---

 Subject: Affordable Medical Coverage

Bart,

I can appreciate L.A. Rick The Hollywood Liberal's predicament. I work for a Dow 30 company.
I would not be surprised to see them eliminate our health insurance altogether, take whatever penalties
the ACA dishes out, and make us go get our own insurance, if it saves them a dime. Like Rick, I make
too much for the subsidies, and I live in Texas so I expect there won't be any comparable coverage
available except at a worse price than I now pay. Bart, I know you've said this many times before,
but it's worth repeating that it was a big mistake on Obama's part to throw out single payer from the get-go. 

It may not have been politically possible to get it then, but at least conservatives would have had to pay a
political price for blocking it. Instead, Obama did their dirty work for them and gets no credit for trying to
compromise. Plus he eliminated his own supporter's ability to place the blame where is belongs - at least not
in a quick sound bite. It now takes a lot of really lame-sounding explanation to tell the story of how Obama
was trying to be nice and cooperative with the Reps. And the usual response from someone who considers
himself politically savvy (because he likes to say "both sides do it") is an incredulous and derisive laugh,
which really makes me want to explain it again to the next ignorant person. So hey, well played Obama.
How hard would it have been to simply repeat "Medicare for all" until the last vote was cast?
No matter what Repcons said in response, we could have rebutted with:

"If Medicare is good enough for everyone over 65, it's good enough for everyone under 65. Medicare for all."

In fact, it's not too late to get that meme out there - it might even be a better time thanks to the snafus.
Every time you hear a Repcon rag about "Obamacare", agree with them and say that we liberals were
wrong to support that overly-complicated scheme just for the sake of compromise. Remind them that any
private insurance plan will be more expensive than Medicare. Then add the above quote. I did it yesterday
for the first time when lunching with a couple of Republican friends. One of them is on Medicare already
(incredibly, he's the one who started the conversation with his usual swipe at "Obamacare") and the other
is a basically a Rep only because he swallowed Reagan's BS when he was young and doesn't want to
reexamine such comforting economic fairy tales, but he's pretty liberal on many social issues and a NIMBY
on the gas fracking issue, i.e. not totally incorrigible when he can see a change is in his own best interest.

Anyway, after I said it, they went quiet real fast, and it ended the topic with no screaming or insults.
So if everyone who wants Medicare for all were to adopt the above slogan, and repeat it at every
reasonable opportunity, I wonder if we could collectively change the zeitgeist.
 "Medicare for all" Ed


 Send e-mail to Bart

 Subject: Rick's sad tale of woe

Unless I am mistaken, the ACA covers a wellness visit,
AKA regular physical annually with no cost or copay.
 Bob S in Orlando, FL


 Send e-mail to Bart

 Subject: Re: Insurance question from Rick

  Aetna decided back in June they were not going to play in California this coming year. 
 Definitely a bummer for those using their plans ( which btw were not rip off quality).

 Never mind that tho, the secret here is in Rick's business organization, he can issue himself
 insurance thru his small business and get a tax credit ( and an expense for an income write off )
 for doing so to offset some of the cost.  It will still not be an improvement on his old Aetna plan
 but it should come closer to competitive.
  D in San Jose
 VA Insured so not playing in the ACA Lottery



 Send e-mail to Bart

 Subject: Re: My Experience with Obamacare

Hey Bart
 
First, ACA grandfathers in all existing insurance policies.  As long as there are no changes in price,
copay, or deductions, Aetna is free to offer Rick the plan he currently has.  Obviously Aetna had
no intention of offering that plan at that price, so they cancelled. 

Bottom line, Rick? 
Your plan was going to cost you more and/or cover less this year with or without ACA.
 
Second, Rick's current policy sounds way too good to be true.  I'm close to Rick's age, live in CA,
have a similar policy thru an employer-managed large group provider.  The employer picks up half
the premium, and I still pay more per month than Rick. No pre-existing conditions.  Two runs to the
local doc-in-the-box for some minor stitching in last ten years.  Last time I enrolled I got a  booklet
with page-after-fine print-page of conditions and treatments covered.  What I'm getting at, Rick, is
don't be so sure about the "...after that, the policy covers 100%" thing unless you've read and
understood the thousand lines of mostly Latin doc-talk in your policy.  Most people don't find out
what a policy really covers until they truly need their insurance and the 'claim denied' notices start
stacking up in the mailbox.
 
Last, knock on wood here, Rick, I wish you a long life with continued good health, but what are you
getting with a new ACA policy that costs you a bit more?  How about peace of mind.  You no longer
have to depend on your 52-year streak of good luck to afford health insurance.  If you get Humpty-Dumptied 
by a Metro bus on Jan. 2 there will be no cap past which they'll stop putting you back together again. 
Come re-enroll time, you won't even be asked about that unfortunate run-in with ten tons of transit system,
you'll just pay the premium and enroll at the group rate.   You just can't get that from an individual,
year-to-year Aetna policy you 'kind of liked.'
 
And last again (also, too) CoveredCA  website works fine.  Double check the info you got by phone. 
My sister loathes Obama and hated Obamacare until I found her a better policy at half the cost
(after subsidy) on CoveredCA.  Now she just loathes Obama.
  James in Paradise
 

 Send e-mail to Bart

 Subject: LA Rick's insurance

I would question Rick's assertion that he can’t get a “free” check up until his deductible is satisfied. 
Part of the ACA is that preventative care (like check ups) are to be covered( without a co-pay).  
Rick needs to look more carefully.  Insurance is complicated and insurance companies employ
legions of experts to keep the money and deny the claims.
  Michele


 Send e-mail to Bart

 Subject: Rick's solution

I do not believe him.  The new law requires that free preventative care, including an annual check-up,
no matter what your deductible is, be 100% covered by insurance.  Either he knows this, or it is proof
of poor messaging.  As for me, starting Jan 2010, my company decided to force everyone onto a high
deductible plan.  I paid $438/month for this coverage.  It too included the free annual check-up, but then
nothing until I reached my $3000 deductible, which never happened, so I wound up paying about
$5,000+/year for one annual checkup.  As soon as the exchange opened, I was all over it. 
It took weeks to finally get far enough to see prices, but I am dropping my employer’s coverage.

My first health exchange account ended with a bugged ‘pending’ application that never got resolved. 
(I learned that the best way to handle the exchange is to start over).  My second account ended with
quotes for insurance covering only my son and wife for $309/month.  That was when I learned that
during the application, when you enter who you wanted covered – enter everyone.  (During the
enrollment section you can make different ‘groups’ to compare prices).  I wanted to see rates for just
them then go back and see rates for everyone and learned that once you get past that part, there is no
turning back.  I then created my third account, where I entered everyone, then created a group containing
who I wanted covered, and found a policy that is both better than my employer’s policy, and cheaper. 
(I am covered by the VA 100% so I picked a plan that covers everyone but me.  My daughter is disabled
so covered by the state, but the state wants to be secondary insurance for her, not primary, that is why
I needed to cover more than just my wife and son).

I found a policy (gold) that has zero deductible, $12k max out of pocket (before the insurance goes to
100% coverage) and only costs $369/month.  Now the employer took my health insurance money out
‘pre-tax’ so I will now pay income tax on the $438/month added to my take home pay, so I figure about
20% - or $85/month goes to income tax, but that means it will cost about $454/month total, slightly higher
than before, but zero deductible.  This is in Arizona.  Now since my employer offers coverage, even if it
is crappy, I do not qualify for any subsidy, so these are the real costs.
 Thanks,
  Dillon

One thing - I know Rick. He's a real person - I was at his house with the lemon trees this summer.

He might be mistaken but he's not lying.
 

  Share|

Send e-mail to Bart

  Back to Bartcop.com

---