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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsReport: Many Americans Intend To Stay Without Health Insurance
By Constantine von Hoffman MoneyWatch March 17, 2014, 8:18 AM
A third of Americans without health insurance intend to stay that way, according to a new report. Although the most common reason for doing without coverage is the expense, 70 percent of those planning to stay uninsured did not know about the subsidies afforded under Obamacare that reduce the cost.
The report by Bankrate.com shows that, despite the government's effort to promote the new health law, also called the Affordable Care Act, many Americans seem unfamiliar with key details of the program.
"This is a staggeringly high percentage," said Bankrate.com insurance analyst Doug Whiteman. "The government has spent over half a billion dollars promoting the Affordable Care Act, and more than two-thirds of uninsured Americans still don't know about the subsidies."
Some 46 percent of those surveyed also were unaware of the March 31 deadline for being insured.
Ignorance about the tax credits ran highest among Republicans and people in the West and South. More than 40 percent of people who identified themselves as Republicans said there are no tax credits to lessen the cost of insurance, compared with 20 percent of Democrats and 33 percent of independents. Slightly more than a third of those in both the West and South say the tax credits don't exist, compared with 25 percent in the Northeast and just 13 percent in the Midwest.
MORE...
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-many-americans-intend-to-stay-without-health-insurance/
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calimary
(90,021 posts)Well, that kinda sums everything up, doesn't it?
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)the tool shed.
bluestateguy
(44,173 posts)What would you expect?
Proud Liberal Dem
(24,957 posts)Hell, anybody trying to educate people about the law or trying to promote it have been bullied and/or harassed.
Glitterati
(3,182 posts)This is what they are trying to pass in Georgia - complete nullification of ACA. They have until Thursday to get it through before the legislative session ends. And, they are working like dogs to pass it.
What HB 707 Does:
1. Prohibits any state agencies, departments or political subdivisions from using resources or spending funds to advocate for the expansion of Medicaid. This provision works hand-in-hand with HB990 to make it more difficult to expand Medicaid. HB990 would require legislative approval for expansion of the program, barring the governor from doing it by executive order.
2. Prohibits the state of Georgia from running an insurance exchange.
3. Refuses and federal grant money for the purpose of creating or running a state insurance exchange.
4. Ends the University of Georgia Navigator Program
5. Prohibits the Commissioner of Insurance from investigating or enforcing any alleged violation of federal health insurance requirements mandated by Obamacare.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)kelliekat44
(7,759 posts)calimary
(90,021 posts)When they freakin' RUIN our planet by killing off a critical mass of species in the food chain, poisoning the water, air and ground, and cut enough trees, and do away with enough safety regulations. And sadly, I'd be willing to bet that even then - EVEN THEN - they'll remain in full denial about their policies of sheer pigheaded willful ignorance brought it about. It's not that they can't see the truth and the facts. It's that they WON'T. They simply refuse delivery. And I don't know what's to be done about that. 'Cause I've seen situations by now in which a precious few of them have their eyes opened, or somehow come to the light, like that Republican in Wisconsin - an OUTGOING Republican (isn't gonna run for reelection), and a) he's in a minority and b) nobody else on his side of the aisle is listening to him. They're shrugging him off and insisting he's wrong.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)seen it first hand with people I know. They choose to remain ignorant and damn fools.
demigoddess
(6,675 posts)who don't go to the doctor even if they have coverage. Too expensive, then they die of something preventable. Stupid exists!!!
bluestateguy
(44,173 posts)There are 310 million people in this country and some will fall through the cracks, be unreachable or just be unwilling to play ball.
taught_me_patience
(5,477 posts)it'll take a few years, but people have an extreme aversion to paying fines.
DonCoquixote
(13,961 posts)These are the same creeps that will say "This'll never happen t' me!" and then complain when it does. If I could have had health insurance before I was on Medicare, I would have danced, namely because I nearly lost my house to medical Bills.
Of course, while we must blame the people who willingly swallow GOP lies, we cannot forget the GOP is doing everything it can to keep people ignorant, in the hopes that after Obama goes, they can kill Obama-care. I shudder at the idea of lowering term limits for the President, as I would imagine the GOp would keep running Bushes as long as they were produced, but part of the issue is that you have a bunch of nasty old men (and their attendant handful of GOP women) who know they can outlast a president.
sinkingfeeling
(57,835 posts)pay every dime of that emergency room visit.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)with, or without, insurance. Why do you just assume that everyone runs to ER's if they don't have medical insurance? Ever heard of walk in clincs or urgent care centers?
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)Severe sinus infection with blood running down face. That doesn't necessitate ER. I went to a walk in clinic. No job, no insurance, no money. I had $20 to my name, and told them that. The visit alone was $125 back then. They refused to see me? No, doctor said pay me what you can. I gave him $10 and he went to his cabinet and gave me his sample meds for free. Besides, with all these high deductibles today, you now have to pay out of pocket if you haven't met that deductible. Unless you are very, very sick and have a lot of medical expenses, all this insurance won't do you any good for just minor illnesses.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)$3,500 deductible. How many times would you have to go before you met that? It would have to be very severe illness. lol
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)If you had a major illness requiring hospitalization, how many days would you stay and receive treatment for $3500? We don"t mind paying big bucks for vehicles and insurance to repair them but don't want to buy health insurance.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)in two different states in 15 years. I don't go to doctors. I have Medicare now, and didn't get Medicare Advantage.
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)demigoddess
(6,675 posts)the colon cancer gene or the breast cancer gene. and then you could come down with alzheimer's and end up costing a lot then.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)I have that right as a US citizen. My Uncle at 68 walked out of a hospital when they told him without an operation he would DIE. Then I WILL die he told them. He did 6 months later. He cannot choose to do that? He refused all treatment. He was 3 years older than I am now. I cannot make that choice for myself?
Do you support taking that right away? I guess you don't like the idea of assisted suicide either. Let government, or the medical field, tell us what we must do with our own bodies? Sorry, this is the other end of the spectrum (old age) from telling women of childbearing age what they can and cannot do with their own bodies.
You certainly make the case for a Living Will.
NickB79
(20,356 posts)Because most people will need some form of hospitalization at least a few times in their lives, be it a simple 1-hour surgery followed by outpatient procedure, or a horrific accident no one saw coming.
Your name is HockeyMom; what would you have done when you were pregnant if you hadn't had health insurance at the time, as is the case with many women today?
Even the Urgent Care clinic we've had to use a few times here, before I landed a job with really good insurance, required a $100 payment before being seen. And since it wasn't a real ER, if there was anything moderately wrong with you, they'd send you to the nearest ER in an ambulance and send you the bill (they charged $100 per MILE for that ambulance ride!).
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)I would venture to say 99% would sign up for Medicare when they reach 65. They will probably bitch about the $105 a month cost also. I listen to folks on Medicare complaining about ACA.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)Part A alone satisfies with the ACA. Part B (doctors), which you must choose, is the $105. The rest (Medicare Advantage) is run through various insurance companies.
Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)they'll get insured.
LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)rock <> uninsured <> hard place
Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)(just picked round numbers for this) then people will go without health insurance.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)I've been assured that the enforcement of the mandate is extraordinarily weak..
LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)the penalty will be far cheaper than the cost of even catastrophic health insurance. If you can't afford the deductible after you pay the premium, you still don't have access to health care. The unhappy position of being too wealthy for help and too poor to pay the bills is the reality for a great many people.
As far as it went, I'm pro-ACA but it is far from a solution to the health care crisis in our current environment. Young people will do fine. Health insurance costs are affordable. The actuary tables start dinging the over-50s because (psst) they would rather not cover older folks.
50+ and until you qualify for Medicare, you're in no man's land. I'll give the government their penalty and hope for better legislation later.
Capt. Obvious
(9,002 posts)The penalty escalates with income (and age). The penalty can be avoided through a few different methods but the most common one (besides getting health insurance) is just making an effort to get health insurance - such as applying for Medicaid and getting denied.
Glitterati
(3,182 posts)I'm 62 and my subsidy of $475.00/yr pays all but $28.55 of my premium. And the silver plan I have is $500 deductible, $650.00 out of pocket max.
On top of that, my monthly doctor visits for my chronic illness are $25.00 copay, $35.00 for my specialist (endochronologist). Prescriptions, max $17.00 co-pay.
My out of pocket doctor visits have absolutely NOTHING to do with deductibles/out of pockets - those prices are despite anything else I spend on medical care.
LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)Because really, that sounds like a dream in contrast to my experience with the industry. I only wish I had the dollars I spent on never used health insurance over the 15 years I had my policy. I'd be very much better off now.
Glitterati
(3,182 posts)an HMO.
And, honestly, if you were in my boat a year ago in November, sick as a dog with a life threatening illness and terrified of:
a) leaving my daughter an orphan
b) unable to afford to go to the hospital or a doctor
you would NEVER regret a dime spent on insurance. ANY insurance.
on edit:
My daughter is also covered under this same plan for $38.75 per month.
LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)The something we have now is better than the nothing that preceded it. I will look into premiums available to me now but my previous experience has me jaded to the nth degree. My state has yet to establish an insurance exchange or to expand Medicare, so I think I fall into the sol category here.
lancer78
(1,495 posts)Georgia. If you spend time studying it you will be surprised.
Glitterati
(3,182 posts)But, for my daughter, we simply lied about her anticipated income for this year to get her into the system.
All that is going to do is give her a bigger refund next year when she makes less and didn't get the full benefit of the ACA subsidy. They will refund her the subsidy she SHOULD have gotten, which is her entire premium.
Just go sign up and check it out. Say you "think" you'll make more than 11,500.00 for the year and you'll qualify for a nice subsidy, taking your monthly premium to almost nothing. Then, you'll get a refund of everything you paid for the year when you don't make that much.
Look at SILVER plans, though. Skip the junk Bronze plans and go straight to Silver. They give you the most bang for your buck and subsidizes your medical costs all year as well.
Glitterati
(3,182 posts)Big, big difference there.
LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)even though I know the difference. I am really glad that the ACA has been a blessing for you. If it ends up as I expect, that I will pay a penalty for being uninsured, I don't begrudge it. I think there is still room for better legislation and I wait for it.
Glitterati
(3,182 posts)Because, honestly, you'll be amazed at what ACA has done to the insurance industry overall.
For the first time in the US insurance is INSURANCE and not a scam to rob you blind and tell you to "die quickly" to save them some money.
ACA has made a tremendous difference for US, giving us a distinct and legitimate right to insurance behaving like it is supposed to.
PLEASE go to healthcare.gov, give them $11,600.00 as your anticipated 2014 income and look over the plans available to you. You really will be amazed.
LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)As I said, some of us are too wealthy for help and too poor to pay the bills. Circumstances and bad luck. I will look again. I promise.
progree
(12,977 posts)[font color = blue]>> #20. - "I'm 62 and my subsidy of $475.00/yr pays all but $28.55 of my premium. And the silver plan I have is $500 deductible, $650.00 out of pocket max." << [/font]
There is no ACA-compliant private insurance with a total premium of $475/yr + 28.55/yr = $503.55/yr . If the part you pay is 28.55/mo = 12*28.55 = $342.60/yr, that comes to a total premium of $475/yr + 342.60/yr = $817.60/yr. There is no ACA-compliant private insurance with a total premium of $817.60/yr either.
Especially not for a 62 year old.
Now I can believe a subsidy of $475/mo + the part you pay of 28.55/mo = 530.55/mo total premium. That sounds about right (actually that's pretty good for a 62 yo with the deductible and out of pocket max you cite).
I did piddle around with healthcare.gov (I assumed your county was Fulton, GA, just to pick one) and put in an income of $11,500 like you said in another post, and I didn't see anything like $500/year total premiums.
Am I missing some critical piece of information? Thanks
Anyway, I'm glad it worked out real well for you -- the part of the premium you pay being only $28.55/yr or $28.55/mo either way, that's great especially with the $500 deductible, $650.00 out of pocket max.
Glitterati
(3,182 posts)First, I'm not in Fulton county, nor is my income $11,500.
I was discussing my 18 year old daughter in that post.
I'm just not willing to discuss my annual income on a message board, with a stranger. Sorry.
Suffice it to say I collect Social Security widow benefits and work part time.
progree
(12,977 posts)[font color = blue]>> #20. - "I'm 62 and my subsidy of $475.00/yr pays all but $28.55 of my premium. And the silver plan I have is $500 deductible, $650.00 out of pocket max." << [/font]
Did you mean "/mo" instead of "/yr" ?
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)I paid $160 a month where I used to work, but the deductible was $3,500. That meant $3,500 a year worth of doctor visits for even just minor illness to. How many people will have that in a year? I don't even have that in 15 years
What about young children? Under that plan, which cost $800 a month for familes, how many children will meet that deductible? How many healthy young adults will? Nobody ever talks about children with this. My husband's co-worker doesn't cover his kids under his employer's health plan because it is just too damned expensive for nothing. Colds, flu, strep? He says it is cheaper to just pay a doctor out-of-pocket than spend $800 a month on little children.
Lydia Leftcoast
(48,223 posts)and I don't care what the Beltway types or the think tank interns say.
I am furious that deductibles are still permitted. So I get insurance with a tax credit--although I wouldn't even need the tax credit if I were under 50, because insurance companies are expressly permitted to charge people over 50 THREE TIMES the premiums for younger people. Big whoop!
The deductibles are a greater problem. The fucking deductibles--something UNKNOWN in most of the world. The best deal I can get is a $3000 deductible. In other words, the insurance company is able to take thousands of dollars from me every year (as they have for the past ten years), and the best deal I can get has given me NO benefits other than a slight reduction in what I have to pay for my recent knee injury ($1300 instead of $2000). Again, big whoop!
Since it was clear that no Republicans were going to vote for the ACA anyway, Obama should have just gone for single payer, and then the compromise position would have been public option.
I'm going to have to dip into the modest amount that I inherited when my mother died. I'm trying to keep it as a retirement nest egg. I totally understand why people choose to go without insurance. I did it myself for a year after another injury kept me financially strapped for 7 months (mainly because paying the insurance premiums prevented me from paying the medical bills). Then when I inherited the money, my financial advisor said that I needed to enroll in insurance to keep from having to use it to pay potential catastrophic medical bills. So I reluctantly did.
But I rank insurance companies right up there with "defense" contractors as major leeches on the economy and recipients of corporate welfare.
A couple of the states I would be interested in living in have strong single payer movements, but I'll already be eligible for Medicare by the time any of that can happen.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)I do not want to give insurance companies a DIME. I do not want GOVERNMENT money going to for profit insurance companies either, even if I paid nothing for my own Medicare Advantage plan.
I think insurance companies are crooks. I equate them with for profit charter schools bilking tax payers to make profits.
No, it's not just that I don't like doctors. It is the whole set up we have. My Medicare Parts A & B are not run by insurance companies. That $105 for Part B is to the government, not Blue Cross, Humana, bla, bla, bla.
DangerousRhythm
(2,916 posts)Yep. It'd cost me about $140/mo as a single person to start with here in Texas, as I recall. Believe me, I'm not uninsured because I want to be and I'm not eligible for further help.
Johonny
(26,179 posts)That's the whole point of the story. Someone had failed or perhaps misinformed the vast majority of the people that the act could help so that they don't even know they would qualify for things like assistance. Indeed there used to be this organization called ACORN that used to help people find out about government assistance programs but you know what happened to them. There is no reason to believe during the 2014 election cycle or the next presidential campaign the media is suddenly get better at telling these people they'd be better off just buying insurance.
Glitterati
(3,182 posts)What HB 707 Does:
1. Prohibits any state agencies, departments or political subdivisions from using resources or spending funds to advocate for the expansion of Medicaid. This provision works hand-in-hand with HB990 to make it more difficult to expand Medicaid. HB990 would require legislative approval for expansion of the program, barring the governor from doing it by executive order.
2. Prohibits the state of Georgia from running an insurance exchange.
3. Refuses and federal grant money for the purpose of creating or running a state insurance exchange.
4. Ends the University of Georgia Navigator Program
5. Prohibits the Commissioner of Insurance from investigating or enforcing any alleged violation of federal health insurance requirements mandated by Obamacare
-----------------------
Yeah, republicans in Georgia are doing everything in their power to nullify ACA!!!!!!!!!! They're not content just to try and kill it in DC.
napkinz
(17,199 posts)
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)There you have it. If the M$M would start calling it by its name instead of "Ermahgerd Obamacare!" 24/7, perhaps people would catch on. 
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)when they will really need to have insurance.
When I was working, I had great insurance coverage with dental, eye care, medical and personal death insurance.
After I was laid off, I lost all that. I was of retirement age and never signed up for Medicare because my employer's insurance was so good.
I had to then sign up for Medicare. I never thought I would need it because I have never had any health problems other than high blood pressure. So I did not get a supplemental insurance plan or the prescription Plan D. Now I wish I had.
Earlier this month, I had to have cataract surgery. Medicare only covered 80% of the cost and I had to pay the balance, which was over $600. But I could not have had that surgery if I had not had Medicare.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)Glitterati
(3,182 posts)I've been uninsured for 30+ years - with a chronic illness.
But, I'm thrilled with my $28.55/month in health insurance premiums.
Warpy
(114,615 posts)If they don't qualify for Medicaid (or the state is Republican), they're screwed, still paying out of pocket for their healthcare and paying premiums for insurance that they hope will never be needed.
The deductibles might be chump change for Congressmen but they need to be reduced or eliminated entirely before people who are making barely enough to feed themselves will see any purpose in spending money they don't have on them.
Glitterati
(3,182 posts)I'm 62 and my subsidy of $475.00/yr pays all but $28.55 of my premium. And the silver plan I have is $500 deductible, $650.00 out of pocket max.
On top of that, my monthly doctor visits for my chronic illness are $25.00 copay, $35.00 for my specialist (endochronologist). Prescriptions, max $17.00 co-pay.
My out of pocket doctor visits have absolutely NOTHING to do with deductibles/out of pockets - those prices are despite anything else I spend on medical care.
sir pball
(5,340 posts)The absolute bottom-of-the-barrel Bronze plan for me (34M, NY, above subsidy levels) was ~$75/week with a $6,500 deductible, excluding of course preventative care. For $90 a week I could have a $3500 deductible! I didn't bother to delve into the details of the plan since I was just comparison shopping vs. the plan at work, which still isn't so great but is only $30/week with a $1K deductible.
Has anybody broken down the enrollment numbers to look at the demographics? Literally nobody I know under 40 has any interest in the plans, they're all pretty much insulting.
blue neen
(12,465 posts)He's 30. He was paying $500 a month for COBRA, now pays $200 a month for a Silver Plan. A $300 a month savings is not too shabby at all. He was ecstatic.
sir pball
(5,340 posts)$200 a month for a silver plan would be (barely) workable for me, but what I'm offered isn't. Even if I could afford the premium, the deductible is the real issue, as I suspect it is for a lot of us. Insured or out of pocket, six or sixty grand, it's thousands more than I can afford. 1500 is most of my slush fund, but at least I have it.
Sort of like drowning; it doesn't really matter whether it's twelve feet of water or the middle of the ocean. It's over my head either way.
blue neen
(12,465 posts)My son fit what you were discussing.
I'm sorry you weren't able to find anything workable. That sucks. I hope there will be something available in the near future.
sir pball
(5,340 posts)I was just pricing ACA plans in comparison; I was waiting my 90 days and curious to see what the marketplace offered. I understand the need for the young, not-poor and healthy to have pricier, catastrophic plans to underwrite the larger pool but it would have to be a significant fine to get me to sign on even with no other options.
(I mostly support the ACA but would vastly prefer single payer)
Motown_Johnny
(22,308 posts)Check it out.
I have a silver plan and my out of pocket max is $750.00
I don't have deductibles for most things. For example, my generic drugs are no copay for me. My doctor's visits are $10.00. Specialists are $20.00. Also, we all get one wellness visit a year without a copay.
dem in texas
(2,681 posts)Here in Texas, Gov. Rick Perry said we didn't need it. That leaves the working poor at the bottom of the ladder without any affordable health care. These are the people who work at Walmart and fast food shops and other low paying jobs. They are getting food stamps, Wic and other things to help them. While these benefits go to the worker, they are in fact a subsidy to the Corporations that run the business and allow them to keep the wages so low. Now these poor workers are getting dinged on the head by the Republican governors. If they earned more, they could afford the insurance with the credits and if they had no income they would be eligible for Medicaid. Because they are working to support their families but don't earn enough to put food on the table, they get no benefit from ACA. It burns me up to see these governors get up at these Christian conferences and brag about what good they do when they are so mean spirited and stingy.
Thinkingabout
(30,058 posts)Nets being a subsidy to corporations like Walmart.
tblue37
(68,436 posts)Last edited Tue Mar 18, 2014, 11:40 AM - Edit history (1)
spread their misinformation about the ACA. Those who watch/listen to only RW media end up being exposed only to anti-ACA propaganda.
greymattermom
(5,807 posts)Now, if an uninsured person shows up at the hospital, the hospital buys insurance for them. If that is widely practiced, this situation won't last long. This is the largest hospital group in Atlanta.
stevenleser
(32,886 posts)Sadly. 
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)What happens when you cannot pay that 20% insurance doesn't pay? What if you cannot pay the additional $20,000+? Sorry, guys, insurance isn't the cure all. My daughter learned, and suffered, the conquences of that one.
Everybody has big fat bank accounts? Everybody has a job making a ton of money? What is your solution to that?
enid602
(9,686 posts)People have often put off buying health insurance, as they know the hospitals are bound to provide service without it. I'm wondering if hospitals will still have that obligation, now that affordable health insurance is available to all. The poor would still be covered, due to Medicaid expansion.
Many young people in this country will not sign up, given peer pressure from conservative parents, politicians and clergy. This pressure probably won't quit any time soon. Still, they might be more likely to sign up if they know the CANNOT get service in a hospital without insurance or cash, unless they qualify for Medicaid.
11 Bravo
(24,310 posts)dedicated almost solely to spreading misinformation and flat-out lies about the ACA, it's not particularly surprising that so many are unaware of the truth.
summerschild
(725 posts)schools from sending out information on enrolling.
Zorra
(27,670 posts)and they buy the RW TV, emedia, and word of mouth koolaid by the gallon.
It's sad to watch the ones who refuse my offer to help sign up, and then get seriously ill or injured and then end up with crushing medical bills. This has happened three times; one of has since asked for my help, and they are now very happy with their ACA plan.
On the Road
(20,783 posts)tend to make decisions differently than the middle class. Everything is geared to short-term survival. A long-term intangible purchase like insurance is not likely to be very popular.
If they know they can take a bus to a free clinic to see a doctor at certain hours of the week, insurance is perceived as an unecessary cost. It is easy to underestimate the effect of an extra $20/month payment.
quadrature
(2,049 posts)5 and a half months later.
................
I don't want to send out personal info
unless I see something I like.
it would be nice if there
was a list of prices you are offered
for coverage.
state/county
age
income
size of family.
c'mon, there are not that many combinations
no pdfs, please
Turbineguy
(40,076 posts)The more Americans you can fuck over, the more successful you are.
NYtoBush-Drop Dead
(490 posts)poor and ignorant.
bhikkhu
(10,789 posts)"This is a staggeringly high percentage"!
lostincalifornia
(5,362 posts)running anti-"Obamacare" ads in certain states almost 24/7
So lets see, most of the red states refused to expand Medicaid, and in those states they have been doing everything in their power to tell folks not to sign up
It is amazing that the exchanges have five million with all the misrepresentation going out