I'm mid 40s and will be paying a little under $500 a month for myself next year for a bronze plan. I don't get any subsidy do to my income. I think it's a good price for a decent plan that is HSA eligible.

stonksock said:

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I'm mid 40s and will be paying a little under $500 a month for myself next year for a bronze plan. I don't get any subsidy do to my income. I think it's a good price for a decent plan that is HSA eligible.

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Before ACA a $5000 Deductible HDHP cost $130/month for 43 year old LOYAL AG. No employer cost split, that was the entire premium. So today your deductible is probably 50% higher and your premium is almost 400% higher. In 12 years. It's an awful price.

YouBet said:

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No Spin Ag said:

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YouBet said:

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Psycho Bunny said:

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And I thought paying 250 a month for the wife and I was high. Never complaining about insurance for a while.

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Many people don't realize the disparity between what they have with company insurance and what they get on the outside especially if it's F500 insurance. We paid $100 per month at the end of our corporate life in 2023 with a $3k deductible. Mine was actually completely free when I first started working at mine in 2000. In other words, our health insurance went up a measly $100 per month over the course of almost 25 years while working in corporate.

You leave corporate life and you are suddenly looking at least $1,500 per month and a $12k deductible. Quite the eye opener. We knew that going into it but many do not.

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You're right, most people have no clue.

A coworker of mine was telling me that before she and her husband went to work for the state, they had their own business and were paying about $2,000 a month for health insurance. They decided that since they were getting older and needing to use their insurance more often, they decided to close shop and come to the state where they now pay nothing for insurance.

She said that, yes, they are still bringing home less a month than before, but with medical bills starting to add up (old age and chronic health issues), they would likely still save money in the long run.

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This is just one more reason that we need to make it easier for non-corporate pools of workers to easily hook up and get some pricing leverage. One way to do this is to allow interstate health insurance. The Democrats won't allow it though.

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John Mackey was arguing that 20+ years ago when he was still CEO of Whole Foods. Imagine where we'd be now if we'd listened to him 2 decades ago.

We don't qualify for subsidies and are self-employed. An ACA policy for our family of five is about $4,800 a month. Only 1 of our 5-6 doctors takes it. Texas Children's Hospital won't take it; MD Anderson won't take it.

These people complaining about the $70 or $130 per month cost of insurance really need to shove it up their rear ends.

combat wombat said:

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We don't qualify for subsidies and are self-employed. An ACA policy for our family of five is about $4,800 a month. Only 1 of our 5-6 doctors takes it. Texas Children's Hospital won't take it; MD Anderson won't take it.

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That is awful.

It's income based. Figure out how to lower your taxable income and your plan optionality will open up.

Tricare Prime
$765/year for the Rib and me.

But at least we have insurance....to pay for pills and procedures that don't cure anything and make lots of money for big pharma and the doc

GenericAggie said:

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It's income based. Figure out how to lower your taxable income and your plan optionality will open up.

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Quit your job or get fired and healthcare becomes affordable.

YouBet said:

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GenericAggie said:

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It's income based. Figure out how to lower your taxable income and your plan optionality will open up.

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Quit your job or get fired and healthcare becomes affordable.

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My response was in the context of someone who is retiring. For your first year or two your income may be still at a higher place, which means the cost of the program is going to be much much more expensive, but as you have a lower income, the plans become much more affordable.

I'm not defending ACA. I'm stating facts.

YouBet said:

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GenericAggie said:

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It's income based. Figure out how to lower your taxable income and your plan optionality will open up.

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Quit your job or get fired and healthcare becomes affordable.

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Or, simply don't work and depend on the government (other working people) for healthcare.

GenericAggie said:

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YouBet said:

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GenericAggie said:

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It's income based. Figure out how to lower your taxable income and your plan optionality will open up.

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Quit your job or get fired and healthcare becomes affordable.

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My response was in the context of someone who is retiring. For your first year or two your income may be still at a higher place, which means the cost of the program is going to be much much more expensive, but as you have a lower income, the plans become much more affordable.

I'm not defending ACA. I'm stating facts.

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Ok, but that doesn't help the millions of people who are not retired. Besides, depends on your retirement situation; I'm retired and this strategy does me little good.

Also, the quality of ACA insurance is dog***** You get access to the lowest tier of quality doctors while paying Cadillac prices.

Self employed, and have a few issues. Just renewed my high deductible health plan for $856/mo through the exchange FOR ME ONLY.

Plus, I'm currently fighting the company because they are trying to renege on their WRITTEN statement in the formulary that the drug I've been prescribed is a maintenance drug and not subject to deductible.

They want me to now pay $350/month for this one drug until my $5,800 deductible is met, rather that the $50 copay that is promised in the formulary.

They said I'll have to file a grievance and go through the process.

It's a racket.

This thread is eye opening and not in a good way.

The media is so dishonest the way they represent this issue as captured in the quote below. What they don't tell you is average premiums will more than double from next-to-nothing to next-to-nothing, and that anybody who values health insurance could find a way to pay next-to-nothing when they are currently spending a whole-lot-of-something on things like iphones, pets, and other stuff. Many of the moochers receiving free or near-free Obamacare are the some ones who abuse the SNAP system and drive away from the grocery store in their late model SUV or sports car after paying for junk food with their EBT card.

You don't see that perspective in the media because the media is a front for the Democratic party which rewards their voters with payoffs from other peoples' pockets.

Quote:

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Health care premiums for more than 20 million Americans will, on average, more than double in 2026, which risks putting insurance out of reach for many voters already concerned about the costs of housing, groceries, utilities and other expenses.

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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/democrats-pounce-congress-allows-obamacare-134500099.html

Agree with this article that's it's a messaging problem by the Republicans which is their bread and butter. They suck at marketing. To be fair, they can't get a fair shake in the far left wing dominated media landscape.

Plus, Democrats are not going to agree to any real solutions because they want ACA to fail so they can usher in UHC. That's always been the plan so it actually doesn't matter what Republicans propose.

Quote:

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The House GOP passed a bill to green-light lower cost and less comprehensive plans to compete with Obamacare. All Democrats opposed it and it has no chance of passing the Senate.

The Senate GOP offered its own plan to bolster pre-tax savings accounts to help all Americans with out-of-pocket costs, which Democrats also opposed.

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YouBet said:

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Agree with this article that's it's a messaging problem by the Republicans which is their bread and butter. They suck at marketing. To be fair, they can't get a fair shake in the far left wing dominated media landscape.

Plus, Democrats are not going to agree to any real solutions because they want ACA to fail so they can usher in UHC. That's always been the plan so it actually doesn't matter what Republicans propose.

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The Republicans need to stiffen up and pass their changes to Obamacare through reconciliation in 2026 just like the Dems did when it was originally passed without any R votes.

They can do it. Just need the will, and Trump needs to lead the charge to make it happen.

MemphisAg1 said:

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YouBet said:

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Agree with this article that's it's a messaging problem by the Republicans which is their bread and butter. They suck at marketing. To be fair, they can't get a fair shake in the far left wing dominated media landscape.

Plus, Democrats are not going to agree to any real solutions because they want ACA to fail so they can usher in UHC. That's always been the plan so it actually doesn't matter what Republicans propose.

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The Republicans need to stiffen up and pass their changes to Obamacare through reconciliation in 2026 just like the Dems did when it was originally passed without any R votes.

They can do it. Just need the will, and Trump needs to lead the charge to make it happen.

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It's the only way to do it but I just don't think they will. Too many RINOs in the Senate who don't want to rock the boat.

I pay less than $150.00 a month for full coverage with no deductibles or co-pays. I have a dedicated doctor at my local clinic. No problem getting appointments or prescriptions.

Agree. They are feckless.

I got laid off last month and looked into it. $1500 for me and the wife.

Cromagnum said:

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I got laid off last month and looked into it. $1500 for me and the wife.

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Just comparing the two, you are better off with COBRA at same or similar price because you keep access to same quality of care you had with company insurance up to 18 months. That gives you some time to find other options. Granted, you will get 2-3 months to figure out something else before you have to pull trigger on COBRA.

I just went through all of this myself. It's not fun.

MemphisAg1 said:

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YouBet said:

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Agree with this article that's it's a messaging problem by the Republicans which is their bread and butter. They suck at marketing. To be fair, they can't get a fair shake in the far left wing dominated media landscape.

Plus, Democrats are not going to agree to any real solutions because they want ACA to fail so they can usher in UHC. That's always been the plan so it actually doesn't matter what Republicans propose.

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The Republicans need to stiffen up and pass their changes to Obamacare through reconciliation in 2026 just like the Dems did when it was originally passed without any R votes.

They can do it. Just need the will, and Trump needs to lead the charge to make it happen.

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Collins, Murk, et al. will not agree.

YouBet said:

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Cromagnum said:

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I got laid off last month and looked into it. $1500 for me and the wife.

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Just comparing the two, you are better off with COBRA at same or similar price because you keep access to same quality of care you had with company insurance up to 18 months. That gives you some time to find other options. Granted, you will get 2-3 months to figure out something else before you have to pull trigger on COBRA.

I just went through all of this myself. It's not fun.

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Yep, exactly what im doing. Have till end of January to pull the trigger or not.

I'm certainly not complaining but Medicare Part B is now $202.90 per month and medigap insurance isn't cheap ($250 plus). So a retired Medicare couple can easily pay $750-1000 per month living on the old "fixed income."

matureag said:

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I'm certainly not complaining but Medicare Part B is now $202.90 per month and medigap insurance isn't cheap ($250 plus). So a retired Medicare couple can easily pay $750-1000 per month living on the old "fixed income."

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They chose how much that "fixed income" would be based on their choices during their working years.

matureag said:

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I'm certainly not complaining but Medicare Part B is now $202.90 per month and medigap insurance isn't cheap ($250 plus). So a retired Medicare couple can easily pay $750-1000 per month living on the old "fixed income."

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Yep, it's not necessarily cheap. They base it on your MAGI two years prior. So if you made coin at 63 and 64, your premiums will be higher than you probably expect when you start Medicare at 65. Due to how I've structured my retirement income, we'll pay $15k+/yr for part B until we get to 70 and beyond. The lowest tier for part B is about $5k/yr for a couple.

It's hard for me to get my mind wrapped around the idea that people not only think it's ok that other people pay their bills but that it's a right. Mind boggling. People should be ashamed.

$3700 per month for two people in my house.

I don't expect anyone to help pay my premiums, but the system is so screwed up and choices are limited, with insurance and the government getting between the patient and doctor. That ultimately makes it unaffordable and the trend is unsustainable. Something has got to be done and its long overdue.

Rand Paul is spot on:

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On the potential for a one-year extension for ACA subsidies

Paul: Look, we have health care in our country for poor people. It's called Medicaid. All of the rest of this stuff has not worked. Obamacare has been a failure. President Obama said it would bring premiums down. Premiums gone through the roof. Every time we give more subsidies, the premiums go higher.

I have a plan that says everybody in this marketplace, and it's only about 4%, everybody in this marketplace should be able to go to Amazon or Costco or Sam's Club and as a group, a large group -- millions of people in the group -- negotiate with Big Insurance to bring prices down. It's the only proposal out there that -- that has a chance of bringing prices down.

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So let's say Congress finally gets off their butts and does away with AC and allows competing across state lines. Do we really think we'll see premiums start to trend downward? Most prices seem to be sticky and once they're up, they stay up. Unless there's some massive technological advancement that suddenly causes prices to free fall (like we'd see with TVs, microwaves, CD players, etc).

Obama put a hot branding iron up everyone's arse if you and your family are hard workers and have a good job. That guy was a POS. All about sucking money out of the middle class, this has nothing to do with true medical cost. The number of options you have decreased because they were consolidated in order to run up our cost

Trumps Med Beds are expected to come out first part of '26. That should help!

AJ02 said:

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So let's say Congress finally gets off their butts and does away with AC and allows competing across state lines. Do we really think we'll see premiums start to trend downward? Most prices seem to be sticky and once they're up, they stay up. Unless there's some massive technological advancement that suddenly causes prices to free fall (like we'd see with TVs, microwaves, CD players, etc).

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If they ditched Obamacare and everybody who didn't qualify for employer insurance but wanted their own policy, then everybody would be pooled together into one risk pool if they didn't allow segmentation by age, health condition, gender, etc. I'm not aware of any employer policies that allow that kind of segmentation... your premium is the same for the plan you choose regardless of your age, gender, or health condition.

So even if it's that simple, premiums for these people who are getting it for free would go up. Some of them would naturally choose to go uninsured. Their choice, their consequence. But some/many of them would pay if health insurance was a priority for them. That would help bring down the premiums for these other people that you see on this thread who are paying outrageous premiums today.

The free market works when allowed to do so. Free or cheap healthcare is not a right, any more than a home or car are rights. You want stuff? You or a spouse have to work for it.

And I get those general factors, but I have such little faith and trust in both government and insurance companies that I have a hard time believing premiums would actually get lowered even if they could be. Once prices are up and people get used to paying higher prices....what's the incentive to drop them back down? Rather, I see companies instead trying to find more and more efficiencies yet keeping their prices unchanged, which then just means more profit in their pockets.