Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Be Very Afraid...

All this misinformation, fear mongering, twisting of facts, and lying about the ACA is getting a little tiresome. The media occasionally draws attention to the scare tactics of people on television and radio griping about their "cancellation letters" and "horror stories" of going to the website….but usually only if it's a gotcha moment with another network.

But it needs to be pointed out :

If your plan was in effect before the law was enacted in 2010, your plan is grandfathered in even if it does not meet the ACA requirements as long as YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY DOES NOT CHANGE THE PLAN. 
Meaning, it:

- May not significantly cut or reduce benefits (e.g. removing coverage for cystic fibrosis),
- May not
raise co-insurance charges (any change at all),
- May not significantly increase co-payment charges ($5 or more beyond medical inflation),
- May not
significantly raise deductibles (15% or more beyond medical inflation),
- May not
significantly decrease the employer contribution (5% or more),
- May not tighten the annual limit of what the insurer will pay, and
- May not change insurance providers.

In essence, those insurances that are wanting to DO this to its policy holders…to gain profits for themselves….are not allowed to do so. That's the reason for all the "cancellation notices" without informing their customers that why usually have better choices than the crappy policy they have now. Or maybe they'll say it's because of Obamacare….because they do not want to follow the rules of the ACA.

Ask those folks in Kentucky, California, other states that went ahead with their own exchanges and are able to get the correct information. There will be a small portion to show increases, usually those on individual policies with higher incomes. And younger people who are invincible and want to wait….until they are in that car wreck or have a sports accident. (The Repubs are OK with pushing means-testing on SS and Medicare, but for some reason they have a hissy fit if anyone's insurance goes up in the ACA. But even though it has been going up very year for decades, it's simply "the market working.")

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