4 ms·

If you'd said "most" I wouldn't have responded, but since you said, 'all': My out of pocket expenses are drastically up; the smallest deductible I can get now i

If you'd said "most" I wouldn't have responded, but since you said, 'all': My out of pocket expenses are drastically up; the smallest deductible I can get now is $3,000 (after that, it's covered at 80%). I'd have to see the doctor > 120 times a year for my overall healthcare costs to be anywhere close to what they used to be, and that's exclusive of premiums (~6x what they used to be) and drugs (haven't checked lately, but last time I looked, they were around that same multiple).

bduerst 10y ago
I think you've confused your out of pocket with deductible, and misunderstood what type of plan you should be on. You should only focus on a low-deductible plan if you know you're going to be in and out of the hospital (e.g. elderly, chronic, etc.). I also don't think you know what your out of pocket maximum is now compared to what it was before.
- eric_the_read 10y ago
  I have a deductible of $3,000. If I spent it all on doctor's visits (that is the vast majority of my medical expenses), I'd have to visit the doctor 120+ times to make it cheaper to have a $3,000 deductible than a $25 copay for doctor's visits. My out of pocket is quite a bit higher than that $3,000 deductible. You're correct that I don't know the difference in out of pocket maximums, but I do know it's a great deal higher than it used to be. As for "what type of plan I should be on", I really don't have a choice. My employer offers what amounts to basically the same plan through two different insurers, and the main difference seems to be which doctors are on which insurer's network, so in practice, it doesn't matter which one I pick-- the out of pockets maximums are broadly similar, and the deductibles are identical.
- eric_the_read 10y ago
  Another point to consider: my out of pocket maximum might be lower (it's not, but let's assume it is), but so much less is covered now than before. I used to have a copay for doctor's visits, ranging from $20 to $30 depending on my employer at the time. So if I was visiting the doctor say, a dozen times per year (including wife and kids), I was paying $100/mo + $30/visit = $1,580/yr just accounting for doctor's office visits. At $300/mo and $140/visit (average; higher if tests are performed), that's $5,280 in out of pocket costs for doctor's office visits. And that's not counting specialists-- my daughter had a heart defect at birth, so now she has to see a cardiologist every other year, which has the happy(?) benefit of pretty much eating up my entire deductible in one fell swoop right there; before the ACA, I paid $50 for a specialist visit and maybe a few hundred extra depending on which tests that particular specialist ordered.

bduerst 10y ago

I think you've confused your out of pocket with deductible, and misunderstood what type of plan you should be on. You should only focus on a low-deductible plan if you know you're going to be in and out of the hospital (e.g. elderly, chronic, etc.). I also don't think you know what your out of pocket maximum is now compared to what it was before.

eric_the_read 10y ago
I have a deductible of $3,000. If I spent it all on doctor's visits (that is the vast majority of my medical expenses), I'd have to visit the doctor 120+ times to make it cheaper to have a $3,000 deductible than a $25 copay for doctor's visits. My out of pocket is quite a bit higher than that $3,000 deductible. You're correct that I don't know the difference in out of pocket maximums, but I do know it's a great deal higher than it used to be. As for "what type of plan I should be on", I really don't have a choice. My employer offers what amounts to basically the same plan through two different insurers, and the main difference seems to be which doctors are on which insurer's network, so in practice, it doesn't matter which one I pick-- the out of pockets maximums are broadly similar, and the deductibles are identical.
eric_the_read 10y ago
Another point to consider: my out of pocket maximum might be lower (it's not, but let's assume it is), but so much less is covered now than before. I used to have a copay for doctor's visits, ranging from $20 to $30 depending on my employer at the time. So if I was visiting the doctor say, a dozen times per year (including wife and kids), I was paying $100/mo + $30/visit = $1,580/yr just accounting for doctor's office visits. At $300/mo and $140/visit (average; higher if tests are performed), that's $5,280 in out of pocket costs for doctor's office visits. And that's not counting specialists-- my daughter had a heart defect at birth, so now she has to see a cardiologist every other year, which has the happy(?) benefit of pretty much eating up my entire deductible in one fell swoop right there; before the ACA, I paid $50 for a specialist visit and maybe a few hundred extra depending on which tests that particular specialist ordered.