obamacare dealt huge blow

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

It's an improvement over the old system, as more people are getting covered, and premiums are rising more slowly now that insurance companies are limited in how much of their income they may put towards things other than actual medical care, but yeah, single payer would be better. On that note, here's an interesting (and frightening) tale from one of balloon-juice's front pagers,who works in the health insurance industry, about his own son and what could have been a very bad situation, due to high up-front payments:

http://www.balloon-juice.com/2014/09...l/#more-158648

You might really like his stuff on balloon-juice, Danzig, since you've been following the implementation of ACA pretty closely. Richard Mayhew is the guy. He writes about the nuts and bolts of ACA and the effects from the point of view of a company writing policies to implement it and I've learned a lot from his posts.

i get why they did what they did...but it's a huge, intricate mess. we all know the adage of keep it simple-it's too bad they didn't do so in this regard. and still a lot of minsinformation out there.
a guy who works with my husband was telling him about his son and daughter in law getting a huge quote. i asked some questions, he asked the guy-and i told him to pass on that they didn't need to go thru the exchange and would be better off not doing so, as they didn't qualify for a subsidy. that the rate would be much lower if they went right thru the insurance company itself.
so, they did.
the problem with the exchanges is a potential 'death spiral' for those within it. that only the lower income and very ill will buy thru the exchange, thus creating rate issues...much like if you only had dui drivers in your auto company.

they should have just put everyone on medicare. no more medicaid, no more state programs like arkids, and had basic coverage thru medicare-and the insurance companies could sell supplements like they do now, to everyone who wanted them instead of just seniors.

as for the story--always scary when a kid is sick.
i went to the doctor last tuesday for a sinus infection. he said 'boy, you sure are pale' (tony had said the sam thing a few days before). let's draw some blood.
found out last thursday i have severe anemia-i had no idea what all anemia could cause, but i had every symptom on the list.
went to the pharmacy for the third time that week to get iron pills...guess what the insurance company (united healthcare) doesn't cover? iron pills.
'do you still want them?' asked the pharmacist? well, yeah...i'm this close to needing a transfusion!
which reminds me, i need to call and ask them why they weren't covered.