Health Insurance.

Yes, I will agree with this; I would elaborate but then the SJWs would come after me.

 

I believe in capitalism but it has to be well regulated in certain areas. As a nation, it is of the best interest of the nation that everyone has the opportunity to access healthcare. Walmart is one of the largest employers but its workers cannot afford healthcare. One, the idea that health insurance is healthcare should be erased. Health inusurance was never about healthcare but that is what the idiots that created ACA thought. Some brain dead person in a business suite said, "Well, X% of the population does not have health insurance so let's pass a law requiring all to have health insurance." The actual problems with health care in the US was never addressed. I wrote numerous letters to representatives trying to get them to understand the real problems and to vote "NO" on the ACA. If Americans want better government, they need to start electing people with science degrees instead of business and law degrees.

Let's return to Walmart. I hate it when people say that they are paying for someone else's ____; fill in the blank (which in this case is health insurance). Actually, no, you pay taxes that are used for a variety of things. For example, I don't live in Michigan so why should I pay for roads that I don't drive on? Yes, some of the taxes that you pay goes to subsidies for health insurance so that the poor can be insured but never be able to use it because of the $9000 deductible. By the way, I am self employed; the amount that I must pay taxes on kicks it at $400.00 while those that are employed by someone else can enjoy over eight thousand dollars before taxes must be paid. However, I said let's return to Walmart; a company that I try my best to not give my money. Many shop at Walmart because they think the prices are so dang cheap. One way that Wally World keeps those prices down is by not paying employees enough to buy insurance. So you can view it as that your taxes are being paid to keep the prices at Wally World cheap; although it actually costs taxpayers a lot more to support Wally World than they get back in lower prices. I worked in retail at one time; making six dollars an hour, and they offered me health insurance but it would have eaten too much of my pay. I was not getting in that many hours to make enough for anything else. The company would send cashiers home and then pull the floor workers to work the registers. I would often be the only person on the floor handling everything including helping customers.

Yes, we could not subsidised the poor but that would raise health insurance costs even more than they are rising now since the law requires everyone to have insurance and requires those with existing conditions to be insured. One reason that health insurance premiums rosed is that a lot of young healthy people are not buying into ACA and I don't blame them. Insurance is a risk game; you hope to take in lots of money without paying out. That is why they put the tax in on ACA; to force the healthy to buy insurance in the hopes that they could keep the premiums down. The other fact is that a lot of insurers have left the market, thus, less competition and higher premiums. Health care in the US could be fix but to fix it takes those willing to fix it. As long as lobbying exists; in other words, as long as politicians can be bribed, nothing will be done to fix health care in the USA. Health insurance costs will continue to rise as long as health care continues to rise and it rises at double the rate of inflation. Another thing is that inflation has been steadily increasing while wages are flat. This translate into lost value of the same money you had before; your dollar value shrinks when wages stay the same and inflation increases.

OK, this is turning into a major write but it is not easy to do in 140 characters

 

Ok. Can't hold back much longer. ACA is nothing short of a pile of BS. Monopoly for the insurance companies.
I just started to receive calls and the first one said they couldn't insure me because I am on blood pressure and cholesterol meds. I also smoke. 3 strikes and I am out.
Letter off to my elected officials. Do any good? I don't think so. Maybe our elected officials and their staff should be on the same policy with no assistance in paying for the insurance. Maybe include all federal employees. Sorry about this for those that work for the Feds, but the backlash would sure as H**L cause the crocks to rethink the policy
The raise will take up over half of my SS check.
During the last election, I heard (won't tell whom it came from) refer that Social Security is an entitlement." Forgive me, but an entitlement is something you get without paying for. After 43+ years of working, every paycheck FICA deduction. And to think that my employers matched my half and SS is an entitlement? BS BS BS
Now mods: You can whack me for this post or delete it. I don't care. Just can't keep my fingers still any more.

 

Agree. OP was to explore other options and I have taken great strides not to indicate my political leanings. Everyone keep behaving and not turn it into a political battle. I can be very opinionated but won't participate in a political thread.

 

That was one of my flowers from the front garden.

 

sorry for your troubles Marshel54 what really gripes me is that 6 months ago everyone was complaining when Mylan increased costs of epinephrine shots.. but drug companies paid xxx millions of dollars to fed government so they could raise cost of prescriptions without approval (which helped ACA pass CBO test) but no one figured they would RAISE prices.. that's just

 

Just got an updated/revised estimate. The first estimate was (I may have mentioned this) double last years cost, and now the revised estimate is 3.5 times what we now pay.
The first year we got on this merry go round wasn't too bad, but the 2nd year went up 3X, and next years is 10 times the original.
Affordable my AZZ.
We won't have insurance next year through the wrongly named ACA, as we refuse to pay almost 1/2 my SS NON-entitlement for insurance.
I'm a pretty happy guy most of the time, but not about this.

 

Might be a good idea to start asking what the cost of services is if paid for with cash.

How to Cut Your Health-Care Bill: Pay Cash

I hope this type of thing takes off. This is how it's supposed to work. Obviously, something like cancer treatment is going to be too expensive for this method. I have read about folks taking out loans and paying for surgeries that way...at a ridiculously discounted rate compared to what is paid through insurance. This is the big secret, I think. Doctors will perform services for $X paid for at the time of services. Doctor has to deal with insurance and of course insurance taking their cut, services cost $XXX.

Don't get trapped in the box, ask for options. Supplement standard insurance with something like Aflac, which pays you cash, rather than throwing money into the insurance pit.

The healthcare bubble is swelling. Be prepared for the burst.

 

Good news. After talking to the financial advisor and running the numbers we have plan.
We will take a large withdrawal from my 401k in Dec and chuck it away as sort of a health saving account. We will only take my SS, my wife's SS and pension in 2018. This will put me under the income cap.
The 401k withdrawal may put me into a higher tax bracket for this year, but I have over 18k in deductible medical expense to deduct this year to offset some of the withdrawal. And no this company didn't incur the expense of m 2 major operations. I was still on COBRA from the employer that I retired from at the time. My insurance would go from $1105 to $441 per month. I guess. They made the rules it is up to us to use them to our advantage.

 

Well Armed Radio Online Radio by Well Armed Radio

Might want to check out this guy's podcast from this coming Sunday. He will talk about what he does instead of ACA.

 

I have a Health Equity account. I'm happy with it so far. They allow investments after $2K is deposited, I think.

HealthEquity - Building health savings

Hoping I got started early enough for it to be significant by the time I need to use it. Deductibles went up on policy, but I am not on any maintenance drugs and only go to Dr if I am fearing death or loss of an appendage. If somehow I make it to retirement, I can withdraw the funds collected tax free. The payroll deduct is pre tax as well.