ACA (Obamacare) updates for 2014

I have had Kaiser since 1978....I am NOW on Medicare Senior Advantage thru Kaiser....(this is
brand NEW to me THIS year.)

I "know" the enemy and opted to remain with Kaiser once my DH retired (Dec.2013). My past
experience with Kaiser has allowed me quite abit of autonomy and leeway....BUT, and this is
the BIG factor....I have demanded a certain level of those expectations.

IF Kaiser did not "partnership" up with me and allow me to dictate a certain degree of control
over MY body I would not be with them/or anyother insurance company that did NOT allow
a "partnership".....being your OWN advocate is the mandatory factor.

I have been told there will be "changes" for this year's enrollment cycle and I am keenly
interested in those changes.....I WILL be certain that my advocacy will be protected.....OR I
just will opt out and do concierge medicine. (perhaps I will follow my present doctor to her new practice that operates from a proactive platform)

homeagain wrote: I have had Kaiser since 1978....I am NOW on Medicare Senior Advantage thru Kaiser....(this is
brand NEW to me THIS year.)

I "know" the enemy and opted to remain with Kaiser once my DH retired (Dec.2013). My past
experience with Kaiser has allowed me quite abit of autonomy and leeway....BUT, and this is
the BIG factor....I have demanded a certain level of those expectations.

IF Kaiser did not "partnership" up with me and allow me to dictate a certain degree of control
over MY body I would not be with them/or anyother insurance company that did NOT allow
a "partnership".....being your OWN advocate is the mandatory factor.

I have been told there will be "changes" for this year's enrollment cycle and I am keenly
interested in those changes.....I WILL be certain that my advocacy will be protected.....OR I
just will opt out and do concierge medicine. (perhaps I will follow my present doctor to her new practice that operates from a proactive platform)

How do you like the ACA?

Rick wrote:

archer wrote: Rick, apparently you have a better insurance company than I had when we both faced the same health crises, mine, BC/BS did indeed make the decisions on what doctors I could see and where I could receive treatment. My understanding is insurance companies have been doing that for quite some time. One of the very best cancer centers is right here in AZ, but the cost to go there was prohibitive because they are "out of network", yet BC/BS is one of the largest health insurers in the nation, and I had one of their more expensive plans. It is what it is, as long as businesses, and yes government, run our Healthcare we will always have someone else telling us what we can and cannot do, unless we are independently wealthy and can pay cash.

But, like you posted, this is all anecdotal, iI suspect it will be years before an honest assessment can be made of the effect of the ACA, but that won't stop y'all from declaring it a failure.

If the law wasn't a failure, Obama wouldn't have to unilaterally change it every week as if it was written on a chalk board. Show me an example in history when something like this was done by a president. These people are way over their heads and are molding the law at will for political gain and not because the law works.

And Archer... here's something that not anecdotal...

More than 27 changes already have been made to ObamaCare, including at least 15 that have been signed into law by President Obama. A large number of changes have been made to a law that has not yet fully taken effect, but they haven’t stopped the cascade of failures we are seeing today.

http://www.galen.org/topics/at-least-27 ... obamacare/

Archer... read the article and then you'll have a jumping off point to answer Rick's question ("Show me an example in history when something like this was done by a president"). And please, no anecdotes.

Reverend Revelant wrote:

homeagain wrote: I have had Kaiser since 1978....I am NOW on Medicare Senior Advantage thru Kaiser....(this is
brand NEW to me THIS year.)

I "know" the enemy and opted to remain with Kaiser once my DH retired (Dec.2013). My past
experience with Kaiser has allowed me quite abit of autonomy and leeway....BUT, and this is
the BIG factor....I have demanded a certain level of those expectations.

IF Kaiser did not "partnership" up with me and allow me to dictate a certain degree of control
over MY body I would not be with them/or anyother insurance company that did NOT allow
a "partnership".....being your OWN advocate is the mandatory factor.

I have been told there will be "changes" for this year's enrollment cycle and I am keenly
interested in those changes.....I WILL be certain that my advocacy will be protected.....OR I
just will opt out and do concierge medicine. (perhaps I will follow my present doctor to her new practice that operates from a proactive platform)

How do you like the ACA?

I believe I have answered your question...I would pay the fine and opt out to PROTECT MY
ADVOCACY.

Sorry to divert a bit, but I've seen a few people who have Kaiser insurance and I wonder if you are happy with them?

I ask because their HMO's are among the cheapest policies under Obamacare (not that they are cheap if you have to pay the full price) in the Denver area. I've never had an HMO before, but they do offer a $1750 deductible HSA HMO which looks interesting. The big problem, though, is it has a whopping $10,000 max out of pocket expense, even for an individual.

I've heard Kaiser is pretty good in Colorado at least. I just don't know all the details. They are only in a few cities in a few states, so can that be a problem? I assume they'd cover emergencies in other cities/states where they don't operate?

Looking at their doctor list I don't see any doctors up here in the mountains. And I just see two Denver area major hospitals, St. Joseph's and Children's.

Pine, there is a Kaiser office (very small and limited services) in Evergreen. My doctor is
at the Ala. and Wads. office in Lakewood. There is also a Kaiser at SW Plaza area around Wads.
and Jewel(?).

I am VERY happy with KP BUT I have only utilized them for proactive/maintenance stuff...I have
had no SEVERE illnesses/or chronic conditions......the exception was for a thyroid issue that appeared to be wacked,but I CLOSELY SCRUTINIZED my treatment and the issue is stable and
I am NOT taking meds.

Generally speaking, pretty much ALL healthcare delivery is screwed and regardless of the
vehicle you opt to use your options are 1) pay MORE UP FRONT or 2)pay more at the BACK END.

From all the input I have received from many sources, the above is holding true to form. JMO

Edited to add...YES, if there is a medical emergency the card that is issued will explain the
details, you have to follow their protocol for that coverage (out of state)....

I'm sure you all are absolutely right, how could you not be? No major legislation, like Social Security, Medicare, medicare Part D, etc have needed any changes, tweaks, adjustments after passage. They have all been nearly perfect right out of the gate.

archer wrote: I'm sure you all are absolutely right, how could you not be? No major legislation, like Social Security, Medicare, medicare Part D, etc have needed any changes, tweaks, adjustments after passage. They have all been nearly perfect right out of the gate.

These are changes to LAW, definitive statements and due dates in the 2700 pages of ACA. These are not "tweeks," the ACA is a LAW that can't just be undone by fiat. How hard is that for you to understand?

The PATRIOT ACT IS A LAW.......look how long that debacle had been operating and is just NOW
being closely scrutinized and revised....what is your POINT...one law FOREVER screwed privacy
for the individual and did so LEGALLY...one law is just now being implemented and is going thru
IMMEDIATE changes and revisions.....(didn't take a DECADE or more for the revisions)....)JMO

homeagain wrote: The PATRIOT ACT IS A LAW.......look how long that debacle had been operating and is just NOW
being closely scrutinized and revised....what is your POINT...one law FOREVER screwed privacy
for the individual and did so LEGALLY...one law is just now being implemented and is going thru
IMMEDIATE changes and revisions.....(didn't take a DECADE or more for the revisions)....)JMO

A PRESIDENT CAN'T JUST CHANGE IMPLEMENTATION DATES AND MANDATES ON THE FLY. IT'S NOT WITH IN HIS POWER.

In its official summary of PPACA, the Congressional Research Service said: “(Sec. 1513, as modified by section 10106) Imposes fines on large employers (employers with more than 50 full-time employees) who fail to offer their full-time employees the opportunity to enroll in minimum essential coverage or who have a waiting period for enrollment of more than 60 days.”

The text of the law itself describes an “applicable large employer” as follows: “The term ‘applicable large employer’ means, with respect to a calendar year, an employer who employed an average of at least 50 full-time employees on business days during the preceding calendar year.”

The final words in the section of PPACA mandating that employers with more than 50 full-time employees provide their employees with “minimum essential coverage” imposes a specific statutory deadline for doing so. It says: “EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this section shall apply to months beginning after December 31, 2013.”[/sixe][/i]

This was LAW passed by Congress. It contains 2700 pages of mandated "effective dates" and numerical absolutes that cannot be changed without an amendment by Congress.

How hard is that for you to understand?

I spent a WHOLE lot of time and energy making numerous points. Instead of talking around the edges and giving me your personal opinion about everything except what I have addressed, how about you tell me how he has the authority to change law without Congress?

You can't do it, can you?