Obamacare was supposed to fix all of this — so why are so many Americans still uninsured, even when they qualify for subsidized and even free insurance?
According to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, “28 percent of uninsured individuals who could shop on the Marketplace, or 4.7 million people nationwide, are eligible to purchase a bronze plan with $0 premiums after subsidies in 2020. This figure is similar to 2019, when 27 percent of uninsured individuals, or 4.2 million people, could purchase a no-premium bronze plan.”
More than half of these uninsured who could get the “free” bronze plan live in four states (Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida).
Clearly these people are uninsured by choice rather than circumstance, and it is important to understand why. Obamacare sought to increase insurance coverage for some Americans — and this goal was accomplished in the short term. But at the same time, it contributed to increasing the overall costs of health care for the rest of the nation while simultaneously reducing access.
In the first four years of the ACA, premiums rose approximately 60 percent, according to a study conducted by eHealth. They also found that, “Premiums for the more common Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans increased 15 percent in the four years before the ACA, and 66.2 percent afterwards.”
But higher premiums wouldn’t deter Americans eligible for those “free” bronze plans (with $0 premiums). What might? Sky-high deductibles — which have also risen in the years since Obamacare became law. Those bronze plans have an average deductible of $6,506, at a time when the average American has less than $1,000 in his or her bank account.
According to Gallup, 25 percent of the respondents say they have gone without receiving care for a serious condition for fear of the financial impact: “Americans are more likely to name health care costs than any other issue when asked to say what is the most important financial problem facing their family.”
Higher and higher deductibles are causing individuals to ask their health care providers for cash rates. Transparency in prices for cash payers is creating more competition but the hospitals are less inclined to post these prices unless patients seek them out.
This increase in the real cost of health care has created an invisible barrier to access. “A third of U.S. adults say their family couldn’t afford care in the last year — and the problem doesn’t appear to be tied to being uninsured,” according to a Gallup report. Contrary to what lawmakers on both sides of the aisle claim, coverage does not equate to care. Regardless of whether you have an insurance card in your wallet, the costs of healthcare have created an obstacle for many Americans to get the care they may need.
Another kind of barrier to access comes in the form of insurance networks. These networks give the illusion of choice while keeping the patients from controlling their own care through making informed decisions. In reality, their choices are very limited.
For example, the most renowned cancer centers in the world are found in the U.S. — but not on the ACA exchanges. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Sloan Kettering and the Mayo Clinic are outside of the networks and are therefore not accessible to Americans on these plans — unless they pay out-of-pocket.
The illusion of choice also creates the reality of complexity; U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) recently lamented on Twitter that she was faced with too many choices. Her solution, of course, is Medicare-for-All, as if a complete government takeover of health care will somehow result in less bureaucracy, less red tape and less complexity.
Even in the current system, top-heavy networks are contributing to bottlenecks that increase wait times for doctor visits and certain surgical procedures. That, too, would only get worse.
The promise of free health care being pushed in today’s healthcare debate is a lie, and it’s also a distraction. Americans are concerned about two things: affordability and agency. They want to know that they can afford their health care, and they want to be able to make health care decisions for themselves and their families.
Millions of Americans remain uninsured — by choice — because the ACA doesn’t meet their needs or their budgets. We know that Obamacare on steroids, Medicare-for-All, will similarly fall short.
Reprinted with permission from - The Hill - by David Blatt
Democrats are out to Destroy everything of business in America. Us seniors have medicare for insurance and if we get plans B and C or other letter plans digs into our retirement budget. If we have to use it, we’re stuck with high bills to pay. We are already on a fixed budget and medical bills will be the end of life for us all. So much for the golden years. We still have to pay school taxes by our local government and we don’t use the system. We pay and pay and pay. Let the working force pay for our golden years. We gave this country our blood, sweat and tears to be American. To be taxed like we still work is not fair. We should be exempt from the evil tax collector after 65. If this government goes medicare for all will be the end of affordable insurance for us seniors. Deductibles will be ridiculous and treatment will be limited to aspirin for all cures. To find a good, caring doctor is few and we’re stuck choosing a Patel or Raul. They don’t care for your health. They want that government money from USA.
Will a President Sanders or President Warren take Medicare off budget? If not, will not Medicare for all result in a massive tax increase on working people and retirees? Certainly, these increases will not be called taxes, but “premium increases” and “increases in co-pays”, but not taxes.
All I can is this…you want Medicare? Get out and get a job, pay into the system and then when you’re old enough you’ll receive the Medicare you’ve EARNED!
Like mgoode, I’m old, and take care of myself. After chasing doctors for a problem none of them could solve, having reactions to statins, etc., but having knowledge as a retired RN, I have used the internet and publications by reliable sources to help myself. Much of the health problem is in each persons own hand. Read labels and reduce sugars to 2 grams per serving. Eat less foods containing omega 6 fats. Take a quality multi vitamin-mineral. We were indoctrinated to believe there is a magic bullet to cure everything. There is not. About 93% of what happens to us is controlled by what we eat and toxins to which we are exposed. Quit smoking. Limit alcohol consumption. The unfortunate thing is so many are killed by medicines, hospital stays, etc. I saw an item the other day that said a man who quit eating lunch in order to be more alert in the afternoon, lived to be 104, whereas his 2 brothers lived into their 80s. Something as simple as less food preserves health.
I have no health insurance and have seldom had any. I needed it when I was young, ha ha. Now I am older, I take care of myself. I’ve lived long enough to learn what REALLY works. I go to a few non-doctor health care providers and pay out-of-pocket. Organized medicine is really only disease management, for the most part.
It tickles me that insurance is actually pricing people out of organized medicine. High deductibles=no coverage because you can’t afford them. If you check history, insurance has always increased cost and lowered accessibility. ACA only made it worse.
Sure won’t be reading any of these facts on MSM.
Too bad that our schools (kindergarten through post-grad) have largely ceased educating and now spend their time indoctrinating (political correctness, climate change fantasies, gender studies, etc). No wonder the U.S. ranks 34th in education internationally. The students are deprived of civics, history, math, science, economics, logic, ethics and other knowledge that creates self-sufficient adults. One unfortunate result of this lack of education is that people don’t understand the costs and functions of government. A large portion of ‘medical’ or ‘healthcare’ costs are from expenses incurred by compliance with government regulations (local, state and federal). Much of this revolves around regulation of the insurance industry. Of course we need some rules for safety, but the thousands of regulations with which healthcare providers must comply end up raising the cost of healthcare immensely. Also, the crony capitalism of healthcare companies providing campaign contributions and of healthcare associated lobbyists affecting legislation allows abuses of what the free market costs would be. When one provider (hospital, clinic or whatever) can charge 20 times as much as another in the same city, there is some sort of breakdown in the market. Getting the politicians’ fingers out of the healthcare system could be incredibly beneficial to the general public.
At age 65 and still working with lucky to have employer insurance, it is a worry about having the government controlling my health care. I kown so many who are retired at a young healthy age and find it so expensive to pay for there medicle costs.
It is less expensive to be uninsured than to have a plan with high deductibles. Most medical offices have a rate for self pay that is up to 1/2 the cost of the insured cost. Also Direct Primary Care is on the rise, it bypasses insurance entirely.
I have had insurance for the past 3 years that is essentially useless because, in order to have affordable premiums, the deductibles have been anywhere from $6000-8100. For a person such as myself on Social Security Disability, $6000 may as well be $6 million. I don’t have that kind of money. I was denied Medicaid because my disability benefits are more per month than the $1000 that Medicaid requires, so for many months, my doctor gave me office samples of insulin so that I could manage my Diabetes. That’s just wrong.
I firmly believe that the so called (ACA) Affordable Care Act is in fact not an affordable health care plan at all. I say we dump it now, dump it 100%, and send all doctor bills directly to your representative, along with creating a law that requires the representative to send a copy to all previous representatives for your area or district that voted for the ACA. The new law must also require both the old representative who voted for the ACA and new representative who may have got stuck with it to respond in writing or via e-Mail as to their plan to fix the health care that was destroyed.
Thank you Mr. John McCain. I sure wish you were here to help fix what you, with the deciding vote, stopped the first round of fixes.
Please note that the Medicare for All plan is not even close to what is needed, and any reference to it on a reply allows the receiver to vote for anyone else or no one at all, but not for that specific Representative in any and all upcoming elections.
I am sick and tired of the games, the last minute plans dumped on the House of Representatives or Senate with no time to read it, let alone digest it for making an informed decision.
No wonder why so many citizens out in the land of America are looking for something else beside what we have. The system we have is a good one, but… But with so may stupid folks acting as Representatives we do not get what we deserve; A citizen focused Government.
Pre 1960, the US Government, through the US Public Health Service (PHS) HAD CONTROL of the “Health Care System”, with a PHS hospital in every major city of the US. They also had control of the Physician Residency programs, because those positions were mostly in PHS hospitals.
Pre 1960, the family doctor had 2 staff members, the receptionist/bill collector and the office Nurse. They were even allowed to accept “cash or kind”. That has been made illegal by congress since the 1980’s.
When Medicare came into being in the early 1960’s, the government found that they could not compete with the private sector financially. So, they closed down the PHS hospitals and all the patients that were receiving “free government health care” were dumped onto the private sector health care system. Then they started draconian regulations upon physicians to where today, the family doctor has a staff of 10 people in the Billing Department ALONE!
No, there is NO FREE LUNCH in Health Care and certainly NOT in Government sponsored health care! (Look at the VA system!!)
I am 63 and haven’t had health insurance since 2007. I am extremely fortunate that I never get sick and have no risk of any disease in my family (being a fanatic about exercise is also likely a factor). So for me, paying for insurance just isn’t worth it. Occasionally, if I need something, I just pay out of pocket. I also have refused to participate in Obozocare because I take exception to the concept!!
If Medicare for all is a version of free health care why are my Medicare Premiums so high? I don’t think any of these politicians promising Medicare for all understand that not only did I pay into medicare my entire working life that I also have to pay a monthly premium for all the portions they make me subscribe to since I still work and make a healthy income.
MConMan, I use this type of medical care, too. I love that I can have unlimited office visits for $60/month. I’ve had tons of lab tests done which are included and the doctor didn’t bat an eye over the fact I wanted some of my labs repeated every other month. The time he invests in an office appointment is MUCH longer than the doctors who have one foot in the hall. I would love to see more and more people demanding this type of medical practice so we, the people take back the healthcare industry from the we-don’t-care-at-all-about-you-industry.
I am in this situation myself. Retired on a small pension, not getting Social Security yet, small savings. Had to drop my employer-supplied HMO as it was far too expensive. I have a couple serious medical issues, which result in most health insurance not covering me due to them. Obamacare is a nonoption, for reasons stated in the article. So, I have a large medicalcare debt to pay off out-of-pocket a bit at a time. A needed procedure remains impossible due to cost.
I am able to get an expensive drug for free on a manufacturer’s plan, so that really helps. Otherwise, I’d be doing without, endangering my life.
So, “life in these United States”, with our broken healthcare system.
I am not a fan of a “single payer” government plan, nor the still horrid obamacare plan.
America needs to do better for it’s citizens.
Ending free healthcare to illegals would be a good start.
I actually have nothing to add. Just wish to agree with this article. More Americans should look at our history and compare our history with the countries elsewhere. A famous quote “if you forget history you are doomed to repeat it”.
I had healthcare, and it was really good healthcare. Until the Obama Nightmare started !! Since than, I have no healthcare. And I imagine I won’t have till Trump gets rid of that disgusting stuff we have now !! Stupid Dumocrats, Are no help. Their mission in life is to destroy everything good in America. Please America, Vote Republican !!!! Let’s take back the house and maybe we will have good healthcare again.
Amen!
Nothing is said about the “wait” times for certain specialties- it is nearly impossible to see a dermatologist on short notice. That month or three delay can be quite serious with cancer.
Real care is quite a different thing than insurance & insurance coverage.
Please, stop saying in your titles that “There is No Free Lunch” in healthcare. I know of people who, have been on Medicaid for almost life, and their healthcare is FREE for them, but… my tax dollars pay for them, and I am about sick of it. I have to pay for my healthcare, Medicare and my supplemental insurance that I have to have, to be better able to afford to go to a doctor, when I need to go. I only go when I need to, not just for fun, so those who don’t have a co-pay, with free medicine after visiting a doctor, who can go and just socialize with all the patients who do the same, while I am sitting there, because I am really sick, not just to see my “friends” at the doctors office.
So, your logic sucks and those of us who pay, and pay and pay, are sick of these kinds of articles that allude to the fact that there is no free meals concerning healthcare, as it is FALSE.
Sharon, I believe you missed the point of the article…that there is no free meal in healthcare because SOMEONE somewhere is paying for it and even the person mooching off of the rest of us will pay someday…in the form of even more disasters in our nation’s health”care” industry. Moochers hurt ALL of us.