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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: J_F_Shepard who wrote (33246)	12/27/2013 5:17:31 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

They can conduct business as they see fit. If word of mouth fills their practices, they're set. From the patient's perspective, however, word of mouth is inadequate, like looking for that needle in the haystack. Someone compiling a list is the best hope of finding someone.

To: J_F_Shepard who wrote (33246)	12/27/2013 1:45:51 PM
From: longnshort	1 Recommendation Recommended By FJB Respond to of 42652

Surprise! Bronze plans may cost a lot more than you expect POSTED AT 10:01 AM ON DECEMBER 27, 2013 BY ED MORRISSEY Oh, not up front — although the bronze plan premiums do cost more than many paid before ObamaCare’s mandates went into effect. No, McClatchy and Kaiser Health News worry about the big hike in overall cost that will hit consumers who choose the so-called “affordable” low-tier plans in the ObamaCare exchanges. They may not cover what people think — or anything at all, until those consumers pay thousands of dollars out of pocket first (via Gabriel Malor): If you buy one of the less expensive insurance plans sold through the new health law’s marketplaces, you may be in for a surprise: Some plans won’t pay for doctor visits before you meet your annual deductible, which could be thousands of dollars. “This could be the next shoe to drop, as people don’t realize that if they’re buying a bronze plan, they may have to pay $5,000 out of pocket before it contributes a penny,” said Carl McDonald, senior analyst with Citi Investment Research, speaking at a conference last month in Washington. Comprehensive plans with deductibles usually cover wellness checks from the start (especially in group plans) — or at least they did until ObamaCare made the entire risk pool a lot more costly. In order to trim costs, especially with millions of new policyholders expected to flood the risk pools, insurers have shielded themselves against the larger risk. Unfortunately, that will have a dampening effect on what Democrats said would be the biggest benefit of ObamaCare — heightened access to routine care: Experts are worrying that some new enrollees will be discouraged from seeing doctors if they have to pay the full charge, rather than simply a copayment. In Miami, for example, 40 percent of bronze plans require consumers to pay the full deductible before coverage kicks in, according to an analysis by online broker eHealthinsurance.com, a private online marketplace, for Kaiser Health News. The average deductible among the examined bronze plans in Miami is $5,735. Patients in those plans who haven’t yet met their annual deductibles would have to pay the full cost of the visits, unless they were for preventive services mandated by the law. A typical office visit can run $65 to $85, while more complex visits may cost more. Put it this way: If the average deductible is $5,735 and a doctor visit is $85, it would takesixty-eightdoctor visits before the insurance kicked in — more than one visit per week. And it would start all over again every year. In one sense, Karl is right: