We are concerned and it takes up much space. But go look at an insurer’s direct pricing list for various plans, at say, age 50 or 60. Then multiply by two and/or add in the kids. It adds up. And we can’t freely discuss what “should be” or what we personally prefer.
I remember not a few people of my acquaintance complaining about COBRA, before ACA. They insinuated that their ex-employers and the insurance company were sticking it to them. Nope; that’s what their insurance was always costing their employer. They just didn’t know it.
Healthcare costs vary enormously between regions.
United Healthcare is only the tip of the iceberg. I expect many insurers to pull out of the ACA program. It’s a guaranteed loser for any company. ACA will crumble. It’s not workable.
Yes, most people are blissfully aware of how much *someone else/i is paying for their medical care costs. When it comes time to pay their own way (COBRA policy, individual plan, or self-pay), they are shocked at the prices.
If so, then that means that people must become tied to some paternistic organization (a large employer or the government) for their medical care costs, if they are not wealthy enough to self-pay. But then people will worry about the nanny-state or nanny-employer telling them to exercise, not smoke, not eat junk food, etc…
United Healthcare, in its earnings conference call, noted that people who sign up for health insurance after the open enrollment period, because they lost their job or moved or some other significant event, are particularly expensive users of health care. This is why we need an individual mandate with teeth, or a different funding mechanism. If we just get rid of the ACA, those people who have a sudden event that means they lost their insurance and need new insurance aren’t going to get any healthier, and their insurance isn’t going to get any cheaper, and their health care costs aren’t going to get any cheaper.
Personally, I feel if anyone wants to go doom n gloom on United or ACA, they’d better be on their game.
Throw BCBS into the boat with United. They are losing similar amounts.
My friend just found out her WEEKLY deduction for health care only has gone from $150 to $280. They just found out THIS WEEK. This is for a company in Delaware. That is family coverage, 2 adults, one adult “child”. The child is a student so can’t get medicaid. I can’t imagine the employer is paying much of anything. I think the deductible is good though 2000/4000. Healthcare.gov was about $1500 and up for unsubsidized gold plan for 3 adults, so that’s not really an option either.
Ours barely increased so we are lucky. Not sure if specific coverage is the same, but it’s really close as far as deductibles and oop. Might be more $ for ER and stuff like that. H’s company is self-insured but administrated by Aetna. Perhaps the self-insured is what kept premiums fairly level?
Our premium will go up to more than $1,400 a month for four people. Gag.
I discovered one way that the US health care system is better than that in the UK. Here, chicken pox vaccines are covered. My oldest child was born too soon, so he got a BAD case of cp. I had both my younger kids vaccinated the second they turned one.
So I was surprised when a friend, a postdoc researcher at Oxford, posted photos of her toddler covered with cp scabs. I asked why he hadn’t had the vaccine, and she said it’s not covered. It’s very expensive to get it privately. Ack! She said her little one is covered with three to four hundred spots. 
@MaineLonghorn the cost of a CP vaccine in the UK is ~$100-200. Considering that the flu shot here is about $30 if not covered, and you have to get one every year, that seems like a pretty good deal.
Here is the chicken pox vaccine schedule, from WebMD:
"How Many Shots of the Chickenpox Vaccine Are Needed?
The varicella vaccine is given in two doses. A child should have the first shot at ages 12-18 months. The second shot should be given at ages 4-6 years. Older children and adults should have two shots, with four to eight weeks between the first and second shot."
And there’s the high risk of shingles later in life, which is no picnic.
^I know! That’s a horrible disease. I was really surprised when all the other UK posters chimed in that they hadn’t gotten their kids the cp vaccine. It’s been readily available, and affordable, for exactly 20 years in the US.
Yes to the 20 years on CP vaccines – both of our kids got chicken pox when they were 3 & 4 yo – there seemed to be a CP outbreak every June at preschool. I was dealing with speckled, itchy kids for four weeks straight, because OF COURSE they got them consecutively!
DD was exposed to the chicken pox as a three month old…when her older brother got them…and he had a doozie of a case. This was before the vaccine…1988.
Then she was repeatedly exposed to them in daycare, and nursery school…repeatedly. One year, there were 28 kids in her day care…27 got,the chicken pox. She was the 28th…never got it.
In kindergarten she was exposed again…and actually our home day care provider even had kids there who had pox. We wanted her to get them…1992…right when the vaccine was being started.
We finally threw in the towel in first grade…she has the shot. She had the second shot. She had another shot before joining the peace corps…and this year…guess what…she had it again because her medical records were not clear that she had the shot twice.
I, otoh, had six chicken pox…all on my stomach. No big deal. I stayed out of school for a week. I was 12. Docs all said I probably didn’t get immunity from the illness. But I worked in public education for years…never got the chicken pox again.
OK…that was way off topic. But really…until this generation, folks got,the illness as youngsters usually. Doesn’t that happen in the UK?
Back to healthcare costs. If UHC pulls out of the exchange in 2017 will it start a domino effect? Also, if large insurers pull out of the exchange market will the premiums for the individual market drop and exchange plan costs increase?
Private individual plans tend to cost more than even unsubsidized exchange plans.Those receiving subsidies would very likely remain in the exchange - just with a different company/plan. My guess is the companies will offering the exchange plans will need to further limit their networks.
Since a company no longer offering exchange plans would now be - presumably - saving $$$ and since at least in CA companies are bound limited to a certain level of profit, it seems that the costs for those individual plans could drop or at least stabilize.
How many companies need to pull out of exchanges before the system can no long function?
In my state there is no difference in price between individual exchange plans and individual off-exchange plans. It’s not obvious to me why there would be a difference in other states.
I just think of how well this plan could have worked if all of the states and lawmakers had gotten behind it to make it a success instead of dragging feet and trying to make it fail.
I’m referencing CA plans. In my area off- exchange plans include a PPO option, of which non are available on the exchange. I haven’t looked at the situation in a couple of months but at last check a number of the individual market off exchange plans had a more robust provider network than the on exchange plans.
I’ve found the off exchange plans to be somewhat more expensive, hence the question of what happens if the on-exchange players start leaving the building. It’s my understanding that exchange plan rates are negotiated with the State and off exchange plans are not. Therefore a company has greater discretion in pricing the off exchange options.
My providers ask for insurance info each and every time we call to make an appointment. They will not accept some of the exchange plans but would accept similar off exchange plans. I haven’t taken the time to figure out the minutia since by the luck of the draw we’ve been offered another year of group coverage.
Here, all base pricing is approved by the state, with plenty of demands by our state, to the insurers. No rubber stamps. Here, the ins co gets the same amount, whether via exchange or not. The client gets the fed subsidy via the exchange.