Health Insurance

[TomAz]

Literacy is not the Tea Party's strong suit.

[jackstraw94086]

Obama calls it Obama-care

Medicine Team sounds fake.

Obama's the last person who'd use that term. "obama-care" is just a nickname for the legislation imposed by others. No official documentation or anything else that's meant to be taken seriously uses the term. If it's referenced by anything other than ACA it's extremely likely to be bullshit.

[PlayaDelWes]

That sounds like a hoax. Is that a real thing?

It's from a doctor down the street who I used once.

[heart cooks brain]

Obama's the last person who'd use that term. "obama-care" is just a nickname for the legislation imposed by others. No official documentation or anything else that's meant to be taken seriously uses the term. If it's referenced by anything other than ACA it's extremely likely to be bullshit.

are you implying obama should still be taken seriously?

[Drinkey McDrinkerstein]

"Meant to be" and "should still be" do not mean even close to the same thing.

[heart cooks brain]

wow is my face red

[Drinkey McDrinkerstein]

Well, it should be since he was talking about the supposed intent of a doctor's office and you turned it into an idiotic "thanks Obama" comment that had nothing to do with the conversation.

[heart cooks brain]

yeah i guess when he said ''anything else'' he was explicitly referring to one thing.

[Drinkey McDrinkerstein]

So you interpreted "anything else that's meant to be taken seriously" to mean "I think Obama should be taken seriously." You can feel free to actually explain how you drew that conclusion, since I don't see anything in that entire statement that suggests any kind of political preference whatsoever.

[heart cooks brain]

is it time to admit i wasn't posting in earnest? i guess so.

[TomAz]

It's from a doctor down the street who I used once.

thinking about this some more, it probably means that Blue Cross is taking a 'narrow network' strategy for the ACA market in 2015 -- this was an approach that achieved considerable success by carriers in 2014 in certain markets, and is bound to expand in 2015. So it means that this physician participates in Blue Cross' 'broad network' but not their 'narrow network'. He probably chose not to participate in the narrow network because offered physician reimbursement rates are less than the broad network. And then he wrote a stupid letter blaming Obama for it.

[canexplain]

I have "free" health insurance and don't use (need) it. Sort of ironic all-in-all. cr****

[Miroir Noir]

That's not ironic in the least, it's how insurance (of any type) works, irrespective of whether you, someone else, or the government pays for the cost of the premium.

[jackstraw94086]

It is however an example of morissetian irony.

[iamthehorn]

thinking about this some more, it probably means that Blue Cross is taking a 'narrow network' strategy for the ACA market in 2015 -- this was an approach that achieved considerable success by carriers in 2014 in certain markets, and is bound to expand in 2015. So it means that this physician participates in Blue Cross' 'broad network' but not their 'narrow network'. He probably chose not to participate in the narrow network because offered physician reimbursement rates are less than the broad network. And then he wrote a stupid letter blaming Obama for it.

My thoughts exactly.

[thelastgreatman]

Suppose you're starting a new company with a permanent staff of 2-4 employees--is it worth pursuing getting an insurance plan for the company as a group or should you just stick with everyone getting their own individual plans for the meantime? If the answer is the latter, what is the point at which it starts making more financial sense to get a group plan?

[TomAz]

Well that's a complicated question, but the short answer is it makes sense for the business owner to do a group plan when he or she finds they need it to recruit or retain talent.

[thelastgreatman]

Good call. Okay suppose you're just two guys--is there an advantage? I don't entirely get what it costs the employer to form a "group."

[TomAz]

There's no good answer other than 'run the numbers'. And for an employer that size, that probably means finding a broker, i.e., an insurance agent. and those guys are usually assholes who talk too much and don't listen enough, which I don't see you tolerating too well, but if you find one you like, that's a good thing. They become like consultants to you that the insurance company is paying.

Key question will be if you intend the business to pay part of the cost or if you plan on having everyone pay their own way regardless. If it's the latter, having everyone go get their own insurance is probably gonna be the better answer, but that will vary by market, and I don't have the specifics of the southern california group vs individual rate structures at my fingertips.

[jackstraw94086]

Pick a plan and then claim that as a Christian Scientist, medical treatment is against your beliefs and refuse to pay for any of it.

[TomAz]

That's not ironic in the least, it's how insurance (of any type) works, irrespective of whether you, someone else, or the government pays for the cost of the premium.

"The other day my friend was telling me that I didn’t understand what irony meant. … Which is ironic, because we were standing at a bus stop."

[chairmenmeow47]

this year at work we have a health care exchange. the two main contenders for me are aetna and united health care. probably at a gold or platinum level. they are pretty comparable. uhc seems to be slightly cheaper with prescriptions. uhc platinum and aetna gold are the cheapest options.

anything i should know before pulling the trigger? so far i have talked to all but one doctor and they are all covered. leaning towards platinum after reviewing my costs and uhc is the cheaper option. live in az. thanks

[amyzzz]

Has anyone tried to sign up for ACA yet? The first thing it asks me is my employer's SHOP code, but I work for my employer through a temp agency, so my employer does not even provide me with insurance. I asked my temp agency and they don't know, but gave me an 800 number.

[IceyHotshot]

Maybe you should call the 800 number.

[amyzzz]

I'm not going to feel bad for you when people talk behind your back anymore.

[mountmccabe]

Has anyone tried to sign up for ACA yet? The first thing it asks me is my employer's SHOP code, but I work for my employer through a temp agency, so my employer does not even provide me with insurance. I asked my temp agency and they don't know, but gave me an 800 number.

I believe your employer is the temp agency, not wherever you work.

Your employer (the temp agency) may not be eligible for or may not be offering SHOP coverage. At any rate the temp agency that you work for must know if they are offering SHOP coverage.

If they are not then I believe you may need to search for insurance under Individuals & Families rather than under Small Businesses.

[amyzzz]

Thank you, John. That was helpful.

[Drinkey McDrinkerstein]

Beyond wanting to make fun of Paul, is there a reason you didn't want to call the 800 number to ask that question and find out right from the source?

[amyzzz]

Because I thought I was probably doing something wrong due to I'm dumb, and John pretty much confirmed that.

[kvnty]

I'm not going to feel bad for you when people talk behind your back anymore.

you go, guurl!