My family is on Obamacare

[Ophelia23]

I’ve been really trying to wrap my head around this. I feel crummy knowing that we are enrolled for the very program that I actively fought against, but we have fallen on incredibly difficult times and could no longer afford any insurance. My children are now covered through the state.

I know that this is temporary. I know that it is not sinful to use the affordable care provided by the state. I know that our previous health insurance through our previous employer covered all of the services that we are morally objected to. But I still feel pretty crummy about it.

Lord of hopefulness and mercy, hear our prayer!

 

[PaulGH]

I’ve been really trying to wrap my head around this. I feel crummy knowing that we are enrolled for the very program that I actively fought against, but we have fallen on incredibly difficult times and could no longer afford any insurance. My children are now covered through the state.

I know that this is temporary. I know that it is not sinful to use the affordable care provided by the state. I know that our previous health insurance through our previous employer covered all of the services that we are morally objected to. But I still feel pretty crummy about it.

Lord of hopefulness and mercy, hear our prayer!

Is Medi-Share a viable option for you? If not, try not to feel bad. You are doing what you have to do to take care of your family. As much as I hate Obamacare, I certainly don’t begrudge you or others who legitimately need to sign up for it. And I am sorry to hear that you have fallen on hard times; I hope that things turn around for you soon.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Not accurate. Medicaid and SCHIP (State Child Health Insurance) existed long before Obama. Don’t fool yourself or anyone else that that your kids are getting some benefit from Obama.

 

[Sy_Noe]

I’ve been really trying to wrap my head around this. I feel crummy knowing that we are enrolled for the very program that I actively fought against, but we have fallen on incredibly difficult times and could no longer afford any insurance. My children are now covered through the state.

I know that this is temporary. I know that it is not sinful to use the affordable care provided by the state. I know that our previous health insurance through our previous employer covered all of the services that we are morally objected to. But I still feel pretty crummy about it.

Lord of hopefulness and mercy, hear our prayer!

You should be thankful Obamacare was there for you when you needed it.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Not accurate. Medicaid and SCHIP (State Child Health Insurance) existed long before Obama. Don’t fool yourself or anyone else that that your kids are getting some benefit from Obama.

Wow. So it’s really just about politics, huh?

It is very likely that they make too much for Medicaid, and not every state has a program for kids. And again, they may exceed the income requirements.

I’m going to be starting Obamacare next month because my husband is moving to a company that pays pretty well, but doesn’t offer benefits. We won’t qualify for low income stuff, and we definitely cant afford private insurance. And with his health history (cancer), going without is not an option.

 

[Joe_5859]

I’ve been really trying to wrap my head around this. I feel crummy knowing that we are enrolled for the very program that I actively fought against, but we have fallen on incredibly difficult times and could no longer afford any insurance. My children are now covered through the state.

I know that this is temporary. I know that it is not sinful to use the affordable care provided by the state. I know that our previous health insurance through our previous employer covered all of the services that we are morally objected to. But I still feel pretty crummy about it.

Lord of hopefulness and mercy, hear our prayer!

I wouldn’t feel bad about it. Just because there are some significant problems with it doesn’t mean that there are not also positive aspects to it (such as helping people out who are in situations like yours). You won’t be using the morally objectionable aspects anyway, so your being part of the program is not going to contribute money towards those things.

The morally objectionable parts are reason to reform it and to raise questions about who is paying for it. But I don’t think it precludes individuals from utilizing the system in a morally right way.

 

[QuestLove]

I’ve been really trying to wrap my head around this. I feel crummy knowing that we are enrolled for the very program that I actively fought against, but we have fallen on incredibly difficult times and could no longer afford any insurance. My children are now covered through the state.

I know that this is temporary. I know that it is not sinful to use the affordable care provided by the state. I know that our previous health insurance through our previous employer covered all of the services that we are morally objected to. But I still feel pretty crummy about it.

Lord of hopefulness and mercy, hear our prayer!

You probably feel “crummy” about it because you think others are judging you. I’m sure they are not. I don’t think you are alone, there are many people who have fought against the ACA (obamacare) and who now carry it.
Maybe, through this process you will have compassion for those who have no choice but to be on it permanently, even when you get off it. I think sometimes we are not able to understand someone’s POV until we have walked in their shoes a little.

 

[phillylawyer]

I’m going to be starting Obamacare next month because my husband is moving to a company that pays pretty well, but doesn’t offer benefits. We won’t qualify for low income stuff, and we definitely cant afford private insurance. And with his health history (cancer), going without is not an option.

There is no such thing as “starting Obamacare.” There is no “Obamacare” insurance. Obamacare is the bill passed in 2010 that added certain regulations regarding private companies offering insurance (such as the mandate - repeatedly delayed by the Obama administration - that all employers over a certain size must provide health insurance to “full-time” employees, and the individual mandate that all individuals must purchase health insurance) as well as rules regarding what qualifying insurance must cover. Finally, the most high pro-file part of Obamacare was the subsidies for low income individuals looking for private health insurance and the “marketplace” or “exchange” as the central location for finding health insurance. However, all of these insurance options through the marketplace are health insurance provided by private companies. They are private insurance options, not “Obamacare”). These were available before Obamacare passed in 2010.

So, when you say “you are getting Obamacare” even though you don’t qualify for low income subsidies, what you mean is you are getting private insurance, and finding it through the Obamacare exchange (I assume). If you really don’t qualify for subsidies, you could find the same private health insurance at the same price directly through the health insurance website, or through another aggregator website such as “ehealthsurance.com.”

When you say “you are doing Obamacare because you can’t afford private health insurance” even though you don’t qualify for the low income stuff, either (1) you do actually qualify for ObamaCare subsidies to purchase private health insurance due to your family’s income level, and the price you see through the exchange/marketplace will reflect those subsidies or (2) you would find private health insurance at the same exact price directly through the companies, as you are finding through the exchange.

A lot of people are confused about this, so just though I would mention that noone actually get “ObamaCare.” It’s a common misconception.

 

[Sy_Noe]

Wow. So it’s really just about politics, huh?

It is very likely that they make too much for Medicaid, and not every state has a program for kids. And again, they may exceed the income requirements.

I’m going to be starting Obamacare next month because my husband is moving to a company that pays pretty well, but doesn’t offer benefits. We won’t qualify for low income stuff, and we definitely cant afford private insurance. And with his health history (cancer), going without is not an option.

Yes this is the forum where it seems about politics. I’m very happy you have the option though. Sadly more and more employers do not provide benefits. I don’t qualify for Medicaid either plus my state unfortunately is one of those that didn’t expand Medicaid coverage and I didn’t qualify for an Obamacare subsidy either. I totally get it. It is so scary going without.

 

[phillylawyer]

I’ve been really trying to wrap my head around this. I feel crummy knowing that we are enrolled for the very program that I actively fought against, but we have fallen on incredibly difficult times and could no longer afford any insurance. My children are now covered through the state.

As I mentioned in my above comment to Blue Lady, you don’t actually have “ObamaCare” health insurance, since that doesn’t exist. You may be getting subsidies to purchase private health insurance, subsidies that exists because of the Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare) passed in 2010.

And, I wouldn’t feel bad about taking advantage of subsidies offered by the government, even if you opposed the bill that enacted these subsidies. Even if I think that, for example, the cash for clunkers program is a waste of federal tax dollars and shouldn’t have passed, once it has past, there is no problem with me getting my federal tax credit for trading in an old car. Even if you think that a particular tax credit should not have passed (or had bad aspects of the law), I don’t think you should feel bad about accepting the tax credit to pay less taxes.

With ObamaCare, even if you opposed some aspects of ObamaCare, I wouldn’t feel about accepting the federal subsidies provide to help you pay for private insurance.

 

[Sy_Noe]

There is no such thing as “starting Obamacare.” There is no “Obamacare” insurance. Obamacare is the bill passed in 2010 that added certain regulations regarding private companies offering insurance (such as the mandate - repeatedly delayed by the Obama administration - that all employers over a certain size must provide health insurance to “full-time” employees, and the individual mandate that all individuals must purchase health insurance) as well as rules regarding what qualifying insurance must cover. Finally, the most high pro-file part of Obamacare was the subsidies for low income individuals looking for private health insurance and the “marketplace” or “exchange” as the central location for finding health insurance. However, all of these insurance options through the marketplace are health insurance provided by private companies. They are private insurance options, not “Obamacare”). These were available before Obamacare passed in 2010.

So, when you say “you are getting Obamacare” even though you don’t qualify for low income subsidies, what you mean is you are getting private insurance, and finding it through the Obamacare exchange (I assume). If you really don’t qualify for subsidies, you could find the same private health insurance at the same price directly through the health insurance website, or through another aggregator website such as “ehealthsurance.com.”

When you say “you are doing Obamacare because you can’t afford private health insurance” even though you don’t qualify for the low income stuff, either (1) you do actually qualify for ObamaCare subsidies to purchase private health insurance due to your family’s income level, and the price you see through the exchange/marketplace will reflect those subsidies or (2) you would find private health insurance at the same exact price directly through the companies, as you are finding through the exchange.

A lot of people are confused about this, so just though I would mention that noone actually get “ObamaCare.” It’s a common misconception.

I think you’re actually the one confused. If not for Obamacare, her family would have been out of luck because her husband’s new employer refuses to provide benefits to its employees and her husband has a pre-existing condition. A history of cancer. And even if she could get exactly the same coverage at the same cost now directly thru the private company’s website, it’s only because of Obamacare.

 

[theCrow]

Wow, it’s truly sad how some people absolutely HATE Obama and anything that has to do with him.

They truly believe he is a muslim socialist who was not born in this country and hates America.

Re read that last sentence and try to grasp the sheer stupidity of it.

Point 1. Your family is on “Obamacare”
point 2. I’m on Obamacare, and LOVE it by the way. I was able to get my first Physical in 20 years!

Point 3. Be happy and just maybe, maybe be thankful to Obama.

 

[phillylawyer]

I think you’re actually the one confused. If not for Obamacare, her family would have been out of luck because her husband’s new employer refuses to provide benefits to its employees and her husband has a pre-existing condition. A history of cancer. And even if she could get exactly the same coverage at the same cost now directly thru the private company’s website, it’s only because of Obamacare.

No. I’m not confused. I did mention that the 2010 bill called the ACA (ask ObamaCare) did add a number of new regulations. As you mentioned, one of these regulations is an inclusion of what is defined as “qualifying insurance” for multiple purposes, including for purposes of satisfying the so-called individual mandate, such as that qualifying insurance plans can not deny coverage to those with pre-existing condition. Accordingly, most non-grandfathered health insurance policies now satisfy these requirements, including the requirement that you can’t be turned away because of a pre-existing condition.

Therefore, as you said, someone with a pre-existing condition that, prior to the enactment of the ACA, would have had a difficult time obtaining private health insurance, now will have a much easier time obtaining health insurance, because of the enactment of ObamaCare. This is all true.

What I said is, there is no such thing as “getting ObamaCare.” ObamaCare is not health insurance that you can get. You still get private health insurance (whether through the exchange marketplace or directly through the company or through another website). That hasn’t changed.

What has changed (among other things) due to the enactment of ObamaCare is (1) what all the private health insurance options will cover and (2) in some circumstances, whether you will qualify for private health insurance at all and (3) the availability of federal subsidies to help low-income individuals pay for private health insurance.

But, the point is still the same, you don’t get “ObamaCare” insurance. You get private health insurance; and the landscape of the private health insurance (and, to some extent the employer provided health insurance market as well) has been substantially altered due to the passage of ObamaCare in 2010.

This isn’t at all a commentary on whether ObamaCare was a good or a bad bill, just that there is no such thing as getting ObamaCare insurance. It’s a common misconception.

 

[phillylawyer]

I think you’re actually the one confused. If not for Obamacare, her family would have been out of luck because her husband’s new employer refuses to provide benefits to its employees and her husband has a pre-existing condition. A history of cancer. And even if she could get exactly the same coverage at the same cost now directly thru the private company’s website, it’s only because of Obamacare.

I’m probably just being too wordy and not explaining myself clearly. Here is the website designed to support ObamaCare explaining that Obamacare is not and does not create health insurance:

"ObamaCare Myth: ObamaCare Creates Health Insurance

ObamaCare does’t create health insurance, it regulates the health insurance industry and helps to increase the quality, affordability, and availability of private insurance and expand and improve public health insurance options like Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP. The law does this by creating new rules for insurers, expanding Medicaid eligibility to tens of millions of Americans, improving Medicare coverage and by implementing a Health Insurance Marketplace where Americans can buy subsidized, regulated health insurance in a competitive private market as well as many more reforms to the health insurance and health care systems.

ObamaCare doesn’t create a government-run healthcare system or Government insurance. It greatly expands business for the private for-profit health insurance industry, creating about 12 million new customers. In other words ObamaCare regulates the “free market”, it doesn’t replace it. It does however expand and improve Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP which are types of Government health insurance. It also expands private employer based insurance."

obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-myths.php

 

[phillylawyer]

I think you’re actually the one confused. If not for Obamacare, her family would have been out of luck because her husband’s new employer refuses to provide benefits to its employees and her husband has a pre-existing condition. A history of cancer. And even if she could get exactly the same coverage at the same cost now directly thru the private company’s website, it’s only because of Obamacare.

Sorry, last comment. It’s actually been liberals and supporters of Obama trying to make this exact point that there is no such thing as “ObamaCare” health insurance.

Here is Senator Angus King on it:

“You know, there’s no such thing as Obamacare,” King told Fox News Sunday. “You can’t sign up for ‘Obamacare.’ You sign up for an Anthem policy or an Aetna policy or a WellPoint policy. It’s private insurance,” he said.

cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/sen-angus-king-theres-no-such-thing-obamacare

 

[BlueEyedLady]

I think you’re actually the one confused. If not for Obamacare, her family would have been out of luck because her husband’s new employer refuses to provide benefits to its employees and her husband has a pre-existing condition. A history of cancer. And even if she could get exactly the same coverage at the same cost now directly thru the private company’s website, it’s only because of Obamacare.

Fortunately, his history of cancer doesn’t seem to be what is driving the price up. I mentioned his cancer only because he has to have a scan and bloodwork done every 3 months, and that’s expensive enough. Heaven forbid a relapse and all of the surgeries, radiation, and chemo that follows.

He is moving to a smaller company that doesn’t provide benefits-though they are “hoping” to start in January. I’m a full time law student who bounces between internships.

And as for the aforementioned statement that it costs the same as going directly through the insurance company, maybe that’s the case for some, or even most people, but it wasn’t for us. The exchange was just over half of what the lowest price insurance companies wanted to charge. And COBRA simply wasn’t affordable.

Speaking about policy is one thing. Telling a stranger what their actual financial and health situation looks like is uncharitable, presumptuous, and rude.

 

[on_the_hill]

I know that it is not sinful to use the affordable care provided by the state.

You have to do what is in the best interest of taking care of your family. The programs exist to help people in need. In a sense, you’ve already paid your share via taxes.

 

[phillylawyer]

Speaking about policy is one thing. Telling a stranger what their actual financial and health situation looks like is uncharitable, presumptuous, and rude.

I apologize, BlueEyedLady. I wasn’t trying to tell you what your financial and health situation was. My wife tells me from time to time, “I know you are an attorney, but you don’t always have to talk like one.” I should definitely listen to my wife more (always good advice).

I was merely pointing out that there is no such thing as “ObamaCare” insurance. When you sign up for the health insurance marketplace, you are signing up to (1) see if you qualify for federal subsidies to help pay for private health insurance and (2) look for a private health insurance in one centralized location.

In theory, all of the private health insurance policies that show up via this exchange are also offered outside of the exchange. However, by signing up through the exchange the prices automatically adjust based on your income level to reflect the prices after the application of federal subsidies to help pay for private health insurance.

So, if the prices you are seeing for private health insurance policies through the exchange are substantially lower than prices you are seeing else, than likely either (1) based on the income level you (name removed by moderator)uted on the marketplace is assuming you will receive a federal subsidy to help pay for the health insurance and adjusting the price accordingly or (2) the exchange is helping you find a policy that you weren’t able to find through other search mechanism.

As a point of reference, for a married couple with no kids, subsidies phaseout in the mid $60k of income, and for a family of 4, they phaseout just under $100k.

My intention was not to be rude or in any way question your health history or your finances. Just clarify how ObamaCare works.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

I apologize, BlueEyedLady. I wasn’t trying to tell you what your financial and health situation was. My wife tells me from time to time, “I know you are an attorney, but you don’t always have to talk like one.” I should definitely listen to my wife more (always good advice).

I was merely pointing out that there is no such thing as “ObamaCare” insurance. When you sign up for the health insurance marketplace, you are signing up to (1) see if you qualify for federal subsidies to help pay for private health insurance and (2) look for a private health insurance in one centralized location.

In theory, all of the private health insurance policies that show up via this exchange are also offered outside of the exchange. However, by signing up through the exchange the prices automatically adjust based on your income level to reflect the prices after the application of federal subsidies to help pay for private health insurance.

So, if the prices you are seeing for private health insurance policies through the exchange are substantially lower than prices you are seeing else, than likely either (1) based on the income level you (name removed by moderator)uted on the marketplace is assuming you will receive a federal subsidy to help pay for the health insurance and adjusting the price accordingly or (2) the exchange is helping you find a policy that you weren’t able to find through other search mechanism.

As a point of reference, for a married couple with no kids, subsidies phaseout in the mid $60k of income, and for a family of 4, they phaseout just under $100k.

My intention was not to be rude or in any way question your health history or your finances. Just clarify how ObamaCare works.

I’m sorry too. I misunderstood and sprouted off.

We are on the same page. I’m just taking shortcuts because I’m typing on my phone.

 

[EasterJoy]

You were not against any effort on the part of the citizenry to provide health care to those in need via any government programs whatsoever. You merely fought one particular way that was proposed to provide it.

You don’t have the choice to avail yourself of some other program that you believe is more suited to the general public good. You only have the choice of what our democratic political process finally produced for someone in your situation. So long as you use this program conscientiously, just as if you had paid for it yourself, you are on solid moral and ethical ground.

BTW, one of the reasons it was deemed to be in the public interest to provide such insurance is that the cost of delayed or insufficient care so often leads to conditions that not only cause needless suffering but that also tally up unnecessary costs in emergency and hospital care. One way for you to make sure you use this insurance wisely, with the general good in mind, is to make use of the preventative care offered. Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish on someone else’s dime, OK?