Obamacare: What happens when you can't afford to pay?

[LoneLaugher]

What happens when a person can't afford health insurance that the law now requires?

Answer:
They don't buy insurance, and end up getting slammed with a tax at the end of the year. Obamacare taxes the poor.


What happens when a person can only afford a plan with the highest possible deductible, in order to keep their monthly premium down?

Answer:
They can't afford to actually use their health insurance, because they have a little to no disposable income. Thus, they cannot afford the deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance costs associated with actually going to the doctor. Obamacare directly imposes financial hardships on low income people, which they cannot even benefit from.


What happens when a person can't afford to pay their deductibles, but they have an emergency medical problem and end up in the ER?

Answer:
They don't have the money, so they don't pay. Obamacare does absolutely nothing to address the problem of increasing costs of health care due to poor and low income people fail to pay medical bills.


So how is it exactly that Democrats can justify supporting this monstrosity?

Premiums cannot exceed 9.5% of income.

Are you suggesting that these people should remain uninsured?

prior to the ACA, they had healthcare available to them at the ER and other emergency clinics....at no cost to them.

We, the tax payer was fine with the cost to the taxpayer.

So enough with the "remain uninsured" crap. They may have not had insurance, but we, as a society made sure they had healthcare.

Do you disagree with this?

Absolutely. It is shortsighted thinking bordering on retarded thinking.

 

[LoneLaugher]

That person would get a subsidy and help with paying the out if pocket expenses.

Yeah, people keep saying that. They assume it's true. But it's not.

Are you of the opinion that it us better to remain uninsured?

That's a personal decision for individuals to make for themselves. Not the federal government.

By the way....you make a good argument for raising the minimum wage.

Why, so prices can just rise and everything can be even more expensive, thus offsetting any raise?

You don't possess the intellect to have this discussion. Why are you trying?

 

[Zander]

We stopped paying our health insurance premiums a few weeks ago. The math just doesn't add up for us.

The premium jumped from $415.00/ month to $1085.00 for less coverage and a higher deductible. The "silver" plan was over $1200 a month....

We can easily afford the premiums, but it is a waste of money for a healthy couple who visits the doctor maybe once every 2-3 years. We've decided to pay cash for any healthcare services we need, and invest the difference. In 5 years we'll have saved over $60,000 assuming we make ZERO return.

If one of us gets really ill, we'll sign up then. Thanks to the stupidity of the law, they'll have to take us.

As for the "penalty", the law is riddled with exemptions and loopholes. If you get a "stop service" notice from a Utility company- you are exempt from the penalty for that year. Guess what? I forgot to pay the water bill this month. I wonder if they'll send a notice?

 

[SwimExpert]

What happens when a person can't afford health insurance that the law now requires?

Answer:
They don't buy insurance, and end up getting slammed with a tax at the end of the year. Obamacare taxes the poor.


What happens when a person can only afford a plan with the highest possible deductible, in order to keep their monthly premium down?

Answer:
They can't afford to actually use their health insurance, because they have a little to no disposable income. Thus, they cannot afford the deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance costs associated with actually going to the doctor. Obamacare directly imposes financial hardships on low income people, which they cannot even benefit from.


What happens when a person can't afford to pay their deductibles, but they have an emergency medical problem and end up in the ER?

Answer:
They don't have the money, so they don't pay. Obamacare does absolutely nothing to address the problem of increasing costs of health care due to poor and low income people fail to pay medical bills.


So how is it exactly that Democrats can justify supporting this monstrosity?

Actually, these were the issues that Medicaid expansion was supposed to solve. Are there examples you can cite from states which didn't refuse Medicaid expansion?

I did some personal digging myself, after having a conversation with a co-worker about their situation. State is Maryland. I signed up on the Maryland exchange, and claimed the figures as described above my income. It said I would qualify for Medicaid. However, it did not provide any way to sign up for it. The only thing I could do was purchase insurance, with the lowest monthly premium available $155 a month.

About a week later when I had the day off I decided to go down to Social Services to inquire about applying for Medicaid the old fashioned way. That is when I learned something that made my head hurt. The only individuals who qualify for Medicaid are those who receive other benefits.

The woman didn't bother to ask about my income qualifications. Her first question (and turned out only) question was to inquire about what benefits I was receiving. When I told her none, and that I was there for Obamacare compliance, she informed me that the only way to begin was to apply and qualify for other benefits, and asked if I had my income verification paperwork with me. At that point my gig was up, so I just told her that I didn't have them and I didn't think I would qualify anyway. But I did ask her about what a low income person was to do now that Obamacare's requirements are upon us. She basically told me that she didn't have a clue because the federal government hasn't provided them with the first scrap of information about any of it. She then recommended that I go back to the online exchange.

So, that would leave a person back exactly where I said they are. Paying of pocket for something they can't afford to buy, much less afford to actually use. Paying for a premium that exceeds the 9.5% limit, while liberals claim that Medicaid expansions and government subsidies will pay for what the poor cannot afford, even though neither Medicaid nor subsidies are available.

 

[JakeStarkey]

What happens when a person can't afford health insurance that the law now requires?

Answer:
They don't buy insurance, and end up getting slammed with a tax at the end of the year. Obamacare taxes the poor.


What happens when a person can only afford a plan with the highest possible deductible, in order to keep their monthly premium down?

Answer:
They can't afford to actually use their health insurance, because they have a little to no disposable income. Thus, they cannot afford the deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance costs associated with actually going to the doctor. Obamacare directly imposes financial hardships on low income people, which they cannot even benefit from.


What happens when a person can't afford to pay their deductibles, but they have an emergency medical problem and end up in the ER?

Answer:
They don't have the money, so they don't pay. Obamacare does absolutely nothing to address the problem of increasing costs of health care due to poor and low income people fail to pay medical bills.


So how is it exactly that Democrats can justify supporting this monstrosity?

horse shit. son, shovel it up, and move along.

 

[Bombur]

What happens when a person can't afford health insurance that the law now requires?

Answer:
They don't buy insurance, and end up getting slammed with a tax at the end of the year. Obamacare taxes the poor.


What happens when a person can only afford a plan with the highest possible deductible, in order to keep their monthly premium down?

Answer:
They can't afford to actually use their health insurance, because they have a little to no disposable income. Thus, they cannot afford the deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance costs associated with actually going to the doctor. Obamacare directly imposes financial hardships on low income people, which they cannot even benefit from.


What happens when a person can't afford to pay their deductibles, but they have an emergency medical problem and end up in the ER?

Answer:
They don't have the money, so they don't pay. Obamacare does absolutely nothing to address the problem of increasing costs of health care due to poor and low income people fail to pay medical bills.


So how is it exactly that Democrats can justify supporting this monstrosity?

Because it expands Medicaid and provides help to those who still don't qualify for Medicaid.

That said I think most Democrats consider it to be a compromise to what they really want which is some form of UHC.

 

[SwimExpert]

That person would get a subsidy and help with paying the out if pocket expenses.

Yeah, people keep saying that. They assume it's true. But it's not.



That's a personal decision for individuals to make for themselves. Not the federal government.

By the way....you make a good argument for raising the minimum wage.

Why, so prices can just rise and everything can be even more expensive, thus offsetting any raise?

You don't possess the intellect to have this discussion. Why are you trying?

 

[Bombur]

What happens when a person can't afford health insurance that the law now requires?

Answer:
They don't buy insurance, and end up getting slammed with a tax at the end of the year. Obamacare taxes the poor.


What happens when a person can only afford a plan with the highest possible deductible, in order to keep their monthly premium down?

Answer:
They can't afford to actually use their health insurance, because they have a little to no disposable income. Thus, they cannot afford the deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance costs associated with actually going to the doctor. Obamacare directly imposes financial hardships on low income people, which they cannot even benefit from.


What happens when a person can't afford to pay their deductibles, but they have an emergency medical problem and end up in the ER?

Answer:
They don't have the money, so they don't pay. Obamacare does absolutely nothing to address the problem of increasing costs of health care due to poor and low income people fail to pay medical bills.


So how is it exactly that Democrats can justify supporting this monstrosity?

Actually, these were the issues that Medicaid expansion was supposed to solve. Are there examples you can cite from states which didn't refuse Medicaid expansion?

I did some personal digging myself, after having a conversation with a co-worker about their situation. State is Maryland. I signed up on the Maryland exchange, and claimed the figures as described above my income. It said I would qualify for Medicaid. However, it did not provide any way to sign up for it. The only thing I could do was purchase insurance, with the lowest monthly premium available $155 a month.

About a week later when I had the day off I decided to go down to Social Services to inquire about applying for Medicaid the old fashioned way. That is when I learned something that made my head hurt. The only individuals who qualify for Medicaid are those who receive other benefits.

The woman didn't bother to ask about my income qualifications. Her first question (and turned out only) question was to inquire about what benefits I was receiving. When I told her none, and that I was there for Obamacare compliance, she informed me that the only way to begin was to apply and qualify for other benefits, and asked if I had my income verification paperwork with me. At that point my gig was up, so I just told her that I didn't have them and I didn't think I would qualify anyway. But I did ask her about what a low income person was to do now that Obamacare's requirements are upon us. She basically told me that she didn't have a clue because the federal government hasn't provided them with the first scrap of information about any of it. She then recommended that I go back to the online exchange.

So, that would leave a person back exactly where I said they are. Paying of pocket for something they can't afford to buy, much less afford to actually use. Paying for a premium that exceeds the 9.5% limit, while liberals claim that Medicaid expansions and government subsidies will pay for what the poor cannot afford, even though neither Medicaid nor subsidies are available.

Medicaid is run by your state but the Federal government pays the state to run it. (50% for old Medicaid and 100% for the expansion (temporary 100%))

Yes you have to provide income verification information for Medicaid. I wouldn't be surprised at all if applying for government programs is inefficient and annoying.

 

[LoneLaugher]

We stopped paying our health insurance premiums a few weeks ago. The math just doesn't add up for us.

The premium jumped from $415.00/ month to $1085.00 for less coverage and a higher deductible. The "silver" plan was over $1200 a month....

We can easily afford the premiums, but it is a waste of money for a healthy couple who visits the doctor maybe once every 2-3 years. We've decided to pay cash for any healthcare services we need, and invest the difference. In 5 years we'll have saved over $60,000 assuming we make ZERO return.

If one of us gets really ill, we'll sign up then. Thanks to the stupidity of the law, they'll have to take us.

As for the "penalty", the law is riddled with exemptions and loopholes. If you get a "stop service" notice from a Utility company- you are exempt from the penalty for that year. Guess what? I forgot to pay the water bill this month. I wonder if they'll send a notice?

Way to go! You are the rare exception. A financially stable.....well-off even....Anerican adult who believes it is in his best interest to go without health insurance.

Usually, people who are that stupid are struggling financially.

Cross your fingers.

 

[SwimExpert]

Yes you have to provide income verification information for Medicaid. I wouldn't be surprised at all if applying for government programs is inefficient and annoying.

Do you have anything relevant to say?

 

[Zander]

We stopped paying our health insurance premiums a few weeks ago. The math just doesn't add up for us.

The premium jumped from $415.00/ month to $1085.00 for less coverage and a higher deductible. The "silver" plan was over $1200 a month....

We can easily afford the premiums, but it is a waste of money for a healthy couple who visits the doctor maybe once every 2-3 years. We've decided to pay cash for any healthcare services we need, and invest the difference. In 5 years we'll have saved over $60,000 assuming we make ZERO return.

If one of us gets really ill, we'll sign up then. Thanks to the stupidity of the law, they'll have to take us.

As for the "penalty", the law is riddled with exemptions and loopholes. If you get a "stop service" notice from a Utility company- you are exempt from the penalty for that year. Guess what? I forgot to pay the water bill this month. I wonder if they'll send a notice?

Way to go! You are the rare exception. A financially stable.....well-off even....Anerican adult who believes it is in his best interest to go without health insurance.

Usually, people who are that stupid are struggling financially.

Cross your fingers.

Stupidity? I've had health insurance for 30 years and have never used it beyond a few office visits once every few years.

Now, thanks to Obamacare, I won't have to worry about paying those pesky monthly premiums. The law requires insurance companies to sell to EVERYONE regardless of pre-existing conditions. If I get sick, I'll sign up then.

Thanks Obamacare!! You just saved me $12,000 a year!!

 

[RDD_1210]

What happens when a person can't afford health insurance that the law now requires?

Answer:
They don't buy insurance, and end up getting slammed with a tax at the end of the year. Obamacare taxes the poor.


What happens when a person can only afford a plan with the highest possible deductible, in order to keep their monthly premium down?

Answer:
They can't afford to actually use their health insurance, because they have a little to no disposable income. Thus, they cannot afford the deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance costs associated with actually going to the doctor. Obamacare directly imposes financial hardships on low income people, which they cannot even benefit from.


What happens when a person can't afford to pay their deductibles, but they have an emergency medical problem and end up in the ER?

Answer:
They don't have the money, so they don't pay. Obamacare does absolutely nothing to address the problem of increasing costs of health care due to poor and low income people fail to pay medical bills.


So how is it exactly that Democrats can justify supporting this monstrosity?

Premiums cannot exceed 9.5% of income.

Are you suggesting that these people should remain uninsured?

prior to the ACA, they had healthcare available to them at the ER and other emergency clinics....at no cost to them.

We, the tax payer was fine with the cost to the taxpayer.

So enough with the "remain uninsured" crap. They may have not had insurance, but we, as a society made sure they had healthcare.

Do you disagree with this?

And do you think using the ER is a more cost effective manner than having health insurance to begin with?

Do you think the ER can provide a full range of healthcare services that someone with insurance can access? (ie. Can you get your chemo therapy treatment at an ER?)

 

[LoneLaugher]

Yes you have to provide income verification information for Medicaid. I wouldn't be surprised at all if applying for government programs is inefficient and annoying.

Do you have anything relevant to say?

He just did. He said that getting public assistance requires that you prove need. That is relevant.

 

[Bombur]

Yes you have to provide income verification information for Medicaid. I wouldn't be surprised at all if applying for government programs is inefficient and annoying.

Do you have anything relevant to say?

I am sorry applying for Medicaid is hard for you. It should be easy and I don't think government does enough to make it easy. No matter how easy or difficult it is there is no getting around the need for income verification. Something you seemingly refused to do. Income verification should be easier too.

 

[SwimExpert]

Yes you have to provide income verification information for Medicaid. I wouldn't be surprised at all if applying for government programs is inefficient and annoying.

Do you have anything relevant to say?

He just did. He said that getting public assistance requires that you prove need. That is relevant.

Not to anything in this thread.

 

[RDD_1210]

We stopped paying our health insurance premiums a few weeks ago. The math just doesn't add up for us.

The premium jumped from $415.00/ month to $1085.00 for less coverage and a higher deductible. The "silver" plan was over $1200 a month....

We can easily afford the premiums, but it is a waste of money for a healthy couple who visits the doctor maybe once every 2-3 years. We've decided to pay cash for any healthcare services we need, and invest the difference. In 5 years we'll have saved over $60,000 assuming we make ZERO return.

If one of us gets really ill, we'll sign up then. Thanks to the stupidity of the law, they'll have to take us.

As for the "penalty", the law is riddled with exemptions and loopholes. If you get a "stop service" notice from a Utility company- you are exempt from the penalty for that year. Guess what? I forgot to pay the water bill this month. I wonder if they'll send a notice?

Way to go! You are the rare exception. A financially stable.....well-off even....Anerican adult who believes it is in his best interest to go without health insurance.

Usually, people who are that stupid are struggling financially.

Cross your fingers.

Stupidity? I've had health insurance for 30 years and have never used it beyond a few office visits once every few years.

Now, thanks to Obamacare, I won't have to worry about paying those pesky monthly premiums. The law requires insurance companies to sell to EVERYONE regardless of pre-existing conditions. If I get sick, I'll sign up then.

Thanks Obamacare!! You just saved me $12,000 a year!!

No you won't. Unless you plan on only getting sick during open enrollment periods.

What are you going to, live in a bubble for 11 months per year?

 

[LoneLaugher]

We stopped paying our health insurance premiums a few weeks ago. The math just doesn't add up for us.

The premium jumped from $415.00/ month to $1085.00 for less coverage and a higher deductible. The "silver" plan was over $1200 a month....

We can easily afford the premiums, but it is a waste of money for a healthy couple who visits the doctor maybe once every 2-3 years. We've decided to pay cash for any healthcare services we need, and invest the difference. In 5 years we'll have saved over $60,000 assuming we make ZERO return.

If one of us gets really ill, we'll sign up then. Thanks to the stupidity of the law, they'll have to take us.

As for the "penalty", the law is riddled with exemptions and loopholes. If you get a "stop service" notice from a Utility company- you are exempt from the penalty for that year. Guess what? I forgot to pay the water bill this month. I wonder if they'll send a notice?

Way to go! You are the rare exception. A financially stable.....well-off even....Anerican adult who believes it is in his best interest to go without health insurance.

Usually, people who are that stupid are struggling financially.

Cross your fingers.

Stupidity? I've had health insurance for 30 years and have never used it beyond a few office visits once every few years.

Now, thanks to Obamacare, I won't have to worry about paying those pesky monthly premiums. The law requires insurance companies to sell to EVERYONE regardless of pre-existing conditions. If I get sick, I'll sign up then.

Thanks Obamacare!! You just saved me $12,000 a year!!

Yes. Stupidity. Shit happens. Sometimes very swiftly. I hope you don't regret your decision.

 

[Bombur]

Do you have anything relevant to say?

He just did. He said that getting public assistance requires that you prove need. That is relevant.

Not to anything in this thread.

Then why did you bring it up?

 

[SwimExpert]

I am sorry applying for Medicaid is hard for you. It should be easy and I don't think government does enough to make it easy. No matter how easy or difficult it is there is no getting around the need for income verification. Something you seemingly refused to do. Income verification should be easier too.

Did you even bother to read what you were responding to? I wasn't actually trying to apply for Medicaid. I was trying to determine how someone would go about the process, and what the qualifications would be for a person to receive Medicaid.

Either you're too stupid to grasp the most relevant part of my entire post, or you are purposely ignoring it because it's inconvenient for you. So here, allow me to emphasize it:

The only people who qualify for "expanded" Medicaid under Obamacare are people who are already on food stamps or some other welfare benefit. Despite people like yourself assuming that Obamacare helps the poor through "expanded" Medicaid and/or subsidized premiums, it in fact does not.

 

[baker001]

We stopped paying our health insurance premiums a few weeks ago. The math just doesn't add up for us.

The premium jumped from $415.00/ month to $1085.00 for less coverage and a higher deductible. The "silver" plan was over $1200 a month....

We can easily afford the premiums, but it is a waste of money for a healthy couple who visits the doctor maybe once every 2-3 years. We've decided to pay cash for any healthcare services we need, and invest the difference. In 5 years we'll have saved over $60,000 assuming we make ZERO return.

If one of us gets really ill, we'll sign up then. Thanks to the stupidity of the law, they'll have to take us.

As for the "penalty", the law is riddled with exemptions and loopholes. If you get a "stop service" notice from a Utility company- you are exempt from the penalty for that year. Guess what? I forgot to pay the water bill this month. I wonder if they'll send a notice?

Uhhh...that's not how it works!

Let's say 5 years go by and you invest wisely and have $70,000 squirreled away for medical expenses. It's now March 2019. You (or your wife, sorry not sure of your gender) feels a suspicious lump. You go and get it checked out (happily paying the doctor's fees and lab work out of your $70k, that's why it's there right?).

Sadly it turns out to be breast cancer. But, you caught it early and prognosis is good with aggressive treatment, as long as you start right away. It's now April 2019. Since you have no insurance you ask upfront what treatment will cost. Radiation, Chemo, breast removal and reconstruction, etc. etc. will cost you $200k.

So you think "ok, wow! That's $130k more than what we have...hmmm. Well, we'll just sign up on the ACA website and that will be covered no problem. They HAVE to take us!".

Problem is...open enrollment for 2019 ended on Dec. 31, 2018. You can't sign up until Oct. 1, 2019 for coverage starting Jan. 1, 2020. Since insurance won't cover bills retroactively, you will either need to wait to begin treatment until Jan. 1, 2020, risking the cancer spreading and in turn risking your life. Or you hope the hospital will treat you immediately without insurance (not a guarantee, they only HAVE to treat you if your life is in immediate danger) and then you can hope they can help you with a payment plan, get charity to cover some of it, or if all else fails, file bankruptcy.

The "I'll sign up only if and when I get sick" plan is a great way to wind up dead or bankrupt.