Posted on 12/02/2013 8:57:06 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
AKRON, Ohio - An estimated 800,000 people visited the new and improved www.healthcare.gov Monday to shop for affordable health insurance. But what one Akron woman got was a bad case of sticker shock.
"I thought it was supposed to help us," Liz Binns said in frustration. "I can't afford it. I cannot afford it."
Binns had been trying to navigate the government's health care website since October to find affordable insurance for her husband, a 60-year-old who has a pre-existing condition and whose job doesn't offer coverage.
What she finally found for him Monday carries a premium of more than $400 a month and a $5,000 annual deductible.
"How can I pay this kind of money out?" she asked. "It's going to take at least a second job and praying that I would make enough on a second job just to pay for this health insurance."(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at newsnet5.com ...
Really? You’re on welfare and advising others to sign up too?
Maybe the couple has assets, maybe income, maybe pride.
Hey! There was supposed to be a pony in here! Where’s my pony?!
Hasn’t she thought of blaming Republicans and insurance companies?
Agree. Hubby and I have been paying $1k a mnth for many yrs. that’s $500 apiece. I would love a $400 a mnth policy. Unfortunately, ours just keeps going up.
Our premium only increased by about $100/m. However, our deductible went from $2500 to $12500.
What this means is my husband and I can no longer afford to both see a doctor each year. We will have to start alternate year visits. And pray we don’t fall and break an arm or otherwise need any emergent care.
My husband and I are both under 50. Our premiums went from $800/m to a little over $900/m.
Our deductible went from $2500 to $12500.
Which means that before insurance pays a dime, our out of pocket expenses toward ‘medical care’ will have to exceed ~$25,000 each year. Before insurance will pay a dime.
We make less than $60K/yr.
So we hope, and pray, that none of my kids breaks an arm or leg in such a way that it requires surgery. Or an MRI. Or any other medical care more expensive than an ear infection. Especially in sequential years. Otherwise we’ll have to declare bankruptcy.
We will no longer be able, my husband and I, to see our doctors the same year. We will have to visit them in alternate years. My husbands cholesterol medication will therefore become an every OTHER year medication.
If your deductible hasn’t gone up astronomically, it will.
Mine went down drastically when I turned 65 so I have basically the same coverage (subject to medicare approvals which I hear are going to be much harder to get). Fortunately, I have always been healthy, only tapping Medicare for my annual flu shot, so I have a low premium Medigap policy.
I hate to tell you, but you won’t actually be getting decent healthcare in the long run:
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970203706604574374463280098676
Scroll down for the nifty graph. You’ll be lucky to get the flu shot by the time they’re done with medicare.
Hubby and I are both under 50. Our premiums + deductible + 100% (on us) copay are unsustainable long term.
And when our demographic cohort stop buying ANYTHING but the barest of essentials the economy WILL crash.
I do understand. We are the targets of the death panels.
Yeah I looked on the CaoveredCa website. The prices would be 1/3 of our income every year. That’s not insurance, that’s theft. Hopefully we can keep our insurance.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.