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I truly can't wrap my head around the way most of the republicans in the house are behaving about this. Honestly. It repulses me.
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@MrsSCB: well said!
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I don't know much about the way your system works but what I do know is this: the people spoke, they voted for Obama and Obamacare. The people - in a democracy. And now the Republican controlled bit (senete or congress, I dunno which) as I understand it, are refusing to agree the budget for, like, state run stuff because they won't agree to the Obamacare expenses. Is that right? And as a result PEOPLE are being forced to take unpaid leave - people who work in national parks and stuff. How is this allowed to happen? Why should regular people suffer because a bunch of boneheads can't get their head out of their arses. Im blaming the Republicans because there wasn't a ponies option for us non-locals!!
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@MrsSCB: Hear, hear!
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@SweetMamaM: In a nutshell, the federal budget needs to get passed in order for every part of federal government to keep running. The republican party has attached a rider onto the budget which calls for defunding the new health care laws, nicknamed Obamacare. This is an attempt to provide health care coverage for everyone in the country and look out for people's needs, not the giant health care companies'.
Some people are very anti-universal healthcare. They think it's bad for business - both big healthcare business, and small ones that now need to provide health insurance or pay a fee.
Other people believe that all Americans deserve fair health coverage.
So we have no federal budget because democrats don't want to pass the bill, because it will essentially ruin Obamacare. And republicans (the very right wing ones) are adamantly opposed to Obamacare, and won't take the amendment out. So the budget didn't get passed in time and the federal government has starting shutting things down.
FYI - this is my interpretation of it. Anyone else feel free to jump in an explain if I got something wrong. It's a confusing issue!
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@ShootingStar: wow, so no budget at all because a faction can't agree on universal health care? And from what I read on another thread, this means people are losing their jobs? What a terrible state of affairs.
NZ has it's own financial issues but I'm glad that there has been no talk at all of defunding our universal public health and education systems! -
@SweetMamaM: No one is losing their jobs, per se but are being forced into a furlough. Furlough basically means a mandatory unpaid vacation and there is a chance that those who are put on furlough may not get back pay, which is ridiculous.
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@SweetMamaM: I also just found this -- it's a pretty thorough explanation: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/us/what-s-happening-in-washington-government-shutdown-explained-1.1546098?page=1
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@SweetMamaM: @MrsSCB: Some are also being required to continue working without pay, like my husband. Supposedly they'll get back pay, once the shutdown ends, but I'm not holding my breath.
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I had to 'quit' reading another baby board this morning because I was befuddled by the extent of political ignorance. I wanted to say, " pleeaaaassseeee- go to the library and read a book, pleeeaassssseeee- read a newspaper, instead of listening to junk political pundits who don't care what the hell happens to you."
These were the same folks who were bitching about how WIC was being taken away from them, and in the same breathe say they don't want government handouts. Truly baffling.
Thank you for being an informed crowd.
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@Coopersmama: they sound like the people in this article. Mind-boggling. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/us/even-critics-of-safety-net-increasingly-depend-on-it.html?pagewanted=all
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@SweetMamaM: I think an important point to keep in mind here is that the ACA does not "provide" health insurance coverage for everyone. I caveat "provide" because the government isn't providing any health insurance coverage beyond some Medicaid expansions (for low-income) and subsidies for some people who do not qualify for Medicaid but are still fairly low-income, who also choose to purchase insurance through the government-run exchanges. Under the ACA, individuals (with the exception of the people with Medicaid) have to buy their own coverage. It doesn't make the US system like Canada's. An individual can decide not to buy insurance and only if they meet the income threshold will they be monetarily punished for failing to have purchased insurance.
The net result is that the ACA may cause more people to buy health insurance, but it definitely will not result in 100% of Americans and US residents being covered. And how much access to healthcare services people get as a result of having purchased a plan on the exchanges is an open question.
All of the people I have read/spoken with who do not support the ACA don't like the ACA's mechanisms for delivering health insurance coverage. They want everyone to have access to healthcare, but do not think that the ACA is the best way to accomplish that goal.
Also, the shutdown directly affects workers in education at the national level, so it's mostly our (national) Department of Education that is affected. Teachers in schools are state employees (we're the United States, remember!
), although there are probably local programs whose federal funding will be delayed and that will undoubtedly cause problems.
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@honeybear- thank you for being informed as well.
I am always curious to know what people are proposing as the alternative to the ACA would be. Everyone agrees our healthcare system is incredibly broken, and something needs to happen. Personally I thought the ACA was second best, and was a huge supporter of Universal Health Care- but we know how that went.
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@honeybear: it definitely sounds like a complex issue! The amount of information that we hear in NZ is so limited that it is hard to really grasp the situation fully.
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@Coopersmama: has the ACA been implemented into any insurance companies so far? We have FEHB and have seen ACA changes since 2011.
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My understanding is that the exchanges opened today, and implementation starts January 1st.
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@Coopersmama: I think the ACA is a wonderful idea, but poor in execution. I'm interested to see how this effects someone who doesn't have federal benefits and what pricing they are offered.
I can tell you that my husband is a federal employee and we have insurance through FEHB. We are required to choose an insurance plan annually, even if to tell HR that we are staying with our existing provider.
I wrote a post about it last winter, but we were *screwed* by our insurance company. ACA has been slowly implemented into our health plan since 2011, but the employees who interpret our plan know zilch about it.. And even worse, they don't understand how it works. We had to file multiple appeals and in late spring our case escalated to the state attorney general.
In general, our health plan premium has significantly increased yearly. Sure, I've been able to get free birth control for the last two years, but I would much rather pay the $20 copy for a three month supply than deal with the premium increase. We pay an absurd amount for our health care coverage & were told to expect higher premiums this year. Your jaw would drop if I told you how much we paid.
I think everyone should have affordable health care. I also think health care should be more affordable. For us, it's becoming unaffordable.
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: I've talked with a handful that have also seen big increases in their premiums.
I've also heard there are some ins companies pulling out of states b/c they don't want to participate in the exchange, causing individuals that were insured through them to find other providers or are forced to enroll in the ACA plans. I do think that something needs to be done in regards to our healthcare but I really wonder how this avenue is going to actually pan out.
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@runsyellowlites: we have two major insurance companies in our area. One is strictly local while the other is nationwide. I don't know everything about it, or understand, but the nationwide company sent notices to everyone (my parents and a few family friends received one) letting them know that their plans would be cancelled December 31, 2013. The company is fighting to be considered an insurance company.
My parents looked into getting insurance with the company we are currently with, and they're being quoted rates over $25,000.
Let that sink in. Twenty five thousand dollars for insurance premiums.
Both my parents are self employed. They have no other options.
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@mrs jump rope. It is always helpful to understand the challenges that unaffordable healthcare brings until someone actually shares their story, so thank you. I would not say that I have any ideas or solutions to the issue of rising premiums. I have not seen any solutions presented either. Like I said, I think good healthcare is a basic human right and would have supported Universal health care, but that was shut down immediately.
Some of you may be able to relate to my health care 'drama, so I will tell you how this has impacted me personally. My husband and I are both self employed. We make a decent wage. We both have health insurance with Blue Cross blue shield, and have been paying close to $700 for coverage for the two of us. We thought we had decent health care. The most number of times we have been to the docs is for our annual physicals and one unfortunate trip to the ER for a serious poison ivy invasion, (it was on my butt, but we will save that story for another day).
A few weeks ago, we found out we were expecting our first baby. I did what any one of you would do, and called my insurance company to see if I could see the ObGyn one of my girlfriends recommended. The woman on the other line said to me- sorry, but you do not have any pregnancy coverage. Your insurance did not include that rider. I was baffled. I asked her what I needed to do to get the rider. She said I would have to wait 10 months because pregnancy is a pre existing condition! I was so upset. I think a woman's maternal health is a common sense basic right. My HUsband and I started researching what the expenses would be to have this baby. In my area, if everything went OK during my hospital delivery, it would cost us $30,000. I could not go the birthing center route with a midwife because I am over 35 and they would considered me high risk. I could not qualify for any assistance because we 'make to much money'. I talked to one of my girlfriends who told me she had the same thing happen to her on her employer's plan- except she found out on month 7 that she would be responsible for all the bills. She had a C section and had to stay in the hospital for two extra days, so she got a hefty bill for $42,000. She was able to get a 'discount' from the hospital and paid $34000.
My husband was finally able to figure out a solution by researching options. We realized we would only need to pay first trimester costs out of pocket until January 1 when Obamacare kicks in, and I wot be judged for my 'per existing condition'. The first doctor visit, labs, u/s, tests etc cost us $1800 already. My doctor's global fee is $6000 in addition, but I also have to pay for whatever additional tests may be required. Fortunately we will not be stuck with a hefty bill at the end of this.
Birthing a child should not be bankrupting a family.
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@Coopersmama: I really dislike that pregnancy is considered a pre-existing condition. I am so, so sorry that you are dealing with this and the extreme costs. It has to be beyond frustrating and I imagine a stressor that you don't need.
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This is a Fox News opinion piece that once again shows that this is a case of some of the worst kind of republicans, not all,
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@lovehoneybee: nailed it. Straight republican obstructionism. Plenty of opportunity to work with Dems but they wanted to relegislate 2012. The American people have spoken about ACA and they want it. This temper tantrum is no way to get what they want and Dems are right to insist on a straight up or down vote.
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@runsyellowlites: can you share links for your assertions?
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@lovehoneybee: I don't think you can equate support for Obama in the election as support for the ACA. Look at the unions who heavily supported Obama in the election and don't want anything to do with the ACA.
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@Mrs. Jacks: here is an article from our local paper that explains why one of the insurance companies sent out letters last month, saying their insurance plans would end.
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/business/news/highmark-halting-special-coverage-703638/
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: @runsyellowlites: our premiums are going up 20 percent. Small business just can't support that. It would be cheaper to just pay the fines and kick the employees out onto the exchange.
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@MrsH: ours have gone up a LOTover the last three years.
Between the premiums and our out of pocket max, we pay over $12,000 a year for health coverage. Our monthly premium is almost the same as our mortgage (not including taxes).
It's projected to go up again this year. We can't afford it. The only reason we could afford the plan this year is because the state attorney General stepped in & told our insurance company they gave me wrong info and as a resolution, they said we didn't have to pay the deductible. Now we are paying coinsurance only, but that still has a $3,000 OOP max.
ETA: when we were married five years ago, our monthly premium was $95. It went up from $35, when we added me to the plan & chose a family plan. Ours has more than quadrupled since 2008. We've been with the same provider since 2008, and my husband was with them for over 20 years.
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: ours have increased 20 percent for the last three. We also have a high deductible plan and baby is due in Jan so we'll meet our deductible in 2014 quite quickly.
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@Mrs. Jacks: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/blue-cross-aetna-united-humana-flee-obamacare-exchanges
I was just hearing about it today, but apparently this was brought up a couple months back. Who knew?! *shrugs shoulders*
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@MrsH: ditto. If I get pregnant this month I'll have 10% of the REs bills, plus the ultrasounds and bloodwork, then all the OB bills and hospital bills in 2014.
We haven't gotten open enrollment information for 2014 yet, but ought to soon. Unless the plan has significantly changed, I don't see delivery, anesthesia and hospital stay covered at no cost. My prenatal care has been $0 deductible and $0 co-pay in the past, but I had to pay 10% delivery with Chloe.
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: have you checked to see if you'll qualify for the exchange? It sounds like you would.
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: we pay even more for health insurance! Hope rates come down over time... this is insane.
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@runsyellowlites: in three states, and I believe it is because those states have stricter regulations. They are participating in all other states. I think "fleeing" is inflammatory and designed to get clicks compared to the actual reality.
PS: CNS news is a far right news "source" with a particular viewpoint.
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@Mrs. Jacks: Oh I think there's actually 10. I'll have to see if I can find where I read it. And I didn't say "fleeing" or anything to presume a great urgency, just that there were some states where people would be losing their insurance. Even if it was only 3, those are some pretty large companies & I'd imagine quite a few people are going to be out coverage from their current plans.
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@runsyellowlites: the article said fleeing which indicated to me that they were being inflammatory for clicks.
These companies are still working in all those states, they are only opting out of the exchanges...
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@Mrs. Jacks: My husband doesn't think we do, and I can't find any sort of online information telling us if we do or don't.
How does it work? Do you qualify if your employer offers insurance?
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@Mrs. Jump Rope: it depends. I posted the link for self-assessment yesterday, but I'll find it again and repost it here.
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Republicans. 100%. They are acting like petulant children.
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Both parties are to be blamed. Obama care sucks and is very confusing, a lot of things doesn't work (eg. the website where you supposed to sign up for Obama care doesn't work, after they worked on it for 3 years), and I feel like republicans are "kidnapping" government employees and their family members to negotiate for what they wanted (delaying obama care).
All in all, a big effort that wastes tons of money, while no one gets paid.
), although there are probably local programs whose federal funding will be delayed and that will undoubtedly cause problems.
I've also heard there are some ins companies pulling out of states b/c they don't want to participate in the exchange, causing individuals that were insured through them to find other providers or are forced to enroll in the ACA plans. 
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