Quote:
Originally Posted by wj94
Just talked to a couple in North Carolina, 59 and 62 years old. BCBS is the only company available to them, cheapest bronze plan with limited network is $1,827/month for a $7,150 deductible. Check it for yourself at HC.gov, zip code 27106. Both of them will meet their OOP max this year. They make $105k and do not qualify for a subsidy. So because they are "rich" they get to pay $36,224 for their healthcare this year on a $105k taxable income. That doesn't include any out-of-network services. Seems pretty affordable!
How was it prior to ACA? What would it have been now with no ACA? Do we have an unbiased analysis on this?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BreakYaNeck
I quoted my wife and I today just to see and we are both perfectly healthy. Im 27 and shes 25, no kids. Been to the doctor a combined once this year.
Total: $700 a month with a $6k deductible I think it was. So for perfectly healthy young couple, we would be expected to pay $8400 a year with a $6k additional deductible and an even higher maximum OOP cost if our employers didnt have a group.
This is astronomical. If our employers didnt offer it, I probably would buy the absolute worst plan there is which was still like $330 a month and then had like a $16k deductible. $700 is for something just decent, not even the best.
You are off base here if what you're criticizing is ACA. Those costs are not high compared to what I know from experience of costs before ACA.
1) When I quit my job in 2006, COBRA payments were I believe over $400 for single (between $300 and $450), indicating that the employer paid around that much per employee without a family. That's 10 years ago.
Don't overlook that your job is currently paying some high amount for your insurance, and it's theoretically reflected in your lower salary. This was true and high before ACA as well.
2) After COBRA and long before ACA, I was lucky to live in states that offered state subsidized insurance to people who were rejected by private companies for pre-existing conditions. These were in the $330-$360 range, subsidized, before ACA.
3) Still before ACA I looked into private insurance in NY (I think they were ahead of their time in forcing companies to accept pre-existing conditions if the person had been previously insured) and it was crazy expensive for crap plans. There was NO option for a good plan even if you wanted to pay $2K a month. "Good" in terms of a reputable brand with good networks.
4) I looked into getting an ACA plan in NY at one point. The plans were still crappy, so I went without insurance for 6 weeks until I moved to California and got free stuff.