Crazy health insurance rates???

[Jim]

Anyone else experiencing crazy health insurance rates?

Mine's jumping from $250/month to just over $400 with a 6K deductible (no claims or activity)!

[otisdog]

There's no end to it. Our premiums, copays etc all are going up.
Jim

[ExplorerTom]

Gotta pay for all those who were uninsured somehow.

[Chris]

Be patient, another 30-40 years for most of you and Medicare will kick in.

Hmmmm, that makes me fall in to Tom's comment so I'll just say "thanks" to you guys.

[newracer]

My provider was shut down by the state.

[Rick]

Jim previously posted:

[Rick]

Fricken Joke. Haven't seen a DR in 20 plus yrs.....Yeah gettin older and things happen but I have put wayyyyy more in then Ive received back....

[Chris]

On a serious note look in to "Direct Primary Care"

Even though I have very good coverage I pay for a direct primary care doctor because I've had the same doctor for the last 14 years and she went to this type of practice 4 years ago. I followed her because she's a great person and doctor and saved my life. Basically these practises are pretty new here, they don't take any insurance, have low cost (I pay $49/mo) 30 minute appts, no or low co-pay, reduced fees for labs, etc.

Combine one of these with a Catastrophic Policy and you're good to go. My doc (Insight Primary Care) is full but more and more doctors are moving in this direction. These are docs that want to practise medicine, not with the expense of dealing with insurance companies.

I mentioned my doc is full and not taking new patients but recommends http://www.spcdenver.com to people looking for a direct care physician. Yes, this does fulfill ACA requirements when combined with a catastrophic coverage as you can read in the links below.

Here are some info links:

http://www.5280.com/magazine/2012/12/doctor-always
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/pr...concierge.html
https://reason.com/archives/2013/03/...an-fight-bac/1
http://time.com/3643841/medicine-gets-personal/

For more info than these links search "direct care physicians colorado"

I hope this helps those f you who need a good, affordable doctor.




Edit- links don't seem to be working and the formatting's a bit goofy but I can't fix it or n my device.

[Brad]

It's ridiculous. I pay too much and barely use it.

[96EXXLTinCO]

It's out of control. I haven't been insured in almost 2 years, however, this month 4 years ago I had to have my first of a double hip replacement after being on a cane full time outside of work. And let me tell you, work was a real *****. Although I've paid my share for almost 20 years by that time, I think I'm ahead at this point since the total of both my hip replacements would have been 180k, but my out of pocket cost, including pre and post check-ups, prescriptions pre and post, was in the neighborhood of $3500. Glad I had the group insurance when I did, and glad I haven't needed any insurance since.

[Serious Offroad]

This was the primary reason I left my previous employer a couple weeks ago. Premiums went up another $50 per week ($2400/yr) for coverage that was piss-poor to begin with. There was no COLA, no pay adjustment....NOTHING. That money came directly off my bottom line and I was unwilling to keep busting my a$$ for less take-home pay.

I just started a fulltime job with El Paso County and the insurance are better. I make a little less per hour but it's basically a wash when the lower premiums are factored in.

Thanks Obama....hell, Thanks ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES for this mess.

I'm all for giving someone a hand up, but I truly despise be forced to give anyone a handout.

[Java]

I buy my own and we're working with a broker to change ours, it's gone up for no reason too.

Colorado may have the first universal health care, we get to vote on it in 2016. If you're anti-Obama care, watch this video at about 50 seconds, Colorado would be the first state to reject it.

[Chris]

Heading towards a political thread?

[Jim]

Yea. Lets all try to keep it plain vanilla.

I'm appreciating hearing of some options.

[fredrok]

The bottom line is, the point of the health care "reform" was to make it accessible for those that cannot (will not) afford it. Those that can are "generally" healthy in the sense that they can/do go to a doctor when needed. And many (most?) of those go for regular physicals (or should) and thus are able to head off worse issues. A yearly blood test, at least, is stupid not to do.

So those that are doing most of the pay-ins are not utilizing most of the benefits. You have the working, healthy paying into a system they rarely use compared to those that were without or are new to having healthcare and are now using it. Where else are the funds going to come from except those of us working hard to "spread the wealth"?

Trying hard to avoid a political discussion as well, but dammit, the majority voted for it. So be careful who you vote for or just be happy with the consequences....err...results if you do.

Point is Jim, there are no other options. You're paying now and that's pretty much it.

I'm paying $8k a year, which is HALF the premium as my employer pays other half for family coverage. And in the last year, 2 doctors between my wife and I have bowed out of the coverage. You will also see that trend where doctors will stop accepting all but the most favorable plans that will actually PAY them to do their job.

INCOMING!!!!!!

[88Toy]

The only option is to break up the big ACA lie and allow fair market practices. Wait 'til the Cadillac tax is imposed. You ain't seen nothing yet!

[dieseldoc]

cadillac tax??
oh do tell

[Chris]

http://www.cigna.com/health-care-reform/cadillac-tax

How it works: Examples based on current threshold amounts

Self-only coverage
A $12,000 individual plan would pay an excise tax of $720 per covered employee:
$12,000 - $10,200 = $1,800 above the $10,200 threshold
$1,800 x 40% = $720



Family coverage
A $32,000 family plan would pay an excise tax of $1,800 per covered employee:
$32,000 - $27,500 = $4,500 above the $27,500 threshold
$4,500 x 40% = $1,800

[Fordguy77]

Thankfully my health care is provided for me through a collective bargaining agreement. Pretty much anything I have done is a 95/5% split. With normal doctors visits costing $10, and on average I'd there's a prescription it never breaks $45 normally. Granted our employers pay almost $6/hour worked towards it.

[Bob]

Ok, having just gone through this with COBRA and now signing up for a plan on Connect for Health CO exchange (also called Marketplace)

The least expensive plan I could find for my family was with Kaiser Permanente. The difference was substantial. I have talked to 5 people who have or did have it and got good reports. We are too old for the basic catastrophic plans, but some reading this may be able to get those.

Depending on projected income and family size, you may get a VERY substantial federal tax credit to help pay the premiums. And, it gets paid to the insurance company each month so your out of pocket payment is reduced-you don't have to wait until tax return time. Any discrepancy between what you thought your income would be and what it actually was is gets resolved when you file your taxes, with corresponding money that you get or owe to the IRS.

You can sign up for insurance directly with a company and bypass the exchange, but you will not get any tax credit that way, as I understand it. Regardless, the law requires certain minimum coverage to be offered because of the scams that used to run with ultra low premiums but really bad coverage when you needed it.

I can tell you from ugly experience that even though the website works well and is pretty straightforward, it can be easy to accidentally get put into the Medicaid plans while trying to get private insurance AND the tax credit So, do yourself a favor and enlist the help of a qualified insurance broker to help navigate it. They are listed in the Connect for CO site.

On edit-- To clarify, when you try to qualify for a tax credit, the website shifts over to one set up to qualify for either Medicaid or the tax credit. That is where things can get very complicated due to the thicket of rules that govern Medicaid itself and the tax credit.

Basically if you enter an income less than a certain amount you will get qualified for Medicaid INSTEAD of a tax credit. That might be fine, at least you get health insurance.

But, if that wasn't your intention it is a problem. That happened to me accidentally and I couldn't fix it on my own. It took one of the approved brokers to call one of their contacts within the system to straighten it out.