Health Care Thread

Hospitals Plot the End of Insurance Companies | The Fiscal Times

At The Atlantic's Health Care Forum in Washington on Thursday, health care and business professionals said that there's an increasing trend in the industry toward cutting insurance companies out of the process entirely, as large, regional hospital systems move into the insurance business.

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For both non-profit systems like Mt. Sinai and for-profit systems, he said, retaining more and more of the health care premiums paid by consumers is essential to providing a full spectrum of care. He said that his system's St. Luke's Hospital in New York runs a psychiatric program that loses $14 million per year

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Adebisi_sl said:

That's hilarious. I can just hear the Tea Party blood boiling when they see it.

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I'm sure they are flying off the shelves:

Hoss_sl said:

I'm hearing people report that their doctors are posting signs saying "We do not accept oabamacare". Can someone explain wtf that means? I must not understand what's going on, because I thought 'oabamacare' just meant you bought insurance from one of the many standard insurers on an exchange. If that's the case, then how are they accepting my BCBS policy, but not one bought on an exchange? Is there something different that is 'obamocare'?

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No means for them to identify them differently to my knowledge, cards look identical to me. And on them refusing it's illegal under the ACA to discriminate policy holders within a carrier anyhow, so if they barred BCBS ACA plans, they'd have to bar standard ones also.

Or in short, it's either a song and dance or they're breaking the laws the ACA setup on such. Although in the latter case enforcement is likely locally assessed.

I think Humana identifies plans purchased through exchanges in their policy #/group#, which is right on the card. When I called the doctor and gave her the info, the appointment setter right away said "you enrolled on the exchange".

And did they do anything different because of it? And I do find that to be hard to believe though unless your state is really low enrollment, max binder size is 10k policies unless that's a state requirement I've confused as an insurer one - so she'd be memorizing a ton of them if so.

Heck, with no other examples of people trying with her that could be her starting line on all new insurance folks it's bound to be accurate a reasonable amount - like a medium.

I was just pointing out that there do seem to be some identifying numbers to differentiate policies. I think my policy or group number has a Letter in front of the number part of it which identifies it as purchased through the exchange.

My policy sucks already and I have to drive 40min to even get to my PCP, but as far as I know there was no difference in care provided. My copay was standard and meds cost me 6 bucks - I got referred to specialist for imaging,etc. My new doctor doesn't seem to be the brightest candle in the chandelier, but he was nice and easy to speak openly with, so that's good.

While possible, it's also equally possible she guesses that on all new patients. Esp if your provider includes a start date on it. (Medicare does, forget if any standard did)

Many of the new policies in the past 2-3 months are likely ACA.

Clearly not something that fixes illiteracy whatever it is.

Deathwing_sl said:

I didn't check beforehand, but I just got a new job where they pay for the employee's premiums(and not the rest of your family's) or you pocket that and go get some health insurance on your own. So, I can either buy through my employer with pretax dollars amounting to $19k per year, of which they will pay $7k, or I can buy health insurance through NY's exchange with post tax dollars. If you assume you blowout the deductible every year, every plan costs about ~18k.

Who exactly is this helping?

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Sounds like you have a shitty employer if I am reading your post right. Your employer is basically charging you $1,500/mo for health insurance? As a single person? I mean hell it cost that much to buy private insurance here for a family of four and I was like WTF Hell no but under my employer I pay about 600/mo including all medial, dental, vision, life stuff and everything.

If you're cost is over like 10% agi then you get subsidies and your employer gets penalized.

The only articles I can find about "doctors refusing Obamacare patients" are from last year (maybe they could SEE THE FUTURE!), and were part or the barrage of scare articles posted on Fair and Balanced websites. So likely it's mostly horseshit. But I think that, depending on the state, ACA plans may pay the doctors less. This has been happening with medicaid since forever for the same reason.

It simply comes down to greed. And it will only work for as long as enrollment stays low.

Since an hsa requires a high deductible health plan how did you manage to get it with 0?