AFFORDABLE CARE? Right -- read on... 9.5% of income plus -- evil, evil, evil

So, how many out there think paying 9.5% of your income for healthcare (and that's just the premiums) is AFFORDABLE? This all is insanity, this will destroy our country and do nothing for the citizens. Costs of drugs and healthcare need addressed, not taking the country and its citizens into even worse debt.

This three ring circus was thought up by insurance companies, big pharma/hospitals, and idiotic and/or evil liberals.

[link to www.daytondailynews.com]




[link to www.daytondailynews.com]


Q. Can I buy health insurance on the exchange if I already have insurance through an employer?

A. Yes, but it may not make financial sense. You can qualify for subsidized coverage on the exchange if your employer-sponsored plan is deemed unaffordable, which the law defines as a plan with premium costs exceeding 9.5 percent of your household income. Or, if the coverage your employer provides does not meet minimum value standards set by the Affordable Care Act. Since most employers pick up anywhere from 50-90 percent of premium costs and already provide comprehensive plans for their employees, it is unlikely that a significant portion of the approximately 60 percent of Ohioans who have insurance through an employer will qualify for subsidies to lower their monthly premiums.
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Q. How much will I have to spend to buy coverage on the exchange?

A. Premium costs will vary depending on your age, the type of coverage you select and where you live. But the health care law limits the amount individuals and families must pay for subsidized coverage to no more than 9.5 percent of household income.

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Note: Under the health care law, insurance providers cannot charge more due to pre-existing conditions or gender. But they can charge more if you smoke. Smokers can be charged up to 1.5 times the premiums of those who don’t use tobacco in most states, including Ohio.

Q. What kind of coverage options can I expect to find on the exchange?

A. Subsidized coverage will be offered in four tiers — bronze, silver, gold and platinum — reflecting the actuarial value of the health plans, or the percentage of expected medical costs that each plan will cover. Bronze plans will have the lowest value, while platinum plans will cover the most medical costs and will be the most expensive. The exchanges will also offer catastrophic plans, but they will not be eligible for subsidies. To give Ohioans some idea of what to expect, the price-comparison website ValuePenguin.com calculated rates and subsidies, based on age and income, for the second-lowest-cost silver plan approved for Ohio’s exchange. The second-lowest-cost silver plan will be the benchmark plan in every state used to calculate the actual amount of your tax credit. According to ValuePenguin’s online premium calculator, a 40-year-old, non-smoker living in Montgomery County and earning $30,000 a year would have a monthly premium of $273.11 for the benchmark plan with a subsidy of $129.04. The final cost to buy coverage would be $144.07 per month.

Note: Even though premiums can vary by age — with older adults with higher medical costs generally seeing the highest premiums — the oldest adult on the exchange cannot be charged more than three times the premium of the
youngest adult under the law....


Q. Will I be eligible for any other cost savings on the exchange?

A. Perhaps. In addition to premium subsidies, people earning less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level — or $28,725 for a single person and $58,875 for a family of four — are eligible for extra subsidies to offset out-of-pocket costs, such as deductibles and co-payments. In 2014, the out-of-pocket limits for most plans will be $6,350 for an individual and $12,700 for a family, but the cost-sharing subsidies will only be available to people enrolling in silver plans.

Note: The Obama administration has delayed implementing the cap on out-of-pocket costs for employer-sponsored insurance plans, but the cap still applies to exchange plans...