So.....did your insurance premium go up?

[essentialsaltes]

It looks like at work, my employer's insurance broker has kept the percentage increase in the low single-digits, but it will require going from 4 available plans to 3.

'It's insane': ACA policyholders say soaring health insurance premiums are jeopardizing lives​

Doug Butchart, whose wife, Shadene, is living with the neurological disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) said he doesn't know how he's going to pay for her medications. A retired mechanic from Elgin, Illinois, Butchart said he's gotten a notice that the monthly premiums on his wife's ACA policy will climb to $2,000. Combined with an annual deductible of more than $8,000 and $10,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, he said his wife's health care costs will total more than his monthly Social Security check, which they both live on.

Nathan Boye of Orlando, Florida, has diabetes and said he's been informed the monthly premiums for his ACA policy would soar from $28 to more than $700. The married father-of-three said he is now considering foregoing health insurance altogether.

Boye said he qualified for the ACA tax credits after he was laid off earlier this year as an operations manager for a company that imported medical supplies from China.

"We had to close down because of the tariff. It made it impossible to import," Boye said.

Boye said he's already started researching discount drug companies and cash-pay programs on how he can purchase on his own the two primary medications he uses to control diabetes.

Boye said his current predicament has left him feeling like a "tiny fish that does not matter."

"Realistically, I have no control over any of this," he said. "I'm just a person who has to navigate the waters and find a solution."

 

[rambot]

So the outsider understands:

These increases are due to the Republican budget this past summer that ended the tax breaks and the current CR is meant to aleviate this price increase?

 

[essentialsaltes]

So the outsider understands:

These increases are due to the Republican budget this past summer that ended the tax breaks

(assuming you were replying to my post and the "It's Insane" article.)

Short answer yes. [Everyone is seeing insurance go up, but these 1000+% increases are due to the lapse of certain subsidies.]

and the current CR is meant to aleviate this price increase?

No, the current CR would not restore the subsidies. This is one of the points of contention in the negotiations that could have been happening.

Hopefully the people seeing this sticker shock now know who wants it that way, and who wants to help.

AI: The CR passed by the House of Representatives only provided short-term funding for the government and other expiring health programs, but it explicitly excluded the extension of ACA premium tax credits.

 

[MarkSB]

So the outsider understands:

These increases are due to the Republican budget this past summer that ended the tax breaks and the current CR is meant to aleviate this price increase?

I'm not an expert, so someone can correct me if I'm wrong. In the U.S., there is basically 4 ways to get health insurance:
1. Employer sponsored plans (what the majority of the population relies on)
2. Subsidized ACA marketplace plans
3. Medicare (for seniors)
4. Medicaid (for low income)

Employer sponsored plans are not impacted by the expiring "enhanced" ACA subsidies, but are still going up in the 4-6% range (based on the increase I've experienced, and anecdotal responses in this thread). Increases in employer sponsored plans are just due to the increasing cost of healthcare in general. The cost of U.S. healthcare continues to go up due to an aging population, medical advances, inflation - and more recently, tariffs.

Auto insurance premiums are expected to go up next year as well due to tariffs on imported auto parts.

 

[camille70]

I'm not an expert, so someone can correct me if I'm wrong. In the U.S., there is basically 4 ways to get health insurance:
1. Employer sponsored plans (what the majority of the population relies on)
2. Subsidized ACA marketplace plans
3. Medicare (for seniors)
4. Medicaid (for low income)

Employer sponsored plans are not impacted by the expiring "enhanced" ACA subsidies, but are still going up in the 4-6% range (based on the increase I've experienced, and anecdotal responses in this thread). Increases in employer sponsored plans are just due to the increasing cost of healthcare in general. The cost of U.S. healthcare continues to go up due to an aging population, medical advances, inflation - and more recently, tariffs.

Auto insurance premiums are expected to go up next year as well due to tariffs on imported auto parts.

There are also some direct to consumer health insurance plans and medical co-ops.

The ACA subsidies are similar to the portion of heathcare employers pay. Employers are continuing their subsidies so are just seeing the regular yearly increases.

However.

If the ACA subsidies and medicare/Medicaid benefits are not put back, eventually all the rest of us will pay more also as hospitals pad pricing to compensate for un and under insured. Emergency rooms become primary care for people without insurance and since some hospitals are closing in places, some areas are.losing even that lifeline.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Transcript: President Obama On Health Reform - KFF Health News

President Barack Obama delivered remarks from the White House on health reform.

kffhealthnews.org

​

So this is what health insurance reform will mean for the average American. It will mean lower costs, more choices and coverage you can count on. It will save you and your family money.​

​

You won’t have to worry about being priced out of the market. You won’t have to worry about one illness leading to your family going into financial ruin.​

​

Americans will have coverage that finally has stability and security, and Americans who don’t have health insurance will finally have affordable quality options.​

​

~Barack Hussein Obama​

​

Less than two years later health care cost went up 105% and has steadily increased ever since.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Less than two years later health care cost went up 105% and has steadily increased ever since.

Rubbish

AI

National Spending

• Slower Growth Rate: Annual healthcare spending growth decreased from an average of 6.9% per year between 2000 and 2009 to 4.3% per year between 2010 and 2018, after the ACA was implemented.

 

[rambot]

Transcript: President Obama On Health Reform - KFF Health News

President Barack Obama delivered remarks from the White House on health reform.

kffhealthnews.org

​

So this is what health insurance reform will mean for the average American. It will mean lower costs, more choices and coverage you can count on. It will save you and your family money.​

​

You won’t have to worry about being priced out of the market. You won’t have to worry about one illness leading to your family going into financial ruin.​

​

Americans will have coverage that finally has stability and security, and Americans who don’t have health insurance will finally have affordable quality options.​

​

~Barack Hussein Obama​

​

Less than two years later health care cost went up 105% and has steadily increased ever since.

Yes.

Legislators have completed gutted ACA and what it was meant to do. That is med insurance industry lobbying to get more profits out of you; that is NOT OBama's fault.

 

[BCP1928]

Rubbish

AI

National Spending

• Slower Growth Rate: Annual healthcare spending growth decreased from an average of 6.9% per year between 2000 and 2009 to 4.3% per year between 2010 and 2018, after the ACA was implemented.

The real problem for Conservatives is that annual health insurance company profits fell to nine billion in 2024, down from twenty-four billion just ten years ago. That's no way to MAGA.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Yes.

Legislators have completed gutted ACA and what it was meant to do. That is med insurance industry lobbying to get more profits out of you; that is NOT OBama's fault.

after the greatest lie to the American Public abut healthcare from the man's mouth - the Democratic plan - the Democratic subsidies - it 100% belongs to Obama.

Why do you think they stopped calling it Obamacare - because it was a failure.

Hogwash - show which legislation 'gutted' the ACA - cite your source

 

[rambot]

after the greatest lie to the American Public abut healthcare from the man's mouth - the Democratic plan - the Democratic subsidies - it 100% belongs to Obama.

Why do you think they stopped calling it Obamacare - because it was a failure.

Hogwash - show which legislation 'gutted' the ACA - cite your source

From AI

Legislative changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have primarily occurred through subsequent acts of Congress and court decisions, most notably the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA).

Major Legislative Changes

• Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010: Passed shortly after the ACA itself, this act made several key changes, including modifying subsidies and closing the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" faster than the original law.
• Supreme Court Ruling on Medicaid Expansion (2012): In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court ruled that the ACA's Medicaid expansion was unconstitutionally coercive to states. This decision effectively made Medicaid expansion optional for states, resulting in some states not expanding coverage to a wider range of low-income individuals.
• Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA): This act, signed by President Donald Trump, made a major change by eliminating the penalty for individuals who did not obtain health insurance (the "individual mandate" penalty), starting in 2019. While the mandate itself technically remained part of the law, removing the penalty significantly altered one of the ACA's core mechanisms. The TCJA also substantially scaled back outreach programs to help Americans sign up for the ACA.

Other Impacts

• Administrative Actions: Various presidential administrations have used executive orders and regulatory changes to either strengthen or weaken the ACA's implementation. For example, the Trump administration took steps to reduce the open enrollment period and promote alternative, less comprehensive health plans, while the Biden-Harris administration has focused on strengthening protections and expanding access.
• Ongoing Legal Challenges: The ACA has been subject to numerous legal challenges that have reached the Supreme Court multiple times, impacting the law's implementation and interpretation, such as cases related to employer-provided contraceptive coverage and the constitutionality of the law as a whole.
• "If you like your plan..." controversy: Early implementation faced issues when millions of Americans with individual policies received termination notices because their plans did not meet the ACA's new minimum requirements. The Obama administration provided transitional relief to allow states and carriers to renew non-compliant plans temporarily.
  
  ________________

1) If only Republicans had a plan.....the plan they always talk about having...that doesn't exist...

Look. Fact is insurers saw they were going to lose money on OBamacare because it help the poors. So, they tried to find ways ot undercut it.

ACA was an attempt to help poor people. It was an effort to bring socialized medicare to your country.

Socialized medicare is FAR better than the abjectly miserable system you currently have.


Imagine how good ACA is if it's better than ANYTHING the Republicans have put forward since its inception.

 

[BNR32FAN]

It is Open Enrollment time so people are seeing what their premiums will be. My Medicare Advantage plan premium has significantly increased, but since I get what Arizona elected officials/ former elected officials on Medicare get, it is not bad.

But wow, for those who are not on Medicare, and have a family of three or more, the monthly cost is $1,848.00 per month! This is the amount for those in the Arizona schools systems, universities and colleges, work in the state prisons, and elected officials and I think the Department of Public Safety officers (like state police) will have to pay for medical insurance.

A single teacher, who may only make $50,000 a year, will have to pay at least $660/month for the 'economy' plan.

But hey, Trump is building a ballroom! It is his number one priority per Karoline Leavitt.

I haven't seen the Obamacare premiums yet which some family members will be using.

What is happening with your medical insurance?

I’ve never been able to afford it. Luckily I haven’t needed it and costs more than 8% of my income so I don’t get penalized on my taxes for not having it.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Major Legislative Changes

• Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010: Passed shortly after the ACA itself, this act made several key changes, including modifying subsidies and closing the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" faster than the original law.

Look close - it was the Democrats - not the GOP

• Supreme Court Ruling on Medicaid Expansion (2012): In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court ruled that the ACA's Medicaid expansion was unconstitutionally coercive to states. This decision effectively made Medicaid expansion optional for states, resulting in some states not expanding coverage to a wider range of low-income individuals.

2012 the Supreme Court was Democrat Majority

• Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA): This act, signed by President Donald Trump, made a major change by eliminating the penalty for individuals who did not obtain health insurance (the "individual mandate" penalty), starting in 2019. While the mandate itself technically remained part of the law, removing the penalty significantly altered one of the ACA's core mechanisms. The TCJA also substantially scaled back outreach programs to help Americans sign up for the ACA.

That removal of penalties help thousands like me, who were completely priced out of healthcare and then were penalized because we couldn't afford, the unaffordable health act.

 

[Always in His Presence]

I’ve never been able to afford it. Luckily I haven’t needed it and costs more than 8% of my income so I don’t get penalized on my taxes for not having it.

You are not alone - thank God Trump eliminated the 3,000 penalty.

 

[BCP1928]

You are not alone - thank God Trump eliminated the 3,000 penalty.

Can't afford health insurance? Are you actually as proud of that as you sound?

 

[Always in His Presence]

ACA was an attempt to help poor people. It was an effort to bring socialized medicare to your country.

Socialized medicare is FAR better than the abjectly miserable system you currently have.

From a personal perspective -

My paternal Grandfather came to the US during WW2 - he landed a good paying job and purchased a home in Buffalo, NY and what initially was a little shack near Crystal Beach Ontario as a get away place. Long story short - he ended up having dual citizenship - he was grandfathered in because he was a landowner. He had access to full healthcare in Ontario.

As he got older, I remember asking him why he paid for Blue Cross/Blue Shield if he had access to free healthcare in Canada. (He was talking about the cost) - his reply was that the quality of care in the US was better.

From AI

When cost is excluded, the U.S. generally offers higher quality healthcare in terms of access to advanced treatments, technology, and specialist care, while Canada excels in equity and preventive care.
Here's a breakdown of how the two systems compare on quality alone:

United States: Strengths in Innovation and Access
• Advanced technology and treatments: The U.S. leads in medical innovation, offering quicker access to cutting-edge procedures, diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals.
• Specialist availability: Patients in the U.S. typically experience shorter wait times for specialist consultations and elective procedures.
• Top-tier hospitals: Many of the world’s highest-ranked hospitals and research institutions are in the U.S., attracting patients globally for complex care.

Canada: Strengths in Equity and Preventive Care
• Universal access: Every Canadian has access to medically necessary services, which supports consistent preventive care and chronic disease management.
• Health outcomes: Canada often outperforms the U.S. in population-level metrics like life expectancy, infant mortality, and avoidable hospitalizations.
• Continuity of care: Canadians are more likely to have a regular primary care provider, which supports long-term health management.

 

[Always in His Presence]

Can't afford health insurance? Are you actually as proud of that as you sound?

Proud of what?

I never mentioned pride -

As I have shared - our family of 8 entered a month to month plan with our physician for office visits and standards services and we kept and still keep a devastating illness insurance policy.

We saved thousands

Example - My wife needed an MRI - under insurance our deductible was $2,100.00 because we had not met the min as of yet. We paid cash and it cost us 700.00.

Same machine - same doctor - same technician - same procedure.

 

[BNR32FAN]

You are not alone - thank God Trump eliminated the 3,000 penalty.

Yeah I didn’t particularly like how when everyone kept asking Obama where are you going to get the money for this health care plan he just kept saying don’t worry we’ll get it. Then all the sudden he passes a bill that says we’re going to be forced to buy it ourselves otherwise we get penalized on our taxes. Like how is that a health care plan and not just plain old extortion?

 

[camille70]

From AI

Legislative changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have primarily occurred through subsequent acts of Congress and court decisions, most notably the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA).

Major Legislative Changes

• Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010: Passed shortly after the ACA itself, this act made several key changes, including modifying subsidies and closing the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" faster than the original law.
• Supreme Court Ruling on Medicaid Expansion (2012): In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court ruled that the ACA's Medicaid expansion was unconstitutionally coercive to states. This decision effectively made Medicaid expansion optional for states, resulting in some states not expanding coverage to a wider range of low-income individuals.
• Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA): This act, signed by President Donald Trump, made a major change by eliminating the penalty for individuals who did not obtain health insurance (the "individual mandate" penalty), starting in 2019. While the mandate itself technically remained part of the law, removing the penalty significantly altered one of the ACA's core mechanisms. The TCJA also substantially scaled back outreach programs to help Americans sign up for the ACA.

Other Impacts

• Administrative Actions: Various presidential administrations have used executive orders and regulatory changes to either strengthen or weaken the ACA's implementation. For example, the Trump administration took steps to reduce the open enrollment period and promote alternative, less comprehensive health plans, while the Biden-Harris administration has focused on strengthening protections and expanding access.
• Ongoing Legal Challenges: The ACA has been subject to numerous legal challenges that have reached the Supreme Court multiple times, impacting the law's implementation and interpretation, such as cases related to employer-provided contraceptive coverage and the constitutionality of the law as a whole.
• "If you like your plan..." controversy: Early implementation faced issues when millions of Americans with individual policies received termination notices because their plans did not meet the ACA's new minimum requirements. The Obama administration provided transitional relief to allow states and carriers to renew non-compliant plans temporarily.
  
  ________________

1) If only Republicans had a plan.....the plan they always talk about having...that doesn't exist...

Look. Fact is insurers saw they were going to lose money on OBamacare because it help the poors. So, they tried to find ways ot undercut it.

ACA was an attempt to help poor people. It was an effort to bring socialized medicare to your country.

Socialized medicare is FAR better than the abjectly miserable system you currently have.


Imagine how good ACA is if it's better than ANYTHING the Republicans have put forward since its inception.

Marco Rubio eliminating risk corridors at the beginning also.

 

[camille70]

From AI

Legislative changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have primarily occurred through subsequent acts of Congress and court decisions, most notably the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA).

Major Legislative Changes

• Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010: Passed shortly after the ACA itself, this act made several key changes, including modifying subsidies and closing the Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" faster than the original law.
• Supreme Court Ruling on Medicaid Expansion (2012): In National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, the Supreme Court ruled that the ACA's Medicaid expansion was unconstitutionally coercive to states. This decision effectively made Medicaid expansion optional for states, resulting in some states not expanding coverage to a wider range of low-income individuals.
• Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA): This act, signed by President Donald Trump, made a major change by eliminating the penalty for individuals who did not obtain health insurance (the "individual mandate" penalty), starting in 2019. While the mandate itself technically remained part of the law, removing the penalty significantly altered one of the ACA's core mechanisms. The TCJA also substantially scaled back outreach programs to help Americans sign up for the ACA.

Other Impacts

• Administrative Actions: Various presidential administrations have used executive orders and regulatory changes to either strengthen or weaken the ACA's implementation. For example, the Trump administration took steps to reduce the open enrollment period and promote alternative, less comprehensive health plans, while the Biden-Harris administration has focused on strengthening protections and expanding access.
• Ongoing Legal Challenges: The ACA has been subject to numerous legal challenges that have reached the Supreme Court multiple times, impacting the law's implementation and interpretation, such as cases related to employer-provided contraceptive coverage and the constitutionality of the law as a whole.
• "If you like your plan..." controversy: Early implementation faced issues when millions of Americans with individual policies received termination notices because their plans did not meet the ACA's new minimum requirements. The Obama administration provided transitional relief to allow states and carriers to renew non-compliant plans temporarily.
  
  ________________

1) If only Republicans had a plan.....the plan they always talk about having...that doesn't exist...

Look. Fact is insurers saw they were going to lose money on OBamacare because it help the poors. So, they tried to find ways ot undercut it.

ACA was an attempt to help poor people. It was an effort to bring socialized medicare to your country.

Socialized medicare is FAR better than the abjectly miserable system you currently have.


Imagine how good ACA is if it's better than ANYTHING the Republicans have put forward since its inception.

Once someone lost their job the only option used to be the ridiculously expensive COBRA. Now people without employer subsidized healthcare can at least get the ACA Insurance.

He's back to bashing it now but this was pointed out previously by Rep Cornyn of Texas during the covid crisis.

“The good news is that if you lose your employer-provided coverage, which covers about a 180 million Americans, that is a significant life event, which makes you then eligible to sign up for the Affordable Care Act,” Cornyn said in a PBS Austin interview. “As you know, it has a sliding scale of subsidies up to 400% of poverty. So that’s an option for people.”

This seems relevant again as hundreds of thousands are being laid off.

Layoffs are piling up, raising worker anxiety. Here are some companies that have cut jobs recently

It's a tough time for the job market. Amid wider economic uncertainty, some analysts have said that businesses are at a “no-hire, no fire” standstill.

apnews.com