Update on my moms insurance - Page 2

LTT1 · ‎03-09-2010

Medicare wanted to make sure I had not had a lapse in coverage in order to process my medicare application.

ACA will not LET you go without insurance.

My policy premium cost from July - March has been wayyyy less expensive than my COBRA was, because we only have my husband's social security as income.

~Have a Kind Heart, Fierce Mind, Brave Spirit~

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@ccassaday wrote:
About a week ago I posted that my dad will be retiring in June. My mom won't be 65 until next year. The person that my dad worked for told him my moms insurance would be $1300 a month. Well he got in touch with the correct person in their human resources department. It turns out she gets to keep the same plan for the same price until she is 65. If will only be around $200 a month. It turns out retirees and spouses get to stay on the same plan for the same price until 65. He was very relieved. He got very lucky. I guess that is the advantage of working in a factory. Although he isn't Union and is on the management side.

Yes, that is a Federal Law. They have to offer it to your mother under COBRA. HIs employer doesn't have a choice.

ccassaday · ‎10-21-2010

@Carmie wrote:
@ccassaday wrote:
About a week ago I posted that my dad will be retiring in June. My mom won't be 65 until next year. The person that my dad worked for told him my moms insurance would be $1300 a month. Well he got in touch with the correct person in their human resources department. It turns out she gets to keep the same plan for the same price until she is 65. If will only be around $200 a month. It turns out retirees and spouses get to stay on the same plan for the same price until 65. He was very relieved. He got very lucky. I guess that is the advantage of working in a factory. Although he isn't Union and is on the management side.
Yes, that is a Federal Law. They have to offer it to your mother under COBRA. HIs employer doesn't have a choice.

I understand that is law. But that doesn't mean they have to give it to you for the same price they charge current employees. Most cobra plans are in the $700 to $800 dollar range. Mine would of been $700 when I fell ill and couldn't work. But I qualified for subsidies under the ACA so I didn't have to get it.

Gooday · ‎03-23-2010

I shared my experience with the ACA at the end of 2016. What a horrible experience and a costly one too.

DH is a retired City of Chicago police officer. In late Sept. we were notified that insurance of all city retirees were to end 12/31/2016. Medicare retirees were offered one of 2 plans: Aetna Advantage (which DH took) and BC/BS Advantage plan. Non-medicare people like me (I am 63) were offered BC/BS through the Marketplace. Ok fine...telephone numbers were given as well as the deadline to sign up. DH got all situated.

I sign up 11/15/16 and was informed that the only plan that was viable for me was the Gold Plan for $1,364.69. The reason being is that we spend 6 months in Il. and 6 months in Az. and the only plan that covers multiple states was this one. It has a 1700. deductibe and 3,000. out of pocket. For this bargain price I am "entitled" to one wellness check, one mammogram, one flu shot and one pap smear! Such a deal!

I obviously did not qualify for any subsidies and I suppose I should be grateful but I sure felt like I as well as many others who paid our dues are being held hostage with one and only one option.

I'm done with this post because it stirs up some really bad feelings about certain situations that cannot be discussed here.

ccassaday · ‎10-21-2010

@Gooday wrote:
I shared my experience with the ACA at the end of 2016. What a horrible experience and a costly one too.

DH is a retired City of Chicago police officer. In late Sept. we were notified that insurance of all city retirees were to end 12/31/2016. Medicare retirees were offered one of 2 plans: Aetna Advantage (which DH took) and BC/BS Advantage plan. Non-medicare people like me (I am 63) were offered BC/BS through the Marketplace. Ok fine...telephone numbers were given as well as the deadline to sign up. DH got all situated.

I sign up 11/15/16 and was informed that the only plan that was viable for me was the Gold Plan for $1,364.69. The reason being is that we spend 6 months in Il. and 6 months in Az. and the only plan that covers multiple states was this one. It has a 1700. deductibe and 3,000. out of pocket. For this bargain price I am "entitled" to one wellness check, one mammogram, one flu shot and one pap smear! Such a deal!

I obviously did not qualify for any subsidies and I suppose I should be grateful but I sure felt like I as well as many others who paid our dues are being held hostage with one and only one option.

I'm done with this post because it stirs up some really bad feelings about certain situations that cannot be discussed here.

There are only a couple of groups the ACA helped. If you make good money it hurt you. Ir caused premiums to rise and you made to much money for subsidies. It only benefited people who were low to low moderate on the income scale. It also benefited people in my position. I got ill and eventually went on disability. My cobra would of been $700 dollars a month until I was elgible for Medicare two years later. So it bridged the gap and I only had to pay $144 a month. But for most people the ACA has been a disaster.

3suwm5 · ‎06-15-2016

@LTT1 wrote:
@ccassaday @3suwm5 @CelticCrafter

Medicare wanted to make sure I had not had a lapse in coverage in order to process my medicare application.

ACA will not LET you go without insurance.

My policy premium cost from July - March has been wayyyy less expensive than my COBRA was, because we only have my husband's social security as income.

@LTT1 There will be no penalty from the IRS this year for not carrying any insurance.

MarieIG · ‎03-10-2010

@ccassaday I'm glad to hear that your mother got decent coverage.

Do the math.

MarieIG · ‎03-10-2010

The insurance through my job has gone downhill for the past few years and is just awful now. A $13,000 family deductible. Most of the employees (who are considered middle class) don't get all the medical care they need because they have to pay out of pocket. A co-worker's little boy has cancer and he is struggling with bills but quickly burns through the deductible. Some of my co-workers get coverage through their spouses (school teachers, nurses). I get coverage through my husband who is in a union, but if I were to loose it, Cobra for that would be very expensive. When DH retires we will keep the insurance through the retiree plan. When we turn 65 the Medicare becomes primary and the union insurance secondary. At one of the retiree planning meetings they told us (when the time comes) to only file for part A & B, because the union plan covers drugs, dental & vision.

Do the math.

LTT1 · ‎03-09-2010

@3suwm5 wrote:
@LTT1 wrote:
@ccassaday @3suwm5 @CelticCrafter

Medicare wanted to make sure I had not had a lapse in coverage in order to process my medicare application.

ACA will not LET you go without insurance.

My policy premium cost from July - March has been wayyyy less expensive than my COBRA was, because we only have my husband's social security as income.
@LTT1 There will be no penalty from the IRS this year for not carrying any insurance.

@3suwm5
https://www.healthcare.gov/fees/fee-for-not-being-covered/

~Have a Kind Heart, Fierce Mind, Brave Spirit~

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@ccassaday wrote:
@Carmie wrote:
@ccassaday wrote:
About a week ago I posted that my dad will be retiring in June. My mom won't be 65 until next year. The person that my dad worked for told him my moms insurance would be $1300 a month. Well he got in touch with the correct person in their human resources department. It turns out she gets to keep the same plan for the same price until she is 65. If will only be around $200 a month. It turns out retirees and spouses get to stay on the same plan for the same price until 65. He was very relieved. He got very lucky. I guess that is the advantage of working in a factory. Although he isn't Union and is on the management side.
Yes, that is a Federal Law. They have to offer it to your mother under COBRA. HIs employer doesn't have a choice.
I understand that is law. But that doesn't mean they have to give it to you for the same price they charge current employees. Most cobra plans are in the $700 to $800 dollar range. Mine would of been $700 when I fell ill and couldn't work. But I qualified for subsidies under the ACA so I didn't have to get it.

They have to offer it at cost plus they can charge an administrive fee of which I think is about 2%.

Usually, the larger the company, the less expensive COBRA is. They get a better insurance rate per person.