This is a good read, and there health care went up 20% also.
When Obamacare doesn't seem so affordable
By
Marcie Geffner • Bankrate.com
The Affordable Care Act, or ACA, has made health insurance accessible for millions of formerly uninsured people. But are
Obamacare health plans as affordable as the law's name implies?
For some people, no. My experience could be a case study.
Big hike in premiums and no subsidies
My pre-ACA individual health insurance policy had a $317 monthly premium and $5,200 annual deductible. It provided me with protection against catastrophic medical bills, reasonable negotiated rates for services and access to a wide selection of doctors.
Save on your health insurance -- compare quotes
In 2014, my policy was canceled because it didn't comply with the health care law, and my insurer moved me into a new "bronze" plan. Obamacare plans come in four metallic tiers; bronze is the lowest tier and pays just 60 percent of covered medical expenses.
The Affordable Care Act offers subsidies to help with the costs, but my income level makes me ineligible for those.
My new plan came with a $344 premium, $4,500 deductible and $6,300 out-of-pocket maximum. In January 2015, my premium jumped to $382, for a two-year increase of $65 per month, or $780 per year.
I had to wonder: In what way is a more-than-20-percent spike in premiums "affordable"?
Mixed feelings about health law
I like my Obamacare plan's preventive services at no additional cost, the end of lifetime caps on health benefits and the ability to change plans without worrying about pre-existing medical conditions. But no plan includes all of my doctors in network. In fact, one doctor's group practice has even had a sign at reception saying, "We do not accept any ACA insurance."
Low-income people who qualify for the subsidies -- premium tax credits and reductions in deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs -- have received the greatest benefit from the law, says James Scullary, a spokesman for Covered California, my state's state-run health exchange.
Covered California signed up more than 1.3 million people in 2014's open enrollment period. Some of those people pay no monthly premium, $3 copays for doctor visits and $5 for prescription medicine, while others pay a monthly premium that's less than the cost of cellphone service or a gym membership, Scullary says.