox]

seems as tho a certain political party warned this was all a big joke,

 

[5MilesBack]

The "affordable" part was only for the few million uninsured folks that are now on Medicare thanks to Obamacare. For everyone else (i.e. 97% of the population), it's become the "unaffordable" act.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Mine is increasing a little more than 50% this year. Haven't used it in several years, but it's due to rising costs.....

 

[Blackcow]

Don't even get me started!

 

[jwb300]

That is un-freaking-believably expensive!

 

[Dukejb]

I think a single payer system is/was their goal all along.

Exactly. The system was broken, but not so badly that most people would support single payer yet. So the purpose of the ACA was to create such a giant mess that single payer would look more palatable by comparison. It is the very definition of a long con.

 

[beachbunny]

sure. the president of the us said if i liked my plan i could keep it.
i liked it.
then they dropped me.
so yeah..

 

[Mike21]

Obamas elitist architect of "free" health care Jonathan Gruber said. "In terms of risk rated subsidies, if you had a law which said that healthy people are going to pay in, you made explicit healthy people pay in and sick people get money, it would not have passed. Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage. And basically, call it the stupidity of the American voter or whatever, but basically that was really really critical to get for the thing to pass. Look, I wish Mark was right that we could make it all transparent, but I’d rather have this law than not."

And since your a business owner remember Obama said "If you've got a business—you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.

 

[Laelkhunter]

The "Affordable Healthcare Act" is affordable only to the freeloaders that are sucking the life out of this Country. Everyone else that works for a living is paying for them. Along with the EBT, free phones, etc plus borrowing Trillions from China to "give away" to people to buy their votes. Oh well, I have to go to work (my 2nd job) to help pay for my Healthcare. Good luck to all, and get out and vote next November

 

[littlebrotherC]

Check out Christian Healthcare Ministries. It's a coop and it counts as far as not getting penalized. It's a great solution to the problem for my wife and I.

 

[MuleyFever]

Just my .02 but rising health care costs were a problem before the ACA. My insurance doubled over a 3 year period before the ACA. Anticipation of the ACA may have helped raise cost, I dont know. A health care system that values profit over all else is a big part of the problem.

 

[-bowfreak-]

Sorry for the situation you are in edg1967. I truly hate it. Unfortunately....elections have consequences.