Puterbac News Network and Political Discussion Thread

[Big Orange Junky]

So guess who is losing their health insurance as a direct result of Obamacare? This guy.

I was just informed last week that I have to give up the policy that I have had since I purchased it back in 2011. It's a family policy that I really like, it's a 5000 dollar deductable plan. It has served myself and my family well. However, because I haven't had it for a full three years with no changes then I have to give that up and get one from the gubment exchange. .....Oh and my insurance guy who had to inform me of that also informed me that it is likely to be much more expensive......

Imagine that. I thought if you liked your plan you could keep it. Obviously another patented Oprama bald faced lie.

[bluetick]

:::sigh::::

In 1960, Detroit automakers had a 90% share of the US market and 65% of the world market. Japan was a bit player, and China was yet to build it's first car.

Today US automakers only account for half of the US market and barely a tenth of the world market. China has more than doubled our production (19,000,000 units vs 8,700,000). Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda routinely get the highest marks for quality and durability.

Budding Tea Partiers apparently favored Camrys over K Cars. Who knew?

[bluetick]

BOJ, you must be leaving something out. Unless your insurance carrier ceased to exist, you should be getting a non-grandfathered option to replace your current coverage. We have several hundreds of insureds and noone is "being forced into the gubment exchange."

[Big Orange Junky]

BOJ, you must be leaving something out. Unless your insurance carrier ceased to exist, you should be getting a non-grandfathered option to replace your current coverage. We have several hundreds of insureds and noone is "being forced into the gubment exchange."

Nope, it's blue cross blue shield. He stated they just found out that in order to fit the gubments criteria for grandfathering I would have had to have had the policy for a full three years with no changes.

Since I haven't had the policy for three years then I must purchase a policy on the exchange, but he says I should be able to find one that is close to mine, but will likely be more expensive. He said he wouldn't know the price until I think last Tuesday but I don't remember the exact date.

He called the office yesterday but I don't know what the message was yet.

So it appears that I am being forced onto the gubment exchange unless something has changed since I talked to him about a week and a half ago. I bet you would know my agent if your email is correct I'll send you the info.

I though he said "three years with absolutely no changes" but he may have said three years with no changes. At any rate I haven't made any changes, but my policy only started in 2011 because that is when my office opened and when I had to buy a different policy. I had COBRA while I was looking for a policy, I asked you about an agent during that time. I found exactly what I wanted, 5000 dollar deductable family plan that I had to pay alot for due to my previous cancer history and being a lard ass, but I was very well pleased with it.

Kinda pissed that I have to go through that again, but this time on the gubment exchange, and hope to find a policy "close" to what I have (still with the same company if I understand him correctly, I can use the same agent I just have to pick one of the policies that BCBS has on the exchange) and I have to go through underwriting again and he thought at the time I would have to pay more.

I should hear from him again this week

[Dr. Strangelove]

Love watching the R's implode. Mark Levin and other crazies on the radio launch an assault on Fox News

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/mark-levin-r ... ervatives/

[AlabamAlum]

Hello, Boj. Hope you're doing well.


Also, I miss Shiny and Hack and VolKev and NCVOL. Would love to see one or more of those guys come back.

[hedge]

"Kinda pissed that I have to go through that again"

Maybe if you lost some weight you could get a cheaper policy...

[Big Orange Junky]

"Kinda pissed that I have to go through that again"

Maybe if you lost some weight you could get a cheaper policy...

True, but you are missing the point. I HAVE a policy that I like. I have already qualified for it. I have a good relationship with my agent, and I like BCBS as a carrier.

Now Oprama says tough because you haven't had that policy for three years you have to get a policy that I approve, not what you like.

Now whether the semantics of "the gubment exchange" are correct or not it is my current understanding from my agent that I am limited to policies that are on the exchange, I can't keep mine. Whether I get it off the actual exchange or purchase it through my agent doesn't matter, it's Oprama approved.

I will freely admit I could have misunderstood him because we covered lots of topics that lunch meeting last Friday. I was going to purchase health insurance for my employees as well and we covered that first. Needless to say he advised against purchasing employee coverage with this looming.

He did say I could keep my policy one more year if I renewed in December, then I could go til next December before having to pick an exchange plan but bottom line is I have to pick out a plan on the exchange when I have a plan I like now.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Popular Science turns off commenting on its articles...kinda wish a lot of other sites would do the same

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2 ... SOC&dom=tw

[bluetick]

I will freely admit I could have misunderstood him because we covered lots of topics that lunch meeting last Friday. I was going to purchase health insurance for my employees as well and we covered that first. Needless to say he advised against purchasing employee coverage with this looming.

His livelihood depends on selling group health yet he goes around advising people like you not to buy it. Uh huh.

Ultimately, either you will do the right thing by your employees or you won't. You.

[Owlman]

While most will keep the same insurance, most of the rest will pay less than expected for insurance. Some though will pay more. In particular, people with high deductible with lower coverage. The ACA says that a minimum amount of coverage is required. That may be the issue for BOJ, which could put him in that minority that the rates are really going to go up.

Average Obamacare premiums are lower than projected: why yours may not be

http://www.csmonitor.com/Photo-Gallerie ... you#729875

[Owlman]

Will Obamacare increase my insurance tab?

http://www.goatpen.net/forums/posting.p ... &f=5&t=176

There are many assumptions about what the effects of Obamacare will be. This series aims to separate myths from realities and answer questions surrounding the Affordable Care Act.

Myth: My health insurance premiums will increase under Obamacare.

Reality: Some people may pay more, and some people may pay less. It really depends on who you are and where you live.

For those buying their own insurance, we won't know the full array of premium prices until the state-based insurance exchanges open for enrollment on Oct. 1.

But here's what's clear:
People who currently pay little for a bare bones policy with a very high deductible will likely see their monthly insurance tab rise. Young men, who often pay little for insurance since they rarely go to the doctor, will also likely see a bump in their premiums.

But many older Americans will probably end up paying less. That's because Obamacare mandates that older enrollees can't pay more than three times the amount of younger participants. Nowadays, it's typical for them to pay five times more than younger members.

People with chronic conditions are also paying through the roof today, if they can even get coverage at all. Their rates will go down because younger, healthier residents will enter the risk pool. And lower-income Americans will be entitled to federal subsidies that could greatly lower their monthly burden.

Where you live will also have an impact on rates. In New York, for instance, average premiums for 2014 will fall by half since the state already requires many of the Obamacare provisions, which keeps insurance pricey in the Empire State today.
But in lightly-regulated states, such as Ohio and Florida, premiums will likely soar since insurers there will no longer be able to exclude the sick and will have to offer more comprehensive policies.

According to data released Wednesday by the Obama administration, premiums will cost less than predicted. The national average premium for the benchmark plan will be $328 before subsidies, 16% less than projected by the Congressional Budget Office. The benchmark is the second-lowest cost "silver" policy for 48 states, upon which federal subsidies are based.

Related: Is a $2,000 deductible 'affordable?'
Still, few insurers have revealed their full selection of plans and prices. So CNNMoney took a look at the plans provided by one insurer, Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana, to give consumers a better idea of how things will change.

Our analysis found that 21-year-old men will pay a lot more for an exchange plan, but 42-year-old women and 62-year-old men will shell out less for a silver-level plan that comes with a $2,500 deductible and a roughly $25 co-pay for office visits.

Under this scenario, a young man's monthly rate will rise to $214 on the exchange next year, up 63% from today. The woman, however, will pay $284, a drop of more than 7%, while the older man will be charged $615, a nearly 6% decrease. This is because Obamacare requires that women pay the same amount as men and limits rate hikes on older participants.
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation report of 18 state exchanges found that premiums were running lower than the Congressional Budget Office had predicted. But since there's a wide variation of what people pay for individual insurance today, it's hard to know how Obamacare will affect you until you sign up.

Related: Employers play Obamacare blame game
It's a little more complicated if you get your insurance through your job. The law doesn't actually call for any changes to existing employer-based plans for 2014. But some big companies are choosing to make changes to their plans as a result of increasing costs under Obamacare, such as extra taxes and fees. Some are dropping coverage for spouses who can get insurance elsewhere. Others are funneling part-timers to the exchanges.

As for employee premiums, Obamacare is not having a direct effect right now. Employees are contributing nearly 6% more for health insurance for their families in 2013, according to the annual survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust. But the rate of growth has actually been slowing in recent years.

[Toemeesleather]

In 1960, Detroit automakers had a 90% share of the US market and 65% of the world market. Japan was a bit player, and China was yet to build it's first car.

Today US automakers only account for half of the US market and barely a tenth of the world market. China has more than doubled our production (19,000,000 units vs 8,700,000). Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda routinely get the highest marks for quality and durability.

Soooo, are autos the only industry that has been affected by competition/cheap labor/globalization/quality? There should be Detroits in every state by now. Didn't Knoxville loose some 3500+ jobs when a major apparel manufacturer succumbed to same? Your tenuous grip on reality knows no bounds....you definitely missed your calling. Instead of peddling insurance, you should run for office....you'd be a multi-millionaire with a few Noble Prizes by now.

[hedge]

"True, but you are missing the point."

Nope, my point is that you are a fat ass...

[hedge]

"Popular Science turns off commenting on its articles...kinda wish a lot of other sites would do the same"

Especially this one...

[hedge]

Will Obamacare increase my insurance tab?

http://www.goatpen.net/forums/posting.p ... &f=5&t=176]

No doubt that site you linked is an indisputable source of facts. FACTS!!

[Big Orange Junky]

I will freely admit I could have misunderstood him because we covered lots of topics that lunch meeting last Friday. I was going to purchase health insurance for my employees as well and we covered that first. Needless to say he advised against purchasing employee coverage with this looming.

His livelihood depends on selling group health yet he goes around advising people like you not to buy it. Uh huh.

Ultimately, either you will do the right thing by your employees or you won't. You.

Well he did advise against it. I have three employees. I haven't heard from him yet but we are supposed to have another meeting. He wanted them all to fill out the underwriting information but he did advise that I hold off doing anything.

He didn't know how much my family premium would go up, said he would know after Tuesday for whatever that's worth (last Tuesday I believe).

I was reading somewhere that the average males premium would triple, hope that's not me because I pay 700 bucks a month for my plan.

[Big Orange Junky]

Here's a nice dose of reality from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapotheca ... for-women/

"Based on a Manhattan Institute analysis of the HHS numbers, Obamacare will increase underlying insurance rates for younger men by an average of 97 to 99 percent, and for younger women by an average of 55 to 62 percent. Worst off is North Carolina, which will see individual-market rates triple for women, and quadruple for men."

I hope to fare better than the people of NC.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Bob Corker (R) of Tennessee lashes out at Ted Cruz...accuses him of being a relentless self-promoter and of delaying a vote until tomorrow soley so he can be on tv

http://news.yahoo.com/republican-infigh ... iness.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/t ... ml?hp=t3_3

[Dr. Strangelove]

Peter King (R) on the countless "vile phone calls" he's received since daring to criticize Ted Cruz

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/p ... ml?ml=po_r

“I’m not saying Ted Cruz is responsible for all his supporters, but he has tapped into a dark strain here in the American political psyche here, and again, the most obscene, profane stuff you can imagine all from people who say they support the Constitution,” King said. “I think what we have to do is reach out to his people and let them know that they’re following a false leader here.”