4 ms·

I’m not sure if I agree with your experience, in New York City Obamacare plans are horrendously bad, The coverage comes nowhere near to the crappiest employer p

I’m not sure if I agree with your experience, in New York City Obamacare plans are horrendously bad, The coverage comes nowhere near to the crappiest employer plan. I had to hire a Nigerian kid to just call the doctors listed on Obamacare website which accepted the silver plan, and about only 40% of the doctors really did (this was for a delivery). $1400 per month for a mother and a child. I currently pay $1400 per month for coverage in all the US through open access for a full family of four (because I live in a place where Obamacare isn’t applicable so the prices are relatively dirt cheap and allows special deals with mainland insurers to get that coverage most mainlanders don’t get).

cyberlurker 5y ago
The price is probably similar to what the employer pays. It just gets hidden because everyone only pays attention to what comes out of their paycheck. I know a past employer paid $2000 for me per pay period. Health insurance is bullshit obviously. the costs are hidden and definitely suppress what our wages could be. A government solution would be hard pressed to be worse.
- splintercell 5y ago
  I don't think anyone really thinks that health insurance plans cost $200 vs individual plans being $1400. Just the implication is ridiculous. Our problem wasn't the price, but the coverage. I know my BIL pays $2200 (total, including what his employer pays) and gets excellent plan for him and his wife, whereas us paying $1400 (and this was the same case with the more expensive plans too, coverage didn't change a bit, any doctor who accepted gold, accepted silver too). My point is, (speaking strictly from a consumer POV) whatever is the reason, the NYC doctors just didn't take Obamacare plans, period.
  - cyberlurker 5y ago
    Oh this is true of insurance everywhere but especially in NYC. Dental, Vision, legal, whatever. Every time (in NYC) I tried to make use of insurance I had limited choices and they were often bad. In other parts of the country I’ve had more success using insurance.
    - splintercell 5y ago
      > Oh this is true of insurance everywhere Oh come on, I am comparing apples to apples (my last insurance, and my BIL's current insurance). But that's fine, I see why the mental gymnastics are being played here.
boppo1 5y ago
> hire a Nigerian kid to just call the doctors listed on Obamacare website which accepted the silver plan How much did this cost? How did you find/arrange it? This is fascinating. When selecting my healthcare I remember wishing I had the time to make so many calls and then just gambled with an educated guess.
- splintercell 5y ago
  I paid him the US minimum wage and that was a bit too much for him for very little work, kinda spoiled him a bit. I think I paid around $200.
  - boppo1 5y ago
    How did you find him? An upwork-like platform? Personal connections? How did you vet for english ability/reliability? I suppose my fascination is that this seems like a 'platonic' example of globalism in action. But in my mental model of globalism, the ability to engage with its benefits are an exponential function of ability to spend public-company amounts of money.

cyberlurker 5y ago

The price is probably similar to what the employer pays. It just gets hidden because everyone only pays attention to what comes out of their paycheck. I know a past employer paid $2000 for me per pay period. Health insurance is bullshit obviously. the costs are hidden and definitely suppress what our wages could be. A government solution would be hard pressed to be worse.

splintercell 5y ago
I don't think anyone really thinks that health insurance plans cost $200 vs individual plans being $1400. Just the implication is ridiculous. Our problem wasn't the price, but the coverage. I know my BIL pays $2200 (total, including what his employer pays) and gets excellent plan for him and his wife, whereas us paying $1400 (and this was the same case with the more expensive plans too, coverage didn't change a bit, any doctor who accepted gold, accepted silver too). My point is, (speaking strictly from a consumer POV) whatever is the reason, the NYC doctors just didn't take Obamacare plans, period.
- cyberlurker 5y ago
  Oh this is true of insurance everywhere but especially in NYC. Dental, Vision, legal, whatever. Every time (in NYC) I tried to make use of insurance I had limited choices and they were often bad. In other parts of the country I’ve had more success using insurance.
  - splintercell 5y ago
    > Oh this is true of insurance everywhere Oh come on, I am comparing apples to apples (my last insurance, and my BIL's current insurance). But that's fine, I see why the mental gymnastics are being played here.

boppo1 5y ago

> hire a Nigerian kid to just call the doctors listed on Obamacare website which accepted the silver plan How much did this cost? How did you find/arrange it? This is fascinating. When selecting my healthcare I remember wishing I had the time to make so many calls and then just gambled with an educated guess.

splintercell 5y ago
I paid him the US minimum wage and that was a bit too much for him for very little work, kinda spoiled him a bit. I think I paid around $200.
- boppo1 5y ago
  How did you find him? An upwork-like platform? Personal connections? How did you vet for english ability/reliability? I suppose my fascination is that this seems like a 'platonic' example of globalism in action. But in my mental model of globalism, the ability to engage with its benefits are an exponential function of ability to spend public-company amounts of money.