Halfway Through My Afordable Care Act Pregnancy

Read this story from a Mother-to-be and found it quite interesting.

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/10/pregnant-obamacare/410356/?utm_source=yahoo

Does anyone remember "I told you so"?

My spouse is 60 and HAD to sign up for Obama care. She took the "bronze" plan (3rd one down) and her premiums are $550.00/month. Before Obama care she was on a good plan that cost about $130.00/month. That S.O.B. lied to everyone and got the Dems to pass it in the middle of the night. I hope he has a C.V.A.

I can tell you with out a doubt, I didn't vote for it. I tried to warn everyone I knew, but no. This is exactly what happens when people are not smart enough to become educated voters. They believe everything they hear, hear only what they want to hear, and vote accordingly.

People who actually took some time, read the bill, or even the Cliff Notes version of the bill would have known exactly what the outcome would be. You know to quote Forrest Gump, "Stupid is as stupid does".

I also am not one to say I told you so, but yeah, I told you so, and at the top of my lungs to boot.

Mashie

I'm one to say "I told you so", but it's a very hollow victory.. and I get to say it far more often than I want to.

Patients are discovering just what that $5000 deductible actually means when it comes to accessing care, and people not being able to afford their bills that fall under their deductible is introducing a whole new level of anxiety and distress in our patients.

Doc

I'm not from the correct country to be fully up on 'Obamacare', but the up-front costs when needing to access care look enormous to me. Is the name 'Affordable Care Act' meant to be ironic?

Is the name 'Affordable Care Act' meant to be ironic?

No, it's meant to be political propaganda. As if calling it something nice will actually encourage people to think it's a good thing.

And...right about now we're due for someone in another country to tell us how great their socialized medicine is. 😃

Everyone needs to remember that the ACA was the presented to the government by the insurance companies.

No, it's meant to be political propaganda. As if calling it something nice will actually encourage people to think it's a good thing.

Oh believe me, Jimmy, I'm well familiar with that. With some people, think the exact opposite of the name and you are there or thereabouts.

Seriously, this is the first time I have seen the costs involved with Obamacare, and I am beginning to understand why it has been so controversial.

Finally, yes, in the UK we do have problems of our own with funding - and I'm not about to get into an argument over whose healthcare has the greatest financial issues - but I have become interested in understanding the differences.

DrZ - I too am really in no position to comment on this newly introduced heath care legislation...Sure I've read about it...along with valuable titbits of information afforded by members here...but it seems the implications are far reaching...more than many were led to believe I suspect...However it'll be interesting to see what the longer term results reveal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States

DrZ - I too am really in no position to comment on this newly introduced heath care legislation...Sure I've read about it...along with valuable titbits of information afforded by members here...but it seems the implications are far reaching...more than many were led to believe I suspect...However it'll be interesting to see what the longer term results reveal

Yes, I quite agree, Aussie. It was only my surprise over the costs that led me to post as an outsider. There are clearly some winners and losers in this scheme, and I really must go out of my way to read more about it. As you say, the implications seem far reaching, and I am not sure that everyone will understand the level of medical cover they actually have - or even if they have any cover at all...

That's all I want to say on this subject until I feel better informed and have done some calculations, but at least I can now begin to appreciate the arguments of Mashie and docinny45.

And don't forget, the ACA does not fully kick in until 2016. Sadly, Americans have not begun to suffer yet.

That's a very interesting article that provides some valuable insight into the US healthcare and thanks Curlyt66 for posting the link.

Like many of the Non US residents the complexity and nuances of the Affordable Care Act is lost on us. However I know that the cost of healthcare and the availability of affordable health insurance has long been an issue. An American friend has just recently had to pay over $450,000 dollars for a triple bypass ( coincidentally he almost did not survive ) and another friend has health insurance ( which they can only just afford) which frequently refuses to pay for medication prescribed by her family doctor. Recently chatting to a cousin of mine he told me that he was prescribed medication that would have cost $125 via his insurance but cost $25 dollars over the counter , go figure that one .

I'm extremely grateful for the NHS and the free healthcare afforded to us in the UK.

Recently chatting to a cousin of mine he told me that he was prescribed medication that would have cost $125 via his insurance but cost $25 dollars over the counter , go figure that one .

I had a similar experience before ACA/ObamaCare kicked in. I had a generic prescription that came out priced around $14 and change. My insurance at the time had a $35 co-pay. I was billed $35 for that $14 prescription. Had I known before they processed the prescription I could have requested they not file through my insurance but I did not know that would happen.

Those of us living in the United States are about to get it with both barrels come the new year. I know people who are grateful for ObamaCare but as folks are noting, the full force of the act has not kicked in. As federal subsidies dry up, insurance bills are going to soar. Here in New York we are losing the #3 insurance carrier because the subsidies are going away, they are not getting enough young people to enroll and they can only raise premiums so high. So they are getting out of the business. Back at the end of 2013, before the ACA kicked in, my company was notified that my insurance, which was a very good plan, was going up 34% due to ACA. The only real difference between the 2013 and 2014 coverage was that I would have had gynecological coverage if I were female. Otherwise there was no difference in my coverage. We switched to a cheaper platinum plan which has been okay for me but I am now getting hit with $35 co-pays for everything. A single doctor's visit now runs me around $105 in co-pays; office visit $35, in-office tests $35, lab for blood work $35). I used to pay $30 for everything before ACA.

RN1993, I appreciate and share your gratitude for the NHS here in the UK but I have to take you to task on the comment that it is free. Now I'm sure you don't mean it literally is free, zero cost, a gift to everyone but sadly that is the view taken by so many in the UK. It is absolutely not free and it is precisely that view that I believe puts such a massive strain on the NHS. Because people see it as "free" then there is an inflated sense of entitlement, people demand more and expect more. I absolutely HATE hearing the NHS described as free. It actually costs us all a lot of money, it costs the country a shit load of money and financially it is sinking into an abyss. Please, please don't propagate the myth that the NHS is free.

Rant over!

Please, please don't propagate the myth that the NHS is free.

Very well said. In fact, I couldn't have said it better myself. And that viewpoint is much better coming from someone like you who is actually living under that system.

That's the problem with the recent government interference into our health care here in the U.S. Too many people think that things like health care should be free. But they fail to comprehend that someone, somewhere is working hard to pay their ever-increasing taxes, and that those taxes are (in part) paying for their "free" health care. It's like any other government-run entitlement system. Once it's in place, people demand that it not be taken away, and also demand more and more from it each year. And it's all built on the backs of hard-working Americans that are forced to support the non-working masses who feel so entitled.

As Dozerman rightfully pointed out earlier, most, if not all the "bills" that actually make it to the floor of Congress are actually written by the exact people they are meant to regulate, so the horrors of the ACA should not be a shock to anyone lucid.....

We do have the finest government money (Lobbyists) can buy!

Here is all you need to know that the U,S. does not want government health care: the NHS in the U.K. is the WORLD'S third largest employer. Think about it, this is a fairly small country. The world's third largest employer? That size beauracracy is staggering.

the NHS in the U.K. is the WORLD'S third largest employer.

That is absolutely staggering to imagine. But it looks like they've slipped to 5th place now, displaced by Walmart and McDonalds!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_employers

Not that this has anything to do with anything, but I find it oddly humorous that the last four posters have all been boys in their undies. I love it just so you know.

Mashie

the last four posters have all been boys in their undies

We planned that just for you Mashie!

Thingsekg I must say that I'm quite disheartened by your comments about the NHS. As someone who has been employed by the NHS for the last 25 years and has seen the increase in bureaucracy and red tape introduced and propagated by the Conservatives , its this folly coupled with the Private Finance Initiative ( Conservatives and Labour) that has resulted in a NHS under serious financial crisis.

It is evident that the cost of healthcare has steadily been on the rise over the last few decades basically because of the lack of infrastructural development ( the majority of the District General Hospital (DGH) were built during WW II), increase in middle management cause by the introduction of the Internal Market ( another fiasco introduced by the Conservatives ) , the increase in the elderly population and their longevity , the increasing cost of medications , transport cost, procurement , equipment ( we recently raised over £100,000 to replace older equipment on the unit) , staff cost and the increase reliance of agency staff.

I know we pay for our healthcare, the 2015/16 NHS Budget was around £115.4 billion. It must be remembered the NHS was launched in 1948. It was born out of a long-held ideal that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth – a principle that remains at its core. With the exception of some charges, such as prescriptions and optical and dental services, the NHS in England remains free at the point of use for anyone who is a UK resident. That is currently more than 64.1 million people in the UK and 53.9 million people in England alone.

Funding for the NHS comes directly from taxation. Since the NHS transformation in 2013 the NHS payment system has become underpinned by legislation. The Health & Social Care Act 2012 moves responsibility for pricing from the Department of Health, to a shared responsibility for NHS England and Monitor.

I would not mind paying more taxes to keep the NHS free at source, and having spoken to a multitude of people over the years ( including, Drs, Nurses,Physios, other disciplines allied to medicine, Patients, Relatives etc) so would they , if the Politicians could guarantee that it would go directly into the NHS.

If you have ever lived outside of the UK ( I have) and observe at close hand how fortunate we are with regards to access to healthcare, medicines etc . Its not perfect by any means of the imagination and believe me when I say I do understand the pitfalls , I see them each and everyday.

Thingsekg I do understand and appreciate your point of view, its not that I have rose tinted glasses on, its not perfect far from it but I have invested more than half of my adult life in the NHS and am passionate about it. I enjoy my work and take pride that I deliver a very high standard of care that is free to those that need it .

Everyone needs to remember that the ACA was the presented to the government by the insurance companies.

Ah yes, the entity that RULES the world, at least the USA, the insurance companies, which your congress is in bed with. Did i mention 300 Billion in clear profits. (Yes that is billion with a 'b' )

Actually, it was NOT written by the insurance companies and presented to the congress. Not even a little bit. That does make a good story, though.

TO Jimmy Johnson, I am going to tell you exactly what you told me the other day. "Jimmy, have I told you lately that I love just about every word you have said lately"? LOL

TO RN1993, I am not educated on your NHS to speak about it one way or another. But I just wanted to stop and say that I greatly appreciate your passion and dedication to a system that has provided you a good and honest living. You stand behind your NHS and you believe in it. I admire you standing up for, and defending what you honestly believe in. That shows a whole lot of integrity, in which I greatly respect you for.

Mashie

I have several friends who are executive's in the industry that claim that if it weren't for the ACA, and the trade offs such as narrowing networks, etc. Health insurance was going to become unaffordable. The insurance industry is the only group that has not complained about the ACA. They are the ones that laid the foundation for the ACA, not congress.

RN1993, firstly I appreciate and admire your passion and dedication to your work and I am deeply thankful for the work that you and thousands of your colleagues do every day. I have friends and family who work or have worked for many years in the NHS and I too work within the public sector, so I know the struggle there is with budgets and funding cuts at the moment. That said, I stand by my comments about the way the NHS is talked about as being free (I note your last point says "free at the point of use", which is a bit different and much more accurate, in that you are not presented with a bill after a medical visit). My point was that the media and politicians like to call the NHS "free" and this is, I believe, a dangerous notion to peddle as people fail to see the true cost and take far too much, too readily, from this great "freebie". Politicians of all flavours have done their bit to the NHS, not just the Conservatives. In fact, I don't believe there is a politician out there who is capable of stopping the NHS' slide into further funding shortfall. Braver decisions than any politician relying on votes would ever make are probably required. I don't know what the answers are but something needs to be done and I only see paralysis instead of genuine solutions from government.

Regardless of my opinion, it does not take away from my admiration of the staff at the heart of the NHS.

Read the the various excellent comments on this topic - and was prompted to read the original article. Hard to be succinct since as with most aspects here are multiple with interactive factors. Having worked in both NHS and private practice can see the various influences which then determine treatment pathways.

With regard to the article. Many of the procedures carried out would be regarded in the UK as somewhat redundant, particularly when being repeated at intervals much shorter than recommended by the appropriate bodies. Perhaps this carries on the statistically verified tendency over-treat in the US. Particularly true in surgical interventions and testing. Are financial incentives? fear of legislation? genuine concern? At the root of this - impossible to be certain. As with the first days of the NHS the politicians were dependent and very much influenced by their medical advisers. It didn't take long to realise the patient wasn't benefiting and very many restrictions then introduced.

Perhaps the pendulum doesn't stop in the middle. Now in the NHS, cost considerations have become predominant - particularly so in staffing. As a result the quality of care, particularly for minor procedures, is plummeting. Although if you are seriously ill, it is a fantastic place to be and you will not be bankrupted by wishing to survive. Ultimately all this is about politics and political philosophy and not actually about medical care. I am somewhat saddened.

Absolutely, Newton. It is all about politics and control of citizen's lives. It is not and has never been about health care. Health care is simply window dressing because it gives it the appearance of a humanitarian project. Reagan made a speech about that exact topic in 1961. This fact may not have been true in the U.K.when the NHS was launched but it was definitely true of the ACA in the U.S.