Shopping around during the Obamacare open enrollment period for 2016 under the Affordable Care Act can save Americans money. But would you buy health insurance?
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The cost of the grandfathered plans also has been increasing – by 18 percent for 2016, on top of 13 percent for 2015. The most important, of course, is that insurance ensures access to medical care.
A coalition comprised of Southeastern Health, Robeson Health Care Corporation, Enroll America, Legal Aid of North Carolina, Compassion for U Congregational Care Wellness Network, Rural Outreach Program of the US Veterans Administration, Robeson County Department of Social Services, Sacred Pathways and the Lumber River Council of Governments is working to help Robesonians get health insurance through the Marketplace. The increase in spending growth from 2013 was driven primarily by millions of new people with health insurance coverage because of the ACA, and by rapidly rising prescription drug costs. One of the reasons health care costs have grown so much is because of the expansion of health insurance coverage.
The White House has had help promoting the health insurance exchanges in the past from digital media companies like amusing or Die, which filmed a mock interview with the president and comedian Zach Galifianakis that drove tens of millions of viewers to the health-care website. Enrollment began November 1 and runs until January 31, but December 15 is the last day to get in if you want coverage starting January 1. If you’re 26 or older, you can’t stay on your mom and dad’s health plan any longer. You may be eligible for a subsidy if you make between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty guideline, or $11,770 to $47,080 for a single person, and live in a state that did not expand Medicaid under the federal health law. That might cost you, too. This year, 85% of those who bought private plans on the exchanges got financial assistance. Those who switch to the lowest-cost Silver plan this year will be able to save, on average, $322, or nearly $27 a month, in 2016. That’s why we need to continue to reform the system, because it is flawed, but not throw it away. Uninsured people who file their taxes next April will likely learn they face a penalty of at least $325 for an individual, or 2% of annual household income if that is higher, for going without coverage in 2015.
A serious weakness of the ACA is its failure to control escalating costs, prices, premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in cooperation with the Urban Institute did its own analysis, based on premiums for the lowest-cost silver plans nationwide, and found the average increase in New Hampshire year-over-year was 6.5 percent.
Retirees are even more concerned about the prospect of having to pay for long-term care. Depending where you live, you might have one choice or 20. The federal agency has noted that health care expenditures are accelerating, with consumers and businesses spending a great deal of money on insurance coverage.
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The move is expected to ultimately save consumers money as they transition to more affordable plans, while at the same time allowing Anthem to discontinue a coverage option that has become increasingly expensive and subject to steep premium increases.
