How has Obamacare aka the "Affordable Care Act" affected you?

[breakingcontact]

I logged in to pay a medical insurance premium this morning. Im met with "You are no longer covered under XYZ insurance plan". No explanation. Nothing. I say to myself. WTF?

I look and make sure my last payment went through and it did. Ive paid the same amount on the same date each month for a year.

Call them and am told by recording to call back on Thurs or Fri (it is Friday!) I call back again and am told the hold will be over an hour. I get someome on the phone.

She is all apologies. My coverage was never dropped. Its some policy change due to BHO-care that my payment now has to be paid earlier in the month. I say..."did i miss a letter in the mail informing me of this?" "No", she says "we havent sent those out yet as we are trying to interpret the new laws due to the ACA".

I want that hour of my life back and want to be reimbursed for the stress. Why the hell is the government interfering with a private company and my willing econimic relationship with that company?

This is socialism. BHOcare has to be repealed fully or we are in deep shit.

Whats been your experience with this? How has it affected you or your coverage?

*Big picture this was a minor inconvenience. I really feel badly for anyone who has a lot of serious medical issues and has to deal with all of this unlawful and unconstitutional interference in your healthcare.

 

[Younggun]

The only reason ACA is being "phased in" is because if they slapped America in the face with it all at once it would have already been rejected in mass (because apparently over 50% isn't enough) and trashed.

Instead they work it in slowly so by the time the other half figure out what's going on they can claim it's too late to turn back.

 

[breakingcontact]

The only reason ACA is being "phased in" is because if they slapped America in the face with it all at once it would have already been rejected in mass (because apparently over 50% isn't enough) and trashed.

Instead they work it in slowly so by the time the other half figure out what's going on they can claim it's too late to turn back.

I think thats true. Also...in this socialist economic model they are getting the companies to participate and allowing them to make money under the govs terms instead of fully socializing or outlawing the companies. Thats where the avg citizen gets completely squeezed. Many big companies are working with the gov and taking direction like GM did instead of resisting it like Ford.

 

[AustinN4]

I logged in to pay a medical insurance premium this morning. Im met with "You are no longer covered under XYZ insurance plan". No explanation. Nothing. I say to myself. WTF?

That really sucks, sorry you had that experience. So far, the only thing I have found good about being old is that ACA doesn't mess with my Medicare. But who knows, it will probably change that sooner or later.

 

[PhulesAu]

Does the phrase, Bend over and grab your ankles. mean anything???

 

[mroper]

My Premiums did not go up but due to certain financial transaction in my company they were able to get a different plan that has close to the same benefits as least year. The company did say that for this year the are absorbing all the premium increases.

 

[shortround]

Millions of seniors will lose their Medicare Advantage plans in 2014-2015, as those funds get shifted (stolen) from Medicare to help pay for Obamacare.

A good number of younger voters see that they have to pay much higher premiums to pay for old farts and deadbeats, and for medical care they don't want or need. Something they never saw coming.

This will be a very bad train wreck, especially when the Federal Government is forced to cut Federal Pensions since the Detroit bankruptcy has set precedent for just a scenario.

And ... the Obamatrons think we can spend our way out of this calamity. As Margaret Thatcher so eloquently said: "Socialism only works until you run out of other peoples' money."

 

[oldguy]

That really sucks, sorry you had that experience. So far, the only thing I have found good about being old is that ACA doesn't mess with my Medicare. But who knows, it will probably change that sooner or later.

Wait for it, Medicare reduction and less care is in process, Obama care has nothing to do with helping people it is about redistribution and gaining more taxes.

 

[AustinN4]

..............it is about redistribution and gaining more taxes.

For sure. And I fully expect the cuts to Medicare.

 

[breakingcontact]

Wait for it, Medicare reduction and less care is in process, Obama care has nothing to do with helping people it is about redistribution and gaining more taxes.

The socialists are getting really bold. NPR last weekend i dont know how many times i heard "wealth inequality", "income inequality" and various other versions of the same tired phrase. The poor guy dont get to live in my house and i dont get to live in the rich mans house. Thats how it is.

 

[M. Sage]

Well, I'm still fairly young and am apparently one of those people blessed who apparently "won the genetic lottery" as one of the ACA's architects recently put it, so I only want or even need one of the catastrophic policies that doesn't protect me from being heavily fined. I'm not poor by any stretch, but I'm the age where all the dues I've paid are finally starting to pay off for me. I'm just getting to actually be comfortable. Still, I keep it simple and within my means. A slow week at work can mean that I don't get to go have fun that weekend... Not doing great, but doing alright.

My choice under ACA is pretty simple: a fairly drastic reduction in my lifestyle and quality of living or become a criminal. There is no way I can reasonably afford to comply with this law by purchasing insurance that qualifies unless I give up pretty much all of the few hobbies and vices I have, along with the expectation that I'll be able to blow off steam any time in the foreseeable future. There is no way I make little enough to qualify for a subsidy. The fine is p cheaper alternative, bit still outside of my fiscal reach. But the third option is to not be insured and to not pay the government their fine.

How has the ACA affected me? I'm fucked, that's how it's affected me.

 

[GlockOwner]

From what i've heard, the fine is going to be levied when people have a tax refund. If you have no tax refund, they can't fine you. Just plan your tax situation properly, to where you don't owe very many taxes at the end of the year, and don't have a refund.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

Well, I'm still fairly young and am apparently one of those people blessed who apparently "won the genetic lottery" as one of the ACA's architects recently put it, so I only want or even need one of the catastrophic policies that doesn't protect me from being heavily fined. I'm not poor by any stretch, but I'm the age where all the dues I've paid are finally starting to pay off for me. I'm just getting to actually be comfortable. Still, I keep it simple and within my means. A slow week at work can mean that I don't get to go have fun that weekend... Not doing great, but doing alright.

My choice under ACA is pretty simple: a fairly drastic reduction in my lifestyle and quality of living or become a criminal. There is no way I can reasonably afford to comply with this law by purchasing insurance that qualifies unless I give up pretty much all of the few hobbies and vices I have, along with the expectation that I'll be able to blow off steam any time in the foreseeable future. There is no way I make little enough to qualify for a subsidy. The fine is p cheaper alternative, bit still outside of my fiscal reach. But the third option is to not be insured and to not pay the government their fine.

How has the ACA affected me? I'm fucked, that's how it's affected me.

I'm in the same boat as you Sage, finally making a decent living and depending on how busy things get determines my amount of fun money. I don't think not getting a policy or paying the fine is going to make you a criminal though. I know I'm putting myself at risk by not buying a policy and then not paying the fine but I guess I'm drawing my line in the sand. As soon as I get a slow day I'm going up to my office and talking to my HR department about reducing my withholdings so that the IRS will owe me nothing at tax time in 2015 and will try to levy the fine against me in which case I'm telling them to bite my shiny metal ass. From everything I've heard the law doesn't have enough teeth for the IRS to levy it against me, they can only deduct from your tax return or ask nicely come tax time but who knows what they will try to do (or rather Obama try to do by executive fiat). I don't like the idea of having the IRS up my ass but I've got to put my foot down somewhere and if I can even make the tiniest financial impact on this BS law then I will gladly put myself at risk.

 

[AustinN4]

From everything I've heard the law doesn't have enough teeth for the IRS to levy it against me, they can only deduct from your tax return or ask nicely come tax time but who knows what they will try to do (or rather Obama try to do by executive fiat).

When has the IRS ever asked nicely for anything?

 

[Sapper740]

I "guess" I'm one of the lucky? ones...so far. The company I work for only offered catastrophic healthcare insurance so for the last decade I have been covered under the insurance offered by my wife's company, that is until they closed their forward mortgage division down last June due to the onerous regulatory burden placed upon the industry by another piece of Democrat legislation, the Dodd/Fwank...sorry, FRANK Act. We're on COBRA now and just received notice of a premium increase of 17% starting next month. We can hopefully stay on COBRA for another year, thus delaying the frustration of having to pay much more dollars for much less care.

 

[Sapper740]

Well, I'm still fairly young and am apparently one of those people blessed who apparently "won the genetic lottery" as one of the ACA's architects recently put it, so I only want or even need one of the catastrophic policies that doesn't protect me from being heavily fined. I'm not poor by any stretch, but I'm the age where all the dues I've paid are finally starting to pay off for me. I'm just getting to actually be comfortable. Still, I keep it simple and within my means. A slow week at work can mean that I don't get to go have fun that weekend... Not doing great, but doing alright.

My choice under ACA is pretty simple: a fairly drastic reduction in my lifestyle and quality of living or become a criminal. There is no way I can reasonably afford to comply with this law by purchasing insurance that qualifies unless I give up pretty much all of the few hobbies and vices I have, along with the expectation that I'll be able to blow off steam any time in the foreseeable future. There is no way I make little enough to qualify for a subsidy. The fine is p cheaper alternative, bit still outside of my fiscal reach. But the third option is to not be insured and to not pay the government their fine.

How has the ACA affected me? I'm $#@!ed, that's how it's affected me.

Mike, do none of Obama's sops. i.e. "greater good" or "social justice" ease your pain?

 

[Younggun]

Mike, do none of Obama's sops. i.e. "greater good" or "social justice" ease your pain?

Is that some new brand of Vaseline?

 

[Mexican_Hippie]

I get to pay more to subsidize others' healthcare. I also get to pay income tax on my "Cadillac" plan in the future.

I'm just glad I can contribute to the cause, comrades.

 

[oldguy]

In one way or another this will affect all of us in the future both in income and health, it's just that simple.

 

[Younggun]

I get to pay more to subsidize others' healthcare. I also get to pay income tax on my "Cadillac" plan in the future.

I'm just glad I can contribute to the cause, comrades.

This.

I will also be punished for having the type of insurance they claim everyone should have.

In not happy about contributing. When I want to help others I donate to charities or do it because I have the means and feel the cause is worthy.