The company I work for just won a bunch if awards at CEDIA for a project I'm really proud of. Since I know this thread will go five pages this is as good a place as any to pat myself on the back lol.

Ha... Impact is watching by the minute to do a shut down...lol

thread closed!

I'm having shrimp tacos, thanks to Obama. 

You ARE a shrimp, Taco.....


Nothing changes for me. I'm still old, and still poor. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express....

I'm Watching it too....if more of you report less monthly fees than myself
is all over...

786 mo out of pocket...that 800 a month more than I have

Think Im going to opt out and pay the fine each year...should be much less for me.

My family policy will INCREASE $400 per month. It's fantastic, this low-cost affordable health care.

$1000.00 out of pocket here. One reason we are leaving Cali.

The thought process behind Obamacare, is that because everyone will be covered, the total cost of health care should decline. Previously those of us with health care were paying through inflated procedure costs to cover those without care.

The problem, is that this system is as clear as the Tax Code, and will be poorly administrated, just like every other government program. It will be rife with abuse and waste. This will then result in us paying more than we do today.

This isn't lost on the private insurers. This is part of why premiums are rising. The doctors are also in a state of panic, as they see costs will start being dictated to them, and more "management" of patient treatment will result in higher costs, and they are raising prices in anticipation. It's just like big oil. It takes years for prices of gas to decline, but a refinery goes off line, and prices jump overnight, long before there is any shortage in supply.

Even if you believe this will work, it is going to get more expensive, before it gets better.

Costs are also increasing so severely in some states (like mine) because OCare forces insurance companies to price coverage based on a (socialist) community rating basis vs an individual risk basis. Therefore, insurers are prohibited from considering the risk factors that you--the individual--present based on age, gender and/or lifestyle choices. Thus, insurers must pad everyone's rates to hedge against (i. e. subsidize) their inability to assign risk based on reality.

Secondly, OCare mandates that all plans cover maternity and birth control costs (so you're forced to pay for coverage of both simtaneously!?!). Maternity coverage alone--which I and others may not want and/or need--accounts for a majority of my premium increase.

Thirdly, several major carriers were forced out of the marketplace in our state due to excessive compliance costs and risk factors, so there's now only one carrier in the exchange and minimal additional insurers outside of the exchange--Instant monopoly and zero price competition.

Never fear...It's all going according to plan.

Wow. There is a lot of misinformation going on.

In my case, the health insurance companies refused to cover me due to the fact I had a pre-existing condition. I was willing to pay a reasonable amount for health coverage, but I couldn't.

The current U.S. health insurance coverage is very flawed if any one is denied coverage because they might not make as much profit on them as someone else.

What does my age, gender or lifestyle choice have ANYTHING to do with health coverage? Mogul, can you please explain this to me?

Is a government run health system, like Canada or almost any European country, perfect? No. But if you are wealthy and you want a procedure done right now, come to the states. But in a government run system, your wealth has no bearing of when you get treatment, you're condition is the only factor. Someone can't jump ahead in the cue just because of their wealth.

Is every story about the Canadian health system positive? Is every story about the U.S. system the same? No. There will always be horror stories about both. This is about trying to get coverage for everyone so that no one is left out. This shouldn't be about how much profit can be made off of these same people.



*edit. removed some personal information.

Emotion aside, this is the best explaination of what's to come. Everyone can bring up stories of how socialized medicine worked for them or read about how well it's working in other countries. This government has proven they are not in the business of being efficient and their extended reach into health care will turn out like EVERY OTHER program they have their hand in. They aren't profitable! What if your business wasn't profitable every year? You could continue to raise rates but eventually nobody would hire you and the doors would close. The state and local governments just continue to find ways of charging us more like raising property taxes, or raising the local sales tax, or changing the laws to extend the reach of the government into your personal business. It's why the governement model doesn't work. Only time will tell...

For us, we locked into a new policy before the ACA goes into affect which resulted in a 2% increase which is significantly less than the typical 10-20% we experience each year.

Congratulations. How about some links to the projects so we can see your work.

Drew, bcf1963 had it mostly right up until the comment about docs scrambling to raising their rates. Many of their rates are going to be reduced and that's a good start. But regardless of OCare, health care rates in the US have been a runaway train for a few decades and our inability to address the issue is the 800 lb gorilla we now have sitting in our lap.

Whenever you have such a big pot of money, you're going to see a lot of big corporate straws sucking the life out of the country's health budget. From big pharma, to big insurance, to large shareholder run firms owning multiple hospitals with top heavy, bloated administrative layers containing out of whack salary budgets compared to their actual health worker ratios (nurses, interns, resident docs, orderlies, etc). The whole system is unsustainable and everyone knows this now but no one wants to do anything about it.
I agree that, while there are other counties with successful nationalized care systems, it may not work in our country. Our govt may be at fault with that but I think the onus ultimately falls in the laps of the American people.

BTW, OCare is not a nationalized system and that for me, is its largest fault.
I personally don't feel that health care should be a for profit "business". And until the majority of the nation gets their head wrapped around that notion and accepts that, a public option may never work.

Like it or not, we've had socialized health care for decades, but it's not nationalized care, and that is why the train is running away. We are headed for a correction. The bubble will burst and it probably will be very painful, just like the Wall Street burst. We as a nation should be proactive, but we rarely are and usually have to implode and bottom out before anything gets accomplished. I'll buy you that drink at the bottom!

You are 100% correct in this assessment of our current system! It's F'd up! But to trade it for another F'd up system is the wrong move. I also agree it will result in lower pay for everyone in the industry. I just don't believe the doctors salary is the reason the current system doesn't work. As mentioned above, it's the big pharma, big insurance, and big legal (ambulance chasing lawyers) the play a huge role in the rates going through the roof. But to take an already poor running system and add government (federal/state) waste into that is just wrong. Believe it or not, I do see value in national health care. The health of everyone in the country is as important as education. The problem I have with it is how does someone who is a negative gain to society have the ability to have the same care as someone who works their asses off their entire lives and chooses to eat healthy and work out every day? Do a Google search of meth's impact on hospitals! Across the country there is a staggering amount of free care done at hospitals in the name of 1 drug. Were there is a system, there are a lot of people willing to cheat it and politicians willing to exploit it! God I hate people....