Health exchange: Utah family gets coverage for $123 a month

[TomCADem]

Source: Salt Lake Tribune

It took half-a-dozen tries over several days. But Phil Sherburne struck gold on Saturday — silver actually — with family health coverage purchased on the Affordable Care Act’s online exchange.

After plugging in particulars about his family of five, the Salt Lake City business owner was able to compare 38 plans and apply for tax credits to put toward his monthly premiums. He settled on a silver-level plan from Altius that retails for about $850 a month.

After tax credits, the Sherburnes will pay just $123 a month.

"It’s a great deal. I’m thrilled to have coverage, period," said Sherburne, who was previously shut out of affordable insurance due to a pre-existing condition, a shoulder injury. "Once I got onto the site it took about an hour, start to finish."


Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56973885-78/family-health-exchange-plans.html.csp

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The MSM will never feature any one of the thousands that benefit from the ACA, since it cuts against the right wing narrative, but here is surprising story on the Salt Lake Tribune.

[AtheistCrusader]

1. Of course not.

The media sells clicks, eyeballs, etc, on advertising.

People looking at these articles in outrage sells more advertising than people being reassured that the system is working, and helping, even if there are some hiccups.

More outrage=more advertising money.

[TomCADem]

2. So, if it bleeds, its reads?

Of course, while this is great from a salesmanship point of view, it is terrible from a policy making perspective. Likewise, if this is a case, why weren't stories about the suffering of folks retroactively losing their coverage due to pre-existing conditions shown during the debate over the ACA. Instead, all we heard was "news" about mythical death panels.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. Yep.

They will hype the HELL out of every little problem.

There's nothing more opportunistic than the media. I refer you to the documentary that was posted on Sunday about the MacDonald's coffee-spill injury award as States Evidence #1 of this effect. Correcting the record was never in the interest of the media, because the distorted narrative of 'tort abuse' and a 'windfall judgment' was much better at selling clicks and papers.

The Obama administration needs to get in front of every camera available and hammer the successes of the ACA so far, because the media is NOT on our side, and will NEVER do it of their own volition. The President, and all of us in comment threads, blogs, everyplace we can further at least a more balanced view, are going to have to do it ourselves.

[Flatulo]

6. I saw that documentary on my Roku player. It was fascinating. I have to admit that I was among

the eye rollers when that woman won her jury award. I never imagined that she was in fact horribly cooked by that scalding liquid.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. I was as well.

I was misinformed of the nature of her injures, what she was doing at the time it happened, and the actual damages award, versus her medical bills.

I also didn't go looking for details, all the worse.
Someone eventually called me on it, and THEN I fact-checked, to my horror.

[Flatulo]

9. Yep. We all need to be quite a bit more skeptical of what comes out of the damned mass media. nt

[Bandit]

4. "After Tax Credits" that doesn't sound the same as subsidy

I think it means you have to pay the entire amount throughout the year and then when you file your taxes you can write off the extra amount and "maybe" get some money back. It depends on how much you owe whether you get a refund or not..

[Flatulo]

7. No, read the article. The credits can be redeemed up front as a monthly premium reduction.

[humbled_opinion]

5. However, the current rightwing meme is

That of course the elederly and sick i.e., people with PEC's will get onboard quickly because with subsidies this is a dream come true, however, the vast majority of young healthy people will not be buying in and will choose instead to opt for the penalty payment this has nothing to do with aultruism it is simply a financial matter because the law makes it cheaper for young healthy people to opt out and have little risk of doing so because if they do get sick they cannot be denied entry at that time with subsidies of course to help them pay. The upper middleclass that were paying for low cost catastrophic type plans and are being dropped will have a choice to make but again initially the fine may make it cheaper than the cost of a plan and again the law makes it so that people cannot be denied healthcare coverage if they do get sick.

I am scolded everyday about how the actuaries will be insisting on premium rate increases as this unfolds and more sick people are using benefits than healthy people in the pool paying the bill, the subsidies alone are going to be a future deficit nightmare....

Personally, I don't really know what is going to happen but I work with teaheads and everyday they spout out what I just typed above. If that scenario does unfold it won't be good for the debt but we shall see...