OT: Does anyone know when they announce health premiums for next year?

NiceCupOfTea said...
So if competition is so good, why does the US have the worst and most expensive healthcare system in the developed world, while countries with mostly state-funded healthcare have the best and most cost-efficient healthcare systems?

Easy answer, it's because we have a for profit healthcare system. I think our healthcare spending is something like 17% of the GDP, twice what most other countries spend.

Some of this thread, sounds like a buncha Ayn Randian bullshyte. Yeah, she ended her days dying of lung cancer on ye olde government dime.

I believe those increases are for exchange plans not for insurance purchased outside the exchange or insurance through employers.
My Blue Cross plan is going up less than that percentage. I saw no financial reason to buy through the exchange since I am not eligible for any subsidy.

I haven't price shopped around for another plan yet to see if there is anything less expensive and still keep my doctors the same. Don't know if it is co-incidental or not (no way to compare apples to apples with RX prices) but my Balsalazide went down almost half-price when I changed to Blue Cross a year ago. This year I got a notice from Blue Cross that I should switch my RX from CVS to Walgreens for lowest prices. Guess they came to an agreement with that pharmacy.

I just read this whole thread and lol'd at the hypocrisy of the one person arguing against universal healthcare who doesn't want to pay for anyone's health care but is currently on Medicaid. Unbelievable!

Earlier this year I was out of work for a few months and was grateful for Obamacare because without the subsidies I wouldn't have been able to afford insurance and meds just cost too much without a good prescription plan.

My new employer just announced a 7% increase in premiums and deductible is increasing from $600 to $1000 for 2017. People at work are grumbling. I am grateful. My old job had a $1500 deductible and premiums were double what I pay now. We are very lucky where I work -- peeps just don't know how bad things can be. I think it was in 2006 that my premiums at my old job went up 25%.

We really need a medicare for all type of plan like Bernie Sanders talked about. I saw his numbers and most people wouldn't be paying any more than what they currently are paying for insurance. And with a single payer the government would have much greater power to control costs than all those individual for profit health insurance companies we have in this country.

iPoop said...
Let's hope president Hillary can get it done in the likely wave election that mows down Mr Donald and his party's senate & congress majorities within a few weeks. The republicans have had since 2008 to have an alternative plan, where's there's? It's all repeal, repeal with nothing at all better ready and waiting after all of this time.

This is in violation of forum rule #6:
6. No posts of copyrighted material, lengthy articles, or posts of an overtly political or religious nature(ie. proselyting).

IamCurious said...
I guess the large increase in out-of-pocket expenses had an effect on the election after all.

I have no doubt that the increased premiums were definitely a part of it but it really looks like voter turnout was way down by -6.8 million from Obama 2012 to Clinton 2016 and only -1.9 million from Romney 2012 to Trump 2016.

With elections people vote for a large variety of reasons.