Costs are going down for healthcare because of Obamacare

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by bwk, Mar 12, 2014.

  1. Hoosier8

    Hoosier8 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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  2. Hotdogr

    Hotdogr Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You, sir, are delusional.
     
  3. retiredindependant

    retiredindependant New Member

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    Don't know about costs rising or falling but I do know this:
    How are we suppose to get health insurance through the new health care program? I don't have to
    worry about it because my medical is taken care of through the VA.

    My wife can not get insurance through the new health plan. She was without insurance for years
    because of our income. We were living on my social security of $1200 per month and could not afford
    a policy for her. After going without insurance for a few years(after I had to go on social security)
    she found out that she was eligible for almost free insurance through our state.

    With this insurance, she got her first check-up in years and was put on breathers because of COPD
    and pills for high colesterol.

    When the new health care program came out, she was told that she had to apply for spousal social
    security. She did this and found out that she was eligible for $600 per month social security. Then,
    she gets a letter from the state saying that she was no longer eligible for the state insurance
    because our combined income was now approx. $200 over the guidelines.

    Today we went on-line to apply for insurance through the healthcare marketplace. She was told that
    she did not qualify because we had not filed income tax for the last few years! We filed taxes the
    first few years after I went on social security but was told that we didn't need to file due too our
    low income. Now they say that if you don't file, you can not get the tax credit for the insurance.

    They also said that there was nothing they could do about it because Iowa had opted out of the
    government health care program.

    So please tell me, how are we expected to get health care for my wife. This state gave her insurance
    long enough to get her started on medication and now she won't be able to get it because between
    this state and the government has screwed everything up.

    It is time to get this straightened out!!! These people sit in the big offices and don't have these
    problems and apparently don't worry about messing it up for the rest of us.
     
  4. Subdermal

    Subdermal Banned

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    Without question. Just as dumb is the new smart for liberals.

    But only if you're a liberal. They're special like that - and not 'interesting person' kind of special, but the 'short bus' kind.
     
  5. smevins

    smevins New Member

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    File taxes for the last 3 years (the period in which one can file amended returns) even if your liability is zero and put her in the system so she can then get insurance via the federal exchange. It really is the same as seniors who had to file just to get the stimulus check even though they otherwise did not need to file. A pain, but that seems about the only way you are going to work yourself out of this problem.
     
  6. TastyWheat

    TastyWheat New Member

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    I'm skeptical of the data presented in the OP (surprise, surprise) because either someone doesn't know how to make a chart or someone doesn't know how to read a chart. The original chart that displays a "drop in health care costs" actually says it's displaying the "Monthly change in the PCE health insurance price index." Positive numbers obviously mean costs are going up, but do the negative numbers mean costs are going down? According to what the chart says I don't think so.

    The PCE, like CPI, is a ratio or percentage of how much a good or service has increased in price. So a PCE of 10% means that prices went up roughly 10% from the previous measurement period. Now again, the chart shows the change (or delta) between PCE indicies. When the chart shows a negative number it's just indicating that PCE index has gone down, and it's no indication that overall prices have dropped. The chart only shows that prices in health care and health insurance have gone up at a slower rate than before.

    Now does this mean that the ACA is slowing down the increases in health care related costs? Possibly. I have yet to see an article that rebuts the original article, but in either case I don't think one month of slowed inflation is anything to celebrate.
     
  7. retiredindependant

    retiredindependant New Member

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    Thanks! I guess that I'll have to check with IRS.
     
  8. lynnlynn

    lynnlynn New Member

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    Once a healthcare provider is locked in with contracting with an insurance company, their charges becomes irrelevant since the fee schedule of who they are contracted with determines the cost for each healthcare service. The reason why they are saying healthcare costs are coming down is because anyone contracting with Medicaid and Medicare which is the majority of healthcare providers must now accept lower reimbursement levels for each service code billed by the provider of care.
     
  9. WallStreetVixen

    WallStreetVixen New Member

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    The average Health Care Premiums have increased 39% - 56% since the beginning of the healthcare exchanges. Mazel Tov.


     

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