insurance

But mostly losers...

<div style="text-align: justify;">This morning, Nate posted about "<a href="http://insureblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/winners-or-suckers.html" target="_blank">happy ObamaCare enrollee ... Allena Ruszkiewicz</a>," who was able to procure a shiny new plan to cover her <strike>GHB the date rape drug</strike> narcolepsy med Xylem. While that's good news for Ms Ruszkiewicz, it pales in comparison to what's happened to "<a href="http://www.ijreview.com/2013/12/105176-alabama-mom-shares-devastating-experience-obamacare-open-letter-american-people/" target="_blank">Karri Kinder, a mother of two from Auburn, Alabama</a>" whose policy, contra the President's explicit promise, was cancelled, and whose son's ADHD prescription just became prohibitively more expensive: "His medicine is a life saver for him and helps him function like a normal seven year old, without it he can’t focus, his grades slip and his mind literally goes back to the mind of a three or four year old. When he was first put on his medicine his reading went up 20 points and he went from writing one to two sentences to paragraphs, all in the course of a week. He is a straight A student and very bright, but without the proper medical care that could slip away from him." And that's just the beginning of her family's nightmare. I highly recommend clicking through and reading the whole article, but first, put down any sharp objects.</div>

But mostly losers...

This morning, Nate posted about " happy ObamaCare enrollee ... Allena Ruszkiewicz ," who was able to procure a shiny new plan to c...

11:46 AM

Winners or suckers?

One of the big problems with ObamaCare is that it doesn't really solve any problems as much as it either masks or nationalizes them. <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/01/02/here-are-the-big-losers-in-obamacare/" target="_blank">A great example out of NY</a>: <blockquote class="tr_bq">"One happy ObamaCare enrollee is Allena Ruszkiewicz, 36, of Jackson Heights, Queens, who had been uninsured since July after quitting her job as a phlebotomist because she suffers from narcolepsy and other ailments.</blockquote><blockquote><a href="http://nypost.com/2014/01/02/here-are-the-big-losers-in-obamacare/" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank"> </a>Without benefits, she couldn’t afford the $5,000-a-month cost of the prescription drug Xylem to prevent daytime sleeping attacks. <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/01/02/here-are-the-big-losers-in-obamacare/" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://nypost.com/2014/01/02/here-are-the-big-losers-in-obamacare/" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank"></a>Instead, Ruszkiewicz said, she relied on a home remedy of “Red Bull and really strong coffee, which really doesn’t work so well.” <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/01/02/here-are-the-big-losers-in-obamacare/" target="_blank"> </a><a href="http://nypost.com/2014/01/02/here-are-the-big-losers-in-obamacare/" target="_blank"></a>Since signing up for a top-tier ObamaCare “platinum” plan, she’s paid the $462.69 monthly premium, and now feels like “a huge winner.”</blockquote>The average price of this drug is actually closer to $8,000 a month, it increases around 7 times a year. What is really interesting about this very high cost drug; its a legal version of GHB, the date rape drug. Commonly made around the world in peoples' homes for a hundred dollars for a years worth. Jazz Pharmaceuticals had $0 R&D; they were awarded an exclusive right by our Federal Government to manufacture the otherwise illegal drug, Express Scripts has the exclusive right to distribute it.  If you can buy the drug on the street for $10 a dose why is it selling for $263 a dose? Has ObamaCare really "solved" her problem or just perpetuated a major flaw? The OOP caps have actually increased the excessive profits companies like Jazz and Express Scripts make: Jazz used to write off  thousands of dollars a month in members' cost share, now (once the member hits the magic $6,350) insurance must pay them 100%.

Winners or suckers?

One of the big problems with ObamaCare is that it doesn't really solve any problems as much as it either masks or nationalizes them. A g...

8:28 AM

Mark the Unhappy Liberal

Self employment has been good to my client Mark. He went from working for "the man" four years ago to building his own small business. Over those years times were tough for Mark and his family. Getting the business off the ground was tough and because of a prior medical condition Mark's wife was uninsurable. The good news was he was able to utilize COBRA and pay an "outrageous" premium of $798 per month for a $3000 single deductible CDHP plan. When it expired in 2011 the family was forced to make a decision. I had advised him with his COBRA decision and now he was calling again hoping to find cost savings and make sure that his wife had insurance. The good news was we were able to insure the entire family and lower the deductible to $2500 single deductible. The new cost was $498. Mark and his family couldn't be happier. In their opinion it was all because of Obamacare. Fast forward to last month. With an income of $95,000 per year and a plan that was <a href="http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2013/12/12/obamacare_is_a_problem_for_much_more_than_the_5_100792.html" target="_blank">no longer going to be available</a> because it doesn't meet the law, I encouraged Mark and his family to take an early renewal option to avoid the high costs associated with community rating and new mandated benefits. His 2013 rate was $632 and an early renewal option would only increase the rates to $651.  Against my advice he refused the early renewal. "You've been a great help but I believe in the Affordable Care Act. There is no way that the costs and subsidies will make me any worse off." So we went the other direction and started the process at <a href="http://healthcare.gov/" target="_blank">goodluck.gov</a>. Finally on December 20th we were able to get through the website and pick a plan. The results only shocked one of us. Starting tomorrow he will have a new plan. It is with one of three insurance companies who are contracted with his wife's specialists but wasn't the lowest cost option. His benefit will be better with a $500 savings in his deductible and the family will get a subsidy estimated at $101 per month.  The problem is the new premium. It will cost him $1142 per month and this includes his subsidy. $5892 per year more than if he had simply early renewed. Unfortunately for Mark and his family Obamacare didn't bring peace and joy this holiday season. Instead it left him with a big lump of coal.

Mark the Unhappy Liberal

Self employment has been good to my client Mark. He went from working for "the man" four years ago to building his own small busin...

2:49 PM

One Step Forward(?), Two Steps Back

<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.ketchum.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/1-forward-2-back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_9702="null" gua="true" height="115" src="http://blog.ketchum.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/1-forward-2-back.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>A not-so-Happy New Year for those of us for whom health insurance, and health care, are a priority: "<a href="http://dailycaller.com/2014/01/01/its-official-obamacare-debuts-with-more-cancelled-plans-than-enrollments/" target="_blank">More than 4.7 million Americans had their health insurance canceled as a result of [the ObamaqTax] ... but [HHS Secretary Shecantbeserious] confirmed Tuesday that between federal and state exchanges, just 2 million Americans have signed up for (coverage)</a>." Not that this is a major surprise, mind you, just a reminder that the train-wreck continues to provide a lesson in how not to solve any supposed health insurance (or care) crisis. But wait, it gets <strike>better</strike> worse: "<a href="http://washingtonexaminer.com/no-2.1-million-havent-enrolled-in-obamacare-plans/article/2541435" target="_blank">CNN's Jim Acosta asked Bataille if she could at least say with confidence that a "very high percentage" of those 2.1 million had paid</a>." Long time readers can already guess the answer.... "Bataille said, “We are confident that those consumers have selected a plan and know what the next steps are for them in terms of securing coverage.” Which is a rather long-winded way of saying "no." Par for the course.</div>

One Step Forward(?), Two Steps Back

A not-so-Happy New Year for those of us for whom health insurance, and health care , are a priority: " More than 4.7 million Americans ...