This is the real 'rate shock': My parents' amazing Obamacare story

[babylonsister]

Sun Nov 10, 2013 at 09:30 AM PST
This is the real 'rate shock': My parents' amazing Obamacare story

by Georgia Logothetis



Value is the key to the new options offered in the marketplace. You get more coverage for your health insurance dollar than before, and the freedom to shop around for the best deal.

Just over a week ago, it was my mother's 61st birthday. She wasn't supposed to get there.

Three years ago, she nearly died because of an extraordinarily rare lung disease caused by, of all things, a freak reaction to birds. Yes, birds. Flash forward several months after the diagnosis and there was my mother, who never smoked a cigarette a day in her life, missing half a lung and on 24/7 oxygen.

snip//

To say my parents' health insurance before Obamacare was a ripoff would be like saying that the universe is kind of large and filled with some stars.

Their premium is $710 a month. Their deductible is $10,000 a year. Their medications are expensive. As a result, they've forgone a lot of preventative care and generally avoid doctor's visits. Here's the breakdown:

$8,520 - premiums
$10,000 - deductible
____

$18,520 out of pocket, not including coinsurance.

$18,520.

That's an obscenity that has no place in a modern, civilized society.

snip//

On my mom's birthday, I asked her half-jokingly if she wanted to try logging in once more to get herself the Best Birthday Present Ever.

I sat down with her and we tried again. And finally, it worked.

THE REAL RATE SHOCK: BETTER HEALTH CARE FOR $53 A MONTH


more...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/10/1252349/-This-is-the-real-rate-shock-My-parents-amazing-Obamacare-story?detail=facebook#

[doc03]

1. The Democrats need to do much better in getting those out. For every one

like that I see ten horror stories. There was a WV Congressman that had a letter to the editor in our newspaper
yesterday, requesting people send their horror stories to his office. I bet there are Republican congressmen all over the country
soliciting stories. It seems like we always lose the PR battle and it seems the news media bends over backwards for Repubicans
fearing they will be labeled (liberal).

[B Calm]

4. Totally agree!

[calimary]

23. No shit! Doesn't anybody on our team understand PR?

[uponit7771]

24. Nope, president is horrible at it... picks other horrible people too.

[Cracklin Charlie]

2. That is great news!

What a great birthday present.

[JNelson6563]

3. Great article!

I am sure we will hear some numbers in the coming months telling us how many have signed up as well as some numbers. This is proving to be successful in spite of the most concerted political effort we've seen in ages!

Julie

[Zeke L Brimstone]

5. Recommended

[PeaceNikki]

6. but, but, but, but that poor attorney has to pay THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER MONTH now!!!11!!!

[SoapBox]

11. ROFL

Oh, isn't so true.

When will said SAD lawyer be on FuksFakeNew?

[PeaceNikki]

12. She was featured right here on DU!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024006653#post4

[ucrdem]

7. Astonishing how badly most broadcast media have distorted this.

From what I've seen they've basically abdicated their responsibility to inform the public, with the possible exception of local community radio stations when they aren't looping NPR. Edwards was right about that much at least: there really are two Americas, and the one most media play to is evil.

[malletgirl02]

10. Media Failure

I agree, the media missed the real story. All this stuff about people losing insurance, but the real issue was these people were paying for insurance polices that didn't really cover anything.

[cynzke]

20. People lost their plans...

not their ability to buy health insurance. They just have to shop for it.

[malaise]

8. Great post

Rec

[ReRe]

9. K&R

Thanks for bringing this to us, babylonsister. I hope and pray "kids" are doing this all over the USA for their parents in that situation. I helped figure out something for my Mom once and it saved her allot of money and paperwork, which was so confusing to her (and me!) People who do not check out ACA are really being foolish lemmings of the Republicons.

[the_sly_pig]

13. I've told this crazy story before....

My mother has cancer. Some weird kind of cancer. Doctors thought it began in her lung so they removed part of her lung. Then they thought it began in her liver but that wasn't it either. Because the type of cancer she has is rare, there was no profit in providing treatment in our current system.

The doctor she was seeing recommended that in order to get treatment, she fly to Switzerland where treatment of this kind of cancer is available to Europeans.

$36,000.00 in cash later, she is still above ground and the treatment was effective. $36k is a lot of money to retirees.

I will never, ever support for-profit health insurance. In a for-profit health insurance system there is no incentive to cure.

[Bette Noir]

14. Hubby and I pay $1500/month, now, for coverage equivalent to bronze plan.

Under Obamacare, we can get much better coverage for $1100. The same coverage we have now would be less than $700.

I'd call that a win.

[IronLionZion]

15. What state is this?

Good for them.

[sheshe2]

16. Such good news for so many people.

Thank you for sharing the stories of the people that are being helped, babylonsister~

[golfguru]

17. Don't worry about MSM stories on Obamacare

The coming elections in November 2014 will tell a different story.
Proof of pudding is in the taste (results) not opinions.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

18. Write letters to the editor of neewspapers to spread the good news

[Jakes Progress]

19. Call the Today Show.

Or any of the networks who have been trolling the right wing line. Dare them to follow up on your story.

[cynzke]

21. There are two ways....

you CAN KEEP YOUR DOCTOR.

A) Call your doctor and find out what insurance companies/networks he/she is working with. Sign up.

B) Pay to see your doctor yourself.

People should get a grip. You move, you might change your doctor. Your employer changes health plans, you may have to change your doctor or pay out of your own pocket. Your individual health insurance carrier makes network changes and your doctor is out of the network and therefore, you find you will have to pay to see your doctor. Even if you find an insurance company that includes your doctor in the network, you get no guarantee that will continue.

[davidpdx]

22. I'm glad to hear that people are benefiting from the ACA

That has to be a large financial relief to the family that she and her husband have better coverage at a much lower rate. The story noted that they skipped preventative care. Hopefully now they can go and get that done as well as medical checkups are important as one gets older.