Yesterday I got on the new HealthCare.Gov website to check it out. It may have some magic wand to help people with their medical needs. Also I wanted to check out some plans that may be available to family and myself.
Remember this is just a quick look (about an hour) that I have been checking out the site. I was under the assumption that this system was open to everyone and could get a good price on a decent health care insurance. There seems to be a lot of run around on the way it works. Or perhaps I am just too dumb to understand it.
My parents are losing there insurance through the company he retired from. They are going to be on the market for health insurance. With pre-existing conditions. As my father has brain cancer and bladder cancer. With this being an open market place with no pre-existing conditions restrictions. After sorting through the round robin jargon It appears that they do not have much of a plan. Now I just got done reading where it is illegal to get insurance on the Marketplace if you get Medicare. Ironically as I am typing this I am listening to NPR and the lady on the radio is saying that there is a plan for people on Medicare. Who is right? I guess I need to read some more.
How about my situation? I have health insurance through my employer. They pay a portion and I pay about $200 a month. Looking at the chart on the website there are ranges in income that qualify for subsidies. Thinking of qualifying for the subsidy and perhaps lowering insurance costs $100 a month. Wrong. For an individual the income range runs from $11,000 to the upper $40,000s. If it is determined by who ever is the determiner that my insurance is "affordable" and meets the minimum standard I do not qualify. Who determines this? I can however still purchase insurance without any discount or subsidy. What a deal! I cannot find a graph or information to see if I fit the paramiters and appear to be up to someones discretion.
So who does it benefit? Not so sure yet. But I think if you get Medicade you qualify. Do you know anyone making $40,000 plus on Medicade? I guess there is because they may qualify for the discount or subsidy.
Finding the bill on the internet Title I. says Quality, Affordable Healthcare For All Americans. I guess older folks, people on Medicare and people like me are not included as All Americans. I will make an effort to read the bill. Around 1200 pages that I hope tell me more than the website. With 1200 pages there must be some substance that is comprehensible to laymen like myself.
This is just a first look. So I have probably made a lot of mistakes and misinterpretations without understanding the main goal or use of the legislation. The only thing I feel right now is that is not going to benefit my aging parents or myself. Kind of selfish I guess. Felt that I may have fell into that "All Americans" category.
I will however continue to check it out. At this juncture I cannot see why everyone is so upset about something that doesn't seem to do anything. For so many people to feel so strongly one way or another about it some must stand to gain while others stand to lose. I will try to figure it out.
