Cancer patient that Said Obamacare is unaffordable saved $1000 with her new ACA plan.

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Jabu_Rule
Jabu_Rule Members Posts: 5,993 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited March 2014 in The Social Lounge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpjyr1x7mC0
Boonstra said Monday her new plan she dislikes is the Blue Cross Premier Gold health care plan, which caps patient responsibility for out-of-pocket costs at $5,100 a year, lower than the federal law’s maximum of $6,350 a year. It means the new plan will save her at least $1,200 compared with her former insurance plan she preferred that was ended under Obamacare’s coverage requirements.

A Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan spokesman said the insurer welcomes a chance to help members understand their benefits and alleviate concerns.

“We are here to help people like Ms. Boonstra to work their way through adjusting to the health plans we are now offering them,” the Blue’s Andy Hetzel said. “If there are questions ... they should call.”

Boonstra’s old plan cost $1,100 a month in premiums or $13,200 a year, she previously told The News. That didn’t include money she spent on co-pays, prescription drugs and other out-of-pocket expenses.

By contrast, the Blues’ plan premium costs $571 a month or $6,852 for the year. Since out-of-pocket costs are capped at $5,100 for in-network doctors and hospitals, including deductibles, the maximum Boonstra would pay this year for all of her cancer treatment is $11,952.

When advised of the details of her Blues’ plan, Boonstra said the idea that it would be cheaper “can’t be true.”

“I personally do not believe that,” Boonstra said.


She said she still fears her costs will be unaffordable because she could be hit with large out-of-pocket bills in the early months when she wouldn’t have the money to pay. She also said her out-of-pocket maximum could be higher than advertised because there’s one prescription that was previously covered by her old plan that isn’t and she now buys with a separate prescription discount card.

Hetzel said he understands patients may be confused by their benefits as they adjust. Boonstra’s health plan covers all prescriptions, Hetzel said, who advises she use the coverage instead of a prescription discount card so co-pays would go toward meeting the out-of-pocket maximum.

On the chance of being assessed the full maximum in the first month or so of a health plan, he said: “It is possible, but it’s highly unlikely.”

The development comes after Democrats launched a counter-offensive against Americans for Prosperity, the group backed by billionaires Charles and David Koch that has spent more than $30 million in advertising in competitive Senate races nationwide attacking Democrats on Obamacare.

Their spending has been unmatched in Michigan and elsewhere, prompting Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to declare on the Senate floor the Koch brothers are trying to buy elections with “untrue” ads like Boonstra’s.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140310/LIFESTYLE03/303100100#ixzz2vh2QOsmv
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Comments

  • Darth Sidious
    Darth Sidious Members Posts: 2,507 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2014
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  • jono
    jono Members Posts: 30,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I assume all the people in these commercials are actors.
  • Jabu_Rule
    Jabu_Rule Members Posts: 5,993 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    jono wrote: »
    I assume all the people in these commercials are actors.

    Seems this lady was the real deal..
  • The Lonious Monk
    The Lonious Monk Members Posts: 26,258 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Ehhh there's nothing new about white people allowing their political beliefs to override reality. I'm sure all groups do it to some degree, but they seem to take it to another level. At least with Blacks, you have to trick them into voting for a candidate. Whites will knowing vote against their own interests just to tow the party line.
  • stackmaster 313
    stackmaster 313 Members Posts: 1,347 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Damn shame the truth will set you free
  • DarcSkies
    DarcSkies Members Posts: 13,791 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    What she really means is...

    How can these numbers be right? He's still a ? :(
  • LUClEN
    LUClEN Members Posts: 20,559 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Ehhh there's nothing new about white people allowing their political beliefs to override reality. I'm sure all groups do it to some degree, but they seem to take it to another level. At least with Blacks, you have to trick them into voting for a candidate. Whites will knowing vote against their own interests just to tow the party line.

    Am I the only one that remembers the thread that got made specifically about people getting simple math equations wrong on purpose when it conflicted with their political beliefs?

    http://community.allhiphop.com/discussion/503250/most-depressing-brain-finding-ever

    Talk about bleak

  • BoldChild
    BoldChild Members Posts: 11,415 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    When advised of the details of her Blues’ plan, Boonstra said the idea that it would be cheaper “can’t be true.”

    “I personally do not believe that,” Boonstra said.

    It takes a special kind of person to deny simple mathematical evidence simply because it doesn't coincide with their political beliefs. We're talking about basic arithmetic here and the numbers aren't even that big.

    I wish Obama would just go ahead and declare that breathing air is good for you just so these numbskulls ? themselves off trying to prove him wrong.

    Science confirms: Politics wrecks your ability to do math
  • _Jay_
    _Jay_ Members, Administrators Posts: 3,689 My Name Is My Name.
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  • BoldChild
    BoldChild Members Posts: 11,415 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Elrawd wrote: »
    Ehhh there's nothing new about white people allowing their political beliefs to override reality. I'm sure all groups do it to some degree, but they seem to take it to another level. At least with Blacks, you have to trick them into voting for a candidate. Whites will knowing vote against their own interests just to tow the party line.

    Am I the only one that remembers the thread that got made specifically about people getting simple math equations wrong on purpose when it conflicted with their political beliefs?

    http://community.allhiphop.com/discussion/503250/most-depressing-brain-finding-ever

    Talk about bleak

    Nah, I just posted the link to the article before I saw this post.

    This is a perfect example of what they were talking about in the study.

  • kingblaze84
    kingblaze84 Members Posts: 14,288 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2014
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    Insurers on Obamacare: Expect Premium Prices to Soar

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/insurers-obamacare-expect-premium-prices-180000930.html

    Health insurance premiums will likely skyrocket next year, despite the Obama administration’s consistent assurance that consumers will not experience sticker shock under the president’s health care law.


    That’s according to industry insiders who told The Hill that they are expecting the price of monthly premiums to increase significantly. In some states, rates could increase by as much as 300 percent.

    Related: Obamacare Sticker Shock Found in Deductibles, Not Premiums

    “There is extensive concern about rate increases next year,” said Avalere Health’s Vice President Caroline Pearson. “Particularly since early exchange enrollment is skewed toward older enrollees, some are concerned that plans will need to raise prices in 2015.”

    But insurers say a combination of Obamacare’s new taxes and fees, as well as rule changes and delays announced to cope with the rocky rollout, will likely contribute to higher than expected rates.

    For instance, the administration’s decision to allow people to keep their old policies likely means that fewer people than anticipated are enrolling on the new exchanges.

    This is bad news for the Obama administration, which has routinely pointed out that premiums on the exchanges are less expensive than comparable employer-based policies. While premiums may be cheaper, out of pocket costs on exchange plans tend to be higher. A survey by HealthPocket.com found the deductibles on the exchange plans were 42 percent higher than employer based policies. But now, insurers say Obamacare consumers can expect to experience sticker shock from both premiums and deductibles.


    --More and more clients of mine find they are getting their plans cancelled, just to see the sky high prices of Obamacare. Damn, no wonder most Americans aren't happy with the law. Good job Obama.....good job. My mom asked me to remove her Obama 2012 sticker from her car yesterday.....she was disappointed the sky high prices of Obamacare haven't gone down since January. It's still high as hell, and her coworkers, even with subsidies, HATE the sky high prices. Nice.....very nice. I'm sure Obama's approval ratings won't be at George W Bush levels for much longer. When the rates raise next year, we will ALL be grateful Obama forced Americans to have health insurance, even if they can barely take care of their household expenses and debts as it is.
  • playmaker88
    playmaker88 Members Posts: 67,905 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Give it a ? rest
  • kingblaze84
    kingblaze84 Members Posts: 14,288 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Yeah, last post I'll make in this thread. Most Americans agree with me on this issue, and that's good enough for me.
  • The Lonious Monk
    The Lonious Monk Members Posts: 26,258 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    lol @ thinking most Americans agreeing with you is a good thing.
  • Jabu_Rule
    Jabu_Rule Members Posts: 5,993 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2014
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    Most Americans agreed that Slavery was a good thing at one point. Gotta go with the in crowd..
  • Swiffness!
    Swiffness! Members Posts: 10,128 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    LMFAO Kingblaze is still on that ? ????? What a dumb mark. ? ? you, I got covered for $15 a month. $15, b. 50 minute phone call. I spent $70+ to see a doctor before. Next time it'll be $5. I can go to a hospital without going bankrupt now. I can get generic prescriptions now. None of this is possible without Obamacare.

    What's your argument against THAT? I shouldn't have insurance because it inconveniences the crackas you slave for?

    ? yo feelings. I hope ALL your clients die because they chose not to buy health insurance lololololololol.
    Most Americans agree with me on this issue, and that's good enough for me.

    LMFAO @ this logic. Using this to justify ANY opinion about ANYTHING is ? Logic™.

    Example: "Most Americans agree that Macklemore is a great rapper"

    nevermind that oh - wait - they DON'T agree with you on this issue...

    President Barack Obama’s health-care law is becoming more entrenched, with 64 percent of Americans now supporting it outright or backing small changes.

    Fifty-one percent of Americans favor retaining the Affordable Care Act with “small modifications,” while 13 percent would leave the law intact and 34 percent would repeal it. That’s the highest level of public acceptance for the law yet in the Bloomberg poll.


    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-12/americans-stick-with-obamacare-as-opposition-burns-bright.html

    And of course, every proposed "conservative" "plan" to "repeal" ACA would take away people's insurance and waste money accoording to every number cruncher out there. Dems lie, Repubs lie, CBO numbers don't.

    I love how Kingblaze has basically nothing to justify or defend his position on Obamacare other than personal animus towards Barry, Fox News propaganda, and questionable anecdotes about "clients" who can supposedly afford his services but can't afford to buy ? health insurance for the cost of a celly bill. I bet he posted ALL dem fake-ass "Obamacare horror stories" in the SL over the past 4 months and vanished quicker than a deadbeat dad when someone posted the link exposing it.

    Have fun, homie. I'll be over here. With affordable health insurance.
  • jono
    jono Members Posts: 30,280 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I haven't even ? with it yet. I don't even have insurance right now.
  • Soloman_The_Wise
    Soloman_The_Wise Members Posts: 2,817 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
    The hospital bills are hitting Larry Basich’s mailbox.

    That would be OK if Basich had health insurance. But he doesn’t.

    Thing is, he should be covered. Basich, 62, bought a plan through the state’s Nevada Health Link insurance exchange in the fall. He’s been paying monthly premiums since November.

    Yet the Las Vegan is stranded in a no-man’s-land where no carrier claims him, and his tab is mounting: Basich owes $407,000 for care received in January and February, when his policy was supposed to be in effect. Instead, he’s covered only for March and beyond.

    Basich has begged for weeks for help from the exchange and its contractor, Xerox. But Basich’s insurance broker said Xerox seems more interested in lawyering up and covering its hide than in working out Basich’s problems. Nor is Basich the only client facing plan-selection errors through the exchange, she added.

    Xerox, meanwhile, said it’s working every day to fix Basich’s problem, and its legal counsel is routine.

    In the rollout of the Affordable Care Act and its insurance exchanges, you can find a success story for every failure. But Basich’s case is extreme.

    WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?

    Basich said he began trying to enroll on Oct. 1, the day the exchange website went live. Like many consumers, he fought technical flaws during multiple sign-up attempts. In mid-November he finally got through and chose his plan: UnitedHealthcare’s MyHPNSilver1.

    “It was like reaching the third level of Doom,” Basich said of the torturous sign-up process.

    Basich paid his first premium on Nov. 21, and within days the exchange withdrew the $160.77 payment from his money-market savings account. Because Basich paid a month before the Dec. 23 deadline, his coverage was to begin Jan. 1.

    Weeks ticked by, but Basich received nothing to confirm he had insurance. Nevada Health Link kept telling him he was enrolled, but UnitedHealthcare said he wasn’t in their system.

    Basich’s predicament went critical on Dec. 31, when he had a heart attack. His treatment, which included a triple bypass on Jan. 3, resulted in $407,000 in medical bills in January and February that no insurer is covering.

    Basich and his insurance broker, Tamar Burch of Branch Benefits Consultants, said the issue appears to be confusion at the state exchange. Xerox’s system says Basich chose a plan from another insurer, Nevada Health CO-OP, even though Basich has paperwork that shows he selected MyHPNSilver1. In short, Xerox can’t seem to decide where Basich belongs, Burch said.

    So the exchange is trying to compromise, putting Basich with Nevada Health CO-OP for January and February, when he incurred his bills, and with UnitedHealthcare from this month on. But CO-OP officials say Basich is not their member.

    Nevada Health CO-OP CEO Tom Zumtobel told the exchange board on Feb. 27 that the nonprofit carrier spent seven days with Xerox determining Basich’s eligibility, only to find that Basich hadn’t chosen the group’s coverage.

    “If he had picked our health plan, we would be advocating for a solution. But he didn’t pick us,” Zumtobel said. “We need someone on the board to advocate for him.”

    Why have four months passed without a resolution?

    “Xerox is truly out of their league. They need to understand they are an administrator, they are not an insurance company,” Burch said. “They need to understand their boundaries. They don’t understand this world. Everybody is at the mercy of Xerox, and they are not doing this right.”

    Xerox representatives responded that they’re working hard to make it right.

    “Mr. Basich’s issue is complex, and we’re working on it every day. We are in touch with Mr. Basich, his broker, the carriers, (Silver State Health Insurance Exchange) leadership, and the Division of Insurance to sort it out,” said spokeswoman Jennifer Wasmer.

    The help didn’t come fast enough, said Basich, who blames his back-and-forth with the exchange in December at least in part for stress that caused his heart attack. That stress has turned up a few notches now that Basich is getting the bills. He fretted in the exchange board’s Thursday meeting about what will happen to his credit rating — and his ability to qualify for a mortgage — if the bills are not covered.

    “All I wanted to do when I moved here was buy a house, get a dog and go to some spring training games for the Dodgers,” said Basich, who moved to Las Vegas from Hawaii in 2012.

    Meanwhile, the exchange sent Basich premium invoices for January and February. He paid them both.

    WHO CAN HELP?

    Basich has sought help at virtually every level of the system, from the Xerox customer-service reps who answer the phones at the exchange’s Henderson call center all the way to Gov. Brian Sandoval and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Both Sandoval’s and Reid’s offices have told him they want to help, Basich said, but there’s been no resolution so far.

    Even Reid, who took flak for his Feb. 26 statement that “all” Obamacare “horror stories” are “untrue,” is trying to help. Reid spokeswoman Kristen Orthman said one of the senator’s health-care legislative aides has been on the phone with Basich almost daily, “but at this point it’s in the hands of Xerox to see what can be done.”

    Sandoval spokesman Mac Bybee said the office “regularly engages” the exchange and Xerox on behalf of any consumer who reaches out with concerns about Nevada Health Link.

    Officials with the Nevada Division of Insurance said they’re also watching the situation.

    “Mr. Basich’s concerns are certainly on our radar. We have discussed them with our partners at the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, and we feel confident that his concerns will soon be resolved appropriately,” division spokesman Jake Sunderland said.


    http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/obamacare-leaves-las-vegas-man-owing-407000-doctor-bills
  • Soloman_The_Wise
    Soloman_The_Wise Members Posts: 2,817 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    But there hasn’t been much action. What’s more, when Burch discussed Basich’s case with Xerox executives on March 11, they said they couldn’t tell her much because the company had hired legal counsel. That’s even though Basich has no interest in suing and has not retained a lawyer. He said he merely wants the exchange to keep the promise it made when it withdrew three premium payments from his savings account.

    Xerox seems to be spending inordinate time documenting Basich’s phone calls, website access and emails, Burch said. She said a Xerox executive tried to throw blame on Basich for writing four different applications with four separate sets of information.

    “I said, ‘Larry’s not the only one who did that. Lots of people have created multiple applications. Nothing is concrete until people pay. If you have a problem with multiple applications, then you’ll have to come to our office and take back hundreds of cases,’” Burch said.

    “I believe Xerox is covering themselves because of a huge system error. They don’t want the accountability of saying, ‘Yes, we did mess this up, and here’s the plan you selected.’ It’s like, ‘What did he pay for?’ That’s it. They are making this more complicated than it has to be,” she added.

    Wasmer said there was nothing unusual about bringing in Xerox’s attorneys.

    “Our internal counsel is part of the extended Xerox team looking into the situation,” she said. “It’s regular practice for a corporation to tap experts across its organization to best understand complicated issues like this one. We’ll continue to keep the goal of resolving Mr. Basich’s issue front and center as we work through its complexities.”

    Though Basich’s problem is exceptional for its dollar value, his situation is not unusual, Burch said. She estimates that of nearly 200 Branch Benefits Consultants client sign ups via Nevada Health Link, only 5 percent have gone through problem-free. More than 20 customers have the same plan-selection issue as Basich. One gave up trying to fix it and is sticking with the plan the exchange put her in.

    With the March 31 enrollment deadline looming, Burch said she still sees other widespread enrollment problems, including frequent website error messages; inaccurate federal subsidy calculations; payments missing in the system despite clients’ canceled checks; and wrong effective coverage dates. One client chose an effective coverage date of March 1. Her insurance card showed an effective date of Jan. 1. Burch said that when she called to fix the issue, a customer-service rep told her the system showed a start date of April 1.

    Burch said her brokerage supports the Affordable Care Act and launched a department to sell exchange plans. But she said the experience is not what she or her clients hoped for.

    “We think it’s a great concept for those who need insurance. It’s just unfortunate, with all of the roadblocks we’re dealing with right now,” Burch said. “The bottom line is, we’re talking about people. It’s not a system, it’s people. I think, somehow, Xerox forgot that.”
  • janklow
    janklow Members, Moderators Posts: 8,613 Regulator
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    honestly, i think this is the summation:
    -if you think Obamacare is 100% ? -up, you're wrong
    -if you think Obamacare is 100% awesome, you're wrong
    -if you don't agree with either of these positions... ? it, you're still wrong
  • Swiffness!
    Swiffness! Members Posts: 10,128 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    janklow wrote: »
    honestly, i think this is the summation:
    -if you think Obamacare is 100% ? -up, you're wrong
    -if you think Obamacare is 100% awesome, you're wrong
    -if you don't agree with either of these positions... ? it, you're still wrong

    shut up meg
  • Jabu_Rule
    Jabu_Rule Members Posts: 5,993 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    janklow wrote: »
    honestly, i think this is the summation:
    -if you think Obamacare is 100% ? -up, you're wrong
    -if you think Obamacare is 100% awesome, you're wrong
    -if you don't agree with either of these positions... ? it, you're still wrong

    Nobody claimed it to be 100% awesome. Most people know that it has far to go and nothing would ever be 100% awesome but it's obvious that people out there have a desire for it to fail regardless of its potential. Having a desire for it succeed doesn't seem so callous. Success is also measured in its financial worthiness and that has been proven. This video has proven that people are bullshitting with their complaints especially when they compare it to what existed before which was the wild west of medical care. The all or nothing approach is beyond silly.
  • janklow
    janklow Members, Moderators Posts: 8,613 Regulator
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    Swiffness! wrote: »
    shut up meg
    (bursts into tears)
    FuriousOne wrote: »
    janklow wrote: »
    honestly, i think this is the summation:
    -if you think Obamacare is 100% ? -up, you're wrong
    -if you think Obamacare is 100% awesome, you're wrong
    -if you don't agree with either of these positions... ? it, you're still wrong

    Nobody claimed it to be 100% awesome. Most people know that it has far to go and nothing would ever be 100% awesome but it's obvious that people out there have a desire for it to fail regardless of its potential.
    just like people have a desire to claim it's awesome regards of anything said to the contrary?

    also... that was kind of a flippant post, man, so if you're defending your position in response to it, you might actually be calling yourself out for trying too damn hard

  • Jabu_Rule
    Jabu_Rule Members Posts: 5,993 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2014
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    janklow wrote: »
    Swiffness! wrote: »
    shut up meg
    (bursts into tears)
    FuriousOne wrote: »
    janklow wrote: »
    honestly, i think this is the summation:
    -if you think Obamacare is 100% ? -up, you're wrong
    -if you think Obamacare is 100% awesome, you're wrong
    -if you don't agree with either of these positions... ? it, you're still wrong

    Nobody claimed it to be 100% awesome. Most people know that it has far to go and nothing would ever be 100% awesome but it's obvious that people out there have a desire for it to fail regardless of its potential.
    just like people have a desire to claim it's awesome regards of anything said to the contrary?

    also... that was kind of a flippant post, man, so if you're defending your position in response to it, you might actually be calling yourself out for trying too damn hard

    How so when i mentioned that there are actual faults and it will only looks good when it is good unlike faking non factual faults like the video i posted? I don't post puff peaces nor defend it every chance i get but i will expose disinformation. Others out here throw the fail sign up every chance they get without offering sound alternatives other then scrap it all and give us everything (which is implausible) or allow some impracticable alternative like vouchers.