What's it really like to be on Obamacare?

[ronb]

My brother is on it. He says it's good but he doesn't have much practical knowledge. He knows everything about celebrities though - that'll come in handy.

Anyway...

Is anyone here on Obamacare? What's it like? I may go on it (I'm self-employed) but I just want to make sure I'm not getting into something crazy.

[disneysteve]

I don't have insurance through the ACA but I have plenty of patients who do. There's really no significant difference between those plans and any other plans. And not all of the plans are the same. You just need to compare all of your options and pick the plan that has the best coverage at the best price. The plans can be very good deals if you qualify for the subsidies (which most of my patients do). My cousin, who is retired, has a plan through the ACA and was very pleased with his rate.

[ua_guy]

It's just an exchange of plans provided by private insurers. There's also state plans (Medicaid) but you have to have low income or other needs in order to qualify for subsidies. If you're not on Medicaid, you purchase any of the plans offered by regular insurance companies and boom, you're done.

My father in law purchased a plan through his state's exchange (Idaho) and it's been fine. Nothing crazy. He doesn't use computers, so he drove down to one of those places that helps you sign up and he said it was easy.

[FLA]

like Steve, my patients had it, if they were careful and picked the right plan to suit their level of illness, it was just like regular insurance. Patients who did no research and just chose the cheapest one, often regretted, out of pocket costs too high. In NYS, we have a market place of health plans, so many, it gets confusing to check the ins and outs of each one. But supposedly they are cheaper than Obamacare. Maybe your state has something similar?

when I became ill in Sept, my employer kept my benefits til July 1, very generous. I gave up my position June 1 and was kind of in a crisis situation so I wanted to keep the exact same health plan and drug coverage I had, no surprise bills, the market place was too confusing so I started Cobra July 1. I think it's around $450 a month. I have no clue if that's a good or bad price. Everyone told me Cobra will be $700 or $900, don't pick that, etc so $450 sounds ok for the next few months.

I plan to meet with a Marketplace employee who helps you compare the plans. I have a full copy of my current insurance plan, so hopefully, they can help me compare Cobra to their plans. I'm just not myself and would feel better getting an expert's input. I believe Obamacare has workers like that, as well.

[wjcalderon]

I'm retired, but not old enough yet for Medicare.
I signed up for the ACA as soon as it was available.
I previously had a private plan that excluded my pre-existing condition (scoliosis) and the deductible was $10,000! The cost was about $350 per month.
Under "Obamacare", I pay a little more than that per month ($395), but I have:
$2500 deductible
$3500 total out-of-pocket
$25 copay for family doctor
$35 copay for specialist
$5 for generic drugs
It pays the first $500 of any lab tests or x-rays
It pays 100% of my women's health exam (pap smear, mammogram and bone density scan)

I'm extremely satisfied with the coverage I have.

[feh]

It's just an exchange of plans provided by private insurers.

+1

It's simply private insurance for which you may receive a subsidy to offset part of the cost.

[MonkeyMama]

My parents (Early retired) switched from private insurance to Obamacare. It's basically the same exact insurance. That said, the red tape in California (and I am sure everywhere) has been a total nightmare. I believe my dad quoted 70 hours to get it all straightened out year one. I presume year 2 has been better though I know he spent hours on the phone. They put up with it because they are saving $20,000 per year on health insurance. (Seriously!) & within the year they will both be 65, on medicare, and done with all this madness.