Affordable Care Act Scene 3 - Insurance Premiums 2015

Parent Cafe
1

<p>It is time to review 2015 premiums, changes to plans in different states and be helpful to CC members in general by providing them guidance.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1527962-affordable-care-act-ramifications-discussion.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1527962-affordable-care-act-ramifications-discussion.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“Affordable Care Act Scene 2 - Insurance Premiums - Parent Cafe - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1557425-affordable-care-act-scene-2-insurance-premiums-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Per TOS, what might be deemed political is always curtailed. Keep your opinions on those topics to your personal twitters, facebook pages and other communication mechanisms since they will be deleted on CC and might get you blocked from posting in future if it is done repeatedly. Everyone is held accountable for their own posts, irrespective of whether they are responding to someone else since what they find objectionable should be reported and not responded to causing disharmony and escalated tensions among members.</p>

<p>In
Discussion of the current law as it stands.
Discussion of rules within the states for policies and exchanges in reference to specific issue people are facing in that state.</p>

<p>Out</p>

<p>Discussion of current court cases in detail.
Discussion of why some states are bad for not accepting money or not creating exchanges. - Are you listening Florida or whatever state you are referring to will be DEEMED POLITICAL.
Future State of ACA
How it is done in Greenland, Iceland or whatever country</p>

<p>This is strictly a self-help thread and not your own personal commentary thread. Please bear that in mind when posting.</p>

2

<p>For people buying individual policies, how do the 2015 plans look?</p>

<p>Looks like my son can get a Silver policy from Kaiser for a bit less than $300/month. Not cheap, but Kaiser will work well for him, we think. He’s a spacey guy, so having one Kaiser keeping track of all of whatever problems he might have looks good to us.</p>

3

<p>My S will have to go on an individual policy in September since I will go on Medicare. We currently have a small group policy for the two of us. I am shocked at the huge price increase from 2014 to 2015, 73.5% to go from 20 to 21.</p>

<p>Amerihealth Silver POS<br>
2014 20 yr old $ 219.00<br>
2015 20 yr old $ 241.00 </p>

<p>2014 21 yr old $ 344.00<br>
2015 21 yr old $ 380.00 </p>

<p>The price “increase” is only 10% if you stay the same age!
NJ has 8 HMOs and 40 EPOs which have no out of network and only 2 POS.
I will take a real serious look at his college policy next year, it has to be way cheaper and better than this.</p>

4

<p>The way policies work, there is a child rate for everyone from birth to age 20. But at 21, a person is paying adult rates.
Looks like there is a 57% jump in NJ when a person starts paying the adult rate. And, as you say, a 10% jump from 2014 to 2015, which is high; most areas have increases smaller than that. </p>

<p>Is it possible for your son to buy an individual policy in the state where he goes to school, if that state is not NJ? Is he eligible for subsidies (because he is not your dependent on your tax return)?</p>

5

<p>DH has been on Obamacare this entire year. His premium is currently $988 a month for a Gold plan with a $1,000 deductible. We wanted such a low deductible because he has had numerous hospitalizations over the past five years. For 2015, his premium for the same plan will be $1,015 a month – not too bad an increase, but I’ve decided to try to go back to a job with benefits. No matter how bad the benefits package, it certainly won’t require us to pay a thousand bucks a month for his coverage, that’s for sure.</p>

<p>(I’m on Medicare.)</p>

6

<p>CF, I checked into buying a policy in DE but you have to be a resident. He needs to be insured in NJ, DE and PA which is why we can’t go with a cheaper EPO. He is still our dependent until graduation in 2016 so no subsidies either. At least my rate will be cut in half with medicare and the medicare supplement.</p>

<p>I was just shocked at the change of price from 20 to 21.</p>

7

<p>We are currently an H and W LLC. We have been in group insurance for years but no longer qualify as a group under ACA. In 2014 we were ‘grandfathered’ and allowed to keep our current group plan. </p>

<p>At the beginning of 2014 when I signed onto my Blue Shield account a message stated this plan has been discontinued. Present members would not be renewed during the next open enrollment cycle. Somewhere around June that message disappeared. The CA Governor signed legislation permitting certain existing, non-ACA compliant plans, to continue for another cycle. Groups are randomly selected for re-certification, ours was not required to do so this year. So, for 2015 we are ‘grandmothered’ into our original group plan, We were also given the option of moving to an ACA compliant group plan. </p>

<p>Plan coverage details:</p>

<p>Current non-ACA compliant plan 2014 - premium increase from 2013 is 14%</p>

<p>Details: </p>

<p>$2500 deductible per person in network / $5,500 pp OOP max<br>
no life time maximum
extensive network of providers
Costs: H (60) $827
W(55) $635
S and D (19,20) $191
For a total monthly premium of $1653</p>

8

<p>I was forced to get Obamacare in 2014 because my company dropped my group plan. My boss had been paying the premium in full, so she increased my salary by the amount she had been paying, but taxes were now taken out. Still, I was able to purchase a Bronze plan with a $6000 deductible and only have to be out an extra $20 or so from my pocket, although my deductible tripled. I just got my renewal offer and the premium has increased 28.34%. I am pretty sure I will be uninsured next year. Lucky for me, I do not have any health issues and take no medication.</p>

9

<p>Sorry, some sort of time out issue with post #6…here is the complete info,</p>

<p>We are currently an H and W company. We have been in group insurance for years but no longer qualify under ACA rules. In 2014 we were ‘grandfathered’ and allowed to keep our current group plan. </p>

<p>At the beginning of 2014 when I signed onto my Blue Shield account a message stated this plan has been discontinued. Present members would not be renewed during the next open enrollment cycle. Somewhere around June that message disappeared. The CA Governor signed legislation permitting certain existing, non-ACA compliant plans, to continue for another cycle. Groups are randomly selected for re-certification, ours was not required to do so this year. So, for 2015 we are ‘grandmothered’ into our original group plan, We were also given the option of moving to an ACA compliant group plan. </p>

<p>We currently pay $1450/month for our PPO plan.</p>

<ol>
<li>renewal of current PPO plan - premium increase is 14% </li>
</ol>

<p>$2500 deductible per person in network / $5,500 pp OOP PP max<br>
no life time maximum
extensive network of providers
Costs: H (61) $827
W(55) $635
S and D (19,20) $191
For a total monthly premium of $1653 </p>

<ol>
<li>Offered ACA compliant group PPO plan </li>
</ol>

<p>$4500 deductible per person in net/ $9000 per family
$6350 deductible per person out of network/ $12,700 per family</p>

<p>Costs: H (60) $888
W(55) $705
S and D (19,20) $516
For a total monthly premium of $2110 (a 45% increase over our current plan, with greater OOP costs)</p>

<p>If we were forced into the individual market there is only one PPO option in our area. It would run us about $2250/month. This amounts to a 57% premium increase over our current non-ACA compliant grand mothered plan. Other options such as EPO and HMO plans have very restricted networks and geographical coverage issues.</p>

<p>D has started a real grown up job with amazing health benefits. It will run her $109/month for a $500 deductible, dental and vision. Her network includes the right hand of god.</p>

<p>S has an option via the UC’s for a $250/month pland with a $300 deductible. I’m looking at moving both the kids off of our coverage. But, since the current plan charges the same whether it’s one or two kids and there are issues with S possibly doing a year abroad…I’m going to wait until January or so to make any moves.</p>

10

<p>Musicmom1215, really? Have you checked other insurance companies’
plans? </p>

<p>Anthem is raising my premiums 15 percent. They were providing the lowest cost bronze plans in my area in 2014, but now they are not. </p>

<p>People need to shop around. The renewals can be a bad deal.</p>

<p>My wife had cataract surgey recently and the costs are about $13,000. The lenses aren’t covered. It has occured to me why not self insure? Can save $15,000. Then I go see a friend who had a $500,000+ bill in 2013. Do I really want to take that chance? </p>

11

<p>Musicmom, definitely check around and see if there is another, cheaper plan that suits your needs. A 28% rise in premium is a lot! There may be a better deal for you.</p>

<p>jbsmom, can’t your son choose to be a resident of Delaware? I know that many students choose to be residents of the city they go to school in, so that they can register to vote there.</p>

12

<p>@dstark, you do not.</p>

13

<p>I Know. You are right Very Happy. I am getting insurance.</p>

14

<p>CF, since my S lives in a dorm and will next year, I don’t think he would be able to establish residency in DE. I just wish we had more choices in NJ at better prices. It’s definitely hard going from a group plan to an individual plan. </p>

15

<p>I will definitely go to the marketplace when it’s available and see if there are any other options, but I already have the Bronze plan with the largest deductible. Last year there weren’t many plans with networks in my area. I live in a small, somewhat rural town. I have BCBS and I like them, but I just can’t squeeze out another 28%. </p>

16

<p>Dorms are addresses. People who live in dorms still register to vote.</p>

<p>The individual federal exchange is available now for browsing, isn’t it? I know that California’s exchange is, because I browsed today. </p>

17

<p>I was just thinking… I have always had health insurance. I am never sick. The last time I even met my deductible was in 1991, and the deductible was $250! I was scheduling a hysterectomy for after the holidays and the doctor’s office called and said I needed to do it before the end of the year because my deductible was going up to $500 January 1, 1992. I have paid tons of premium and the insurance companies have not paid anything for 23 years.</p>

18

<p>Question for those of you who have used the ACA website to sign up for plans. D2 will be 26 in February and has been on H’s employer plan, so she needs to open up an account on the ACA site, which she understands. I have already had the talk with her to get in as many medical visits as possible before February because I’m sure whatever she ends up with won’t be as good as she has now (including dental, vision, etc.).</p>

<p>This is her situation, and I know some of you are in CA. She has been in CA for two years now (is not a student), but has not made enough money each year to file for income taxes. I know she qualifies for Medi-Cal, but how will she be able to sign up for it if she has no tax returns? Don’t they use your tax return information to determine eligibility for Medi-Cal?</p>

19

<p>musicmom, count your blessings.</p>

20

<p>Yes, musicmom, count your blessings. And don’t assume you won’t need expensive medical care in 2015. Do you refuse to buy auto insurance or homeowners’ because in past years you’ve paid more in premiums than you got back in claims? I hope not. Unfortunately, insurance works that way – it’s a good year when the insurance company makes money off you, because it means nothing really bad happened to you.</p>

<p>My DH got individual coverage on the CA exchange last year. He did not qualify for a subsidy, which we were pretty sure he wouldn’t, but wanted to make sure. We just got his renewal letter from Anthem – 6.9% increase for 2015. We probably won’t even do any shopping. He’s happy with the coverage, and we’re happy with the premium, so I think we’ll just let it ride.</p>