You know what I love about my sparkling new Gold Plan insurance from ACA Marketplace? It gives me

[ChisolmTrailDem]

I can now do whatever I want. I can start my own business. I don't have to remain chained to a job just for the insurance. I don't have to worry about the next injury or illness that I might suffer. I don't have to worry about any of the things that not having insurance makes us worry about. I don't have to worry nearly as much about my pre-existing hypertension.

Here's how I really feel...

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. Even this first version does so many awesome things! nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Freedom is what it's all about!

Maybe that's why the Republicans are opposed to it. They want you to be chained to a job you loathe, so you'll get health insurance.

[ErikJ]

3. B4 ACA you'd have to "hide" your doctors visits

by going to a clinic and paying out of pocket for fear of your ins policy raising your rates. That crap is OVER. Freedom.

[Scuba]

4. +1

[Whisp]

5. so happy to hear that!

I can't imagine the great stress relief millions are feeling right now.

I can't because I have never had to really worry about that and I find living under that kind of pressure would just be unbearable and take a lot away from the enjoyment of life.

happy happy!
Lots more to be done but wow, what a great start Considering all the opposition and lies and hate out there.

Obama and all those who worked hard to get this passed - the best, ever.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

7. I'm so glad that you and others have been fortunate enough to never have had to worry about

making a choice between seeing the doctor or having a roof over you head. I really mean that because when you don't have that access, you have to push thoughts of your health away as a survival mechanism and you have to live with chronic illness or pain. I cannot tell you how scary it is when something on or in your body develops and you simply have to hope it isn't serious, insn't leading to something serious, or that it goes away on it's own.

You said: "I can't imagine the great stress relief millions are feeling right now. " Well I can say, unequivocally, that millions are indeed feeling a great measure of relief; many lives will be improved or saved.

[NBachers]

19. What about standing in line at the prescription counter and the pharmacist yelling:

"WHAT? WHAT? YOU DON'T HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE? YOU'RE ACTUALLY PAYING FOR THAT OUT OF YOUR OWN POCKET???"

Broadcasting to the world at large.

It's as bad as, "Hey Joe, do we still have any of those exxtra small condoms left?"

[Tikki]

6. Freedom to no longer worry about what might befall our adult son...

and Free Up some of our rainy day money we were holding in abeyance just in case he needed it
for a doctor's visit or something worse.

You must know many parents paid for their adult children's medical bills…some even paid for
those cheap crappy health insurance polices they hoped their children would never need.


Tikki

[catrose]

10. Amen or the appropriate secular expression

No more helping him negotiate the cheap and free and most nonexistent services and hoping he can get halfway decent care. No more looking at a list of care he needs and helping him pick what's most urgent and affordable. Freedom for all of us1

[Augiedog]

8. Fear

This is the republican party's greatest fear, real freedom. Once the vast majority of right wingers realize what the ACA has done for them they will never look at their fear mongering masters in the same way. The Republican Party has become its own worst enemy , it has become a death panel in more ways than one. Not only willing to kill its own base through denial of health care, but killing itself by lying about what "Obamacare" is. The fascist right wing agenda is on the ropes and, even if they managed to get the government to declare corporations people and are about to declare companies religious entities too....it will all be for naught...it's over you right wing killers of common people, say goodnight.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

9. Thanks for comment, Augiedog. And welcome to DU! nt

[JaneyVee]

13. Great comment.

[SheilaT]

11. I was reading a think in today's paper about the ACA

and one of the persons benefitting from it was a man who'd been born with one eye missing. He'd long ago gotten a glass eye, but for most of his life could not get health insurance because of the pre-existing condition. WTF? The missing eye would have essentially NO affect on any other health issues, and this is the kind of bullshit the insurance companies have been doing for too many years.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. I'm paying off a hospital bill from a near-fatal health crisis a couple of years ago.

It is in the best interest of the hospital (in another state) to keep me alive for a hundred years, because at the rate I'm going, I will have to live another 100 years to pay it off by the month.

[Squinch]

14. It changes EVERYTHING!

Of course I want a single payer, but as a person with a pre-existing condition, this opens up all my horizons, and gives me forms of security I haven't had since before my diagnosis.

I have friends who have given up their second jobs.

I have friends who are back out looking around for a job they might like better.

I know twenty-somethings that are picking up work that used to be done by the 50-somethings as their second jobs, second jobs they no longer need.

It changes EVERYTHING!

ETA: It IS a big fekkin' deal!

[bigwillq]

15. So happy the ACA is working out for you.

[janlyn]

16. The ACA literally saved my life!

Lost my job in June, couldn't afford the 400+ a month to continue my insurance plan. And denied any other due to pre-existing conditions.I started to get ill in July. In November I was diagnosed with a tumor in my upper jaw. Very aggressive and if not treated could invade my brain.
February 10th I had my surgery. And feel as if a giant weight has been lifted. So, to those out there who for one reason or another are not happy, I'm sorry but for myself as well as a lot of others it is life changing!

[SleeplessinSoCal]

17. the ACA may be as gold as stimulus package. n/t

[4lbs]

18. My Gold level insurance in with ACA (CoveredCA) is much better than the one I had with Cigna.

With Cigna, my premiums would be right now about $325 per month. With that, I get $250 deductible, $30 copay, and $20 prescriptions. Annual limit of liability was $15000 and before ACA the lifetime limit was $4 million.

With my current ACA Gold with Anthem Blue Cross, I pay $210 per month. With this, I have $0 deductible, $40 copay, and $25 prescriptions. Plus, the annual liability limit of $6350 (single male) and no lifetime limit helps a lot.

Seeing as how I've only visited a doctor just twice in the last 3 years, I can live with the slightly higher copay and prescriptions, while saving $115 per month on premiums.

The hospital that is just two blocks from me is in-network, and so are about 100 doctors (including specialists) that are within 5 miles of my home. Many of them are accepting patients too. My current doctor who accepted Cigna, said he also accepts Blue Cross, so I don't even need to change.

[flamingdem]

21. So this worked out better than the Silver plan?

That's cheaper but there are a ton of factors involved of course.

[kmlisle]

20. My daughter just signed up for her first health insurance in 5 years!

She works part time as a media specialist and also teaches but not enough hours at either to qualify for insurance through an employer. I am celebrating for her! !!!!

[CTyankee]

22. that is my daughter's story, too. She is unemployed and looking for work. Her husband has too few

hours to get health insurance so she is signing up for a silver plan. thank heavens for the ACA...

[Cha]

23. Good on ya, ChisolmTrailDem!

[fadedrose]

27. Also lovable

for same reason....

[cynzke]

24. I signed up.

The last health insurance I had was employer provided back in 2005. I have health issues that would prevent me from finding insurance on my own. I have been lucky so far. I will be eligible to enroll in Medicare in Nov. but I just couldn't risk anymore time going without health insurance due to my age. I chose the least expensive plan with a big deductible up front, but if necessary I have the funds to pay the deductible, but I couldn't survive losing my home. ACA took that risk away.

[MynameisBlarney]

25. I couldn't sign up for it yesdterday

Guess that's what I get for waiting til the last minute.
The website said try again later or leave my email address, which I did. I also tried calling. Waited on the phone for over an hour.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

34. I bet there are many like you who waited and didn't get through. I don't know what you

can do at this point.

I believe the next opportunity is in November. I don't know all the details though.

Best to you, MynameisBlarney.

[MynameisBlarney]

35. Thanks.

I don't understand why there has to be a deadline to sign up at all. It should be 24/7 year round.
It just doesn't make sense to me that they set it up like that.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

38. I don't understand the deadline either, MynameisBlarney. Maybe someone who does

will jump in here.

Try not to beat yourself up too much.

[fadedrose]

26. I love you . . .

because you are so damned lovable....

[ChisolmTrailDem]

33. I'm blushing, ma'am! I blush! nt

[Walk away]

28. Hey! Republicans hate us for our Freedom! nt

[gollygee]

29. This is my eventual plan

My hope is that eventually my husband can work part time doing something he loves, and I can work part time as well to offset the financial difference, but we have always needed him to have his full time job for the health insurance, and his full time job is a very demanding job that leaves all kid and home issues my job, which makes it not practical for me to have paid employment.

As the kids get older, we can move to each working part time, and him having work that is not so demanding. In order to ever do that, we have to have some kind of health insurance. I'm so happy about the ACA for a number of reasons but this is a big one. Yes I'd rather have single payer, but at least we no longer feel trapped, and we really did before. Especially as he and I have both developed health conditions that would be considered pre-existing and would limit our ability to get new insurance without the ACA.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

31. I love it, gollygee! We'd all prefer SP, but ACA will do - for now. Best of luck to you, ma'am! nt

[Auntie Bush]

30. Dem's don't talk/brag/advertise enough about all the Freedom ACA gives us.

Not only freedom to change jobs but freedom to move and start a new life or go to an area where there are more job opportunities.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

32. Absolutely, Auntie Bush. We do need to talk up the freedom ACA gives us. nt

[bluestate10]

36. You mentioned starting your own business. A word of advice.

Most people don't recognize how complex setting up a business can be until they are in the act. My advice is take some time to study the industry that the business will operate in. Don't just spend time on analysis of competitors and business location siting. Spend time getting to know service providers for the industry, like Architects, Attorneys, Safety Experts, Insurance Brokers, ect. Find good honest people and use the leads that they provide to other specialists that they trust. Make sure your legal behind is covered, don't rush forward or make early promises that you will have to live up to. Develop a budget and compare to your liquid financial resources. Once a budget is set, add another 25% to the amount to allow you to deal with unexpected issues and regulatory requirements. Most business fail within the first year because the owners didn't find skilled experts to help them overcome the hurdles to establishing the business and the owners failed to set a workable budget.

[bread_and_roses]

37. You know what I don't love about my projected ACA cost?

I had thought of retiring before my full age of 66. So I did a calculation online ... ACA would cost me 8% + of my income. And no, we are not rich. And no, I cannot afford 8%+ of my income.

So ... I will not be retiring before 66. The job I would have vacated will not open up for a younger person.

I am not alone - far from it. And this is what I and many others said from the start. "Affordable" - inserted to justify keeping the vampire insurance industry in business - is the poison pill in this plan.

I am very glad for all those who are helped by the ACA. But what about those who are not? From the start, the calculations have been that millions will be left out - I don't recall the figure now, but it is in the millions. And that calculation was not for people like me, but others who will not be eligible at all for one reason or another. (I would be eligible, I just can't afford it.)

The besetting sin of "Liberals" (among whom I do not count myself) is the willingness to sacrifice some to benefit some. (Nor am I talking about myself here - I am among the luckier, and I know it; I am talking about all the people who are left out of even ACA - piss poor as it is, about all the people turned away from "welfare" on some technicality, all the people in our huge "underclass" shut out from even a basic standard of living, with no jobs, no education, about the students buried in debt, and on.

"Some people will be helped." Yes. And what about those who are not? Are they throw-away humans? This mind-set is pervasive throughout our so-called "Liberal" organizations, and is part of why they are so useless and why we never get anywhere - we mostly just shuffle the deck chairs on who's in, who's out.

[grahamhgreen]

39. An even better feeling when you get Medicare!