I got a letter from my carrier yesterday that Aetna is leaving the individual market in CA on 12-31-13. They will return all CA applications for new policies still in their possession on 6/24/13. Apparently, they did not want to upgrade their CA HDHP policies to conform with PPACA standards to roll out on 10/1/13.
They will still write and service large employer-sponsored health plans in CA (employers of over 50 employees) and will be giving up approximately 49K (part of them “grandfathered”) individual policyholders in CA, like myself.
I’m going to have to avail myself of the state-run “silver plan,” and can hopefully qualify for a smallish tax credit to help pay for it. It’s going to be about 65% more expensive than my current plan and have higher copays than I have, higher generic prescription costs and higher costs for tests and X-rays. Only it’s OOP annual cap is lower, but only by $1600.
In any case, I cannot address this issue until CoveredCA rolls out the particulars after 10/1/13, i.e. which carrier for which plan (YES, there’s a HUGE DIFFERENCE between carriers) and choice (or lack thereof) of providers.
It’s time to finish scheduling whatever expensive tests I think I’ll need for the next few years NOW as their costs are going to go w-a-a-a-ay up for me after 1/1/14.
Meanwhile, I got another $35 rate hike beginning July 1, 2013, (the 13th rate hike I’ve received since 2004, when I signed up).
I’ve gotta get my “money’s worth” now, as I’ve been relatively “healthy” and haven’t used much more than preventative services over the years.
Now, I’ll be “lumped in” by age and smoking status ONLY on the state-run exchange with my “brethren,” many of whom did NOT take stellar care of themselves over the years or had/have addiction issues which were/are, not surprisingly, now causing them major health problems. I won’t be able to obtain a healthcare premium based upon my OWN health status and level of healthcare usage (which requires effort and diligence to maintain) ever again, unless the PPACA is somehow overturned.
The days of having to medically qualify for a healthplan and premium-level (as I did) are now OVER, folks.
I believe the original intent of of “Obamacare,” FKA “Clinton-era failed healthcare-reform,” was for the healthy to pay enough in premiums to subsidize the non-healthy. I don’t have a problem with this, in theory, for cancer treatment for a deserving patient who is simply unlucky or to contribute to a program such as “Healthy Families” (CA low-income children’s coverage) but SO MANY health problems in adults (including some cancers) are self-inflicted. This is why I believe every healthcare plan applicant should be underwritten individually. Otherwise, the “system” is VERY unfair to the disciplined vegetarians, tree-hugging yogis, gym rats and otherwise athletically-inclined individuals who have never had addiction problems.
Based upon the uninsured (by choice) with whom I’ve talked to, I don’t think the healthcare reform mandate for coverage is going to be successful as there are no teeth in any laws to collect fines from those who don’t comply with obtaining and keeping coverage. In addition, many residents of SD County have Sentri passes and go to MX regularly for medical/dental treatment and have done so for many years.
Interesting times we live in, folks :=0
I hope I don’t have any big health issues next year and am able to obtain coverage with a decent carrier. Otherwise, there is just more incentive for the retired and soon-to-be-retired-but-still-under-age-65 group (of which I’m a member, lol) to leave the state in search of better carriers with better plans who are participating in state and Federal healthcare exchanges.
For example, if I am required by CoveredCA to pay ~$550 per month for some BS nearly-worthless plan run by “Health Net,” I’m going sign up but be out of here as soon as I can, folks.
The providers in CA populous counties have got to be disgusted beyond belief that Aetna and CIGNA are not participating in the state-run exchange and that Aetna is leaving the state (exc for employer-sponsored plans). I guess these two giants want to stay alive until the initiation of the PPACA shakes out and the quantity and quality of the actual poor and sick (or just sick) new applicants is known.
Of course, all the other states will be watching the results of CA’s exchange closely, as being the most populous state, CA is the “testing ground” for this debacle … err … experiment.
