Shared Sacrifice? 1 In 3 Americans Slash Staples Spending To 'Afford' Obamacare
Health insurers are in panic mode as the Obama administration, ever eager maximize coverage optics for Obamacare, has, as The NY Times reports, allowed large numbers of people to sign up for insurance after the deadlines in the last two years, destabilizing insurance markets and driving up premiums. This surge in costs, from unintended consequences, has left 1 in 5 Americans with health insurance is having problems paying medical bills; and, as a new poll finds, more than one in three Americans, or 35 percent, said they were unable to pay for basic necessities such as food, heat, and housing because of medical bill problems...
Among people with health insurance, one in five (20%) working-age Americans report having problems paying medical bills in the past year that often cause serious financial challenges and changes in employment and lifestyle, finds a comprehensive new Kaiser Family Foundation/New York Times survey. As expected, the situation is even worse among people who are uninsured: half (53%) face problems with medical bills, bringing the overall total to 26 percent.
While insurance can protect people from problem medical bills, the survey suggests that those with employer coverage or other insurance suffer similar consequences as the uninsured once such problems occur. Among those facing problems with medical bills, almost identical shares of the insured (44%) and uninsured (45%) say the bills had a major impact on their families.
People with insurance who face problem medical bills also report a wide range of consequences and sacrifices during the past year as a result, including delaying vacations or major household purchases (77%), spending less on food, clothing and basic household items (75%), using up most or all their savings (63%), taking an extra job or working more hours (42%), increasing their credit card debt (38%), borrowing money from family or friends (37%), changing their living situation (14%), and seeking the aid of a charity (11%). These shares generally are as large as or larger than the shares among uninsured people with problem medical bills.
Overall, 62 percent of those who had medical bill problems say the bills were incurred by someone who had health coverage at the time (most often through an employer). Of those who were insured when the bills were incurred, three-quarters (75%) say that the amount they had to pay for their insurance copays, deductibles, or coinsurance was more than they could afford.
And it is not about to get better any time soon, as The NY Times reports, it appears the liberal-leaning establishment will never learn the real "unintended consequences" of tinkering central-planning...
The administration has created more than 30 “special enrollment” categories and sent emails to millions of Americans last year urging them to see if they might be able to sign up after the annual open enrollment deadline. But, insurers and state officials said, the federal government did little to verify whether late arrivals were eligible.
That has allowed people to wait until they become ill or need medical services to sign up, driving up costs broadly, insurers have told federal health officials.
“Individuals enrolled through special enrollment periods are utilizing up to 55 percent more services than their open enrollment counterparts” who sign up in the regular period, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, whose local member companies operate in every state, told the administration.
Of course, Enroll America, a nonprofit group with close ties to the Obama administration, said the government “should not tighten eligibility or verification standards in ways that could place an undue burden on consumers.”
Because - "it's fair..." - though The Iron Lady had it right...
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This. "Political correctness" is simply the "politically correct" name for THOUGHT CONTROL. How delightful to have us INFLICT IT UPON OURSELVES, as much as anything else.
I was born in UK and now live in Canada.
I always find it kind of strange that people in US criticise something so strongly, that they have no idea of.
I have a bad habit of riding trails a bit too fast on my mountain bike and having the ground jump up and hit me.
Mostly a bottle of tylenol and a few band-aids are enough.
Last year I went for a big one. Broken ribs, damaged liver and spleen.
If I'd been in US, i'd likely be filing for bankruptcy right now.
I expect you would be. Have you considered a less hazardous hobby? I doubt private insurers would have given you the time of day.
I had shingles blow off the roof of an old farmhouse twice and when it came tine for renewal the Insurance Co. told me to go ruck myself in so many words
So you are saying you can't afford health insurance?
Does free healthcare mean that the hospitals and doctors work for free, or simply that someone else pays...like your children? We must accept that part...a large part of our problems are based upon unrealistic expectations. What we all expect from healthcare has far surpassed anything anyone would have expected forty years ago. Life expectancies have increased and our lifestyles have degraded simultaneously.
If we are to have a collectively paid health system, the first and most important question that must be asked is "how much is your life worth" because unless we are willing to put a price on it, then we should never agree to fund it. What we have instead is an open ended arrangement where costs spiral upward and are covered by lies, debt and theft, and worst of all a loss of freedom. We all know this in our hearts. And while we also know corruption is a real problem, we also should acknowledge that much of this corruption is enabled because we refuse to impose any real accounting. Who shall pay and who shall receive HOW MUCH?
Let's just put it this way.
In US I'd spend half my life scared shitless that I might need to see a doctor.
In Canada, not so much.
Likewise UK.
That way I have time to worry about other shit. ;-)
By the way, my life is worth nothing to anyone other than me, and, hopefully, my kids.
What the corporate monster can suck out of me is another matter altogether.
In this fucked up world, all that seems to matter is the financial 'value' that others think they can get out of you.
I'm just fighting like fuck against that concept.
While we Americans who still must pay for our healthcare are finding it a real burden, to be dependent upon the state for it seems far worse to me...and from as you write, to you as well, which makes it seems so odd that you find England and Canada so superior. But then again, those living under a welfare state and being directly funded by it can see no other alternative I suppose.
We can all miss a point we don't want to see.
You seem to be going above and beyond in that regard.
Not true at all. If you have/had a good job you would traditionally have a $3-6k stop loss and full coverage. If poor, Medicaid. If elderly, Medicare. You used to be able to buy catastrophic for less than $200/mo.
If you fell in between all those you would have to cut a deal or think twice about your hobby and the dangers. This is called considering the consequences of your actions.
Yes, Jim Donald was right when he said that anti-Americanism is actually ultra-Americanism. See all the first-world countries falling over each other to boast how they're so much more progressive than the country that started progressivism.
If America would just cut its defense budget down to Canada's 1% of GDP, then maybe we could afford universal health care. And the rich wouldn't have to worry about taxes; they could do like El Chapo and raise their own mini-armies instead.
You don't know american history of health insurance. Health insurance actually increased access to healthcare for low income people in early 1900s late 1800s. Problem with US healthcare is too much insurance and a system that lacks market forces to keep prices competitive. Instread it's a system that rewards price gouging through unfettered demand and regulations that increase scarcity. Doctors have to pass approvals of strict medical boards. Few doctors but plenty of demand for those few doctors. We want ERs to give free health care by law but same time we complain about costs to people who pay. People need more access more to healthcare without the need of doctors and insurance acting as prepaid medical. Increasing demand is not healthcare solution. Demand does nothing. Supply does a lot more. Insurance has a role but American health insurance is not real insurance. It's more like gym membership where you pay monthly or annually and use the gym to exercise all you want. That's not insurance at all.
This surge in costs, from unintended consequences...
Haha! Those consequences were entirely intended.
"Yes we can!"
I guess he was saying, "yes, I can destroy America's middle class!"
Those pensions need to be funded..
Gratefully, the voting body, of the United States has become independent?
"1 In 3 Americans Slash Staples Spending To 'Afford' Obamacare"
Man, the execs at Staples must be pissed about this. As if things weren't bad enough already with share price down 56% since July.
Obamacare modeled after Romneycare? Bain capital gave Staples its start? Coincidence?
Probably not a coincidence. Have you ever been into a Staples store? There are never any employees there to help you find what you want. I suspect they are all at home, sick with some disease administered to them in the form of a recent vaccination.
Remember, Jonathan Gruber was correct:
"the stupidity of the American voter"
The policies keep changing all the time as many of the former financial quants who worked in finance now work for insurance companies. I've watched the classifieds for a number of years and the number of job listings for quants with health insurers is staggering. So, take your former high frequency quant and put them on assignment to model an insurance policy. They know how to squeeze the last penny or portion of a cent out for profit. Why people don't want to recognize this or why the press doesn't cover it is beyond me.
http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2014/10/data-scientistsquants-in-health.html
Way back in 2009 when Sebelius was just nominated to be secretary of HHS, I wrote a post stating insurers will use their algorithms and code all over her and she won't know what hit her. She's gone now and what we have there today is even worse, a former chief of staff for Bob Rubin. We all know who derivatives Bob is. To make matters worse, Andy Slavitt (Andy's Algos) is now running Medicare. He's a former one time Goldman Sachs banker and what many call a crook from United Healthcare. His former subsidiary of United got sued all over the place and yet Secretary Burwell made all the unprecedented efforts to give him immunity with them, and no limit on how he can still work with United Healthcare on issues, look that up. Here's a post if you want to see the Senator Warren connection on how Slavitt and her daughter created a company, sold it to United years ago. Her daughter also created a company that finds CEOs for companies to compete with the McKinsey company.
http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2015/11/optumrx-united-healthcare-buys-home.html
The group running healthcare and insurance with the government is all about numbers and could care less about us serfs if you will. Now with the latest HIPAA change regarding guns, no doubt the government and the algo man in charge of CMS will be figuring out how to get doctors to do gun risk assessments on all of us. Don't laugh as behind the scenes there's a lot going on, just look at how much data is sold when you fill a prescription as the government wants everything quantitated on our behaviors.
http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2016/01/so-whats-future-with-guns-and.html
free welfare for the HMOs, come on "for he's a jolly good fellow..."
When I tell left-leaning colleagues what they can expect from owe-bomba "care" in the way of premium-induced poverty they react with hostility (toward me, not the TotUS,) and cut off any further discussion.
Zerocare, is an absolute farce[ Obamanation] on Western Civilization.
Women are being taken advantage of... Women make their own choices. They don't need extra taxation.
Girls kick ass, and are being taken advantage of. Who decides that a woman needs , Matriarchal insurance?
????
So, it's only females suffering?
Barry go to hell you fucking asshole.
Whats the use anyways, were all gonna die in war this year... protecting the germans this time instead of the pussy french.
I work in healthcare. Obamacare is far worse than this article and frankly it is a huge dead weight on the eoncomy. I could write an article twice as long to explain it but I will not.
The essence of the problem is government taking control of things it does not understand with forces it does not know about.
There has always been a tremendous amount of healthcare that works its way out as charity, write-offs and write-downs. Obamacare agreed to pay for all of that and allow you to buy fire insurance AFTER your house burns down.
What it really is, is the most expensive catastophic healthcare ever offered. It is hundreds of times more expensive than the hold simple catastrophic policies.
When you pay roughly $6k per year in premiums and then have another $6k out of poocket before anything is covered you are essentially self-insured and only covered for catastophic. Most people will not spend that much in a year.
What Obama and the idiot lefties gave you was a piece of paper saying "Insurance" on it while actually not providing what traditional health insurance provides, i.e. early dollar coverage. It is a lie. It is fraud. It is NOT traditional health insurance. What it does is keep the IRS and government off your back. That's it.
Oh, it also weighs down the economy as your premiums triple for NO EXTRA HEALTH CARE. NONE!
I rarely use all caps, but the disastrous economic consequences need to be clear. Imagine anything else in your life doubling and tripling in cost for nothing. How would yoru budget suffer and what would be your attitude?
Here's where you nailed it...
The essence of the problem is government taking control of things it does not understand with forces it does not know about.
Put that thought in front of everthing your government says to you.
This applies globally, but doubly so, it would seem, in US.
But what about all the "poor" people who get theirs for free????
Eventually we will most all be lucky enough to become "poor" and finally able to afford healthcare.
if you make less than $1000 a month you can get free MEDICADE
wrong...the HMOs are making out like Powerball winners-nothing Leftist about that-that smells TOTAL Republican ie screw the people but aid the huge and profitable HMOs
Hey dipwad - your stupidity is showing. only the Dems voted for this clusterfuck, altho the Repukes keep funding it.
Get your head out of your ass - the Repukes and Dumbocrats are all in it together...for them and their masters, NOT for you.
Wake up !
if there's a bright side to this, maybe it'll break the back of medical fascism
As bad as the ACA is, it is the insurers who are the real problem here.
^ THIS
Everyone keeps looking for the explanation for the slow to no growth environment the US has been in. Here it is!
As the Supreme Court said, this - Obamacare - is a tax. It's a very, very large tax.
Down the road, look for the US to follow the UK. The US will cut benefits to the Obamacare beneficiaries even more, and use the surplus funds to fund the government employees pensions and benefits. The money wasn't there before, but surprise, now it is.
Heaven help us all.
Go to the head of the class, carne. See my earlier post. I will blend it with yours. It is a tax and it is buying absolutely nothing. Find any economic model, including Keynes where that is a good thing.
Obama et al. are socialists. They like the control, they do not give a shit about results unless the public makes it come back to bite them.
If I were a Republican, I would run on two things and win. 1. Illegal immigation (including Syrian refugees). and 2. Obamacare. The pain is real, widespread and underreported. It is hurting medical offices, as well. You will get enough votes to win, I guarantee.
There are few un answered questions lingering in me for a long time. Can some one help me?
1) If I printed a copy saying that I have had insurance from a legit company whom I paid 1$ for a month for medical insurance on the premise that I will not visit a doctor would that be legal?
2) How would some one like the IyeRayS still fine me?
Is there any requirement to show proof of medical coverage? I thought it was just a check box on the tax return.
Before obamacare hubby and I were middle class people with above average health insurance due to industry he works in. In just one year we are seeing health care costs increase as much as an average of $700 a month depending on what health care we need this year. $700 a month......that's almost 2 car payments. (We have no car payments btw) where does that kind of money come from? Due to other quite large hits to our income in the last year by no fault of our own it will probably come from our savings first until that's depleted.......That should make the powers at be happy. Also....kids are leaving home and taxes are climbing each year. disposable income keeps shrinking and shrinking.....liberals have gotten their way.....they have made everything more fair by making middle class poor again.
What's even harder is you can't really plan these expenses. You don't know when you will need health care and what it will cost when you do......all you can really do to stay on top of it is realize you will need it at some point and start putting away money for a medical cost fund.
I see this all the time. People still come in to urgent care or family practice and say "What's the price? I do not have any insurance." It crossed my mind that they are officially criminals for simply not buying something. Most of them look like blue collar trade guys.
There is no easy answer except to repeal Obamacare and let people negotiate real prices. What insurance does is get you the real price of things, not the insane stuff you see on paper.
Good luck to you.
I got my get out of jail/Obamacare card in the mail recently from the VA.
At least my service in the Army was good for one thing.
Should switch to Paperclips, at least you can recycle them.
Maybe Obongo is going to combat this Ponzi Scheme like Food Stamps, except call it Staple Stamps
The new and improved American Health Care.
We Collect : You Die.
And he says "I don't understand why people think I want to take their guns".
Insurance?
What insurance?
ObamaCare has nothing to do with "socialism", which has essentially become a word that the conservative establishment tosses around to describe anything it disagrees with. Socialism involves worker (rather than private banker) control over the means of production, and has f**k all to do with the debacle of a system that is ObamaCare.
Bunk. Any system where the so-called "customer" is forced to buy something by government edict is socialism. Get a clue.
No, now you're just making it a term for "stuff I don't like". I don't support ObamaCare, or any government compulsion to purchase a product or service with one's own money. Sorry, but you're confusing American liberalism (which believes in a large and powerful central government) with socialism (which believes in federated economic and political democracy).
So where is Obama's kneepad pool boy, that lying fucking MIT cunt Gruber these days?
Isn't Argentina the preferred destination for Nazis escaping justice?
Gruber needs to meet Mr. Mayhem.