Obamacare just stuck me with a $1500 bill to pay for a blood test

[Blackrook]

Obamacare has changed the rules, but they don't tell you that when you buy it.

When I was on COBRA, there was a grace period of 30 days to pay your premium. Quite often I was late, because the insurance would still cover me during the grace period.

Now I know that under Obamacare, there is still a 30 day grace period, but any medical expenses you incur are NOT covered during the grace period.

I went to a doctor three days after the grace period started, and now I have to pay for my doctor's visit and blood test.

And obviously, it is totally ridiculous to charge me $1500 for a blood test.

Obama is the biggest dick of all time.

COBRA is to continue coverage you already have. You went and bought something new in the open market and apparently didn't bother activating the plan before trying to use it (did you even have an insurance card from the company at that point?).

Why on earth would you think this insurer would just start paying your medical bills for you before you paid a dime in premiums?

None of what you just said is an accurate story of what actually went down. How the hell am I supposed to respond to your fictional story?

 

[Arianrhod]

None of what you just said is an accurate story of what actually went down. How the hell am I supposed to respond to your fictional story?

Because you're not ignorant? Oh, wait...

COBRA FAQs - COBRAInsurance.com

 

[jon_berzerk]

1500 dollars isn't much compared to the alternative: DEATH!

Without ObamaCare you'd be dead. Guaranteed!

stop it with the hysteria --LOL

my brother in law got the obamacares guess what he is dead

dead

obamacare didn't save his life

EXACTLY how did ObamaCare cause or contribute to his death.

Do you understand that ObamaCare is not a product that you can buy?

hey frikking slow for brains

where exactly did i post that obamacares caused his death

 

[Greenbeard]

None of what you just said is an accurate story of what actually went down. How the hell am I supposed to respond to your fictional story?

You don't have to respond. For future reference, read the paperwork. Know the effective date of your coverage.

It's not unusual when you join a new employer group or buy coverage on your own for there to be a period of up to a few weeks when your new coverage is not in effect. This is pretty standard stuff.

 

[Arianrhod]

where exactly did i post that obamacares caused his death

Right where you said "my brother in law got the obamacares guess what he is dead"

Now, first of all, "obamacares," plural? How many do you believe there are?

Secondly, why mention that your brother-in-law died, in a thread about ObamaCare, if one thing had nothing to do with the other?

Thirdly, punctuation is your friend.

 

[Sun Devil 92]

Obamacare has changed the rules, but they don't tell you that when you buy it.

When I was on COBRA, there was a grace period of 30 days to pay your premium. Quite often I was late, because the insurance would still cover me during the grace period.

Now I know that under Obamacare, there is still a 30 day grace period, but any medical expenses you incur are NOT covered during the grace period.

I went to a doctor three days after the grace period started, and now I have to pay for my doctor's visit and blood test.

And obviously, it is totally ridiculous to charge me $1500 for a blood test.

Obama is the biggest dick of all time.

COBRA is to continue coverage you already have. You went and bought something new in the open market and apparently didn't bother activating the plan before trying to use it (did you even have an insurance card from the company at that point?).

Why on earth would you think this insurer would just start paying your medical bills for you before you paid a dime in premiums?

None of what you just said is an accurate story of what actually went down. How the hell am I supposed to respond to your fictional story?

Drink before you read it....it will make it more funny.

 

[Arianrhod]

For anyone here who's smarter than Blackrook:

How Much Do Blood Tests Cost? - CostHelper.com

Blood tests can measure cells, lipids, proteins, sugars, hormones, tumor markers and other blood components. They are used to diagnose and treat of many diseases including diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid disease and cancer.

Typical costs:

CostHelper readers with insurance report out-of-pocket costs of $283-$675 for blood tests, with an average of $432; total billed costs were $312-$1,200 (averaging $755), with the insurance either paying or discounting the total cost by $29-$525.
For patients covered by health insurance, out-of-pocket costs for blood work typically consist of a copay ranging from nothing to $30 or more, or coinsurance of 10%-50% or more; deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums will apply.
Blood tests are often covered by health insurance for preventive, diagnostic or treatment purposes, but coverage depends on the individual case and the terms of the health insurance plan.
CostHelper readers without health insurance report total costs of $700-$2,589, averaging $1,543. For patients not covered by health insurance, total costs can be $100-$3,000 or more, depending on the number and type of tests ordered; the cost of any doctor visits to order and interpret the tests; and whether the tests are done on an emergency basis.
Routine blood work done as part of an annual physical or a new patient exam can cost $100-$1,000 or more. Often ordered in connection with an annual physical, a complete blood count (CBC) test alone can cost $10-$150 or more.
Depending on the patient's symptoms, doctors typically order multiple tests to check for a number of conditions; comprehensive panels of tests can cost $80-$1,500 or more, and combining several testing packages can bring total costs to $1,500-$2,700 or more.

 

[Blackrook]

There is something seriously wrong with our healthcare industry when a blood test costs $1500.

I'm sure the insurance companies aren't paying that much.

But if you're on your own, they will not give you the insurance company discount.

 

[Arianrhod]

There is something seriously wrong with our healthcare industry when a blood test costs $1500.

On that, you're absolutely correct. And one of the additional aspects of the PPACA is to lower costs.

However, the primary goal of the PPACA is to make sure that all Americans have access to insurance...unless they're not paying attention or are making some sort of "Obama is not the boss of me" gesture and refusing to get insurance.

 

[Care4all]

Anyway, another problem with Obamacare is that you still have to pay the full cost of the health insurance. Then they send you a refund check.

At the end of the year, the IRS will use my income tax return to figure out if I didn't pay as much as I should.

Is that how obama care works?

You have to pay the full price and get a refund check at the end of the year?

I don't know what kind of idiot kid would sign up for it and where they are getting the money

blackroot CHOSE that option when he signed up on the Health Exchange, most people take the gvt subsidy UPFRONT, and the gvt pays their subsidy portion each month, directly to the Insurance company they chose...and the person pays only their remaining share each month.

As a person signing up, they give you this choice to make.

 

[Blackrook]

Anyway, another problem with Obamacare is that you still have to pay the full cost of the health insurance. Then they send you a refund check.

At the end of the year, the IRS will use my income tax return to figure out if I didn't pay as much as I should.

Is that how obama care works?

You have to pay the full price and get a refund check at the end of the year?

I don't know what kind of idiot kid would sign up for it and where they are getting the money

blackroot CHOSE that option when he signed up on the Health Exchange, most people take the gvt subsidy UPFRONT, and the gvt pays their subsidy portion each month, directly to the Insurance company they chose...and the person pays only their remaining share each month.

As a person signing up, they give you this choice to make.

Really? Well that didn't happen when I purchased insurance. Do you have a link to prove what you are saying?

No? I thought not.

 

[Greenbeard]

Really? Well that didn't happen when I purchased insurance. Do you have a link to prove what you are saying?

Perhaps try the exchange website?

Advance payments of the tax credit can be used right away to lower your monthly premium costs. If you qualify, you may choose how much advance credit payments to apply to your premiums each month, up to a maximum amount.

You need to read things as you're going through them.

 

[Care4all]

Anyway, another problem with Obamacare is that you still have to pay the full cost of the health insurance. Then they send you a refund check.

At the end of the year, the IRS will use my income tax return to figure out if I didn't pay as much as I should.

Is that how obama care works?

You have to pay the full price and get a refund check at the end of the year?

I don't know what kind of idiot kid would sign up for it and where they are getting the money

blackroot CHOSE that option when he signed up on the Health Exchange, most people take the gvt subsidy UPFRONT, and the gvt pays their subsidy portion each month, directly to the Insurance company they chose...and the person pays only their remaining share each month.

As a person signing up, they give you this choice to make.

Really? Well that didn't happen when I purchased insurance. Do you have a link to prove what you are saying?

No? I thought not.

it's on the exchange's web site Blackroot, plus we have had several threads on this site regarding taxes you may owe at the end of the year for your Health Exchange policy if you estimated your yearly income low, and took the subsidies monthly.

 

[Sun Devil 92]

Really? Well that didn't happen when I purchased insurance. Do you have a link to prove what you are saying?

Perhaps try the exchange website?

Advance payments of the tax credit can be used right away to lower your monthly premium costs. If you qualify, you may choose how much advance credit payments to apply to your premiums each month, up to a maximum amount.

You need to read things as you're going through them.

You mean there are still some that have not gone belly up ?

 

[Blackrook]

The problem is that the Democrats went way overboard in seizing control of the health care industry, and not a single Republican voted for it.

Now, every time a health care insurance company screws its patients, people will blame Obama and the Democrats.

Democrats OWN this issue.

If they had worked with the Republicans, then the blame could be spread to both parties.

 

[Arianrhod]

Now, every time a health care insurance company screws its patients, people will blame Obama and the Democrats.

People who don't read the insurer's contract before they sign on? Yeah.

Now, that's been a problem for the decades since health insurance became a profit-making industry.

But blaming is soooo much more productive than familiarizing yourself with a contract before you sign it.

 

[Care4all]

The problem is that the Democrats went way overboard in seizing control of the health care industry, and not a single Republican voted for it.

Now, every time a health care insurance company screws its patients, people will blame Obama and the Democrats.

Democrats OWN this issue.

If they had worked with the Republicans, then the blame could be spread to both parties.

They did work with the Republicans, its a myth to say they did not. They worked with them, amending the health bill with Republican introduced legislation all the way to the very end of negotiations....but then, after the Republicans got all of the amendments through that they introduced, the Republicans decided not to vote for the Bill when it came time.

Here are just SOME of the legislation/amendments, rewrites, etc. in the ACA that the REPUBLICANS introduced and got passed and are a part of the final ACA Bill.

Throughout the debate on health insurance reform, Republican concepts and proposals have been included in legislation. In fact, hundreds of Republican amendments were adopted during the committee mark-up process. As a result, both the Senate and the House passed key Republican proposals that are incorporated into the President’s Proposal.

Review a few of the Republican initiatives included in legislation passed by Congress:

• Includes personal responsibility incentives: Allows health insurance premium to vary based on participation in proven employer wellness programs
  • (Sources: H.R. 3468, “Promoting Health and Preventing Chronic Disease through Prevention and Wellness Programs for Employees, Communities, and Individuals Act” (Castle bill); H.R. 4038, “Common Sense Health Care Reform & Accountability Act” (Republican Substitute bill); H.R. 3400, “Empowering Patients First Act” (Republican Study Committee bill); H.R. 3970, “Medical Rights & Reform Act” (Kirk bill), "Coverage, Prevention and Reform Act")
• Advances medical liability reform through grants to States: Provides grants to States to jump-start and evaluate promising medical liability reform ideas to put patient safety first, prevent medical errors, and reduce liability premiums.
  • (Sources: S. 1783, “Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America Act” (Enzi bill); H.R. 3400, “Empowering Patients First Act” (Republican Study Committee bill); H.R. 4529, “Roadmap for America’s Future Act” (Ryan bill); S. 1099, “Patients’ Choice Act” (Burr-Coburn, Ryan-Nunes bill))
• Extends dependent coverage to age 26: Gives young adults new options.
  • (Sources: H.R. 4038, “Common Sense Health Care Reform & Accountability Act” (Republican Substitute bill); H.R. 3970, “Medical Rights & Reform Act” (Kirk bill))
• Allows automatic enrollment by employers in health insurance: Allows employee to opt-out.
  • (Sources: House Republican Substitute; H.R. 3400, “Empowering Patients First Act” (Republican Study Committee bill); “Coverage, Prevention, and Reform Act” )
• Mechanisms to improve quality.
  • (Sources: H.R. 4529, “Roadmap for America’s Future Act;” S. 1099, “Patients’ Choice Act;” H.R. 3400, Republican Study Group bill; S. 1783, “Ten Steps to Transform Health Care in America Act” (Enzi bill))

• Community Mental Health Centers. The President’s Proposal ensures that individuals have access to comprehensive mental health services in the community setting, but strengthens standards for facilities that seek reimbursement as community mental health centers by ensuring these facilities are providing appropriate care and not taking advantage of Medicare patients or the taxpayers.
  • (Source: H.R. 3970, “Medical Rights & Reform Act”)Republican Ideas Included in the President's Proposal