Regence/Blue Shield ACA rates

[PSPS]

So I received a letter from Regence/Blue Shield regarding my individual plan which, really, is nothing more than catastrophic coverage since it has a $10,000 annual deductible and has no prescription/dental/eye coverage. They offer three individual plans under ACA: Gold, Silver and Bronze/HSA. The latter is the least expensive with the highest annual deductible ($5,000) with no prescription/dental/eye coverage. I have no pre-existing conditions and am in excellent health (i.e., not suffering from any malady.)

If I go from their worst current policy in terms of coverage (what I have now) to their worst ACA policy in terms of coverage (Bronze/HSA,) my monthly premium will go up 93%.

I checked the state's Exchange site and the premiums listed there are even higher.

I make enough so I'm not eligible for any subsidy and can "afford" this increase by cutting back elsewhere. But I thought I would share a real-life example of the financial effect of the ACA in the individual plan market.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

1. We need some additional information to make an informed judgment.

Specifically, what is your age (an age range is acceptable if you don't want to get specific), and what is your current monthly premium?

If you are under 30 with a catastrophic-only plan, your premium might not be all that much to begin with, so even a 93% increase isn't all that much in dollars per month.

Plus, as you get older you will want to have more preventive care done, which I expect is covered under your new plan.

[NoOneMan]

2. Why is it up to you to make a judgement?

What bearing does that have on the original poster?

[Geoff R. Casavant]

4. Simple -- by making the post, the OP is . . .

. . . implicitly asking all of us to agree that he/she is financially adversely impacted by the ACA because his/her premiums are doubling. In order to determine whether we agree, it is not enough to simply say they are doubling, because doubling means more if the premiums are going from $400 to $800 per month, say, rather than from $40 to $80. Without that information, I cannot judge for myself whether the increase in necessarily a bad thing.

[elleng]

5. Poster said

'But I thought I would share a real-life example of the financial effect of the ACA in the individual plan market,' sounds to me that poster is informing us rather than 'implicitly asking all of us to agree that he/she is financially adversely impacted.' Many here are simply interested in arising facts.

[bhikkhu]

3. Is it still reasonable then?

Its hard to really say - if the premium was $20 a month, a 93% increase means its $38...

In my state, going from totally uninsured, and with a decent subsidy because I don't make that much money, I'll be paying either $40 or so a month for the cheapest catastrophic coverage, or up to about $120 a month for a decent silver level plan. That's for one parent, two kids. I'm not sure of all the details yet, as our exchange is kind of busted (Oregon) so I just mailed in my paper application and will be waiting to hear back.

[Holly_Hobby]

7. How long did it take for your to get your application?

I requested a paper application on 10/3 and still don't have it. TIA

[bhikkhu]

8. If you go to coveroregon.com

then click "fill out the paper application online" spot on the lower left, it downloads a PDF which you can print and mail. Its about 20 pages, and the address to send it to is on the form near the end.

In theory you could fill it out online and try the "submit" button, but that didn't work for me so I just printed it and mailed it in. It took about 20 minutes to fill out, its really pretty easy.

[Holly_Hobby]

10. Oh...no wonder...I'm in Ohio :)

We have Gov. Kasich-R here, Ohio doesn't have an exchange. I had to call healthcare.gov to get one. But thanks anyway.

[SolutionisSolidarity]

6. Your previous policy could have been rescinded as soon as you needed it.

Health insurance in the poorly regulated individual markets prior to the ACA was predatory in nature; only group coverage had any real value. They took your money when you're healthy, and canceled your policy when you got sick. Now you are protected from the exclusions of coverage and jacked up rates that inevitably occur as you age and gain pre-existing conditions, to a degree.

FYI the Texas high risk insurance pool costed something on the order of $1600/month before it was replaced by the exchanges. You may have been fine playing Russian Roulette and hoping that you never get sick, but I personally couldn't be happier to ditch the old system. The subsidies could be higher, perhaps even indexed to a local standard of living rather than the national poverty level.

[Lex]

9. Can't you keep your current policy? I can and it's a Blue Cross policy

much like yours. So for now I'm just keeping my current BCBS policy.

[PasadenaTrudy]

11. Some are being cancelled

I know mine is...

[Indykatie]

12. All ACA Policies Come with Prescription Drug Coverage as it is an Essential Benefit N/T

[Egalitarian Thug]

13. Hey, somebody's got to pay for those executive salaries, shareholder dividends,

and the balance of corporate welfare they expect.

The poor don't have it and the rich sure as hell are not going to pay into anything that isn't going to come back to them with significant interest, so you're it, sucker.

[Warren Stupidity]

14. Qualifying ACA plans actually have to provide benefits for your money.

Unlike your previous shitty plan, which covered nothing and which, if you actually needed it would quickly find a way to disappear.

All private health insurance plans offered in the Marketplace will offer the same set of essential health benefits. These are services all plans must cover.

The essential health benefits include at least the following items and services:

Ambulatory patient services (outpatient care you get without being admitted to a hospital)
Emergency services
Hospitalization (such as surgery)
Maternity and newborn care (care before and after your baby is born)
Mental health and substance use disorder services, including behavioral health treatment (this includes counseling and psychotherapy)
Prescription drugs
Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices (services and devices to help people with injuries, disabilities, or chronic conditions gain or recover mental and physical skills)
Laboratory services
Preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management
Pediatric services
Essential health benefits are minimum requirements for all plans in the Marketplace. Plans may offer additional coverage. You will see exactly what each plan offers when you compare them side-by-side in the Marketplace.

http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/factsheets/2010/07/preventive-services-list.html#CoveredPreventiveServicesforAdults