Thanksgiving is the time we reflect on what we’re thankful for. As it happens, this is also open enrollment season for the Affordable Care Act. Embracing the spirit of both events, I’m thankful for access to quality, affordable healthcare and for my son’s health.
At age 22 and recently out of college, my son became critically ill. Having to undergo major abdominal surgery, fortunately he had health coverage. If he were uncovered, he would not have been able to cover the $10,000 in medical bills on his own. Early on, the State of Maryland adopted legislation that allowed young adults to remain on their parents’ insurance until age 26. It’s a blessing our family is still grateful for. Since its passage, the Affordable Care Act made it mandatory for all states to adopt this provision, allowing young people, like my son, to have affordable healthcare.
Healthcare access is important for everyone. Life can change in the blink of an eye. While most people don’t like to think about it, disability can happen to anyone, at any time. In fact, 1-in-4 young people in their 20s will become disabled before reaching retirement age. Another issue that negatively impacts uninsured young adults is unpaid medical debt, which is the largest contributing factor to negative credit reports. Don’t run the risk of accruing significant medical debt and ruining your credit. Through the Affordable Care Act, you now have the ability to get affordable coverage. In fact, 8 out of 10 individuals potentially qualify for financial assistance. So, don’t take the risk of remaining uncovered.
If you are in need of health coverage or know someone who needs health coverage, I encourage you to visit HealthCare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 for more information. Access to quality healthcare has a positive impact on health outcomes. #GetCovered for your sake and your parents’ as well, they will be thankful.
I need health Insurance coverage
I have medical insurance; might as well not. With the high premiums and deductibles the only thing I can use is the Dr. copay office visit. I can not afford to pay for treatment, tests, etc. which I have to do until the deductible is met. Prior to the Affordable Care Act I could at least get treatment and tests with a small copay. The insurance companies are the only ones who benefit from this law! They have squeezed all the blood they can out of this turnip
It sounds like your employer is just taking advantage of the ACA to change your health Plan to something that will benefit THEM financially. ACA did not change my benefits at all. I’ve talked to a good many people that the ACA helped…gave them good coverage at an affordable price at a time in their life that they needed it most.
This is absolutely false. My wife had good coverage that went away, which Obama said would not happen. The insurance we could get through the marketplace was completely useless. Thank God we are now both on Medicare. The entire country needs single payer health care.
http://www.governing.com/gov-data/State-Health-Insurance-Exchanges-federal-grants.html
Check this website out to better understand why your ACA may be too expensive. It has a lot to do with how your state set up exchanges or not.
jose, IF you are on medicare, you are eligible for HUMANA PPO insurance which is a COMBO of medicare + humana … NOT 2 plans; 1 plan.
it’s $43/month for single plan! the extra amount SS pays medicare is around $100 which HUMANA RECEIVES THAT AMOUNT.
extremely affordable! meds also until you hit the DONUT HOLE!
late husband and i were paying $1200/month for bcbs; it went up another $500/month; I DROPPED IT PROMPTLY.
glad i was able to hear about this company; well satisfied.
having my 1st major surgery next wed. replacing my knee; so i’ll see how well they pay on that one!
good luck. MAIL ORDER MEDS were a big problem for 1st 4 months; ordered; they wouldn’t come on time; lost, etc.
finally straightened out; come quickly now!
bettyg, iowa
Hi Jose ! Open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act started on November 1st and it runs through January 31, 2016. Check out HealthCare.gov for quality and affordable health coverage. To start the new year with coverage, individuals must sign up by December 15, 2015.
Why should he bother to check out anything? It’s mostly crap!
Jose,
There are so many choices I got tired of trying to compare and just went with a well known companies most reasonable priced plan in order to be covered. Will take more time to do more plan research for possible less expensive plan. You change change plans annually if you want to.
For one I can’t believe the SSA is doing Obama Bidding. This story has so many pitfalls. If these people have jobs then they are probably paying at least $800 a month for their ObamaCare which only pays 70% of the $10,000 AFTER they have paid their $12,000 deductible. So if they had no medical bills yet then they are liable for the entire $10,000.
A question like that tells you how much our public officials are out of reality of what the American public think and feel about what is going on. If they were they wouldn’t ask such a stupid question.
Since we don’t know what state you’re in, how familiar you are with your state’s ACA website (if your state even participates; if not, then the gouging has nothing to do with Obamacare), it’s hard to determine whether you’re serious or just taking potshots based on what you’ve heard from detractors. The only policies with a deductible that high are the HSAs, which only cover catastrophic coverage. You’re supposed to “ssve” your own money to pay for routine care, doctor visits, and basically everything else. HSAs were the brainchild of former President Bush, started right around the same time as the rhetoric about everyone “taking care of him/herself” began to be bandied about in Congress. Employers loved the idea; it relieved them of the costs of providing health insurance for their employees. I’ve helped literally dozens of friends find really good, solid coverage through the Marketplace, all of them people who complained all last year about how they were getting screwed because of Obamacare, when the truth was they just hadn’t taken the time to actually THINK about what they were doing when they signed up. You are 100% incorrect when you say these policies only cover 70%, have $12000 deductibles and over $800 a month premiums. I imagine you could find one like that, but it’s simply false that this is representative of the average Marketplace health insurance plan. Further, there’s no excuse for anyone to gripe about what’s not covered; it’s ALL on there, categorized and itemized, and you can even compare plans you’re interested in side by side. Many, many plans have ZERO deductible and very low copsys; these have monthly premiums of $438, or as low as $315 if you qualify for the reduction. You’re wrong about that too – if you’re single and make $46,680 (it will be higher this year) or a family and make $127880 or less you DO get the premium reduction. I know you’re wrong because I have my laptop opend to the site now and I’m looking at it. The plan I’m referring to is one of dozens of Kaiser plans; they have some HSA plans, some with deductibles, etc. So much for the argument about “too many choices” and only going for the “big names.” The only problem people are having is their own lack of knowledge or just plain laziness when it comes to doing the (minimal) work it takes to find the plan that works for them. That’s certainly not Obama’s fault, it’s theirs.
SSA doing “Obama’s bidding”? What does that mean? You do know that CONGRESS is in charge of appropriations and drafting legislation, right? Neither is an executive branch function, even if the Chief Exec can submit a budget–Congress has to approve it.
ACA was mostly written by and for the health insurers. You can thank Prez Obama, the Congress that refused to even CONSIDER including a public optin OR considering adopting one of several ways of providing health care that other nations have used for years that provides better quality health care at a lower price then the US system does or did, and the health insurers.
Just like you can thank Bush II and that Congress for passing a Medicare “drug” bill that did not authorize Medicare to negotiate drug prices w/the pharmecutical industry–and so making sure that anyone in the US who needs any prescription medication is subsidizing hefty big pharma profits–and making their CEOs and other upper management, their boards and majority stockholders very happy & wealthy.
Health care coverage is important unless you are on COBRA. You see, if you miss your 8 month window because you are in treatment while on COBRA, you incur a 10% penalty for life! Welcome to Medicare! It should not matter who is paying the premium if the underlying coverage is exactly the same which it is.
I’m not thankful my healthcare premiums have doubled and the deductible has doubled. All the politicians did was put more money into corporations that fund their campaigns. The idea that Obamacare is free is the biggest lie told. Don’t believe me? Explain how your $6000 deductible is “free” healthcare even if govt subsidies fund your premiums. Oh, don’t have a minimum income? You’re dumped into state medicaid.
Who ever said it was going to be “free?” No one, certainly not Obama. More potshots.
I am glad affordable healthcare worked in your case, and your son as well. I haven’t been so lucky. My husband & I were both recently laid off from our jobs. I did call about healthcare. After divulging social security info and credit card detail, I was denied coverage. I was treated for a tumor less than five years ago. Reason for denial. Although I am fine, and expect no complications from the brain tumor that was removed, thankfully, still denial. I am concerned and scared to continue to look. What happens if I provide all information again, only to be denied again. Makes my husband & I prime targets for identity theft. My husband & I both take multiple prescriptions. The prescriptions are expensive. Without prescription coverage, the cost is substantial. Without jobs, well one can connect the dots.
If you had to provide credit card information you were NOT on the real Healthcare.gov website. You clicked on the wrong link and went to a phishing site. No ACA website. NONE, require a credit card number.
I should have been more clear regarding the credit card request. Upon talking to someone via telephone, and agreeing on a plan, credit card information was provided. There was an initial process, then verification. I was denied coverage upon verification process. This was done via phone. Again, I had shared credit card information and social security information, only to learn of denial. I won’t divulge credit card info, until I know insurance has been approved. Unfortunately, my husband & I are still without health insurance. Will I be denied again, because I was treated for a tumor within 5 years? What is done with all of the personal information received? Leaves vulnerability for identity theft. In no way am I saying this will happen, but I must admit it is all very scary to say the least.
You CANNOT be turned down for HEALTH insurance because of a preexisting condition! That is the cornerstone of the ACA. Life in d u rance and long term care, yes. But it’s now a little confusing as to what you’re problem actually is. You spoke with someone on the phone, I’m assuming it was an insurance broker. They are paid by insurance companies and will steer people towards products that make the highest commission for them regardless of whether or not it’s right for you. The only other people who work with people for health insurance are “navigstors,” their services are free and they are trained by the government on navigating the system to help you 1) see if you qualify for either Medicaid plans (if you’re low income), then 2) check to see if you qualify for a reduction in the premiums (most people fo), then 3) help you find a plan, sho we you how to compare and check to see what’s covered etc, and get you signed up. N I where in this process do you have to produce a credit card. Again, you were not dealing with anything affiliated with the ACA. I’m sorry this happened to you, and it makes me angry that the chiselers out there are getting away with robbing people blind because they know those people will blame Obamacare when the truth is they’ve been SCAMMED and just don’t know it!
I AM 86 YEARS OLD AND A RESIDENT OF MICHIGAN USA. NEED DENTAL AND HEARING-AID MEDICAL HELP. THOUGH I HAVE MEDICARE- ABD, AND MEDICAID BUT STILL NOT COVERED FOR THESE MEDICALLY OLD-AGE PROBLEMS.
Yes, and the ACA would not have covered this either.
I am not thankful for the affordable care act. All it has done is cost seniors. You can’t find a decent Advantage Plan. Drugs have gone sky high and becoming unaffordable, I think the affordable care act and the United States criminal congress sucks.
Affordable??? No!!! After paying the deductibles, the copays and other bills, whatever Medicare doesn’t pay, I have to pay 20% of on top of whatever else I have paid. The euphemism they use is “co-insurance.” It’s not insurance at all, just a way to enrich greedy hospitals and those who work in them. They pad the bill at every opportunity, too.
It doesn’t appear the American people are very thankful for the trash we can buy that is called insurance. The USA has become a very sorry place to live.
I don’t think you can pick the cheapest insurance and expect them to pay for everything, you need to get the best you can afford and not the cheapest. Not many people can afford to pay 20% of a doctors bill especially a working man or woman. An HMO is what I have and I am not happy with a lot of their services but can live with what it costs. Some HMO do profit though from not diagnosing minor ailments for some patients but are there for you in a life or death situations. Jerry
this is wrong place for politically-focused “thanks’, which should be left for paid advertisement.
For those who believe ACA is a problem…how were you covering yourselves before this was made mandatory? Just wait until you got sick and then show up at a hospital emergency room? Missed work because you could not see a doctor? Had work done at a hospital and let the taxpayer pick up your bill? ACA makes all people accountable for their health care. And by the way, paying a percentage of costs is how insurance works. Nothing is free! We have millions of people getting health care for the first time, making their lives better. We should be happy that American lives have improved and be grateful that this will save lives.
So glad to read your comments. I fear writing responses. My concern that most comments reflect such a lack of knowledge was was somewhat diminished by your response, so I had to comment. Too many American do not appreciate what they have.
I had private insurance that I paid for, because of where I live, my insurance choices were limited, for example I could not get coverage through Kaiser because the closest Kaiser area was over 90 miles away. The insurer was pretty good to begin with, over time coverage declined, premiums went up, although I was/am (knock on wood) pretty healthy. The organization itself changed in the past 10 years or so–got a standard CEO who made some bad investments, jacked up premiums, worsened service & the made the claims statements pretty close to impossible to understand. I complained once and was told it was for “confidentiality reasons”–which, I pointed out was BS as the form listed my date of birth and other “confidential information.” It was just another way of making it more difficult to contest an insurer’s decision to deny or limit coverage.
After about 10 years, Regence decided it would no longer pay for preventive gynecological care (pap smears, etc.). Then the state I live in mandated that “well woman care” be paid for (not just “covered and subject the deductible” but paid for by the health insurer) by all insurers, so Regence again paid for that. For maybe 3 years, Regence covered one vision exam every 2 years and part of the cost of a pair of glasses & lenses. Then that disappeared.
I changed to a $2500 deductible years ago to keep the premiums affordable.
I’ve always had to pay for my dental & vision care. If you’re self-employed and your business isn’t big enough to utilize a corporate structure (corporations can deduct much much more then individuals or sole proprietors), then you are at a disadvantage re: federal & state income taxes. Large corporations have engaged in very effective lobbying on many levels for at least 50 years.
There’s no question that the ACA enabled some people to obtain coverage who couldn’t get it before. But again, it was written by and for the greater profits (whether or not the insurer is allegedly a “non-profit”) of health insurers. Other much needed improvements, like mandating clear and understandable billing for patients, strong penalties for excess/double-billing, etc., AND that the patients themselves can enforce (i.e. citizen-suit provisions and the “citizens” get their attorney fees paid if they prevail), AND a rule that health care providers, particularly hospitals MUST bill the insurer w/in the insurer’s time limits OR the health care provider cannot bill the patient for any of the amount due.
And a ban on the mergers of health care providers/hospitals that’s occurring and on insurers being able to own health care providers.
People worry about big government when its larger & larger monopolistic corporations that are going to crush them and will be “too big to fail” and “too big to regulate” if they’re not already.
The ACA is anything but affordable, the premiums are still going thru the roof and the deductibles and co pays makes this insurance worse than those so called” substandard policies” it replaced. Now we have worse coverage AND coverage for things we don’t need. This entire article is nothing but propaganda from the White House press office. We have just as many uninsured as before AND our emergency rooms flooded with illegal aliens. Over 90% of those covered under the ACA were those already covered under MEDICAID. A simple expansion of MEDICAID would have solved the perceived problems without destroying the medical care we already had.
False; where do you come up with the idea that “just as many are uninsured as before?” Nearly TEN MILLION people who had no coverage now have it. Maybe if you actually read the GOVERNMENT websites – like official census, DOL, CDC, etc, you’d have the facts instead of the trash talk you’re being spoon fed by Fox News and Rush Limbaugh. Puhleeze. The misinformation here is just too much – I’m out.
I hope you stay out with all your liberal trash talk.
Thank You For The Health Care When I Needed It Most !!
What I see is that my family insurance went up 28% and I’m not eligible for financial assistance.
I went here- https://www.healthcare.gov/see-plans/#/aptc
I have a family of 4, will make $80,000 this year, our insurance went up 28% and per the healthcare.gov website I’m not eligible for any tax credits or savings.
So in a nutshell, I’ll have to pay more and 8 out of 10 people are eligible for “financial assistance”.
I’m supposed to be thankful for this?
It feels as if the federal government passed a law that makes it impossible for insurance companies to be profitable forcing them to raise rates and eventually dumping everyone into a government plan aka single payer.
The government yet again polluting and distorting a market in which they ought not to be in.
One question- can anyone point to a institution where they inserted themselves where a product or service became cheaper and more efficient? Healthcare? Education? Retirement?
The government should not be involved in any institutional sphere other than to protect that sphere from force or fraud. Not inserting itself in that sphere to pick winners and create rules to benefit one entity over another or erect barriers to competition, i.e. monopolies cannot exist without governmental assistance erecting barriers to entry in a marketplace.
Here’s a nutty idea- how about opening the insurance market across state or international lines? Is it better to have 2 or 3 options or hundreds? The government idea almost always benefits the government and those with the money to lobby politicans to augment rules to benefit them and keep them from competing.
Anyone who is thankful for the government proactively doing something for them instead of leaving them alone and following the few, finite restraints outlined in the Constitution (which is long dead) has a slave mentality rather than a free human being.
I’m not thankful for paying 28% more and once again not being eligible for tax credits. Perhaps I work too hard and should join the ranks of the recipients instead of being bled dry as a provider.
It is great that there is access to affordable healthcare for people who would not otherwise have been able to get it, but of course you do need to know where to look – it is not enough to hope that somehow you will be on the best plan for your needs and your budget. It says it all here https://www.healthcare.gov/get-answers/ , everything you need to know to research the best healthcare plan for you.
I hate social leeches.