Open Enrollment

[kom526]

So we had our open enrollment meeting on Wednesday (AFTER the election) and guess what? Another increase in premiums. Wasn't lower premiums a "selling point" on the Change You Can Believe In HC debacle?

Do you think that if open enrollment came around BEFORE 2 November things would have come out a bit differently?

[/snip]We all remember candidate Barack Obama’s promise, “There is no doubt that we must preserve what is best about our health care system, and that means allowing Americans who like their doctors and their health care plans to keep them.” Candidate Obama also warned that if a federal health care law was not passed, “premiums will climb higher, benefits will erode further, and the rolls of uninsured will swell to include millions more Americans.”

Unfortunately Americans are learning that the promises of candidate Obama are not matching up to the reality under President Obama. The effects of the federal health care law may still be in the earliest stages, but we can see where the trend line is going.

Already businesses and insurance companies are reporting health insurance premiums are going up. A recent survey of Milwaukee-based employers indicated that 64% of companies with 100 or more employees are facing insurance premium increases of 2% or more due to the federal health care law. Fourteen percent are reporting the new requirements of the federal health care law will add more than 4%, according to a survey conducted by HCTrends.[/snip]

Health insurance at my company is now up to $5000.00 a year for family and I guy I work with got dropped from his wife's (better) insurance because her employer could not afford to cover spouses anymore.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

Hubby's open enrollment was a week or so ago (before elections). His premiums increased abou $250 per month ($3000 a year).

 

[Chasey_Lane]

Health insurance at my company is now up to $5000.00 a year for family and I guy I work with got dropped from his wife's (better) insurance because her employer could not afford to cover spouses anymore.

I'd have to say that's not too bad considering what a lot of people pay with their employer. With my company, a PPO plan is $1200 per month, and this does not include dental or vision coverage.

 

[kom526]

I'd have to say that's not too bad considering what a lot of people pay with their employer. With my company, a PPO plan is $1200 per month, and this does not include dental or vision coverage.

It was $4200 a year last year and I'm sure that the $5000 number isn't as bad as some. The dental and vision coverage are extra on ours also.

 

[itsbob]

You didn't hear??

This has NOTHING to do with Obamacare.. but it's a Right Wing consipiracy to make Obama look bad..

ANd those EVIL insurance companies trying to make as much money as they can before they are forced by Obama to treat us fairly and give us our health insurance for FREE!!

 

[kom526]

You didn't hear??

This has NOTHING to do with Obamacare.. but it's a Right Wing consipiracy to make Obama look bad..

ANd those EVIL insurance companies trying to make as much money as they can before they are forced by Obama to treat us fairly and give us our health insurance for FREE!!

Oh I think I got that email but figured it was spam.

 

[Larry Gude]

When there are as many healthcare commercials on TV as auto insurance, then we will see premiums come down, way down, and quality go up, way up, because there will be two market forces at work; supply and demand.

 

[itsbob]

When there are as many healthcare commercials on TV as auto insurance, then we will see premiums come down, way down, and quality go up, way up, because there will be two market forces at work; supply and demand.

So one of the REAL solutions for healthcare would be boundary-less insurance options. Someone in Oregon would have the same insurance company choices (and insurance coverage choices) as someone in Maryland??

 

[Larry Gude]

So one of the REAL solutions for healthcare would be boundary-less insurance options. Someone in Oregon would have the same insurance company choices (and insurance coverage choices) as someone in Maryland??

Boundless? No. Like anything else, some limits make sense. I do not like Too Big To Fail. I do not like one insurance company per state or region as per government fiat, which is what we have now.

I think a med school grad should be able to open up shop in a strip mall or in a Walmart and offer basic medical services for what he sees fit to charge. I'd like to see a bunch of big time insurers competing state by state, region by region.

What we have now is a farce. A government protected series of protected monopolies and you need look no further than the TV to see that.

 

[StangBaby03]

We had our open enrollment in May and I asked our broker why? Basically she said the the insurance companies are "preparing for Obama's new plan so they are going to jack the rate up for the people that are paying" So I am paying an extra $150 per month so someone else can have free health care.

 

[onebdzee]

We had our open enrollment in May and I asked our broker why? Basically she said the the insurance companies are "preparing for Obama's new plan so they are going to jack the rate up for the people that are paying" So I am paying an extra $150 per month so someone else can have free health care.

I pay for my own insurance and now my childrens....in the last 2 years my insurance premium has gone up at least 15% every quarter....I am currently paying approximately 4 times my rate for my children....I have been told the same thing from my insurance people

my daughter has a pre-existing condition....the insurance companies have been told that they can't refuse to cover her because of this, however they have not been told that they can't jack up the rates to the point that I can't make my house payment in order to have her covered

 

[itsbob]

Boundless? No. Like anything else, some limits make sense. I do not like Too Big To Fail. I do not like one insurance company per state or region as per government fiat, which is what we have now.

I think a med school grad should be able to open up shop in a strip mall or in a Walmart and offer basic medical services for what he sees fit to charge. I'd like to see a bunch of big time insurers competing state by state, region by region.

What we have now is a farce. A government protected series of protected monopolies and you need look no further than the TV to see that.

Agree with all the above.. except the rules now prevent anyone but doctors from running doctor offices, or owning medical practices..

Sam Walton wouldn't be allowed to open a docs in a box, and hire and pay doctors to work there. It's a totally protected, and the henhouse is being guarded by the fox.

Let them be run like businesses BY businessmen complete with the same competition.

 

[hvp05]

my daughter has a pre-existing condition....the insurance companies have been told that they can't refuse to cover her because of this, however they have not been told that they can't jack up the rates to the point that I can't make my house payment in order to have her covered

You must have missed The O's speech yesterday - he mentioned this. He said he is proud that one of the successes of the law is that, for example, a lady with cancer will not have to mortgage her home to pay for her treatment. You don't think he'd exaggerate about something like that, do you?

 

[TurboK9]

All I know is that I was paying $136 a week for my family's insurance. We were recently notified it's going up 20%. That will be $7833 a year.

Thanks O!! Thanks Pelousy!!

 

[ImnoMensa]

All I know is that I was paying $136 a week for my family's insurance. We were recently notified it's going up 20%. That will be $7833 a year.

Thanks O!! Thanks Pelousy!!

You aint seen nothing yet.

Wait until they print more money and make yours worth less.

 

[awpitt]

So we had our open enrollment meeting on Wednesday (AFTER the election) and guess what? Another increase in premiums. Wasn't lower premiums a "selling point" on the Change You Can Believe In HC debacle?

Do you think that if open enrollment came around BEFORE 2 November things would have come out a bit differently?



Health insurance at my company is now up to $5000.00 a year for family and I guy I work with got dropped from his wife's (better) insurance because her employer could not afford to cover spouses anymore.

I guess I lucked out. We were told our medical premiums will stay the same for the coming year. Family coverage is about $160 twice per month for a high deductable plan attached to an HSA. Don't know about dental/vision yet.



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