Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Where is medical care $2500/mo with assistance - without any conditions, plans are available for less than $1500 a month for a couple in CA and $1250 a month in LV.
Our primary residence is in Nevada, where we spend about 7 months of the year. We spend about 5 months of the year in Utah (Park City).
There is quite literally no individual/Obamacare plan available for purchase in NV that also covers us in UT. The plans available for purchase in the individual market here in NV cover emergency room visits in Utah but not non-emergency care. So a doctor's visit and a blood test, for example, are at the uninsured full-boat retail price.
Each year we look into it and discover the same thing.
One might think large nationwide insurers (UnitedHealth, Cigna, Aetna and the like) would at least get us into their preferred provider network at reduced fees, even if I pay all of it myself when I'm in Utah - but that is not the case.
Insurance brokers and ACA facilitators say, "oh that can't possibly be correct; let me find you a plan that covers you in both." Invariably, they call us back and say, "Amazing; you're correct - there are no plans available that will provide in-plan coverage in both locations." Brokers tell us, "well, you may just need to buy two insurance plans: one here in Nevada, and another for Utah."
I would do that -- if only it were legal.
However, insurance law states that I can only purchase health insurance in my official State of Residence (Nevada) and explicitly prevents me as a resident of Nevada from purchasing insurance in Utah. That is one of the "features" of Obamacare. For example, if I log on to a website to purchase insurance in Utah, once I fill in the information giving my address in Nevada, it bounces me out.
Brokers reply, "just lie and list your vacation house in Utah as your residence; they'll never know the difference." I won't do that; I suspect that would be considered insurance fraud.
We end up paying over $25,000 per year for retiree insurance rather than being able to access Obamacare plans.
In California, you can Cobra for 36 months. So you can technically retire at 62.
COBRA coverage begins the date your health insurance policy ends because of a qualifying event. For an employee covered under a qualifying event, COBRA coverage can last for 18 months from the date you elect coverage. However, dependents can receive up to 36 months of coverage if you switch to Medicare, get divorced, or die. Otherwise, they’re covered for 18 months as well.
For my mother, who will be participating in the ACA beginning in 2020, she has an income level which qualifies her for a subsidy, without which, her Silver-level plan would cost nearly $850/month. If her age advances to just a year prior to qualifying for Medicare plans, it would cost $1500/month. This is not even counting the premium increases that will take place between now and then.
Fortunately, she was able to secure a mid-level plan with at low deductible (hundreds, not thousands) AND dental in-network to her current provider (100% preventative, 80% basic, 50% major) for ~$100/mo. combined. I plan to contribute to assist in any growing gap between subsidy and premium. She can't afford much more than that for a plan. Her annual income is less than what some people in this thread pay for their coverage.
Our primary residence is in Nevada, where we spend about 7 months of the year. We spend about 5 months of the year in Utah (Park City).
There is quite literally no individual/Obamacare plan available for purchase in NV that also covers us in UT. The plans available for purchase in the individual market here in NV cover emergency room visits in Utah but not non-emergency care. So a doctor's visit and a blood test, for example, are at the uninsured full-boat retail price.
Each year we look into it and discover the same thing.
One might think large nationwide insurers (UnitedHealth, Cigna, Aetna and the like) would at least get us into their preferred provider network at reduced fees, even if I pay all of it myself when I'm in Utah - but that is not the case.
Insurance brokers and ACA facilitators say, "oh that can't possibly be correct; let me find you a plan that covers you in both." Invariably, they call us back and say, "Amazing; you're correct - there are no plans available that will provide in-plan coverage in both locations." Brokers tell us, "well, you may just need to buy two insurance plans: one here in Nevada, and another for Utah."
I would do that -- if only it were legal.
However, insurance law states that I can only purchase health insurance in my official State of Residence (Nevada) and explicitly prevents me as a resident of Nevada from purchasing insurance in Utah. That is one of the "features" of Obamacare. For example, if I log on to a website to purchase insurance in Utah, once I fill in the information giving my address in Nevada, it bounces me out.
Brokers reply, "just lie and list your vacation house in Utah as your residence; they'll never know the difference." I won't do that; I suspect that would be considered insurance fraud.
We end up paying over $25,000 per year for retiree insurance rather than being able to access Obamacare plans.
Insane.
I had no intent to drop my individual Kaiser insurance when Obamacare rolled in in 2014. When I realized my premiums were going to double, I started doing some research. Kaiser told me if I could qualify for medi-cal based on my MAGI, I could keep the exact policy and have medi-cal pick up the bill. So here I am, keeping the Kaiser plan and not paying a penny. Insane.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,901 posts, read 58,613,296 times
Reputation: 46476
Quote:
Originally Posted by RationalExpectations
There is quite literally no individual/Obamacare plan available for purchase in NV that also covers us in UT. ...
We end up paying over $25,000 per year for retiree insurance rather than being able to access Obamacare plans.
We too have multiple living states in USA and overseas which are not covered by our ACA. ~ 9 months a yr Out-of -network. We add travel insurance, as long as we are not going to return home anytime soon. (It auto cancels when you arrive home.) Or we 'risk it'. Pay cash (overseas especially) Several friends use HC sharing $300/ month) to suppliment ACA. It has paid for several cancers and ICU, and brain surgery for friends and family.
There was an article this week about ACA high deductible NEVER using "in-network" for incedental charges, unless they actually expect $13k in expenses. I talked with Kaiser finance, and they just said... "Makes sense", as their in- network fees were 6x what I paid cash for this week.
Now to find the most negotiable, quality lab and GP. The article indicated how to win at cash negotiating for medical care. Their example was over 4x savings vs. in-network. (Trying to add up to deductible is very unlikely normal yrs).
Good luck and "healthy trails" to all in this mess....
Just wondering....how much do illegal immigrants pay for health care?
I've stood on the right hand side of this issue for a long time. But I have to ask a question now:
What kind of healthcare are we talking about? Walking into a free clinic because "they don't file tax returns so they must make $0" and getting a free office visit and some sample medication? They are at the same disadvantage as poor citizens by birth when it comes to paying for maintenance meds and non-emergency care outside what the clinics can provide: SOL
I know people who legitimately qualify for such things (again, citizens by birth and 4th gen Americans to boot) yet refuse to apply for assistance and bounce back and forth between going without and scraping up the cash when something gets bad enough. These people would refuse treatment at a free clinic under some imagined virtue that it's "wrong" to partake. There is no shame in accepting what's offered.
No one is receiving free heart transplants because they're undocumented. (I'm sure someone will post an article where this has happened). It's not like the doctors who work at the clinics are being stolen away from hours they could serve at the local hospital. You can't get hired if you didn't apply. Maybe that's the only facility that called them back . I'm sure if they were under severe political protest, the doctors wouldn't apply to work there and serve the disadvantaged.
---------------------
I keep hearing that there's "no money" in doing regular office visits. There is a solid track record of essential services being provided publicly when they cannot be run profitably otherwise. EMS, waste management, water/sewer come to mind. So why not provide basic office visits at no charge, it wastes less dollars than paying several hundred dollars per month for an insurance plan that you use less than 1x a year when you get sick, that might cover what would be a $130 office visit as a cash customer, so your benefits are paying even less than that.
I've stood on the right hand side of this issue for a long time. But I have to ask a question now:
What kind of healthcare are we talking about? Walking into a free clinic because "they don't file tax returns so they must make $0" and getting a free office visit and some sample medication? They are at the same disadvantage as poor citizens by birth when it comes to paying for maintenance meds and non-emergency care outside what the clinics can provide: SOL
...
Medical care is so complicated now, that without insurance I don't see how anyone (illegally in the US or just a citizen with no insurance) would get ongoing care. Meaning, they would be sewn back together in case of an emergency car accident, but they couldn't qualify for ongoing care for the really expensive (multimillion $) health calamities:
- cancer
- organ transplantation
- end-of-life care
- extensive reconstructive surgery (gender change surgery, severe burn or casualty events)
The solution to our health-care crisis will not be the nickels and dimes saved by reducing care for the Mexicans in the emergency rooms, but rather by reducing costs for the hopeless or limited hope cases, especially for people over 70.
I do _not_ support illegal immigration btw -- rather, I'm just posting it as I see it.
Medical care is so complicated now, that without insurance I don't see how anyone (illegally in the US or just a citizen with no insurance) would get ongoing care. Meaning, they would be sewn back together in case of an emergency car accident, but they couldn't qualify for ongoing care for the really expensive (multimillion $) health calamities:
- cancer
- organ transplantation
- end-of-life care
- extensive reconstructive surgery (gender change surgery, severe burn or casualty events)
The solution to our health-care crisis will not be the nickels and dimes saved by reducing care for the Mexicans in the emergency rooms, but rather by reducing costs for the hopeless or limited hope cases, especially for people over 70.
I do _not_ support illegal immigration btw -- rather, I'm just posting it as I see it.
I just see so much money wasted on out-of-control, unsubsidized premiums for health plans that find every reason to deny a claim. The actuaries really got to work when they heard they couldn't charge people based on their assessed health. Everyone is now treated as a terrible risk. Their premium screams "okay... if we MUST... but it'll cost ya!". The insured are no longer rewarded for good health. The insurance companies are.
I can't solve every problem, and surely cannot single-handedly influence legislation or corporations - but I'm a proponent of working as long as you can, as a personal decision, even if you don't need the money, unless you are provided group health care into retirement. It's not so much about the extra money as it is cost control. Employees working 40 hours a week, meeting attendance requirements, staying within sick leave allowances is a pretty darn good risk pool if you ask me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. I'm sure if they were under severe political protest, the doctors wouldn't apply to work there and serve the disadvantaged. 
