Why the ACA (ObamaCare) was good for us.. and we had insurance

[Peacetrain]

This is not my original thought.. I was passing by the TV today and just caught a nib of someone saying how keeping insurance costs down helped everyone ACA.. And it made me stop and think.. you know.. they were absolutely right. Since the ACA went through.. our insurance premium cost increases have been more than halved.. before the ACA went through, every time my husband got a raise or I did, our insurance costs went up almost that same amount if not a little more.. We spent 20 years never really getting ahead because of it..

Now since we have had the ACA.. our little raises have actually stayed with us.. and we are starting to get a little ahead.. Thank God I am retired now.. that helped too.. our dollar is definitely going farther.. thanks to Obama Care

[bigwillq]

1. Good for your and your family.

My insurance has gone up every year since the ACA became law. I get my insurance through my employer. It's not too much, and I don't really mind, as I feel it will all even out when I get older. I am in my mid to late 30s.

[randys1]

2. Mine doubled, but ACA is not to blame. The blame is that we allow for profit companies

to be involved in something they have no business being involved in.

ACA made stuff better, overall, but ACA is not the ultimate answer.

[bigwillq]

3. I agree.

I'm glad it's helped the people who needed the help, but you are right.

[asturias31]

4. Would be nice to take a poll

Of DU and get people's opinions of whether it has/hasn't done them good and what they hear from their friends.

Me personally: I see no difference. I was insured before, am insured now, and am not aware that ACA has changed anything.

In the "pro" column, I have two friends who were helped by it. One is a young musician with a low income who can finally afford healthcare; the other is a middle aged woman with a pre-existing condition who could finally ditch her crappy (but had benefits) job and get insured through another venue.

In the "con" column: there is definitely some weird stuff going on with pharmacy costs. I can't swear this is related to ACA as opposed to other government changes, but - some previously cheap meds have suddenly gone through the roof and I have been told it's in response to diminshd earnings by drug companies, related to ACA policies (have no idea if this is true). The big one is doxycycline, an old and well-loved generic antibiotic which used to cost pennies and now is unaffordable to many people. It's a real problem to figure out affordable substitutes...not to mention that doxy is the first-line (preferred) agent for a few serious infections. Not sure what's happening there but it's not good. I have also heard some patients complain that they are unhappy with the changes, but I don't know details of why.

What do the rest of you think?

[pnwmom]

6. It has changed your life even if you don't know it.

If you lose your job, you will have access to a choice of individual insurance policies that you didn't have before. If you already have individual insurance, you could switch policies if you chose, and another insurer would have to insure you.

And if you ever got a serious illness (even something as common as asthma), you could never be dropped by your insurer for a pre-existing condition.

You see no difference, because you're overlooking how much more secure your insurance is than it was before. You now have insurance that will protect you in a way your old insurance never did. You just didn't know it.

P.S. The problems with rising costs in drugs have much to do with monopolistic, predatory practices, and nothing to do with the ACA. There were also some "much needed" new quality-control FDA regulations (not part of the ACA) that may be involved.

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/healthcare/224420-generic-drug-costs-rise-congress-asks-why

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/prescription-drug-prices-are-soaring-–-here-s-how-to-save-161137092.html

Generic drugs cost 5% more in 2014 than the year before, a trend experts have blamed on decreased competition in the generic drug manufacturing business, coupled with new quality control initiatives launched by the Food and Drug Administration. Generic drug companies were already operating on such “razor thin profit margins” that many couldn’t handle the cost of complying with the FDA’s new rules, says Bryan Birch, CEO of Truveris. Some companies merged, while others shut down altogether. Less competition opened the door for higher prices.

“I think it was an unintended consequence of a very much-needed change [in generic drug regulation],” Birch says. “[Generic drug makers] saw this as a chance to consolidate and have only a few manufacturers per drug, which gave them an ability to increase prices.”

[asturias31]

7. Thank you

That's helpful insight... Thanks!

[pnwmom]

5. Yes, most of the benefits people won't notice. Another is

that nobody will be dropped from insurance because they get cancer or another expensive illness. They'll just take that for granted, not realizing that it was the ACA that protected them.

And if they want to switch policies, any insurance company will have to take them. This again is due to the ACA.

[AwakeAtLast]

8. It's how I got a raise for the first time in four years

Our insurance premiums went down, leaving money for raises.

You better believe I repeat this fact often, especially if I know they are Republican.