Hypocrisy (Warning--Health Care Thread)--updated

I"ll be curious how this effects me. Could be wrong, but it sounds like I just got stuck with more taxes to pay for insurance for those that don't have it. I am also wondering how this will affect our current coverage. Currently, we take my wifes insurance plan at her job. Every year I have to send a letter stating that I am taking their coverage because my job doesnt offer insurance, which they don't. Doesnt the passing of this essentially make a public option available? If so, I wonder if this will count as available coverage from another source and I will now get thrown into the public pool? Will this public insurance pool actually be real insurance or some sort of crappy Medicare type coverage? And at what cost? Considering I have a family history of cancer and exceedingly high cholesterol levels, any insurance I get on my own is typically not going to be cheap.  I get the sneaking suspicion that I will now have to pay more for my own insurance AND get to pay more in taxes to cover the costs for others.

Edited by oldpbnoob - 28 June 2012 at 8:20pm

agentwhale007 wrote: oldpbnoob wrote: I am also wondering how this will affect our current coverage. Currently, we take my wifes insurance plan at her job. Every year I have to send a letter stating that I am taking their coverage because my job doesnt offer insurance, which they don't.    I'm not sure there will be a change, then. Spousal insurance still exists, as do parent/child plans.

Yes, but the only reason the insurance company agrees to accept me on the policy is because I do not have an insurance option elsewhere. Will a public pool option count as an available option?

This really didn't change anything regarding tax laws...Congress has, traditionally, been given basically unlimited power regarding taxation. But raising taxes is a tough pill to swallow in this economy so they (wrongly) chose to push it as a mandate instead. The government can't force you to take insurance but they can tax you and spend the money where they want to.

That's been an issue raised since the bill was introduced.

Edited by stratoaxe - 28 June 2012 at 9:40pm

mbro wrote: OPBN, your insurance shouldn't change.

I know how old most of you are, it isn't a slam on your intelligence, it is just a point about your life experience. I have more than you, I've watched this "game" play out and the people like us always end up paying higher costs. 

mbro wrote: OPBN, your insurance shouldn't change.

mbro wrote: OPBN, your insurance shouldn't change.That's weird that your wife's company doesn't just offer coverage for spouses I figured that was standard procedure. Isn't she a teacher? Also the insurance exchanges are what you'd be looking at since you're not poor or high risk, the pool thing you were talking about was a temporary thing for people who have pre-existing conditions before the law goes fully in effect. The exchanges are basically a website and a phone line that will make buying insurance easier and explains the terms to you. It allows comparison shopping.

I'm not so sure about that TBH. My wife works for the local school system and we take the insurance offered. Under the policy that they brought in a couple of years ago, they only will allow me on the plan if I either have no insurance under my employer or the insurance offered by my employer is considered an unreasonable burden. In other words, if my employer did offer insurance, but paid no part of it and cost $1k/month, it would be considered unreasonable and they allow me to stay on the plan. During the transition, one of her co-workers husbands had to be taken off of her policy and take the insurance offered by his company.

agentwhale007 wrote: oldpbnoob wrote:  they only will allow me on the plan if I either have no insurance under my employer or the insurance offered by my employer is considered an unreasonable burden.  I'm not sure I understand what you're seeing as the change, then.

Perhaps I misunderstood the insurance exchange and/or public options.  It won't necessarily be a good thing if my employer was forced to offer insurance either. Not sure if they would qualify or not as they have less than 50 employees. I could be wrong, but I get the distinct feeling that one way or the other my wallet is going to get lightened some more.

oldpbnoob wrote:  It won't necessarily be a good thing if my employer was forced to offer insurance either.

Edited by agentwhale007 - 29 June 2012 at 12:33pm

Man, your guys insurance plans are ridiculous. My out of pocket is $853/year for a $500 deductible PPO. Obviously my company picks up most of the tab. If I had a wife and kids it would be around $1,200/year.