Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market • Hacker News Board

Re: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market

#11

Post by Retric » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 2:51 AM UTC

Ididntdothis wrote: post #7

ceejayoz wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> IDK, the last "progressive" action on insurance more than doubled my rates... Sounds like you might've had one of the useless plans cited in the article. Sure, they've got low rates - they don't cover anything when you actually need it.

Obamacare was better than nothing but it really avoided all difficult issues so I think it was a bad law. Problem is that the republicans want to make it even worse. Right now I’m for Medicare for All. This seems to be the most sane and possible approach.

It dealt with the preexisting condition loophole which was the largest issue with private insurance.

Re: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market

#12

Post by chillwaves » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 2:54 AM UTC

EvanAnderson wrote: post #9

ceejayoz wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> IDK, the last "progressive" action on insurance more than doubled my rates... Sounds like you might've had one of the useless plans cited in the article. Sure, they've got low rates - they don't cover anything when you actually need it.

I had a plan that covered inpatient care 100% after my deductible. Tests, doctor visits, etc., weren't covered. My HSA and other savings were fine for that. Along came thr ACA and killed it. My premiums skyrocketed and my money went into premiums instead of savings or investment.

Anyone can claim anything. What state do you live in?

Lucky for us, there are published guidelines for which plans did not qualify.

Re: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market

#13

Post by chillwaves » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 2:55 AM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #8

sambull wrote: post #2

Guaranteed strategy for a progressive wave 2020 and a democratic president. Expect massive executive action to address climate change and end corruption. There's nothing more evident than the greed of the insurance companies, it cuts bipartisan. Finally the hope of adults in the reigns again

I'm a proponent of universal healthcare, but pointing to "insurance industry greed" is a dishonest narrative. Health insurers are having a banner year, and that means their profit margins are approaching 6%. (By contrast, Facebook is regularly over 40%.) For the year ending Q3 2018, health insurer profits amounted to $25 billion, industry wide , which is about the same as Google alone makes in a year. If running a bu…

People are dying over healthcare, not over facebook.

Re: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market

#14

Post by tunesmith » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 2:55 AM UTC

EvanAnderson wrote: post #9

ceejayoz wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> IDK, the last "progressive" action on insurance more than doubled my rates... Sounds like you might've had one of the useless plans cited in the article. Sure, they've got low rates - they don't cover anything when you actually need it.

I had a plan that covered inpatient care 100% after my deductible. Tests, doctor visits, etc., weren't covered. My HSA and other savings were fine for that. Along came thr ACA and killed it. My premiums skyrocketed and my money went into premiums instead of savings or investment.

Your prior plan was part of what made care more expensive for sick people.

Re: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market

#15

Post by sneak » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 2:56 AM UTC

Ididntdothis wrote: post #6

The US system really needs to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch. Stories like this simply shouldn’t happen. There is almost no way as a patient to ensure your coverage is sufficient besides having a lot of money in case. It’s insane and hard to understand how anyone can defend this. With the lack of information the patient has nobody should talk about free markets. A functioning market requires that all participa…

Torn down by whom? There is a whole system of laws and companies and staff that would object to such a dictatorial move.

We agree that it’s fucked. We likely disagree on where it needs to go, and possibly on how it needs to get there.

Actionable steps to improve are what is needed, especially now that stance on healthcare regulation has become a point of political identity in the USA.

I think it will probably get worse before it gets better.

FWIW, I agree totally on the lack of information part. The current system is the worst possible setup.

Re: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market

#16

Post by Ididntdothis » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 2:56 AM UTC

Retric wrote: post #11

Ididntdothis wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obamacare was better than nothing but it really avoided all difficult issues so I think it was a bad law. Problem is that the republicans want to make it even worse. Right now I’m for Medicare for All. This seems to be the most sane and possible approach.

It dealt with the preexisting condition loophole which was the largest issue with private insurance.

True, that was a good thing. But it didn't address the cost side.

Re: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market

#17

Post by Simulacra » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 2:56 AM UTC

What I know is that before ACA, my health insurance was about $150 a month. Now it’s $650 a month. I can’t afford to subsidize other people’s bad choices and inability to pay. Health insurance should not be robbing Peter to pay Paul, we should return to an open market place.

Re: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market

#18

Post by ryanobjc » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 2:58 AM UTC

tempsy wrote: post #4

Even the bronze plan (which was always compliant) is terrible, though. Depending on the state and plan, but it’s around $400/month and $7500 deductible for a single adult, so you’re paying more than $12k out of pocket before you get anything, except some very basic preventative care. Our health care system is a joke.

Not true. Even the bronze plans cover doctor visits with just copays, no deductible to be met. Copays count towards deductibles.

Now when you need hospital services, surgery, emergency, yes the deductible is formidable. After that they cover at some amount, 80% typically.

So the notion you have to pay $12k first is a blatant lie.

The bronze plans are akin to what low end employers used to/still offer. It’s better than nothing, for example in the scenarios listed in the article, max out of pocket would be their total liability, probably about $12k as you noted.

None of this is good, but it’s better than plans literally designed to scam people. That’s what the “short term healthcare” being proffered is. Scams.

Re: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market

#19

Post by EvanAnderson » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 2:58 AM UTC

tunesmith wrote: post #14

EvanAnderson wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a plan that covered inpatient care 100% after my deductible. Tests, doctor visits, etc., weren't covered. My HSA and other savings were fine for that. Along came thr ACA and killed it. My premiums skyrocketed and my money went into premiums instead of savings or investment.

Your prior plan was part of what made care more expensive for sick people.

Absolutely. And we should have just gone to a single-payer system. Instead we have this useless compromise that further transfers wealth from the middle class to the rich. I don't want what I had back, but I don't want what we have now either.

Re: Health Insurance That Doesn’t Cover the Bills Has Flooded the Market

#20

Post by EvanAnderson » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 3:01 AM UTC

chillwaves wrote: post #12

EvanAnderson wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a plan that covered inpatient care 100% after my deductible. Tests, doctor visits, etc., weren't covered. My HSA and other savings were fine for that. Along came thr ACA and killed it. My premiums skyrocketed and my money went into premiums instead of savings or investment.

Anyone can claim anything. What state do you live in? Lucky for us, there are published guidelines for which plans did not qualify.

I live in Ohio. I had this plan from 2003 to 2014. I paid a bunch of stuff out-of-pocket over the years. I also saved a lot of money in my HSA and paid off debts. Had I been paying the kind of premiums I paid from 2014 to date all those years I would have far less net worth.