L'Emmerdeur wrote:Forty Two wrote:Insurance was dirt cheap 4 years ago, compared to what it is now.
That depends on what sort of policy you're talking about. Before the ACA, insurance companies were happy to sell
garbage policies that didn't cover much and came with huge deductibles. In comparison to realistic policies that have more or less reasonable deductibles, they certainly were cheap. They were also scams.
The policies that had high deductibles also came with very low premiums. Five years ago, a single guy could by a "catastrophic" policy (covers you if you had something serious occur which presented a payment issue beyond your means), for around $100 per month. Thanks to the ACA, people can't buy that anymore.
And, it says something that people weren't buying the policies then, when it was more affordable. Now, the affordable care act made it much more expensive, and it's called a boon to the people? the way the subsidies are calculated, people are paying about 15 to 20% of their incomes on health insurance, if they buy a policy (which they are mandated by law to to do). right now, the penalty for not having insurance is low, but it's creeping up. It's low so people get used to it, and then it'll be jacked up to force people to buy plans.
One of the most miserable parts of the ACA is its marriage to the Internal Revenue Service. They see a built in enforcement mechanism with the IRS. Don't buy insurance, pay a penalty. Don't pay the penalty, get prosecuted by the IRS. How lovely.
L'Emmerdeur wrote:
Forty Two wrote:And every asshole touting the ACA did so while saying it would reduce costs, and make insurance more affordable. They were lying. And you are a small bit of proof of that. I bet dollars to donuts you did not support Obamacare in 2010 with the argument that deductibles would be 6 or 7 grand and premiums double and triple. It was sold on lies. And there are still 30 or so million uninsured . Great job Obama admin and dems!
We can all rest easy that "affordable" now means "more expensive" and "save money" means "spend more." Lol
Anyone still supporting this shit is either stupid or a liar. No in between.
The fact is that the rate of increase of cost of health insurance has
slowed down under the ACA. While the ACA might not be the sole factor behind this, it has had an effect.
The rate of increase has risen, but it's only now
beginning to match the rate of increase before the ACA.
A Brookings 2014 study based on actual premium data found that “enrollment-weighted premiums in the individual health insurance market increased by 24.4 percent beyond what they would have had they simply followed…trends.”
https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/up ... walski.pdf The S&P Global Institute found that average individual market medical costs increased substantially between 2013 and 2015, up an estimated 69%.
http://media.mhfi.com/documents/SP_Glob ... y-2016.pdf 2014 insurer data shows that premiums for individual market Qualified Health Plans (QHPs), ACA-compliant plans certified to be sold on exchanges, were much higher than premiums for individual market non-QHPs, mostly plans in existence before 2014 that did not comply with the ACA. Relative to non-QHPs, insurers collected more than $1,000 per enrollee in higher premiums and more than $2,300 in higher premium revenue per enrollee in 2014 after accounting for large premium subsidy programs for their QHPs.
The Manhattan Institute compared the average of the five least expensive pre-ACA plans in 2013 with the least expensive plans available on exchanges in 2014. Manhattan’s researchers adjusted the pre-ACA plan premiums upward to account for the population facing surcharges or denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Manhattan estimated that the average state individual market premium increased 41% between 2013 and 2014. A county-level analysis suggested that premiums increased by 49%.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapotheca ... 81d15683bf and
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapotheca ... d225376c8d
Premiums went up solidly for 2017:
http://acasignups.net/16/05/24/presenti ... -challenge That is consistent with my experience. My premiums never, in my decades of buying health insurance, never, ever, ever -- EVER -- went up as much as they have gone up year-by-year over the past 4 years. It is absolutely staggering. I now pay significantly more for health insurance as I do for my home mortgage, including principle, interest, taxes and insurance on the property. That was not the trend before Obamacare. Not even close.
I'm serious - for a goof - call Aetna, or Florida Blue, or some other Blue Cross or other health insurance company directly. Tell them you want to price a policy. Check out the prices. If you've not done that, prepare to be floored.
“When I was in college, I took a terrorism class. ... The thing that was interesting in the class was every time the professor said ‘Al Qaeda’ his shoulders went up, But you know, it is that you don’t say ‘America’ with an intensity, you don’t say ‘England’ with the intensity. You don’t say ‘the army’ with the intensity,” she continued. “... But you say these names [Al Qaeda] because you want that word to carry weight. You want it to be something.” - Ilhan Omar
