<p>
</p>
<p>Perhaps. But if someone is insured, wouldn’t they want to avoid paying for double coverage by changing policies on the first of the month, such as April 1? If they apply on March 30, their new Exchange coverage would be effective mid-April, after they would have already paid their April premium for their legacy coverage. Dunno if they could cancel the old coverage and obtain a refund for the last two weeks of the month…</p>
<p>Bluebayou, exchange policies are alway effective the first of the month, not mid-month. A person who applies on March 30 would have coverage effective May 1, not mid-April. They’d cancel their old policy effective March 31. </p>
<p>It is really easy to cancel a policy with a specific effective date in any case. All you do is send a notice to the insurer - “please cancel policy #XXX effective _______”. If there’s been an overpayment they’ll generally refund the difference, though it might be a couple of months before the refund check arrives. (I say “generally” but in my experience it has been always – I just don’t know whether that would be the case for all policies in all parts of the country.)</p>
<p>What was I reading?? I could have sworn I read that for coverage beginning March 15, application needed to be completed by March 1. For coverage beginning April 1, application had to be completed by March 15.</p>
<p>I guess I totally misunderstood!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Late in replying. I chose Aug 2009 not 2008. I avoid 2008 as much as possible. I thought Aug 2009 was when ACA was passed. I was curious how health stocks behaved after the law passed. This is of course limited. I just looked up UNH and AET because I am familiar with them. We had owned them. To me, the numbers are striking. Here it is again.</p>
<p>Aug 2009 to present, United Health Group 160%, Aetna 120%, S&P, 67%.
Aug 2010 to present, United Health Group 145%, Atena 135%, S&P 55%, </p>
<p>You don’t have to own them to benefit. If health industry is sizable, it will affect the overall stock mareket benefitting general stock investors.</p>
<p>I have an Iraqi refugee who lives with me here in Washington State who is on Medicaid. You better believe he is better off with it, so much better with it, that he couldn’t afford to take a low wage job for fear that he would lose his medical coverage. Now, for the first time, he is free to seek employment. </p>
<p>Medicaid provides almost exactly the same care that I get under my wife’s insurance plan. In fact, he sees the same primary care physician, same specialists, and if he needs hospital care, the same hospital. His drug coverage is better than mine.</p>
<p>That’s great news about the high quality of available Medicaid. It totally eliminates the need for parents to pay extra to keep their unemployed 19-26 year olds on their policy, or buy them a university plan.</p>
<p>It’s true for Washington State, I don’t know if it would hold for those in other states (I doubt it). And some of our kids have incomes that, while not hefty, wouldn’t qualify them for Medicaid, but might have difficulty affording insurance.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My point is that you could perform this exercise with almost any stock from 2008 (or 1930 for that mater). </p>
<p>From its high at the beginning of 2008 UNH is up about 5% per year. </p>
<p>My thesis is this heath care costs = consumer cost control.</p>
<p>I had the best coverage I’ve ever had on MIChild- when I was a kid it was the only way I could get insurance due to “pre-existing conditions”. My dad has been on Medicaid since his accident and it’s been superb. Much better than my private insurance through BCBS. </p>
<p>Like mini, I know a lot of people that are currently afraid of making above poverty because they’ll lose the only insurance they currently have access to. And will continue due to our delayed Medicaid expansion (Michigan won’t expand until April). These are people that want to work but cannot afford to go without insurance. </p>
<p>Obviously, results could vary by state but I doubt THAT significantly.</p>
<p>“It totally eliminates the need for parents to pay extra to keep their unemployed 19-26 year olds on their policy, or buy them a university plan.”</p>
<p>Well, many folks have a preference for private rather than public solutions. Medicaid is a government charity program. Laws ensuring that people have the opportunity to pay for private insurance are not charity, and cost the taxpayers very little. Parents bear that cost.</p>
<p>Don’t those laws become inextricably intertwined with charity when you throw in government subsidies to help people comply with the mandate? It’s a new label but if it’s free it’s the same deal.</p>
<p>From Healthcare.gov (official source) on enrollment & coverage dates:
Link: <a href=“https://www.healthcare.gov/what-key-dates-do-i-need-to-know/#part=3[/url]”>https://www.healthcare.gov/what-key-dates-do-i-need-to-know/#part=3</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Note the reference to “pay your premium” – if you pay online with a credit card you’ll probably be fine, but it’s possible that people who request an invoice and plan to mail in a check can be caught short.</p>
<p>“you throw in government subsidies to help people comply with the mandate?”</p>
<p>I was responding to a post about the stay-on-till-you’re-26 provision and university health plans, neither of involve a subsidy.</p>
<p>If the family qualifies for a subsidy wouldn’t stay on it till your 26 be subsidized? In fact, couldn’t the larger family size if you include those adult children help the family to qualify for benefits and cause them to opt out of university plans. I’m guessing it could in some cases.</p>
<p>A college-age adult who is still listed as a dependent on the parents’ tax return would not be eligible for any subsidies. </p>
<p>The decision to not claim a student as a dependent could be costly for some families. A 3-person household with income between $62-$78K would qualify for subsidies, a 2-person household would not. See: [Federal</a> Poverty Guidelines](<a href=“http://www.familiesusa.org/resources/tools-for-advocates/guides/federal-poverty-guidelines.html]Federal”>http://www.familiesusa.org/resources/tools-for-advocates/guides/federal-poverty-guidelines.html)</p>
<p>So in a lot of cases, dropping the family coverage for a child in the 19-26 age group could change the situation from an entire family eligible for a substantial subsidy, to no subsidies for anyone – which could result in dramatically increased premiums.</p>
<p>FYI Ohio has declined to expand Medicaid so far - it has not been brought up for a vote in the state legislature. Governor Kasich has decided to allow the controlling board (a 7 member group of legislators) to vote on it in about a week and it appears it will pass though it’s not assured.</p>
<p>[Medicaid</a> expansion still up in air on Controlling Board | The Columbus Dispatch](<a href=“http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/10/15/medicaid-expansion-still-up-in-air-on-controlling-board.html]Medicaid”>http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/10/15/medicaid-expansion-still-up-in-air-on-controlling-board.html)</p>
<p>Exactly! My point was the household could become eligible for subsidies by claiming more dependents. It does not much matter who gets the subsidy…student, parent, whatever. It brings down the family health care cost. </p>
<p>Although I would be careful about this because my daughter’s university plan covers absolutely everything with an occasional tiny co-pay and an on campus health center and near by emergency care. I expect (although I cannot get through the broken website) an ACA plan would have a gigantic deductible and quite the scramble to find an actual physician with an available appointment.</p>
<p>Let me start by apologizing for the length of this post. However, I think it’s probable that there are other families that will be facing the situation of kids graduating and moving on to higher income jobs so I think this could be relevant to some of you.</p>
<p>Today, I was able to get online at Healthcare.gov and set up an account in my daughter’s name (with her permission!). She will be finishing grad school in May and is hoping for full-time employment in her field for at least half of 2014. She currently has a part-time job which will continue through until graduation. </p>
<p>When I got to the page where her income needed to be input, I listed her current part-time job and her gross biweekly wages. I did a live chat and the rep told me I should estimate what income she would make at her post-grad career job and add that to her part-time wages to estimate her 2014 income. There was a question that asked if her part-time 2013 income, annualized, was her total 2014 income. I clicked no, it asked me for what her 2014 income would be, I entered my estimate, and then saved it. Thought all was well until I got to the end where you have to review what you have entered. </p>
<p>While I answered each and every question presented, the system disregarded the estimated amount I had submitted, and just extrapolated her part-time wages to get her annual income (only about $12.5K). I went back and re-entered the estimate just to make sure I didn’t make a mistake. The review page continued to ignore that estimate. I’m sure the problem relates to the fact that while I could provide an estimate, there was no employer listed since we don’t know who that employer will be.</p>
<p>I tried to live chat again, but the first rep disconnected after hearing my question, and the 2nd rep posted a pre-scripted paragraph about the system being down and that online access was unavailable and to try again later. When I wrote that I was online and had no access issues, he told me to call the 1-800 number.</p>
<p>So I did. Got through very quickly, but the rep was unable to tell me how to get the system to accept the higher income estimate. She escalated my issue to the Advanced Problem department and they are supposed to call me within 2 days. </p>
<p>Obviously, there is some sort of glitch in the system. However, I would think that my D’s situation is not an uncommon one, as kids graduate and move into full-time employment all the time. I’m also sure that there are many other reasons why an individual would need to estimate their future income. </p>
<p>So, I am waiting by the phone for the next 2 days. Hoping for an answer that works. I’ll keep you all posted on what I hear.</p>
<p>In the meantime, has anyone else been successful in estimating income from an unknown employer?</p>
<p>Is there any reason you can’t estimate the same income but use the current employer?</p>
<p>^^^I was worried that there might be a problem if the W2 numbers don’t match up. I also worry (probably needlessly) about getting in trouble for providing false information.</p>