Illegal Aliens get free medical- but not Americans
Last week, Scott Grout called his health insurance company to “confirm all was good for 2014” and he could keep his plan.
No such luck.But Illegal Aliens pregnant etc get free medical and prescriptions in Oregon - under Obama Regime, just not Legal Working Americans
“They informed me that my current plan will be canceled,” said Grout, who lives in Portland. “They sent no notice of this. I pro-actively called and was told that I was to be auto-rolled onto a much more expensive plan.”
Grout is one of 145,000 Oregonians who buy health coverage on the individual market and have received cancellation notices in recent weeks. Their policies don’t meet the Affordable Care Act’s more robust coverage requirements, which go into effect in January.
For the most part, insurers are mapping people into new plans, so they won’t be without coverage come Jan. 1.
But many of them may end up paying more for these new plans. A lot depends on the level of coverage they had before. Those on high deductible plans will likely see their premiums rise, since the ACA caps out-of-pocket expenses and requires insurers to offer 10 essential benefits.
Grout used to pay $305 a month for his family of four and the plan covered all preventive care and 65 percent of out-of-pocket expenses. The cheapest new plan he could find through Cover Oregon costs $648 a month, with only 50 percent of expenses covered.
Many policies he saw cost north of $1,000. Grout, an investor in tech startups, makes too much to qualify for a subsidy (in order to qualify, he’d have to make $94,000 or less for his size family).
Grout basically wants a catastrophic policy, but that’s no longer possible under the Affordable Care Act (unless you’re in your 20s).
“We’ll most likely adopt a new bronze plan,” he said. “You really have to have coverage. It’s the right thing to do.”
Ossina Bien, a Portland nurse who is currently a stay-at-home mom, said her PacificSource plan costs $374 a month for herself and two kids (her husband is on a separate plan). But that's going up to $538 a month, plus another $60 a month for the kids' dental. Her yearly out of pocket is also rising by more than $5,000.
"My eyes are popping," Bien said "I'm very upset. This is ridiculous. I've been able to afford health insurance and now I can't. It's supposed to be the Affordable Care Act."
She is planning to fill out a lengthy application and send it to Cover Oregon, which is currently processing applications by hand because the online site isn't fully functional.
"I have no other choice," Bien said. "I can't have a six year old and a three year old without health insurance."
Tom Keffer, a 61-year-old retiree who lives in Hood River, is also reeling from some sticker shock.
“I’m unable to continue a policy I had for a decade,” Keffer said. “I’ve been forced onto the market again.”
He was paying $330 a month, with a $5,000 deductible through Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon. The new plan he’d roll over to costs $630 a month and he’d be restricted in which providers he could choose. So he’s opted to go with a $530-a-month plan from Providence Health Plan.
One question that Grout and Keffer would like answered is why prices are going up when various cost-savings measures under health reform should be pushing them the other direction, including more emphasis on preventive care and reducing ER visits.
“A doubling like this just doesn’t feel right,” Grout said
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