A recent article in the Huffington Post which cites figures released by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is showing lower than expected health insurance premiums prior to the open enrollment on marketplace exchanges beginning October 1st. While this is good news it is also a bit deceptive and shows a wide variance of premiums depending on factors which include geographic location and plan level participation.
One thing is for sure. Addicting Info will help you to get the pertinent information and direct you on how to enroll for your coverage when the time comes, That’s my personal promise to you.
The truth about premium pricing for you specifically won’t be known until those facts and figures are released to the public beginning next week. But in a conference call to reporters Tuesday, Kathleen Sebelius, Health and Human Services Secretary, said, “For millions of Americans, these new options will finally make health insurance work within their budget,” And gave us all a sneak peek at the report. As just a primer for discussion, the average, across the board price will be $249 a month, before subsidies, for basic coverage purchased on the exchanges. This information is taken from an average of 48 states and is within a HHS report released Wednesday.
Consider that additional factors to geography include income, family size, age and tobacco use and you can see that until you actually apply for enrollment your personal premium is still anyone’s guess. However, now would be a great time for me to point out that by now most of you have received information from your employer on the changes in premiums you may be experiencing at work. And that information may have you feeling like you need a mild sedative. Don’t panic just yet. As with premium pricing there are many things to consider.
First, if you have to change coverage it may not be because Obamacare is a bad thing. It may be that your employer was previously providing sub-standard insurance that did not previously cover all of the minimum requirements that the new healthcare law insists be held. That’s a good thing. You may have been paying for insurance for years that wasn’t considered comprehensive. As of January 1st it will be.
Second, it is not currently possible to compare employer pricing to exchange pricing. Because of that you may be better off buying your own insurance rather than depending upon someone else to do it for you. While this may take a little more time for you to shop for healthcare it also puts the power back in your hands as to what you get for your money.
Third, the Affordable Care Act is designed for you to be able to afford health insurance. If you happen to live in an obstructionist state it may be more difficult and more expensive to get healthcare. That is not the fault of the new law but rather state government fighting tooth and nail to keep people from controlling the marketplace. Instead, relying on the status quo of control by the providers and special interests. Something to consider come election time.
Fourth, you haven’t had an opportunity to get over any sticker shock you may have experienced by comparing your personal income and what type of subsidies and/or tax credits you may be entitled to receive. This is going to go a long way when it comes to buying healthcare if you fall into the bracket of the 99% who finds it difficult to get a living wage from your employer, much less any form of benefit package.
Which brings me to my next point. Something I want all to ponder for a moment. There has been a lot of spin about Obamacare. Most of it from those who do not want this law to go into full effect. Primarily a campaign to turn you off to the idea that healthcare for all is a good, honorable and achievable goal. Instead of listening to all the rhetoric about how this new law is forcing employers to cut pay, furlough employees and diminish work hours so that employers can dive through the loopholes of not providing coverage I want you to spin this back to the left a moment. The power is coming back to the people with this new law.
If your employer cuts hours to 29 per week to escape providing coverage that is not the fault of the evil Obamacare. That is your employer, who has been making record profits for years, being a dishonorable entity. Not providing a living wage and benefit package to workers while keeping those profits to themselves. And while it may take some time before you see the rise of the middle class again remember that all things are cyclical.
Eventually corporations are going to have to loosen the purse strings and pay for their workers to do more than just survive. They won’t like it. They are going to fight it at every turn. On that you can be sure. As that happens and people have more disposable income they will spend more. Which in turn provides small business a larger customer base and allows them to provide better pay and benefits. That is simple economics at work.
If you happen to own a small business depending upon your pay rates, hours worked and number of employees it may be difficult for you to provide for others. Have no fear and be patient. There are subsidies and credits for you too. We won’t know exactly what to expect until all the information is in.
Rest assured there will be difficulties and unknown snags when converting this from theory to practical usage. That is true with all legislation and the main reason why we must all work together to find solutions rather than to obstruct the unknowns or to fear change. The greed of a few coupled with disinformation and scare tactics is what really gets to me. Republicans have been fighting healthcare for all for the better part of a century in this country even as other industrialized world powers have shown this to be a viable undertaking.
Not so long ago, when there was a viable middle class in this country, top executives compensation was 10 to 20 times above the average worker. Now its 300 times. The few will have to do with a bit less so that the many will remain in their employ and the economy will grow. No more hoarding cash for the haves. But if that doesn’t happen soon enough you can always consider the power of collective bargaining. My personal opinion, if what we want is a healthy economy for all then you have to include health for all in that equation. Even if that means forcing employers to do the right thing.
Posted By: DAVID JOHNSON
Sunday, October 6th 2013 at 3:06PM
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