In the Commonwealth of Virginia, no subsidy will thus be
paid on the 80 percent of subscribers’ premiums who enrolled in Obamacare and
are eligible for subsidies. And the 2015 costs of these premiums have not been
made public until November 15, 2014, conveniently after the November election.
Using the calculator on the Obamacare website for the Bronze
Plan (a plan with a 60 percent reimbursement rate after deductibles have been
met) for a Preferred Provider, Thomas L. Cranmer, Vice President of Fairfax
County Taxpayers’ Alliance, determined that a northern Virginia family of four
would pay “at any income a deductible out of pocket of $12,600 and a premium of
$7,224 per year. The total $19,824 represents 40 percent of $50,000 and 20
percent of $100,000 gross income.” http://fairfaxfreecitizen.com/2014/11/25/obamacare-cost-impact-2/
If doctors are not “preferred,” Obamacare labels them “out
of network,” in which case the costs can be limitless. The website calculator,
which is now operational (HHS had taken it down temporarily before the
elections), can be used anonymously to calculate the cost for any individual or
family. https://www.healthcare.gov/see-plans/
People, who have lost their plans due to the increased
demands of Obamacare on private insurance companies, and have been forced to
sign for Obamacare, report two and half times higher costs.
Many insured by Medicare have lost their supplemental
insurance and those with Medicare/Medicaid have been moved into Humana. Humana
is now busy rationing care to the elderly in order to meet the President’s plan
to take billions from Medicare in order to fund Obamacare. Many retirees are
thus forced to find other plans with higher premiums and deductibles.
Illegal aliens, who were not “supposed” to be covered by
Obamacare as falsely reported, are getting their premiums for free or $2.71. A
lady I met recently in a doctor’s waiting room was excited that her premium was
$24 a month. She had never bought insurance before, betting on her good health,
but was now experiencing declining health in her mid-thirties and was glad for
Obamacare’s low premium.
With the three plans, Bronze, Silver, and Gold, the
reimbursement rates for doctors are 60 percent, 70 percent, and 80 percent
respectively. If doctors accept Obamacare, can they cover their expenses? Do they ask for payments in advance,
considering that the out-of-pocket deductible for patients is $12,600, and they
may not be able to pay for the visit?
Tom Cranmer asked his physician in a very direct letter if
the “concierge fee” of $1,650 he paid him covers his expenses. Additionally, if
the “doc fix reimbursement schedule for Medicare does not pass Congress (it
comes up for renewal in December 2014), and doctors’ compensation is lowered,“ how would it affect their medical practice in
terms of doing what is best for their patients?
Because many doctors and hospitals have been dropped from
Obamacare, their services are not eligible for Obamacare payments. What would
happen to their patients who are now suddenly forced into Obamacare? Where
would they find new doctors, especially since many are retiring or pursuing
other careers? Did the President not promise, “if you like your doctor, you can
keep your doctor?” Would these patients be forced to accept nurse practitioner
care instead?
Copyright: Ileana Johnson 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment