Finally got my Health Insurance. The Affordable Care Act isn't that good.

[DeschutesRiver]

90. If we were both to get sick same year, we'd need to come up with a minimum 3Ok to pay blue cross for

our premium, copays, deductible and coinsurance for our policy, which we have had with them for 30 years approx. It would not be possible to pay that much in one year, more less if our illnesses required us to pay that every year if they were of a continuing nature. We've only kept this policy as a life or death kind of deal, break glass only in case of dire emergency sort of thing. At our ages, insurance for self employed peeps is really expense, and medicare is still years away.

Our deductibles are 5k for each of us separately, so every year, the first 5k is on us to pay, so we pretty much try not to see doctors. Coinsurance is 50% for some things, with no cap in some situations. Prescription drugs are mostly our responsibility as well. Our premiums are sky high, and we just got a letter from Blue Cross saying that after Jan 1, we will pay several hundred dollars more per month, plus our benefits, if you can call them that, will be drastically reduced. All this money is basically getting us nothing more than catastrophic health care in many ways. The only good news is that we are older but still somewhat healthy, ie the things we don't see a doc for haven't killed us.

I can not fucking believe what I have heard from Cover Oregon, either. We have called several times, because I needed to hear it from several people to be certain there is no mistake....because...

Once I get our new coverage in place, we can finally go see doctors and get whatever care we need, without immediately running the risk of bankruptcy and being old people in the poor house. True, it will not be free care. But at some level, care will finally be possible and that makes all the difference to me.

So while 5k may not seem like a bargain, it depends upon what coverage you have had in the past. Our current policy is affordable SO LONG AS we never get sick and have to use it. It has been very scary. Until now. i still don't believe what I am hearing, but if it is true, I join the OP in saying the repubs are doing this because they are scared shitless.