A friend of mine is. She's a widow and qualified for nearly complete subsidies. I think she has to pay a little. Of course she's thrilled to get something for nothing. She doesn't expect it to last.

Did she have any insurance before? I'm curious about price comparisons.
The way I understand it basic things like check - ups have no deductible, but things like hospital stays have big deductibles?
Edit:
Sorry, I see you included the things she got done.

 

I'm pretty sure she has a large deductible to overcome before any of that gets reimbursed. I'll check

 

Anybody here actually on Obama care?

Any one on Medicare is under those rules, I'm pretty sure. Many things that I paid for with "regular" insurance I know longer pay for, not even a copay. If I'm wrong about this one of my "friends" will be sure to point this out soon.

 

Any one on Medicare is under those rules, I'm pretty sure. Many things that I paid for with "regular" insurance I know longer pay for, not even a copay. If I'm wrong about this one of my "friends" will be sure to point this out soon.

Yes... And I'm scared

@shortbus, that's my experience as well.

 

Anybody here actually on Obama care?

I am. Forced to retire early because someone t-boned me, too young for Medicare, too disabled to work, not disabled enough to collect disability, with a Wife and children.

My premiums cost more than my mortgage and deductibles are outrageous. But I wouldn't consider being without it and risk being one serious illness away from bankruptcy.

ACA isn't perfect by any means, but the alternative means I'll probably be among the 20 million who lose coverage because it will become even more unaffordable. McConnell is playing games by planning to come up with something that can get 50 votes and not allowing any Democrats to participate.

 

I am. Forced to retire early because someone t-boned me, too young for Medicare, too disabled to work, not disabled enough to collect disability, with a Wife and children.

Ouch! I hope you get better! I to retired early, more years ago then I like to think about, and remember paying a fortune for cobra and then a small fortune for what I called disaster insurance. It didn't really pay for much of anything it just had a cap on maximum out of pocket. Fortunately we managed to sneak thru those years with nothing serious.

My premiums cost more than my mortgage and deductibles are outrageous. But I wouldn't consider being without it and risk being one serious illness away from bankruptcy.
ACA isn't perfect by any means, but the alternative means I'll probably be among the 20 million who lose coverage because it will become even more unaffordable. McConnell is playing games by planning to come up with something that can get 50 votes and not allowing any Democrats to participate.

So I'm guessing Obamacare is still way cheaper and better than just going out and buying on the open market like I had to do years ago. Do you by any chance have numbers on private vs Obama care that you wouldn't mind sharing with us?
Yeah, the pols. I don't know what they are up to. They are collapsing the system because the insurance companies can't see the future. I'm not sure what happens if there are no exchanges. Can they still make you pay a penalty if you don't have insurance. If that happens and they don't get around to killing Medicaid it will be very expensive for the government.

 

Any one on Medicare is under those rules, I'm pretty sure. Many things that I paid for with "regular" insurance I know longer pay for, not even a copay. If I'm wrong about this one of my "friends" will be sure to point this out soon.

I have an advantage plan, so maybe a little different. I can't remember how I got here.
Like my wife had to go in to get a kidney stone nuked. I think it was just a $250 copay. Maximum out of pocket about $6500 I think. My primary care doctor thinks if I die on his watch he's going to jail. Always has a new test he wants to run. I've started just telling him no.
@djsfantasi, I thought you were on Romney care. Did it go away when Obama care came in? Do you think it will come back?

 

It took me a minute to decipher what you meant by Romney care. Then when I did, I must admit you were correct. However, "Romney-care" was the basis for Obama-care. So I extended the definition. For those of you baffled, Romney-care is also known as MassHealth, as in Massachusetts.

 

About the time Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) came about I was moving to Medicare so it never really had an impact on me. I retired at 63 and used 18 months of COBRA which ran about $1,000 a month. I planned it and we had the money. I was facing 3 month with no insurance between COBRA and my Medicare so for a few grand bought 4 months of State Farm. Don't you know I got a letter from the IRS requiring proof of insurance during that tiny short period of time. I actually sat down and began a letter with Go F... Yourselves but Kathy my wife said that was not a good idea. I despise the IRS and anything and everything ACA.

So my wife and I paid into medicare our entire working lives and even today as we draw the benefit we paid for we continue to pay. Let's also face it that you need a supplement which we pay for. The ACA did absolutely nothing for us. I also read at this writing that in our area the last insurer under the ACA (Anthem Blue Cross) is backing out. There is really no free as someone somewhere is picking up the tab for those who don't.

I did have a friend who used the ACA in North Carolina and he got a plan for $63 a month and even that insurer is out of it this year and his co-pays were real high. Maybe we need something but from day one the ACA was destined to collapse inward on itself.

Ron

 

Do you by any chance have numbers on private vs Obama care that you wouldn't mind sharing with us?

The prices are about the same on the private and state/federal exchanges. The only difference is that on the state or federal exchange, you can get a federal tax credit based on your income. On the private exchange that isn't an option.

There are brokers you can go through, but I never considered them.

If your state set up their own exchange, you can price a plan for your situation. If they're using the federal exchange, you can do the same there.

I started retirement with 18 months of COBRA that my employer paid for as part of a benefit package. It was around $1500/mo and included vision and dental. When I was working, I was on a high deductible medical and my company paid the entire cost of the premium and my deductible was $3000. I withheld the maximum allowed by law in an HSA.

For ACA, I started with a platinum plan. The next year, the company offering that plan went out of business and I dropped to a gold plan with less coverage for about the same price. The next year rates went up so much that I dropped to a silver plan for about the same price I was paying for gold the previous year.

Paying more for less has been a sad fact of life with ACA because the affordable part needs improvement.

With the AHCA, I will be in a high risk pool (if it exists in my state) because my back injury is a pre-existing condition and I could pay up to 500% of what I'm paying now. At that price, I think I'd be priced out of the market.

 

So my wife and I paid into medicare our entire working lives and even today as we draw the benefit we paid for we continue to pay. Let's also face it that you need a supplement which we pay for. The ACA did absolutely nothing for us. I also read at this writing that in our area the last insurer under the ACA (Anthem Blue Cross) is backing out. There is really no free as someone somewhere is picking up the tab for those who don't.

Now you have me worried, because I went for an Advantage plan and no supplement. What convinced you you needed a supplement?
It's kind of the basis for insurance that some get a bargain and some just loose their money, but I think you are talking more about the sliding scale based on income?

I did have a friend who used the ACA in North Carolina and he got a plan for $63 a month and even that insurer is out of it this year and his co-pays were real high. Maybe we need something but from day one the ACA was destined to collapse inward on itself.

I have a tendency to blame the high cost on the providers rather than the Government as they were going nuts before. For that reason I lean towards something like Medicare where everyone pays based on income and the group size can put a clamp on the price increases. The problem with that idea is that most people get their insurance for "free" thru their employer. We haven't come even close to the average costs, but I'm still glad I have insurance.

 

The prices are about the same on the private and state/federal exchanges. The only difference is that on the state or federal exchange, you can get a federal tax credit based on your income. On the private exchange that isn't an option.

There are brokers you can go through, but I never considered them.

If your state set up their own exchange, you can price a plan for your situation. If they're using the federal exchange, you can do the same there.

I started retirement with 18 months of COBRA that my employer paid for as part of a benefit package. It was around $1500/mo and included vision and dental. When I was working, I was on a high deductible medical and my company paid the entire cost of the premium and my deductible was $3000. I withheld the maximum allowed by law in an HSA.

For ACA, I started with a platinum plan. The next year, the company offering that plan went out of business and I dropped to a gold plan with less coverage for about the same price. The next year rates went up so much that I dropped to a silver plan for about the same price I was paying for gold the previous year.

Paying more for less has been a sad fact of life with ACA because the affordable part needs improvement.

With the AHCA, I will be in a high risk pool (if it exists in my state) because my back injury is a pre-existing condition and I could pay up to 500% of what I'm paying now. At that price, I think I'd be priced out of the market.

Wow! That's the pits. Can you retrain to do something where you can work and be comfortable at the same time?

 

Wow! That's the pits. Can you retrain to do something where you can work and be comfortable at the same time?

Not unless I can work laying down. I'm in constant moderate to severe pain.

I have tried taking medication during the day, but the side effects make it impossible for me to function. Now I take meds before I go to sleep to ease the pain enough for me to relax and fall asleep. I have tried many types of prescription NSAIDs and muscle relaxers; all have similar side effects. I've only tried one nerve (pain blocking) medication, but dosages that decrease pain appreciably cause sedation. One time I tried taking all three at night for "breakout" pain (instead of hydrocodone) and had constant nausea and dizziness. It took several days for the side effects to subside after discontinuing all medications.

Back surgery helped with sciatica (which caused excruciating pain), but did nothing for lower back pain.

 

dl324........my left iliac artery completely closed off and my right iliac was only 1/3 open about 5 yrs ago. I won't go thru all the procedures........but I ended up with what's called a femoral to femoral bypass. I have a small corrugated garden hose.....that goes from my right leg crouch....up over my privates and over to my left leg crouch. This is how I get blood to my left leg.

This limits the blood that goes to both legs........and can cause a lot of pain. They had me on all kinds of crap medicine for about a year.........and with all the side effects........it truly was hell.
These meds made me so constipated.......and made my brain feel like it had a hot lid on it all the time. It was impossible to relax.

My sons heard of this and came to visit.....and had me smoke some pot. I only take my maintenance meds now.....and with all the improvements to my life........one pipe.....about 6-8 hits per day is all I use now. And my circulation has improved. When your body can naturally relax......it can heal a little. Now I am not saying that pot is some kind of miracle drug or anything......but it sure has improved my quality of life.

So for chronic pain .........I will suggest trying some pot. Of course this has legal considerations. And I am not a doctor. This is only my experience.........and you might experience something different. Talk to your doctor about it.

 

So for chronic pain .........I will suggest trying some pot. Of course this has legal considerations.

Recreational use is legal in my state. I considered it, but my Wife used her veto. I might consider some edibles once the enforcement laws catch up.

One of my neighbors has a lower back injury. He tried pot and said the side effects were worse than the pain. I don't know if he smoked it or ate it.

 

Recreational use is legal in my state. I considered it, but my Wife used her veto. I might consider some edibles once the enforcement laws catch up.

One of my neighbors has a lower back injury. He tried pot and said the side effects were worse than the pain. I don't know if he smoked it or ate it.

Which side effects? Gaining 20-30 lbs from Dorito binges?

 

Which side effects? Gaining 20-30 lbs from Dorito binges?

Nausea was the main one.

 

Not unless I can work laying down. I'm in constant moderate to severe pain.

I have tried taking medication during the day, but the side effects make it impossible for me to function. Now I take meds before I go to sleep to ease the pain enough for me to relax and fall asleep. I have tried many types of prescription NSAIDs and muscle relaxers; all have similar side effects. I've only tried one nerve (pain blocking) medication, but dosages that decrease pain appreciably cause sedation. One time I tried taking all three at night for "breakout" pain (instead of hydrocodone) and had constant nausea and dizziness. It took several days for the side effects to subside after discontinuing all medications.

Back surgery helped with sciatica (which caused excruciating pain), but did nothing for lower back pain.

Wow!
For sure I'd have another pass at the disability insurance.
I have lower back pain, but I can control it with the muscle relaxer side effects of Advil. But I can remember the days when I couldn't walk due to the pain.
The pot idea that @BR-549 brought up also worked for my dad when he had bone cancer in his back. We were able to have a couple of good conversations before he died by using it.

 

We were able to have a couple of good conversations before he died by using it.

Mind clarifying? Are you saying that using pot hastened his death?

 

Mind clarifying? Are you saying that using pot hastened his death?

No, I don't think it hastened his death. He was just in so much pain he couldn't do anything. It was like magic.
I guess it could have just made him talky, but I don't think so.