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phlatsphil
Posts: 14,632 AG
ah shucks....Obamacare Premiums Report Shows Low Prices For Uninsured
phlatsphil
Posts: 14,632 AG
Sorry to disappoint Ted Cruz...
Obamacare Premiums Report Shows Low Prices For Uninsured With Wide Variation
The average price for basic health coverage purchased on health insurance exchanges created by President Barack Obama's health care reform law will be $249 a month, not counting subsidies, in 48 states reviewed by the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a government report published Wednesday.
The health insurance exchanges, marketplaces for uninsured people and consumers who don't get health benefits from their employers, are scheduled to launch on Oct. 1 for an enrollment period that runs through the end of March for 2014 coverage. This latest analysis of what the health insurance plans will cost comes just six days before people will be able to find out what they'll actually pay.
"For millions of Americans, these new options will finally make health insurance work within their budget," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday. Reporters were provided access to the report prior to its publication.
The figures released by the Department of Health and Human Services represent averages and prices will vary widely by geographic location as well as family size, age, tobacco use and income. Even the average price of a so-called bronze plan, designed to cover 60 percent of medical expenses not counting monthly premiums, masks big variation. The average price of the cheapest bronze plan in Minnesota is $144 while in Wyoming, comparable coverage costs $425 on average, not including subsides.
For people who currently are uninsured and who qualify for financial assistance or enrollment in Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the poor, the average prices look to be low: 56 percent of uninsured will be able to get coverage for less than $100 a month per person, Gary Cohen, director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, said during the conference call.
The report cited examples of families and individuals who could qualify for subsidized coverage that would greatly reduce its cost, and Cohen said some low-income people will even be able to obtain a bronze plan with no monthly premium because of the subsidies.
A 27-year-old in Dallas who earns $25,000 a year will be able to purchase a bronze plan for $74 a month, including federal tax credits to discount the price. A family of four in Dallas with a $50,000 household income could choose a bronze plan for as little as $26 a month, including the subsidies. A family of four earning $50,000 a year purchasing the least expensive bronze plan would pay $36 a month in Charlotte, N.C., $32 a month in St. Louis and $24 a month in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., including subsidies.
Premiums for the cheapest silver plan on 36 state-based health insurance exchanges the federal government is at least partially managing are 16 percent lower than originally projected by the Congressional Budget Office, Cohen said.
Prices for some people who already buy their own insurance will rise above today's level, however, largely because the health care reform law doesn't allow insurance companies to exclude people with pre-existing conditions, guarantees a minimum benefits package, doesn't allow women to be charged more than men, and limits how much more older people must pay. The current market favors healthier people, but is more challenging for older and sicker people, who often can't find coverage.
Less than 4 percent of people who currently have health insurance are only covered by insurance they buy directly, as opposed to getting it through work or from a government program like Medicare. While some of these people will qualify for financial assistance, some will see higher sticker prices for coverage.
The Obama administration and the states cooperating with implementation of the health law, and some independent analysts, maintain that's why prices on today's individual market for health insurance can't accurately be compared with the cost of plans sold on the exchanges.
"There have been a lot of products on the market where people thought they had health insurance, but then they found out it didn't cover hospital visits, for example," Cohen said. Improved benefits and consumer protections in exchange plans make them more valuable, he said.
"People will have high-quality coverage that will cover essential health benefits, that will be there when they need it, and the rates they will have to pay for those plans are reasonable and good rates, particularly after the application of tax credits, when they are extremely reasonable," Cohen said.
The health care law provides tax credits on a sliding scale based on income. People earning from the federal poverty level, which is $11,490 for a single person this year, to four times that amount, or $45,960, may be eligible for financial assistance. The value of the tax credit is tied to the second-cheapest silver plan where a person lives. People who earn up to 250 percent of poverty can get extra help covering their out-of-pocket expenses. In about half the states, Medicaid benefits will be available to anyone who makes up to 133 percent of poverty, which is $15,282.
Health insurance sold on the exchanges is categorized by metal levels from bronze to silver to gold to platinum, denoting how generous their coverage is. Lower-end plans generally will have lower monthly premiums, but higher out-of-pocket costs, while higher end plans will have higher premiums and less out-of-pocket spending. People younger than 30 or who can't afford insurance even with subsidies can opt for high-deductible catastrophic plans that aren't eligible for tax credits. Nearly all legal U.S. residents are required to obtain health coverage or face a tax penalty under the law's individual mandate.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/obamacare-premiums_n_3984979.html
Obamacare Premiums Report Shows Low Prices For Uninsured With Wide Variation
The average price for basic health coverage purchased on health insurance exchanges created by President Barack Obama's health care reform law will be $249 a month, not counting subsidies, in 48 states reviewed by the Department of Health and Human Services, according to a government report published Wednesday.
The health insurance exchanges, marketplaces for uninsured people and consumers who don't get health benefits from their employers, are scheduled to launch on Oct. 1 for an enrollment period that runs through the end of March for 2014 coverage. This latest analysis of what the health insurance plans will cost comes just six days before people will be able to find out what they'll actually pay.
"For millions of Americans, these new options will finally make health insurance work within their budget," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday. Reporters were provided access to the report prior to its publication.
The figures released by the Department of Health and Human Services represent averages and prices will vary widely by geographic location as well as family size, age, tobacco use and income. Even the average price of a so-called bronze plan, designed to cover 60 percent of medical expenses not counting monthly premiums, masks big variation. The average price of the cheapest bronze plan in Minnesota is $144 while in Wyoming, comparable coverage costs $425 on average, not including subsides.
For people who currently are uninsured and who qualify for financial assistance or enrollment in Medicaid, the federal-state health program for the poor, the average prices look to be low: 56 percent of uninsured will be able to get coverage for less than $100 a month per person, Gary Cohen, director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, said during the conference call.
The report cited examples of families and individuals who could qualify for subsidized coverage that would greatly reduce its cost, and Cohen said some low-income people will even be able to obtain a bronze plan with no monthly premium because of the subsidies.
A 27-year-old in Dallas who earns $25,000 a year will be able to purchase a bronze plan for $74 a month, including federal tax credits to discount the price. A family of four in Dallas with a $50,000 household income could choose a bronze plan for as little as $26 a month, including the subsidies. A family of four earning $50,000 a year purchasing the least expensive bronze plan would pay $36 a month in Charlotte, N.C., $32 a month in St. Louis and $24 a month in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., including subsidies.
Premiums for the cheapest silver plan on 36 state-based health insurance exchanges the federal government is at least partially managing are 16 percent lower than originally projected by the Congressional Budget Office, Cohen said.
Prices for some people who already buy their own insurance will rise above today's level, however, largely because the health care reform law doesn't allow insurance companies to exclude people with pre-existing conditions, guarantees a minimum benefits package, doesn't allow women to be charged more than men, and limits how much more older people must pay. The current market favors healthier people, but is more challenging for older and sicker people, who often can't find coverage.
Less than 4 percent of people who currently have health insurance are only covered by insurance they buy directly, as opposed to getting it through work or from a government program like Medicare. While some of these people will qualify for financial assistance, some will see higher sticker prices for coverage.
The Obama administration and the states cooperating with implementation of the health law, and some independent analysts, maintain that's why prices on today's individual market for health insurance can't accurately be compared with the cost of plans sold on the exchanges.
"There have been a lot of products on the market where people thought they had health insurance, but then they found out it didn't cover hospital visits, for example," Cohen said. Improved benefits and consumer protections in exchange plans make them more valuable, he said.
"People will have high-quality coverage that will cover essential health benefits, that will be there when they need it, and the rates they will have to pay for those plans are reasonable and good rates, particularly after the application of tax credits, when they are extremely reasonable," Cohen said.
The health care law provides tax credits on a sliding scale based on income. People earning from the federal poverty level, which is $11,490 for a single person this year, to four times that amount, or $45,960, may be eligible for financial assistance. The value of the tax credit is tied to the second-cheapest silver plan where a person lives. People who earn up to 250 percent of poverty can get extra help covering their out-of-pocket expenses. In about half the states, Medicaid benefits will be available to anyone who makes up to 133 percent of poverty, which is $15,282.
Health insurance sold on the exchanges is categorized by metal levels from bronze to silver to gold to platinum, denoting how generous their coverage is. Lower-end plans generally will have lower monthly premiums, but higher out-of-pocket costs, while higher end plans will have higher premiums and less out-of-pocket spending. People younger than 30 or who can't afford insurance even with subsidies can opt for high-deductible catastrophic plans that aren't eligible for tax credits. Nearly all legal U.S. residents are required to obtain health coverage or face a tax penalty under the law's individual mandate.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/25/obamacare-premiums_n_3984979.html
Replies
Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked. --- Lord Chesterfield
I will wait to see what an independent group analyzes this program. I don't believe anything any governmental agency espouses regardless of it being headed by Democrat or Republican.
http://www.healthinsurance.org/florida-state-health-insurance-exchange/
What is a lie?
Have you checked out the website.above?
Or do you believe the whole thing is a lie?
Just curious what you are.thinking
And so has been all the speculative lies against Obamacare.
All we have now is speculation from corporate media either for or against it. You guys believe whichever your side feeds you.
And people who have a real desire for just the **** truth are left out in the cold.
My understanding is it will be a tax break
http://101.communitycatalyst.org/aca_provisions/subsidies
Which means those of us who actually pay taxes will be paying for it as always.
I long for the days when everyone was required to be responsible for them self but, alas I fear those days are gone forever.
You may not realize it but you have been paying for the uninsured health care all along
Now everyone contributes to the pot. You may not like how it is being split up. But it is what it is
You're operating under the assumption that these liberals understand where the government gets its money. They think subsidies and entitlements are gifts from their overlords.
Not true.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —
Newly-released data shows that the average premium for a mid-range health insurance plan in Florida under the federal health overhaul is $328 a month.
The data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that the average premiums in Florida track closely with the national average.
Compared to estimated premiums in other states, Florida's estimated premiums fall squarely in the middle.
But the data shows there's some variation based on where one lives.
Before tax credits kicked in, premium estimates were highest in Orlando and lowest in West Palm Beach and Tampa.
Copyright the Associated Press.
http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/feds-release-health-overhaul-plan-costs-fla/nZ6xG/
Just as the estimated cost of Failcare to the taxpayers will be up to $2.6 trillion. When the .gov gives an estimate, you can triple it.
$249 for a 60/40 plan? You actually think this is good? Medicare is an 80/20 and most have to buy a supplement. Someone who has a serious illness/injury and ends up with a $50k bill is not going to be able to pay the $20K. Bend over tax payers, you now get to ensure the profit of insurance companies and pay the medical bill.....
Let's be fair and end that subsidy, as well.
You're going to have to explain that one to me.
That is actually a good idea but party politics would block it. COBRA is a nightmare for folks who lose their jobs.
Let everyone buy their insurance on the exchange
Let everyone realize what health insurance really cost
See what American's reaction is to that
I think it might result in some accountability on cost of health care
It's that agent orange kicking in from nam. Phil loves him some Barack obama
YOU are not subsidizing benefits received from our employers, our employers are subsidizing it as part of our compensation package. We have discussed terminating healthcare benefits to hourly employees and paying them the amount we contribute presently.
Until Obamacare shakes out we can not determine what is in the best interest of the employees and the company. I have our benefits director studying it with outside consultants but no one knows the truth of how Obamacare will work and at what price and we have roughly 20K employees in the U.S.
If you have any concentration of employees, the Rosen Hotel concept is interesting. That along with a 60/40 plan that has an out of pocket max of 5-7k would be an enticing benefit....
With that amount of employees, I'd be very interested after it all shakes out, what kind of cost was incurred.
Keep it simple and just use the bottom line from before ocare and after ocare. And if your employees incurred extra costs.
That would give a picture that the Gov isn't showing.
If I was a betting man, I would bet that your costs will be up for both your company and the employees.
Bet the level of care will be the only thing going down.
Obamacare will screw over the people who are currently insured in order to provide for those who are not. Sounds like socialism
So, the uninsured had health care all along and we (tax payers) were paying for it? And now, the uninsured will have to pay for something they were getting free? You really believe that?
(Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe)
You might want to check into the changes to Medicade that are coming with ACA
You might want to check into the changes to Medicade that are coming with ACA
Are you now saying that this whole effort with the ACA was a Democrat way of getting those of little means who were not participating in paying for the cost of whatever healthcare they received to now pay for at least a portion of that care???
The natural and logical extension of this is that this is a backdoor way of helping the "rich" as by forcing the "poor", who were not paying before, to now pay you relax the burden on those who were paying it for them.
And the real irony of it all, if I am to accept your logic, is that the Democrat Party just jammed through a "tax cut for the rich"....!!!
( Sure do wish at this point that I knew how to use the icons because a cavorting laughing head would be appropriate about now. )