ACA ObamaCare 2018 - Rules, Premiums, Info, Etc.

[scagnt83]

The issue I always heard with association plans was very inconsistent participation, higher claims ratios, & issues with the admin (like high overhead and issues collecting dues/premiums).

Lose your job as an engineer... go take out an association plan.
Get a new job as an engineer... drop the association plan for the employer-subsidized plan.

And back then (before GI) it was "cant qualify for a fully underwritten individual plan.... go join an association with a SI or GI Plan"

A Group Plan is pretty much guaranteed to get paid via payroll deduction and the employer. The admin system for paying premiums is mostly already in place with the Group Plan. That all helps to reduce the premium on Group Plans. And none of that is true for association plans. Totally different animal with lots of potential headaches.

Id love to see it work. But dont hold a lot of faith that it will be the saving grace it seems on the surface.

 

[VolAgent]

The issue I always heard with association plans was very inconsistent participation, higher claims ratios, & issues with the admin (like high overhead and issues collecting dues/premiums).

Lose your job as an engineer... go take out an association plan.
Get a new job as an engineer... drop the association plan for the employer-subsidized plan.

And back then (before GI) it was "cant qualify for a fully underwritten individual plan.... go join an association with a SI or GI Plan"

A Group Plan is pretty much guaranteed to get paid via payroll deduction and the employer. The admin system for paying premiums is mostly already in place with the Group Plan. That all helps to reduce the premium on Group Plans. And none of that is true for association plans. Totally different animal with lots of potential headaches.

Id love to see it work. But dont hold a lot of faith that it will be the saving grace it seems on the surface.

TRH, Tennessee Farm Bureau's health plans, were run like health insurance. They actually aren't, they were always extremely careful never to call it health insurance. I've heard enough horror stories of people with high claims being dropped that I wouldn't touch it.

While they do not advertise it like they use to, they still promote it. At one point they were extremely aggressive and the agents were saying they were selling BCBS of TN, who administered it for them at that time.

To the best of my knowledge, they have never had issues collecting premiums and paying claims. Although again, I have heard quite a few stories about them dropping people with high claims. And the fact they were always extremely careful to say health plan and not health insurance, I suspect there was some truth to it.

 

[scagnt83]

TRH, Tennessee Farm Bureau's health plans, were run like health insurance. They actually aren't, they were always extremely careful never to call it health insurance. I've heard enough horror stories of people with high claims being dropped that I wouldn't touch it.

While they do not advertise it like they use to, they still promote it. At one point they were extremely aggressive and the agents were saying they were selling BCBS of TN, who administered it for them at that time.

To the best of my knowledge, they have never had issues collecting premiums and paying claims. Although again, I have heard quite a few stories about them dropping people with high claims. And the fact they were always extremely careful to say health plan and not health insurance, I suspect there was some truth to it.

"No issues collecting premiums" compared to what? I guarantee you it takes more effort and is less reliable than a group plan.

Individuals are inconsistent by nature, Employer Groups are not. The employer is the one responsible for the premium, chances of them not paying are very slim compared to an individual. Much less risk of lapse.

Im not really familiar with that product. But Im talking about true group health that was offered through associations back when that was a thing.

It sounds like that product is administered completely through health carriers and they just rubber stamp the contract with an association of some sort. (like many cheap E&O carriers do)
Is the FB plan available in SC? Or is it just a TN based plan?

 

[somarco]

Association plans have good and bad. Much depends on who is running the program.

BFAW (formerly part of Corroon & Black) did very well for years with their association type MET plans. Management changes didn't work out so well and eventually the plans crashed and burned.

Professional associations (lawyers, doctors, accountants) typically worked better than auto dealers and home builders.

Taft-Hartley plans are just another form of association plan. As long as the union bosses aren't skimming they too work well. Premiums are collected from the employer along with union dues.

The "law of large numbers" gives them a better chance of working vs individual plans. Retention costs are almost always lower. Some of the plans I worked with years ago returned over 90% in claim payments.

As to the new plans, if they get off the ground, we will have to wait and see.

 

[junkman]

Farm Bureau is currently underwritten and administered by UHC. The required full medical exam within 6 months and full medical in addition to a clean app. Agents are ignorant of medical insurance. No commission but premium counts toward trips.

Associations either underwrite, are cheap or have little underwriting and blow up.

We always choose between A and B. We may not like either. ACA rates are out 10/15. Time to pick. I hate it. Family will probably stay with FB. No idea what I'll do. Apparently STM isn't an option this year.

 

[scagnt83]

Farm Bureau's website has a "notice" on the health insurance main page saying they will no longer offer MEC Plans starting in 2018. Seems to only be offered in TN as well.

 

[aikenhealth]

In 47 of 50 cities, ObamaCare coverage will be 'unaffordable' in 2018 by law's definition. Any Option will be better than this one - looks like nobody will have to pay the "tax fine" - exceeds the affordability exclusion

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...-unaffordable-in-2018-by-laws-definition.html

 

[RayNY]

Not sure how many noticed, but CHIP funding expired this weekend. It wasn't renewed.

It's expected to be renewed as it's broadly popular, but there's no guarantee.

If it's not renewed, according to MACPAC, here's how long reserves will last:

Projected Exhaustion of Federal CHIP Funds in Fiscal Year 2018

October–December 2017 Arizona, District of Columbia, Minnesota, and North Carolina

January–March 2018 Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington

April–June 2018 Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin

July–September 2018 Wyoming

https://www.macpac.gov/wp-content/u...nding_When-Will-States-Exhaust-Allotments.pdf

 

[somarco]

CHIP has been overlooked and was almost eliminated by Obamacare. The program started in 1997 and has become a political football ever since.

CHIP is one of 3 overlapping and redundant programs designed to fund healthcare for children in low income families. CHIP, Medicaid and Obamacare all address this need but in different ways.

Obamacare was also designed to reduce and eliminate DSH payments since the big picture folks felt like Medicaid expansion and Obamacare would eliminate subsidy payments to hospitals that provided charity care.

DSH reductions have led to the closing of many rural hospitals and emergency rooms.

Well played, DC.

 

[Mike Siegal]

...
While reading this news article, think "association", when seeing the across state line jargon.

Here Ya Go Tater: Trump preparing executive order to let Americans purchase health insurance across state lines

When liberals learn of this, they will go ballistic.. "Trump is now stealing all the healthy people from ObamaCare risk pools!!!!"

Not sure how this will ruin Obama Plan.

Are you saying that no boarders with "association plans" will create such a demand that ACA will fall off the Map?

Thanks