Obamacare is DA BOMB! I Am On Cloud Nine!

[stopbush]

Last edited Thu Dec 19, 2013, 11:48 PM - Edit history (3)

I just got my mail delivery. Included were our family's approvals (as individuals) qualifying us for the Obamacare expansion of Medicaid (Medical Services Initiative - or MediCal here in CA) effective January 1, 2014.

What does that mean? It means that our family has health insurance under Medi-Cal, with the following costs:

Doctor visit - Co-pay $0

Emergency - Co-pay $0

Prescriptions - Co-Pay $0-$4

Prior to this, our family was on my wife's COBRA, which cost us over $400 a month. That COBRA ran out in September. My wife has a pre-existing condition: she is a breast cancer survivor of 8 years.

I have been out of work for almost 3 years. We have only my wife's income.

If not for Obamacare, our options would have been to go without insurance. To roll the dice, as it were.

The chances of us securing any kind of affordable insurance in the individual market with my wife's pre-existing condition were, well, nil.

Try being a father with a wife and two kids and no job these days, then tell me how Obamacare is worse than Hitler.

Were the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare in effect this year, it would have saved my family close to $5000 we paid in COBRA premiums. That's no small change when you're unemployed and raising a family on a single, part-time income.

So thank you, THANK YOU President Obama, for laying it on the line and getting something done for people like me, people who never imagined that they would need the provisos of Medi-Cal back when Obamacare was being debated and enacted (ie: when I was working full time and had insurance through my job).

Oh, and all of you Republicants? You can go fucK YOURSELVES!

[brer cat]

1. great news for you...

and millions of others in similar situations.

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. The ACA will save lives, period

It's sad that so many are so short-sighted as to just pile on over minor, temporary glitches.

It will help people tremendously. And it will save people's lives.

Can it be better? of course? Should it (and we) move toward a single-payer system? Obviously.

But this law will save people's lives. I think of that every time I see one of the detractor's temper tantrums.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

9. the people who think a completed end product is supposed to appear

In their laps, une faite accompli, perfect and whole on its maiden voyage......


god. The moon-faced stupidity.....

[IL Lib]

15. +1 n/t

[Wounded Bear]

20. I think the objections to health care reform in general...

spring from a belief that the wrong lives will be saved.

[Motown_Johnny]

3. I am happy for you and for your family.

Now if we can just get the states that didn't expand Medicaid to get on board there can be hundreds of thousands more families with similar stories.


Best wishes.

[HereSince1628]

23. Yes, but it seems unlikely to happen very soon.

The control of the states that are holding out are in the hands of ideologues bent on the Calvinist mission of doling out God's angst against the poor.

Using medicare as the vehicle to reach the poor was a mistake when dealing with people who believe being born into poverty or being struck with illness and unemployment are righteous punishments ordained by Providence.

[Berlum]

4. There you have it.

[grantcart]

5. From someone who has been rolling the dice for 14 years

I thank you for this post.

[NJCher]

8. 14-year dice-roller here, too!

If I make it to Jan. 1, I will be one of the luckiest people ever.


Cher

[rurallib]

6. you get my rec just for the last line.

[Rex]

29. +1

nt.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

7. I am SO happy for you!!

Tidings of great joy!!!!!!

You told your story really well too--"so tell me how Obamacare is worse than Hitler". I would sooooooo like to sock that one to the pukes.

[Tumbulu]

10. I farm and have been buying my own insurance

Was paying $500/month for my policy, but with the subsidy only have to pay $100/ month for a better policy. It is just phenomenal. This is going to turn red counties blue. It is profound!

[tabasco]

11. This is why republicans have been turning over earth and sea to kill it

They hate the American people and only crave money and power.

[Whisp]

12. I want to hear from those that think you shouldn't have that coverage now

but you should wait for single payer. All or Nothing. Not inbetween.

They won't show up here, of course.

Congratulations on having a bit less stress in your life. Happy for you.

[stopbush]

13. Thank you. I went to the Covered CA site with the intention of buying a policy on the exchange.

But after filling out our financial info, I was sent over to the MediCal side of the site. I received paperwork from them after a few weeks (I started this process in early October), read the info and learned that I DIDN'T qualify for MediCal because we had too much in assets. Spoke to my adviser who confirmed that and sent me the forms to withdraw my app for MediCal - that app needed to have a decision rendered for me to move forward into the exchanges.

Received confirmation by mail that my app had been withdrawn, but it was still shown as pending on the Covered CA site. So, I called their phone number in early November, got connected to an adviser, told him my story, etc. He then told me about the MediCal expansion coming in January, and said I would qualify for that because the means test of personal assets was being dropped. He reopened my MediCal app on the spot and transferred me to a MediCal specialist. That person took me through the process, sent us some financial papers to fill out - which I sent back pronto - and a few weeks later, we were approved.

My experience with the Covered CA site and personnel was excellent - VERY helpful, and none of the judgmental crap one often encounters when dealing with the government, where anything that goes wrong is always your fault, not the government's.

I wish people would get on the site and find out for themselves.

[wryter2000]

26. This is such a wonderful story

I'm so happy for you.

I hope people in the "red" states will be able to tell similar stories in the near future.

[Liberal_in_LA]

14. kick

[nxylas]

16. Is the DNC collecting stories like this?

The pubbies are busy collecting Obamacare horror stories. The Dems need to counter with 10 stories like this for every one of theirs.

[SoCalDem]

22. Probably, BUT

"The Dems" do not own media outlets, so these stories are considered as occasional retorts to the avalanche of daily Obamacare-Baaaa-aaaa-aaad "news", and are treated as "anecdotes", while the slog of anti-ACA are treated as ordinary , and expected "facts".

[Dopers_Greed]

17. K&R

[Arugula Latte]

18. That's awesome.

Congrats!

Thanks for spreading the word here. I hope you tell all your friends, neighbors and family members about how great it is for you!

[Hekate]

19. Hugs to you and your family! I am so happy to hear this.

Would you feel comfortable at all putting this experience in a letter to the editor of your local paper?

Anyway -- Happy New Year.

[Zorra]

21. I have really great insurance because of the ACA as well. I'll join you in thanking

the President, Obamacare means I should be able to easily afford really great health insurance until I am eligible for Medicare.

Thanks, Mr. Prez!

[pnwmom]

24. My relative's new gold policy will cost half as much as his COBRA

WITHOUT any subsidy.

I still haven't heard of anyone who will have to pay more for a REAL policy, though I know they must be out there.

[riqster]

25. THAT is a Christmas present!

Happy for you.

[cynzke]

27. Enrolled today too!

It will cost $65.00 a month. The level is the lowest bronze plan I could choose and while it has high deductible and a 30% copay, it won't bankrupt us if I have a serious unexpected illness. This only has to cover me until Nov. 2014 when I can enroll in medicare, so taking a small risk with a cheaper policy.

[Enthusiast]

28. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch.

My favorite part:

"Oh, and all of you Republicants? You can go fucK YOURSELVES!"

[Auntie Bush]

30. I second that!

[great white snark]

31. So happy for you and yours stopbush.

One less thing to worry about is invaluable in these times we find ourselves in.

[jwirr]

32. As a senior who has been on these plans I would take Medicaid over any other government program

if I were given the choice. When my family was on it we had the best health care we could have ever had. And for us that is saying a lot as one of my daughters is severely disabled. She had everything she needed.

[mmonk]

33. Congrats!

Obamacare turned out favorable for me as well.

[quadrature]

34. can you keep your prefered doctors?...nt

[stopbush]

37. The truth is that at this point, we don't have any preferred doctors.

My wife's oncologist stopped accepting insurance. He catered to rich people mainly, so she had to visit him and then submit his charges as an out-of-network doctor, after he had been in-network. He eventually closed his practice. She's been going to another place for her annual check-ups, but after her last visit, they told her that our COBRA didn't pay enough so they were considering dropping them.

And that's been the story of that COBRA in general. It was through CIGNA, and it was crappy. We ended up having to switch all of our preferred doctors to CIGNA-approved doctors a few years ago. Now, those doctors are dropping out of CIGNA because they don't like the reimbursement schedule.

We may have to start all over again with doctors who accept MediCal. It certainly won't be the first time. I've been on Aetna, PruCare, Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente and a couple of others via employer-provided health insurance over the past 20 years. In ALL cases, I had to switch primary physicians and some specialists. The idea that you get to keep your doctors when you have employer-provided insurance is a joke, because employers switch insurance providers all the time to keep their costs low.

All of the above well predates Obamacare taking effect.

[UCmeNdc]

35. Kick!

[Sky Masterson]

36. I signed up today and I got a killer deal as well!

I haven't had Health insurance in 7 years and now I have it!
This is a godsend for me.