Health Care Plans Under Obamacare Will Cost Even Less Than Expected

[dflprincess]

37. There was a link here in the last few weeks

(and I'm too tired to look for it) that listed what the cost of plans that would be available with Obamacare and their varying levels of coverage and deductibles. -- It might have been the cost California plans that will be available.

However, while the actual costs of the insurance have not been available, the information about what kinds of plans will be supported/allowed by the ACA has been and it has been clear that high out of pocket (aka "consumer driven&quot plans will be allowed. It was also laid out in the ACA that premiums must be paid up front and "subsidies" applied for at the time income taxes are filed. The $6K+ annual deductible (for a single person) and at what rate it will increase annually, is spelled out in the ACA as is what expenses are not subject to the deductible.

Minnesota has had some plans for lower income people and has picked up the Medicaid extension. My mother qualified for the state's "Minnesota Senior Health Options" (MSHO) as her Medicare suppliment and never paid anything but a $3.00 copay for brand name drugs and $1 for generic - and the copays had a max amount of something like $24/month. This included a few hospital stays and one major surgery. I'm quite fortunate in that my employer still offers very good insurance. And, as I found out when I broke my wrist last fall, it is a plan that pays claims quickly and with no hassles - of course, it is a non-profit company (and, having been insured by both for and non profit companies I can attest to the non-profits generally being much easier to deal with).

I have read quite a lot of the ACA and articles about it - all it does is require a person to have insurance, it does not guarantee that they will be able to afford care when they need it.

Remember, what is now called Obamacare, was originally the Heritage Foundation's plan - doubtful that anyone there was concerned with anything but protecting profits.