4 ms·

That's nonsense. All of the previous ways to sign up for health insurance are still around, and the policies that were cancelled basically didn't give any cove

by d23 13y ago

That's nonsense. All of the previous ways to sign up for health insurance are still around, and the policies that were cancelled basically didn't give any coverage anyway (that is, they didn't cover medication or hospital visits and allowed insurance companies to drop the owners of those policies at any time).

Estragon 13y ago
It's more complex than that. For instance, I was on student health insurance which (a) jumped substantially in price and (b) required upfront payment of 12 months of premiums, with no possibility of reimbursement if something better coming along. Since I'm expecting things to be significantly cheaper under the new regime, I've taken interim insurance, which ends (i.e., product will no longer exist) on January 1. It's been a huge hassle, and it will be an even bigger one if I can't arrange ongoing coverage after that.
zaroth 13y ago
What's nonsense is to claim "the policies that were cancelled basically didn't give any coverage anyway." The ACA added several minimum requirements to private insurance plans, such as maternity and prescription drug coverage, which people could reasonably choose to forgo in exchange for the lower premiums. FYI, not having "prescription drug coverage" does not mean insurance does not cover any medication. It is a pharmacy benefit, in other words, over-the-counter medication. In my personal experience, I pay significantly less without the coverage than with it. I also don't have to worry about formularies, prior authorization, or generic swap-outs. To give you a specific example, in 2013 I paid $107/mo for a private individual policy with a $2,700 deductible, $5,250 max out-of-pocket (inclusive of the deductible) and unlimited lifetime benefits. Next year under ACA I'll be paying $283/mo for a policy with a $4,500 deductible and $6,350 max out-of-pocket (inclusive of the deductible) and unlimited lifetime benefits. The most important clause in the ACA is limiting the rating factor due to age to a maximum of 3x. That clause alone makes it the single largest tax increase ever passed on young middle class families with children. By my estimates, it will cost families like mine about $50,000 in increased insurance premiums over the next 10 years, because the least we can now pay is 1/3rd the rate of unhealthy 64 year-olds.
- quesera 13y ago
  > FYI, not having "prescription drug coverage" does not mean insurance does not cover any medication. It is a pharmacy benefit, in other words, over-the-counter medication. Am I parsing that incorrectly? "Prescription drug coverage" has always covered prescription drugs, in my experience. I've never had a policy that would (to my knowledge) cover OTC meds.
  - zaroth 13y ago
    Too late to edit my original post, but as you suspect, I'm trying to differentiate between prescription drugs like birth control, anti-depressants, statins, etc. which you buy at a pharmacy with a prescription, and medication administered in an inpatient/outpatient setting, which is also prescribed of course, but covered by the medical benefit not the pharmacy benefit.

by d23 13y ago

Estragon 13y ago

It's more complex than that. For instance, I was on student health insurance which (a) jumped substantially in price and (b) required upfront payment of 12 months of premiums, with no possibility of reimbursement if something better coming along. Since I'm expecting things to be significantly cheaper under the new regime, I've taken interim insurance, which ends (i.e., product will no longer exist) on January 1. It's been a huge hassle, and it will be an even bigger one if I can't arrange ongoing coverage after that.

zaroth 13y ago

What's nonsense is to claim "the policies that were cancelled basically didn't give any coverage anyway." The ACA added several minimum requirements to private insurance plans, such as maternity and prescription drug coverage, which people could reasonably choose to forgo in exchange for the lower premiums. FYI, not having "prescription drug coverage" does not mean insurance does not cover any medication. It is a pharmacy benefit, in other words, over-the-counter medication. In my personal experience, I pay significantly less without the coverage than with it. I also don't have to worry about formularies, prior authorization, or generic swap-outs. To give you a specific example, in 2013 I paid $107/mo for a private individual policy with a $2,700 deductible, $5,250 max out-of-pocket (inclusive of the deductible) and unlimited lifetime benefits. Next year under ACA I'll be paying $283/mo for a policy with a $4,500 deductible and $6,350 max out-of-pocket (inclusive of the deductible) and unlimited lifetime benefits. The most important clause in the ACA is limiting the rating factor due to age to a maximum of 3x. That clause alone makes it the single largest tax increase ever passed on young middle class families with children. By my estimates, it will cost families like mine about $50,000 in increased insurance premiums over the next 10 years, because the least we can now pay is 1/3rd the rate of unhealthy 64 year-olds.

quesera 13y ago
> FYI, not having "prescription drug coverage" does not mean insurance does not cover any medication. It is a pharmacy benefit, in other words, over-the-counter medication. Am I parsing that incorrectly? "Prescription drug coverage" has always covered prescription drugs, in my experience. I've never had a policy that would (to my knowledge) cover OTC meds.
- zaroth 13y ago
  Too late to edit my original post, but as you suspect, I'm trying to differentiate between prescription drugs like birth control, anti-depressants, statins, etc. which you buy at a pharmacy with a prescription, and medication administered in an inpatient/outpatient setting, which is also prescribed of course, but covered by the medical benefit not the pharmacy benefit.