After receiving two notices this past summer from my insurance company letting me know “changes” were coming, I didn’t quite hold my breath but wasn’t surprised when I finally received the “changes” that President Obama promised over and over and over ad nauseum wouldn’t happen.
My husband (now retired) was a sole practitioner. I worked for him. For over fifteen years, we bought our own health insurance. When he applied for Medicare, I had to get my own policy in 2011 which cost me $491 a month. I was pleased with the policy and coverage and I could live with the premium. Now, leave me alone.
Well, my pleasure didn’t last two long because in January of 2012 – just three months later – my monthly premium went up $30 to $521. Although the letter I received with the rate increase read, “Most of the rate increase will be used to cover rising medical costs. The rest of the increase will be used to cover other business costs and our contribution to the Washington State Health Insurance Pool (WSHIP), which offers health coverage for purchase by state residents who’ve been unable to buy it,” my broker said the rate increase was due to Obamacare. Okay. First lie. My premium went up.
Fast forward to October 2013. For the new “comparable” plan, my premium goes up to $551.51, another $30 increase. I called the company and the very nice gentleman (who probably knew more about Obamacare than the bozos in Congress who passed it) explained that, yes, the premium went up but my total out-of-pocket expenses will be lower. Well, I don’t care about that because I’ve never met the threshold and I’ve never even come close to the new lower out-of-pocket expense maximum either. The new policy also requires me to make co-payments when I visit my doctor which I never had to do before.
Despite assurances from the President who rammed this crap down our throats, I still have to pay more each month even though I was happy with my previous plan which he said I could keep. Lie #2.
The “bronze plan” I have to accept (unless I want to pay even more for a silver or gold plan), includes maternity and newborn care, as well as pediatric services, which I’m never going to use. The representative assured me that the premium has been adjusted to reflect my age and the fact I won’t need these benefits. (So why include the information and premium table in my paperwork? If the premium listed reflects my age correctly, then the brochure shouldn’t include those benefits.)
More importantly, I’m also unsure whether I’ll be able to keep my doctor under this new plan – he may make a business decision that the “bronze plan” just isn’t going to pay enough. Keeping my doctor was also something President Obama also promised. Potential lie #3.
I never believed President Obama when he was forcing Obamacare on all of us. I knew he was lying because none of what he said made sense. So, lie to me once, twice and possibly three times, forget it. I don’t believe a word he says now about anything.
Why I’m stuck with this increase in premiums when I was perfectly happy with my old policy, yet a whole lot of corporations and other entities are exempt from participating in this fiasco, is something I don’t get. Maybe if I knew for which one of these policies the Obamas are signed up, I’d feel a little better. But probably not.
Most importantly, from a constitutional point of view, I’d like to know where in the Constitution does it authorize a President to grant exemptions to certain individuals/corporations/entities when a bill has been legitimately passed by Congress, signed into law, and determined by the U.S. Supreme Court to be constitutional. How does a President, who swore to uphold the laws of the United States, get to pick and choose which parts of a law he will enforce?
I say, “Repeal the whole thing or enforce it in its entirety on everyone.” I’d love to hear one Republican in Congress say it.
Bottom line is I’m now paying $60 more a month for something Obama said wouldn’t happen. I get it. He lied.
