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Tag: ACA Database

I Would Rather Die at Home

• 31

By THCBist

A THCB reader in Tennessee writes:

Thanks for listening. I am a single 55 year old male in Tennessee. I’m not offered insurance from my employer. June of 2012 I was diagnosed with Essential Thrombocytosis. A blood disease that messes up your platelets. Took every test they could think of to figure it out. In and out of hospital, adding up debt by the second, I stopped going to doctors, stopped buying meds. I drag myself to work, every day, just to survive. Under Obamacare it will be, for the worst plan, $571.00 a month, with a $ 5100.00 deductible. I can’t afford that. I would rather die in my home as it would be better than being homeless. Is this a joke?

The Clock Is Ticking

• 9

By THCBist

There’s still time.  Much of the sensationalistic coverage since October has completely missed the point, argue defenders.  THCB reader Hiro Kawashima had this to say:

“What became clear is that President Obama’s most formidable enemy isn’t the Republican Party, angry insurers or antsy Congressional Democrats; it is time. The PPACA is running against the clock and what the PPACA needs most is time to work. Even before the bill was signed into law, it was clear that the true financial benefit of PPACA would not be realized for a decade. Each failure, each negative portrayal and each angry consumer shaves an additional second off the clock. The President’s proposed administrative fix will buy time for the White House to get the healthcare.gov website working and regain control of the narrative.

If none of the reasons above made any sense to you, here is an analogy from President Obama:

One way I described this to — I met with a group of senators when this issue first came up — and it’s not a perfect analogy — but we made a decision as a society that every car has to have a seatbelt or airbags.  And so you pass a regulation.  And there are some additional costs, particularly at the start of increasing the safety and protections, but we make a decision as a society that the costs are outweighed by the benefits of all the lives that are saved.  So what we’re saying now is if you’re buying a new car, you got to have a seatbelt.

Well, the problem with the grandfather clause that we put in place is it’s almost like we said to folks, you got to buy a new car, even if you can’t afford it right now.  And sooner or later, folks are going to start trading in their old cars.  But we don’t need — if their life circumstance is such where, for now at least, they want to keep the old car, even if the new car is better, we should be able to give them that option.  And that’s what we want to do.”

Wait. So How Do I Find out if a Specialist Is Covered by My Plan?

• 37

By THCBist

A THCB reader in Connecticut writes:

“I’m a pretty level headed person. I’ve been following the Healthcare.gov story in the news and figured it was more of the usual partisan stupidity out of Washington. I decided to do my homework before getting too worked up.

I went on to my state exchange and compared the available plans. Gold. Silver. Bronze. All very logical. I spent some time comparing options and found a plan I liked. So far so straightforward. No complaints. No plan shortage in my state.

The problems started when I picked up the phone and attempted to communicate with a living breathing human being. I figured it would be a good idea to confirm that my OBGYN’s practice is covered. To make a long story short, I have a pretty serious pre-existing condition that could hypothetically kill me. My OBGYN is one of the best in the state. Moving to another practice is NOT AN OPTION.

Knowing how the system works, I called my OBGYN’s office and asked them to confirm that my doctor’s plan was covered. Should be a five minute call. No luck. Sorry. They don’t have the information yet. Probably yes. They helpfully suggest I give the health plan a call. Well, that’s logical, I think to myself.  It takes time for new plans to  about the plans to make it through the system. So I take their advice.

I call the health plan involved and politely tell them why I’m calling and what I need to know.  Guess what? They don’t know either.

Continue reading…

Sorry. If You Want The ACA to Work, You’re Going to Have To Actually Make People Buy Insurance

• 35

By THCBist

A THCB reader in New York writes in with this timely observation:

“If you want everyone to be able to get insurance, everyone has to actually have insurance.

Most people agree that one shouldn’t be denied insurance because of illness and pre-existing conditions.  This is probably the least controversial aspect of healthcare reform. The problem is, you can’t insist that insurance companies sell to all comers at reasonable rates unless you also guarantee a sufficiently large risk pool that includes the healthy as well as the sick.

If you don’t see to it that the healthy sign up, people will go without insurance until they get sick, and the pool of the insured will become so costly that premiums will quickly spiral out of control.

So, to make sure everyone CAN get insurance, everyone MUST get insurance.

This isn’t a moral or political stance, it’s not something you can choose to believe in, it’s basic economics.

The problem with the ACA’s approach to ensuring universal coverage is that the incentives for the healthy to sign up are too weak.
The healthy who decide not to purchase insurance will have to pay a penalty, but that penalty will usually be substantially lower than the price of insurance. Perversely, this weakened approach to ensuring universal coverage could make things worse than they are today.  How?

Today, if I’m healthy and uninsured, I know that if I develop a serious illness, I won’t be able to get coverage.  At all.  This is an incentive for me to go out and spend the money on insurance. Once the ACA is in full force, if I decide that I would rather pay the (cheaper) penalty than buy insurance, I have the security that should I become sick, assuming it’s not a super emergency, I will be able to get insurance to cover future costs, since policies will have to be offered to all.  This security blanket for those who choose to remain uninsured is a major problem.”

Continue reading…

I’m Male. A Non-Smoker. And in My Fifties. Can Somebody Please Explain Why I Have to Pay for Maternity Coverage?

• 59

By THCBist

A THCB Reader in Maryland writes:

“I realize many individual health insurance policies are being cancelled because they are not in compliance with the ACA’s new requirements. 

Do the new ACA requirements effect all individual plans sold or just those available in the exchanges?

In other words, if I am a self employed, single 50 year old male who does not want maternity, pap smears and mammograms; can I solicit an individual policy outside of the exchanges that meets these needs? For that matter, could I find a policy in the exchanges that meets these needs?”

If you’ve had a bad or good experience attempting to buy health insurance on the state or federal exchanges, we’d like to know about it. Drop us a note.

I Have No Kids. Why Do I Have to Pay More For My Coverage Than People With Children? This Seems Really Unfair!

• 20

By THCBist

A THCB Reader from California writes:

“I finally decided to go to the “Covered California” website to see how much a potential premium for my partner and myself would be given several different income scenarios.

First of all, the plan differences are so vast it appears to be a further seperation of classes through healthcare.  I wonder who decided that a $40 doctor co-payments is affordable!  Then you take a look at how the tax credits work and the antiquated undertones that others should pay for children.
I
It is amazing to me that people with kids are going to pay LESS than the coverage my partner and I will.  This isn’t just for one child, it is up to 3 or more! I do not have children but I understand that in a universal healthcare system the larger the pool, the cheaper the cost.  Those savings should also go to those whom have decided not to add additional risk to the system by adding children.  Why is a single persons insurance more than that of a family?  Why are the subsadies so large that it makes it cheaper?

At least charge as much as a single person, not less. Healthcare for all is something that everyone should pay into and the largest economy in the world should offer, but the distribution of costs need to equal the risk.  Kids are expensive choices that people make, why should people who have chosen to not bear the costs pay for others that have?”

Have a question about the Affordable Care Act? Drop us a note. We’ll publish the good ideas.

Why Isn’t There a Healthcare.gov App?

• 6

By THCBist

A THCB reader who asked that we not identify him because his company does unrelated contracting work with the government writes in to ask:

“Why isn’t there a Healthcare.gov app? If the problem is that the system is failing because the poorly designed Healthcare.gov web site is being crashed by monster waves of traffic, wouldn’t putting out an app help?

I mean, ‘cmon guys. It’s 2013. Millions of Americans have iPhones, iPads, Androids and god knows what other mobile devices. In theory a freestanding app — even a simple one — that allowed browsing and “print my application” capabilities would help the traffic problem by giving people an alternative way to access the features available at the government web site.

If the problem is in fact the web site and not the data hub, wouldn’t that go a long way to solving the problem? How hard could it possibly be to put something together quickly and get it out there? Why isn’t this being done?

Knowing how this game works, I’m pretty sure the plan was to originally include something like this. Then the vendors and contractors involved quoted an astronomically high price tag that nobody was willing to go for. Then somebody else said something ominous about privacy and an awkward silence broke out at the table. The Healthcare.gov app was put in the “nice to have” – “we’ll get around to it when we can” – “bells and whistles” camp.”

Have a brilliant idea that could help save Healthcare.gov? Somebody has got to do something.  Drop us a note. We’ll publish the good ideas.

.Gov Prices May Not Add Up

• 5

By The THCBist

A THCB Reader in Michigan writes:

“The rates listed on the Healthcare.gov/Michigan site are inaccurate “estimates.”  Being unable to apply on the website due to glitches, I simply go on the site to view plans for my husband and me.  Based on our locality, “estimates” shown are about $250 – $600 for bronze and silver plans.  We even see some gold plans for about $460.

But when I telephone the insurance companies (Aetna, Humana, BCBSM, HAP) for details and quotes, suddenly the costs of the same plans are $950 – $1750!  Obviously, the “estimates” are disingenuous, probably reflecting prices that are available only to very young adults with no medical history.

An estimate is not an estimate unless it is close to what the final price is expected to be, not one-half or one-third the final price. Insurance companies need to list the estimates on the .gov website by range, rather than a single rate.  For example, if a policy can be sold for as little as $250 or as much as $950 depending on the particulars of each insured, that policy estimate needs to read $250 – $950.  Until insurance companies do this, they are, effectively using a bait-and-switch sales technique, which is illegal.”

If you’ve had a bad or good experience attempting to buy health insurance on the state or federal exchanges, we’d like to know about it. E-mail us at ed****@***************og.com.

Commentology: What Your Employer Is Secretly Thinking As Obamacare Goes Live Part II

• 8

By THCBist

In response to Kip Piper’s recent post, “What Your Employer Is Secretly Thinking As Obamacare Goes Live” Michael Turpin writes:

A very comprehensive article and predominantly spot on. I do have a few alternative views.

Employers are waiting to see if public exchanges are viable alternatives – As a consultant who works with employers every day, the universe of employer sentiments is varied. The preponderance of public exchange options with be narrow network, lower level reimbursement plans that will not be like for like equivalents to employer sponsored open access PPO plans. With low individual mandate penalties and higher costs for younger exchange enrollees due to 3:1 community rate banding, there is concern that the first enrollees will select against the plans and not be offset by younger, healthier participants who will balk at the prospects of higher premiums.

Self insurance will be highly prevalent – The average employer can save as much as 6% by self funding their insured benefits. It is true they take on higher liability but the first 6% is essentially playing with house money because the employer will not pay taxes on insured benefits or insured PPACA taxes. Employers, especially those with young healthy employees, would be better served self insuring to avoid community rate cost old to young shifting and insured premium taxes. Younger consumers use fewer benefits. Average year over year medical trends will likely be low single digits — much lower than the likely community rated increases tendered the first year in the exchanges.

Private exchanges will gain some traction – The IBM decision is only for retiree medical benefits. Walgreens is the first major retailer to adopt a private exchange for actives. A private exchange is to health plans what the 401k was to defined benefit pension plans. A true private exchange pits multiple insurers against one another in a Cost Co type private market where individual enrollees are given an annual stipend to buy benefits. Each enrollee can choose between a range of plans and insurers.

Continue reading…

How the Federal Government Shutdown Is Hurting Healthcare: Agency by Agency

• 1

By THCBist

The shutdown could not stop the rollout of the state and federal exchanges.

That’s because the Obama administration, sensing a political fight in the offing with Republicans, wisely prepaid the bill for the insurance exchanges and other key components of the rollout.

On the other hand, the fiscal standoff is having a very real impact on the infrastructure that supports healthcare across the United States.   Agencies from the Centers for Disease and Control to the National Institutes of Health have seen their money turned off. Others have seen their staffing levels sharply reduced with non-essential employees furloughed.

It doesn’t take a wild imagination to imagine potential deadly consequences if something goes wrong. If for example, flu season strikes early or a drug recall  is needed.  Much of the pain will be felt over time.  As the shutdown drags on, you can expect problems that are brewing under the surface to become much more visible …

Here’s a review of what’s happening:

Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
Funding for monitoring of disease outbreaks turned off. Lab operations sharply scaled back. 24/7 operations center to remain online.  With some scientists predicting a severe 2013-2014 flu season, this is cause for concern …

National Institutes For Health
Enrollment in new clinical trials suspended, impacting thousands of patients suffering from serious diseases. No action on grant proposals. Minimal support for ongoing protocols.

Food and Drug Administration
Food safety inspections sharply cut back. Monitoring of imports eliminated.  Oversight of production facilities curtailed, again potentially an issue with flu season on the way.The good news? Because drug approvals are funded by industry “user-fees” FDA approvals of new drugs will continue.

Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services
Key ACA related operations intact.  The bad news for docs and patients – claims and payment processing expected to continue but with slower service than usual. With purse strings tight, this is likely to become more of a problem as shutdown drags on. In the unlikely event that a shutdown continues for more than a month, the impact on physician practices could be much more serious.

Continue reading…

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