Did your health insurace premium increase?

[jared52 4,356]

I'm putting this here because I know it's going to cause a political debate, but it's more just an informal poll.

My employer's open enrollment period starts in June and our benefits start over July 1. Of course that is the time when benefit costs change. One of our changes was a 10% increase in our health insurance premium, with 9% of that coming specifically from the "health care reform changes." I was wondering if any of you were seeing that and if your empolyer was telling you that the increase was due to the reforms.

[arnaldoabru 11]

It has already increased 131% over the last 10 years. Did you complain then

http://moneyland.time.com/2009/09/16/health-insurance-premiums-up-131-in-last-ten-years/

[jared52 4,356]

I'm not starting and arguement for or against this legislation. I was simply asking if your employer raised their rates and cited the Affordable Care Act as the reason.

[arnaldoabru 11]

What I'm saying is that they were raising them at astromomical rates before this thing was even a pimple. So to say we have to raise them because of Obamacare is comical, if it wasn't so painful

[mcgufcm 4,107]

To answer your question, my rates went up, but the increase was basically identical to last year. They didn't say the increase was due to health care reform.

[tgr4lfe 220]

What I'm saying is that they were raising them at astromomical rates before this thing was even a pimple. So to say we have to raise them because of Obamacare is comical, if it wasn't so painful

Do you think obamacare will reduce insurance premiums?

[MDM4AU 337]

What I'm saying is that they were raising them at astromomical rates before this thing was even a pimple. So to say we have to raise them because of Obamacare is comical, if it wasn't so painful

According to your stat, that averages out to about 13.1% per year. The parts of PPACA that went into effect in the last year have increased premiums approximately 8% with another .5% coming August 1 with the Women's Preventative Benefits going into effect. So, 8.5% increase so far without any claims experience or utilization being considered. Weren't we told how this wasn't going to cost anyone more in insurance premiums at one point?

[channonc 466]

Mine are going up 1.3%.

[Grumps 3,706]

Mine are going up, but there was no explanation of why.

[autiger4life 3]

Ours went up, no explanation of why. However, they went up less than the last two years. I think if we see big increases it will be after 2014.

[jared52 4,356]

Just digging this up to note that my health insurance premiums are going up $130 a month (a 40% increase) and my deductible is going from $500/$1500 to $2000/$4000 because the BCBS plan my employer was offering us is no longer available because it doesn't conform to the ACA. Covered items remain unchanged.

[autigeremt 6,970]

If anyone wants government healthcare just take a look at the VA system right now. You can't spin that.

As for rates, our insurance premiums have went up over the last few years but this year it will remain the same. Our co-pay when up $5 from 20 to 25 last year but that will stay the same. We haven't been given any information as to what may occur Jan. 1 of 2015. We are self insured and to keep it that way AU is having to manage every hour a temporary/part time worker works to keep us under a threshold so we don't lose it.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

The Dems will argue ad nauseam that Obamacare isn't the cause of higher than average premiums this year. Otherwise they have to admit the facts that it is causing a lot of harm to a lot of people. See the effect of Obamacare on the GDP discussed in another tread. But to answer the question my premium hardly changed since am a retired fed and most of you good people are subsidizing my ins.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

channoc......are you still able to keep your fed plan?

[alexava 6,974]

Yes. Mine has gone up almost every year. The jump was about the same as in years past.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

I think the original question should be "how much did your premium go up for the same deductible. Some people's ins. is cheaper because they selected (or had no choice) to take a plan with a higher deductible to keep the cost down. Have to do an apples to apples comparison.

[japantiger 4,077]

Ours went up 19%....copays went up; network went down.

[alexava 6,974]

copays, coinsurance, deductable all the same. premium(my part) went up 14$ a pay period (2weeks). No copays or deductibles for preventative tests/procedures. Kids stay on till age of 26. we actually have a whole different plan to choose as well but i dont think it would be good for my family. it consists of cheaper premiums, no copays but higher coinsurance and deductables plus a company contribution to you flex account or something of that nature. open enrollment is in November. they are just getting us informed incrementally till then.

i am trying to get them to consider chiropractics as preventative care. our copay is 15$ for general 25 for specialist and they say chiropractors are specialists. my guy never charged a copay in the first 8 years i used him. he got in trouble with BC/BS and now has to charge a copay. i dont go as much and consequently ache more.

[Texan4Auburn 1,626]

The Dems will argue ad nauseam that Obamacare isn't the cause of higher than average premiums this year. Otherwise they have to admit the facts that it is causing a lot of harm to a lot of people. See the effect of Obamacare on the GDP discussed in another tread. But to answer the question my premium hardly changed since am a retired fed and most of you good people are subsidizing my ins.

I'd say it is both contributing and not contributing. Insurance companies have pretty much been like tuition, it just keeps going up every year and that trend started long before there was a Obama. They won't come out straight and say ACA is what is raising your rates (actually I think they will now), but they sure as hell are not gonna redirect the angry mob blaming the ACA in another direction. It's perfect for them to sit there and raise rates and say "they are gonna blame Obama, so lets do it". Don't get me wrong, there are some things that got royally screwed in the ACA also. It definitely needs to be reworked, but doesn't need to be scrapped.

What people don't talk about is stuff like the Family Urgent Care in Birmingham that was upcoding for over 2 million dollars, or the cardiovascular surgeon in Auburn that is ignoring stint rules and doing them cause he wanted to and billing for them, or the dependency on drugs... medications like those for high blood pressure because a person would rather pop the pill than simply cut sodium content or exercise 30 minutes (which can lower bp 15mg HG for a significant period of time post exercise). Basically our entire intervention rather than prevention model we use, and yes I'm laying blame on the consumers also in that regards. These types of things are major contributors to rates going up.

The two examples above involving fraud are just two of several that have happened in Alabama in the past 4 months alone, and I don't think I have seen one person on here mention it btw.

Plus having had the pleasure of dealing with rejected claims and the insurances reasons for these rejections, the headache of contacting and resubmitting, and also seeing how much doctors are writing off because insurance fights paying (especially the battles between primary, secondary, and even tertiary and who is responsible) over the past month.......well lot of that stuff is just plain greed and are all administrative costs (which is something the ACA is trying to lower on insurance companies). It's also contributing to cost shifting and raising the prices of procedures from GP visits to surgery. Mean a perfect example is a procedure that is done separately to the right and the left side of the body, so two procedures. Yet in some instances there is not a code to identify that (shameless ICD10 plug), thus the insurance rejects one procedure as being duplicate. Now do you think it is really just as simple as telling them the procedure was done twice, once to each side of the body and they reimburse you for the second procedure?

Another fun thing I've heard some administrators discuss, and this involves BC/BS. I provide you with a medical support device that cost me say $50. BC/BS will allow me to bill reimbursement for that device (not the procedure, just the device) for say $500 dollars. Now I have X$ amount of write offs, I have X$ amount of claims that have been in insurance collection/stall for months.So how much do you think I'm gonna ask for in reimbursement on that device? Then where is the insurance company gonna turn.

Regardless of the ACA, the insurance companies would of raised rates and made adjustments to make more money based off medical costs and the use/health trends of the American people.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

OK, so let's agree that premiums would have gone up some anyhow. Now the question is will we continue to get the same quality of health care. Time will tell but from what I'm hearing the answer will be no......plus the gov't is now in control of your healthcare.

[channonc 466]

channoc......are you still able to keep your fed plan?

Haven't been with the government for several years now. But had I still been on the Hill, I would have been moved to the exchanges.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

channoc ....thanks. I didn't know they made staffers have to go to the exchanges. Last I knew members were fighting that.

[channonc 466]

channoc ....thanks. I didn't know they made staffers have to go to the exchanges. Last I knew members were fighting that.

The issue really was that the way that part of the law was written (Grassley provision), it would have prohibited offices from paying the employer share of the cost. So in essence, the law would require staff to use the exchange, but eliminate the employer contribution even though that would be your employer health benefit. Senator Grassley himself has stated he did not intend to eliminate the employer contribution, but rather kick staff out of the FEHBP and use the exchanges instead. They ended up fixing that.

[Proud Tiger 4,261]

I never thought Grassley was among the brightest stars in DC.

[TexasTiger 13,556]

I never thought Grassley was among the brightest stars in DC.

Something on which we agree ! War Eagle !