It's that time of the year, when companies and insurers begin telling their employees and customers about the changes to their health insurance coverage and plans.
Some of us have already received this information. For others, like me, we won't hear anything until next month.
Here's a thread where we can share the information posed in the thread title: How much is your health insurance going up in 2014?
When you share your information, please also share if it's a private plan that you pay 100 percent for, if it's through an employee, if it's through the Affordable Care Act, or if it's through some other avenue.
Like I said, I haven't received word yet, but I imagine my premiums will go up, and my coverage will likely decrease in quality. This is all based on what I'm reading.
Here are some tidbits I've gathered from friends who have received word about changes to their health insurance coverage and rates:
From my friend, who goes by Gumbo:
Another person:
And another:
My cousin:
My friend, Jen:
Online friend:
My pal in Florida:
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Feel free to share your story.
Some of us have already received this information. For others, like me, we won't hear anything until next month.
Here's a thread where we can share the information posed in the thread title: How much is your health insurance going up in 2014?
When you share your information, please also share if it's a private plan that you pay 100 percent for, if it's through an employee, if it's through the Affordable Care Act, or if it's through some other avenue.
Like I said, I haven't received word yet, but I imagine my premiums will go up, and my coverage will likely decrease in quality. This is all based on what I'm reading.
Here are some tidbits I've gathered from friends who have received word about changes to their health insurance coverage and rates:
From my friend, who goes by Gumbo:
I get my insurance through work, but adding the wife and kids would be stupid expensive. Ditto were we to go through my wife's employer. So, for several years, we have purchased our plan through an agent and paid in full. It's a decent plan, but still not cheap.
Got a letter in the mail today stating said plan is not in compliance with the Affordable Care Act, so coverage for my wife and kids is to be terminated.
I haven't punched another man in 28 years, but at this moment, I wouldn't hesitate.
Another person:
Our private insurance goes up about $175 IF we drop to the cheapest, least coverage plan. (we don't have a lot of coverage as it is, so not THAT far to drop! LOL) Staying where we're at takes us up about $250 at least.
Via ACA it would be about $300 more than what we pay now, with less coverage.
And another:
After receiving notification yesterday from my HR department, there are 3 different types of increases. One is temporary. Our benefits at my company are not changing, but we will get the normal increase and I am assuming it will be the standard 5%; we currently have HSA that we pay out of pocket for everything anyway.
The extra fees mandated by the ACA are:
Comparative effectiveness research fee
Reinsurance assessment (supposed to be temporary)
Health insurance industry fee.
The only $ amount I received was it will increase 'slightly'. Their slightly and mine might be two totally different things. We will find out in about 2 weeks when we have our health benefits fair on the 27th.
My cousin:
0. My husband's health insurance is funded through his union dues so we don't pay a separate amount for insurance.
My friend, Jen:
Ours went from $800 a month to $1300 a month. On top of that they added a $5000 deductible which we never had before.
Online friend:
Our BCBS premium is remaining the same for 2014.
My pal in Florida:
Last year our top end family plan went up by $775 out of pocket (15% increase over 2012).
This year the same family plan is going up another $562.42 (14.9% increase over 2013).
All thanks to ACA changes. That is not a political statement, it is just a fact. Effectively we are being taxed an additional $1,337.48 compared to two years ago.
It is actually cheaper for my wife and son to be on one plan and for me to be on my own lower-level plan (wife and I work for the same company). But then we have two separate deductibles to meet if anything big happens. It is a lose-lose situation. Even then our out of pocket goes up $150.90 this year and I have less coverage and a higher deductible.
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Feel free to share your story.