Audry’s Reviews > A New Era in U.S. Health Care: Critical Next Steps Under the Affordable Care Act > Status Update
Audry
is on page 18 of 128
The purpose of Obamacare "is to stimulate and facilitate important changes in the U.S. health care system in order to (1) make its services accessible to all Americans, (2) increase the chances that people will actually benefit from buying insurance and using services, and (3) keep spending under some degree of control. The centerpiece of the overall strategy to accomplish those goals is reform of private insurance."
— Oct 26, 2013 10:25AM
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Audry’s Previous Updates
Audry
is on page 52 of 128
This part explains the enormous opposition all attempts at health care reform have faced since the early 1900s and then explains how, in spite of opposition, the current administration managed to pass the Affordable Care Act. It's rather interesting, but too much to summarize here.
— Dec 10, 2013 03:23PM
Audry
is on page 51 of 128
Nearly every president has tried to reform health care but failed because of interest groups: 'Doctors until the 1960s...insurers...hospitals...pharmaceutical firms and medical device manufacturers have worked against reform. All benefited from the status quo and fought to maintain it...they proved to be so successful that many draft bills never made it out of Congressional committees.'
— Dec 10, 2013 03:10PM
Audry
is on page 29 of 128
'The market needs to be organized...to reduce the probability that insurers will take advantage of purchasers who don't know what coverage they need...the law requires that states create health insurance markets...in states that fail to...the federal government will create them.' << healthcare.gov is the federal exchange for those who don't have a state one. (My state, California, has coveredca.com )
— Dec 10, 2013 02:34PM
Audry
is on page 28 of 128
'The essence of insurance is that well people subsidize the sick people who use services. Sharing the risk is the underlying principle of insurance...without healthy people, premiums would need to be much higher...fewer employers would offer coverage and fewer individuals would buy it."
— Dec 10, 2013 01:57PM
Audry
is on page 23 of 128
I keep giving away print copies, so I finally bought an e-book I can't give away. This affects page numbering from here on out. If you have the print edition and look up something I quoted, the page number might be off, but only by a page or two.
— Dec 10, 2013 01:51PM
Audry
is on page 22 of 128
'Insurers may not charge high prices to individuals with pre-existing conditions in order to discourage them from buying coverage...insurers must spend 80% of premium income on medical care...prior to the law...for-profit insurers spent more...on salaries and profits.'
— Dec 10, 2013 01:45PM
Audry
is on page 22 of 128
Premiums "may vary ONLY as a result of the following conditions: whether the plan covers an individual or family...geography...age (but not more than three to one)...and tobacco use." NOTE: This means that for plans on the new market, insurers cannot give you a higher premium for your weight or any other factor not on that list.
— Oct 26, 2013 11:00AM
Audry
is on page 22 of 128
Insurers are required to provide exactly "four levels of coverage, which are defined by the percentage of the actuarial value of the benefits provided...bronze (60% of the actuarial value of benefits), silver (70%), gold (80%), and platinum (90%)."
— Oct 26, 2013 10:53AM
Audry
is on page 22 of 128
Changes mandated by the ACA include: "Deductible amounts must be limited to $2,000 per year for self-only coverage and $4,000 per year for other coverage." << Note: This rule has been delayed to allow insurers time to make adjustments in how they figure out deductibles and will go into effect in 2015.
— Oct 26, 2013 10:48AM
Audry
is on page 19 of 128
Over the last 25 years health insurance has transformed from "not-for-profit Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans...into a largely investor-owned industry...companies...grew dramatically by buying...plans and converting them to for-profit..."
— Oct 26, 2013 10:39AM
