Am I the only person here who can't afford health

[burnbaby]

insurance? I am starting to think I will never be able to get insurance and I am no kid. Are there others in my situation? If so how do you handle it

[irisblue]

1. No, you're not.

[PoliticAverse]

2. You must not be, as millions are still uninsured years after the ACA passed. n/t

[The empressof all]

3. No you are not alone

And you won't be able to afford it under the Republican plan either.... Yet the Insurance companies are raking in record profits and their CEO's are paid millions a year.

[haele]

4. Nope, my Son in Law can't afford it either.

But since the state expanded Medicaid, he does have a basic level of coverage he can fall back on, if he can continue to come up with $30 a month.

Are you in that weird "make too much/too little" individual range between $50K and $70K where the subsidies don't help very much, but you don't make enough for what's available to you on the exchange?
Or did your state just leave you to the mercy of the insurance companies?

Haele

[burnbaby]

12. exactly

I am in the make too much/too little range. They wanted $800 a month plus a $7500 deductible.

It's been a while and I was hoping something better would come, but I don't see that happening either... OY,...

[bettyellen]

5. You make too much for subsidies and can't afford the bronze plans?

[GoCubsGo]

6. Nope. I'm in the same boat.

I handle it by exercising, trying to eat right, and hoping I don't get sick or hurt, My useless shitstain governor and ex-governor declined the Medicare expansion, so I am pretty much fucked.

[burnbaby]

13. I do the same as you

getting into herbs too

[Freethinker65]

7. Will burn through most of my savings if I need to bridge the gap to Medicare when my husband retires

...if I am forced to pay pre-existing condition rates (regardless if said condition has not required more than minimum care during my lifetime).

[erinlough]

8. My son and nephew are uninsured.

Neither can afford the ACA premiums and are rolling the dice. I have talked until I'm blue about budgeting even offered to help, my son will not do it. He is young and has that feeling it will be ok. I worry non stop.

[MagickMuffin]

9. I got in on the ACA, however, I can't pay the deductibles sooooo...

I can't afford to go to the doctor. I haven't had a medical exam since 1999.

[zipplewrath]

16. Certain exams should be covered

There are a few exams which are covered 100% regardless of your out of pocket position. But it is mostly annual physicals and stuff. Every 10 years you should be eligible for a colonoscopy if you're over 50. Do be careful though. I had a good physician that I would "put off" my annual to see if I got sick. Then I'd go in for the annual and he'd just treat me and bill it as an annual. But some people with whom I work have gone in for physicals, he found something, and ordered tests which were NOT covered at 100%. When making your appointments, make it clear you are ONLY there for the covered work.

[MagickMuffin]

18. Thanks for the info, very helpful

I appreciate the explanation!!!

[Warpy]

10. I didn't have health insurance for 26 years

because I had a lulu of a preexisting condition and the only policy I could get ws BCBS, which only covered 80% and which cost half again what my mortgage did. I very much had to choose between partial insurance and shelter and with the preexisting condition clause, the policy would have been an accident policy, not health insurance. For the last 10 years, even they wouldn't insure me at any cost. The ACA started too late to help me much.

Have you completely eplored all the options in your state? It's supposed to be subsidized for low income people. Medicaid is supposed to cover people who can't bear any of the burden, but I know Republicans have refused to allow this in some right wing, shithole states.

Good luck. I made a decent wage but I had to live like I was on welfare because I had to save for when the bottom would fall out, and it always did. This country's cruelty over health insurance kept me artificially poor for most of my working life.

[burnbaby]

14. OMG

you poor thing. This country is a disgrace

[MineralMan]

11. No, you're not the only person.

However, without knowing your details, it's impossible to know whether you can't afford any health insurance. Where you live matters. What your actual income level matters. How you live matters. If you were in Minnesota, for example, you'd qualify for that state's medicaid program, even if you had no net income at all. You'd still qualify for healthcare insurance, although it's not a wonderful plan, to be sure.

The worst situation to be in in my state is to be self-employed and earning below some always-changing income level. If you make too much, there's no subsidy. If you make a certain amount, the cost of health insurance may be higher than is comfortable for you to afford. It can be a real dilemma. While I'm on Medicare, my wife is still a few years from eligibility. Her health insurance, even with a sizable subsidy at our household income level, costs almost $7000 each year. It's not easy to afford. We have to budget hard for it. My Medicare and supplement run about $250 per month. So, we pay about $10,000 per year for health insurance coverage. That's a big chunk of our income, frankly.

Others are in even worse situations. So, no, you're not alone.

[burnbaby]

17. yes I contract

so sometimes I'm working sometimes I'm not. What's so wrong with medicare expansion? I was hoping for something like that, but doesn't look possible now.

[MineralMan]

19. It's Medicaid expansion you're talking about

in terms of the current situation. Expanding Medicare to people under 65 years of age is another issue altogether. That would be great, but you'd still have to pay premiums for it. They might be less than for current health insurance, but they'd still have to be paid.

Depending on your state, you might qualify for Medicaid in your situation. But, not all states accepted the ACA's expanded Medicaid coverage. In Minnesota, you'd likely qualify, unless you earned more than a certain amount each year. The problem with self-employment, especially if your income is erratic, is that the premiums come every month, whether or not you have the money to pay them. As a freelance writer, I have been in that situation many, many times. Not so much these days, but in the past that has been a huge issue.

I wish I had a suggestion for you. It's a tough situation to be in. Again, without detailed information, it's impossible to really get into what might be possible, and I wouldn't be the one to ask, anyhow.

Check around for an organization in your state that is designed to help people in your situation find coverage somehow. I will tell you that my wife and I actually sometimes refuse work if it will push us over a certain annual income. We know what we must have, and also know what happens if we slip over a certain income level and lose the ACA subsidy. It's a tightrope to walk.

[Amishman]

15. Kinda, if my employer didn't massively subsidize it I couldn't afford it

I considered taking a contracting job a few months ago, but buying my own insurance completely offset the potential pay increase. So I turned them down.