Health Insurance ?

[Sailsarefull]

Yes, you are right. My premiums went from $500/month up to $800/month with a $7150 deductible and we only had 3 companies to choose from. In early 90's before all the "reform to improve" healthcare started we had 30+ health companies to choose from. More regulation always means less competition and that is what helps drives up premiums.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Seaadventurers

Fact: the US has Obamacare

Fact: my health insurance costs went up 25% in 2016 and will increase 40% in 2017.

If you think the two are unrelated, then that is your prerogative.

Sure, but don't confuse related, correlated and causation. They are not the same.

[Seaadventurers]

Are you subsidized? Are you choosing a similar plan?

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Seaadventurers

I don't know if I would call high deductible health insurance in the US reasonable anymore. I just got a quote from BCBS of Texas for medical insurance with a $6,500 deductible and it was $1,300 per month starting in January. That means my healthcare costs have to be $22,100 before I get anything from insurance. Is that reasonable?

Same crap here in FL for the wife and I. And many companies are not offering any coverage at all.

Like when the airlines owned all the gates and won't let others land.

Originally Posted by Paul L

You imply that the increases are do to Obamacare without any evidence.. Health insurance in the US has been increasing in costs at a rate far above inflation for decades. Keeping this cruising related, when we left to start full time cruising health insurance was our largest single expense. Prior to leaving it was going up 10-15% a year. A few years latter we got a BlueCross policy from the ACA exchange (Obamacare). This was 50% less expensive and better coverage. For this year our ACA policy costs went down by about 10-15%.
Now the repeal and replace crowd has had 6 years to develop an improved, more cost effective system - so it should be easy to roll it out quickly and live up to the incoming administration's promise to have a much better and much cheaper insurance that covers more people ---- OK I can dream.

Lucky you.

Originally Posted by Seaadventurers

Fact: the US has Obamacare

Fact: my health insurance costs went up 25% in 2016 and will increase 40% in 2017.

If you think the two are unrelated, then that is your prerogative.

Mine too! Crap!

Originally Posted by smj

Fact: my insurance is less expensive this year than 2 years ago.

You are welcome.

Originally Posted by Paul L

Sure, but don't confuse related, correlated and causation. They are not the same.

All I can see is a major increase in payments, major deductible increases, out of network is astronomical!!... and fewer doctors on the plans.
In fact we took a plan without my doctor because it is $200.00/month less. I will pay my doctor cash and it will be a lot less than $200.00 month for my few visits.
I got a prescription from a different pharmacy than I was supposed to because it was cheaper than the assigned one even with the contract price. That is some serious bull sh1t.
I end up paying cash for all my medical care anyway since the deductible is so high I will never reach it unless I get "whacked". You used to be able to buy a catastrophic plan but now that is all that is sold, but they won't let me call it that and tell me I am mistaken.
I would like to know the cause if it is not the insurance companies given free reign via O-care.

And don't blame the doctors. I know some that are entering practices and can't make $100.000.00 a year. Find some other group that gives up their prime years to an extra 6 to 9 years of education. The people that used to have the IQ to be great docs are not stupid. They are finding other careers. Other, less capable people are in med school now. Doctors can't even afford to have independent practices any more because they don't collect enough to pay all the bills. More than 50% of independent practices are gone. Now the docs are just employees. Punch out at 1700. Don't know their patients. Can't make their own judgments. All tests must follow certain guidelines or will be denied.
It really is sad.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Therapy

......
It really is sad.

Couldn't agree with you more. What I disagree with is the fantasy of looking back on the good ole days and saying how great they were. Insurance policies that paid more of the little day to day costs and then bailed when the big costs hit, millions left uncovered. Hence the astounding number of bankruptcies in the US due to medical expenses including folks with insurance. Had beers with a cruising friend who paid his taxes and worked his career, always carried insurance he paid for. Lost everything when his wife got cancer and his insurance max ran out. Lost the boat, his savings and his wife died. Pretty sad system.
Obamacare was an attempt at getting more covered and forcing insurance companies to pay when the big medical events happen. Certainly a flawed approach that needs fixing. But going back to the preACA days is just kicking the can down the road and offering coverage for less people.

Every first world country in the world manages to offer health care to more citizens at a cost roughly half of what the US spends per person. So I'm open to modifications or replacement of the ACA. But I'm not buying how good it was before.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Seaadventurers

I don't know if I would call high deductible health insurance in the US reasonable anymore. I just got a quote from BCBS of Texas for medical insurance with a $6,500 deductible and it was $1,300 per month starting in January. That means my healthcare costs have to be $22,100 before I get anything from insurance. Is that reasonable?

I carried high deductible + an MSA/HSA account in the USA for many years...then when I turned 50 it got stoopid expensive...like $650/month for a $10K deductible! Cancelled it pronto.

In Central America, and many other non-USA venues, healthcare and health insurance are quite reasonable. Both my wife and I are now covered in Panama for $160/month. This is a PPO 80/20 style policy with international coverage too.

My credit card automatically provides travel/medical converage as long as major costs of the travel are paid for on the card (like air fare).

Most healthcare costs are so reasonable in Central America that I dont hassle with filing a claim, but I like having the coverage in case anything major comes up.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Therapy

Same crap here in FL for the wife and I. And many companies are not offering any coverage at all.

Like when the airlines owned all the gates and won't let others land.



Lucky you.


Mine too! Crap!



You are welcome.



All I can see is a major increase in payments, major deductible increases, out of network is astronomical!!... and fewer doctors on the plans.
In fact we took a plan without my doctor because it is $200.00/month less. I will pay my doctor cash and it will be a lot less than $200.00 month for my few visits.
I got a prescription from a different pharmacy than I was supposed to because it was cheaper than the assigned one even with the contract price. That is some serious bull sh1t.
I end up paying cash for all my medical care anyway since the deductible is so high I will never reach it unless I get "whacked". You used to be able to buy a catastrophic plan but now that is all that is sold, but they won't let me call it that and tell me I am mistaken.
I would like to know the cause if it is not the insurance companies given free reign via O-care.

And don't blame the doctors. I know some that are entering practices and can't make $100.000.00 a year. Find some other group that gives up their prime years to an extra 6 to 9 years of education. The people that used to have the IQ to be great docs are not stupid. They are finding other careers. Other, less capable people are in med school now. Doctors can't even afford to have independent practices any more because they don't collect enough to pay all the bills. More than 50% of independent practices are gone. Now the docs are just employees. Punch out at 1700. Don't know their patients. Can't make their own judgments. All tests must follow certain guidelines or will be denied.
It really is sad.

Don't worry, Trump has a great plan and everything will be ok.:-)

[sck5]

We could just give everyone a Medicare card and it would be cheaper for all of us. We would have to pay a Medicare tax but it would be cheaper than private insurance. Problem with this is that it is socialism! We can't have socialism for working people in the USA. Only for old people.

[Hoosiersailor]

The cost of health care/insurance is one of my biggest concerns to trying to semi-retire early and go cruising in my 50s. But in my opinion, when you are having these discussions it is very important to separate heath care costs and health insurance costs. The cost of health insurance is crazy in the US even for high deductible plans but that is directly related to the cost of health care in the US. It seems that almost every other country has somewhat reasonable health care costs and from my research, almost every procedure/hospital stay from child birth to a triple bypass cost 2-20 times more in the US than it does in any other country.

So of course, health insurance is going to cost more. A lot more. If it didn't than every insurance company would go out of business very quickly. I am not a fan at all of government regulation, but what needs to happen is the health care costs have to be put in check. How to do that I have no idea.

Since, that doesn't appear to be going to happen, how can I afford to have some reasonable high deductible health insurance so I can go cruising?

[Seaadventurers]

Originally Posted by Hoosiersailor

The cost of health care/insurance is one of my biggest concerns to trying to semi-retire early and go cruising in my 50s. But in my opinion, when you are having these discussions it is very important to separate heath care costs and health insurance costs. The cost of health insurance is crazy in the US even for high deductible plans but that is directly related to the cost of health care in the US. It seems that almost every other country has somewhat reasonable health care costs and from my research, almost every procedure/hospital stay from child birth to a triple bypass cost 2-20 times more in the US than it does in any other country.



So of course, health insurance is going to cost more. A lot more. If it didn't than every insurance company would go out of business very quickly. I am not a fan at all of government regulation, but what needs to happen is the health care costs have to be put in check. How to do that I have no idea.



Since, that doesn't appear to be going to happen, how can I afford to have some reasonable high deductible health insurance so I can go cruising?

Yep.....same position here. To me, it is my biggest financial unknown.

[alctel]

Originally Posted by sck5

We could just give everyone a Medicare card and it would be cheaper for all of us. We would have to pay a Medicare tax but it would be cheaper than private insurance. Problem with this is that it is socialism! We can't have socialism for working people in the USA. Only for old people.

Actually, you already pay more than twice the amount in taxes towards healthcare than the UK or Canada does. And then you have your private health insurance on top of that.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Seaadventurers

Yep.....same position here. To me, it is my biggest financial unknown.

Just retired.
It is the biggest financial known.
It is our single biggest expense. $1350.00 per month PLUS any actual "care" we receive.

It won't be long that we will all give up and accept a govt. program. Just one more baby step.

Now, if our elected officials had to have what we have.........well..........things would be a bit different, no?

Bordering on politics now.........oops............

[Seaadventurers]

Originally Posted by Therapy

Just retired.

It is the biggest financial known.

It is our single biggest expense. $1350.00 per month PLUS any actual "care" we receive.



It won't be long that we will all give up and accept a govt. program. Just one more baby step.



Now, if our elected officials had to have what we have.........well..........things would be a bit different, no?



Bordering on politics now.........oops............

I called it an unknown because none of us know what it is going to cost us 5 years down the road? It could easily be double what it is now and how do you budget for that? Answer-you have to keep working!

[smj]

Originally Posted by sck5

We could just give everyone a Medicare card and it would be cheaper for all of us. We would have to pay a Medicare tax but it would be cheaper than private insurance. Problem with this is that it is socialism! We can't have socialism for working people in the USA. Only for old people.

The VA would be an absolute form of socialist healthcare? Paid for by taxes and all government employees?


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by smj

The VA would be an absolute form of socialist healthcare? Paid for by taxes and all government employees?


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

And that is exactly what we will get for a govt system. Can't wait for my turn to press the Nurse Call Button................and wait.

My thoughts are that since there are so many old people who will require more and more health care and the young are not numerous enough to support them properly, they must get less care and die off sooner. There is no other way to lessen the burden on our children.
Face it. When someone says "prevent" in a health setting what is really meant is POSTPONE. Multiple maladies are aging genetic problems. Not preventable at this time.