Businesses May Get Sticker Shock on Health Care

[Barefootsies]

Sad news for employers.

NEW YORK (AP) ? Small business owners may be experiencing sticker shock now that insurers are revealing the rates they want to charge under the new health care law.
So far, in Rhode Island, insurers are requesting premium increases of up to 14 percent for small business coverage when the Affordable Care Act is fully effective Jan. 1. They're also in double digits in Maryland.

Small businesses, especially those that are required, for the first time, to start providing coverage under the Affordable Care Act have been waiting for some clue about how much it will cost. Many are worried that paying for health care will hurt profits and have held back on hiring, spending or expanding. The information that's been released to date is providing some insight, but not enough for small businesses to be comfortable about making big financial moves.

That's because the rates that insurers requested in filings last month in three states ? Maryland, Rhode Island and Vermont ? are far from final. They're subject to approval and changes by state regulators. In Vermont, owners' decisions on coverage are likely to be affected by a bill in the state Legislature that would provide subsidies to coverage their employees might buy. And in some states, insurers may decide to revise their rates when health insurance exchanges ? where companies and individuals will shop for rates ? are up and running later this year. The insurers also haven't released details on what kinds of medical coverage the premiums will buy.

"The last insurance company that we talked to told me it's actually going to be more expensive than it was in the past," says Peggy Farabaugh, CEO of Vermont Woods Studios, a furniture retailer in Vernon, Vt. Vermont is the first state where premium requests were filed.

Farabaugh says she has wanted to provide insurance for her employees since the company was founded seven years ago. She hasn't been able to afford it. She has nine employees, most of whom have coverage of their own, but she's afraid that she still won't be able to buy insurance for two of her workers under the ACA.

FULL STORY

[Fat Panda]

not a single small business will have to deal with obamacare

[Grapesoda]

wonder how long until businesses are forced to dived the net equally among employees?

[marcop]

Oh, those poor businesses.

I have an individual policy, and between August last year and March this year the premium went up (in two raises) by a total of 43%.

[_Richard_]

Originally Posted by marcop

Oh, those poor businesses.

I have an individual policy, and between August last year and March this year the premium went up (in two raises) by a total of 43%.

is this the US or UK?

[Sly]

As long as epitome has insurance, all is well.

[marcop]

Originally Posted by _Richard_

is this the US or UK?

The USA... California. And the company I buy from is Anthem, which used to be Blue Shield. Ironically 25 years ago, when I was a computer consultant, I worked for nearly a year at their headquarters in Woodland Hills (Los Angeles).

[_Richard_]

Originally Posted by marcop

The USA... California. And the company I buy from is Anthem, which used to be Blue Shield. Ironically 25 years ago, when I was a computer consultant, I worked for nearly a year at their headquarters in Woodland Hills (Los Angeles).

politics etc aside, learning about the us healthcare system is a little horrifying

[epitome]

Originally Posted by Sly

As long as epitome has insurance, all is well.

This is just another scare article not based on fact.

Those small businesses quoted will not even have to provide insurance to their employees.

People think health insurance is tied to employment and it's not. It's one of the things this law addresses.

I am terribly sorry if the majority of the people do not understand the law because they have not taken the time to research it.

But hey, let's all continue to be scared of the big bad ObamaCare even though we've done zero research into and keep repeating false talking points!

[Minte]

There's nothing affordable about it. second 11% increase in a row on our group policy through bluecross blueshield. Since the new rate was announced we had more employees drop out. Even though they pay only 30% of the premium it's still too much for average income people. It's nearly $100 a week for someone who has the family plan,. And frankly,our insurance policy is a joke. High deductibles, High copays..and they doubled the employee contribution for the drug card to $20.

Welcome to the new world...

[96ukssob]

Insurance companies are all fucking thieves... All of them!!!

Edit: and people wonder why no one is hiring when us business owners keep getting fucked

[marcop]

Originally Posted by _Richard_

politics etc aside, learning about the us healthcare system is a little horrifying

I grew up in England, so the healthcare system in the US makes absolutely no sense to me.

Perhaps the quality of care here is better... it may well be. But no one dies in England because they get cancer and then can't afford to pay for treatment.

[Barefootsies]

Originally Posted by Minte

There's nothing affordable about it. second 11% increase in a row on our group policy through bluecross blueshield. Since the new rate was announced we had more employees drop out. Even though they pay only 30% of the premium it's still too much for average income people. It's nearly $100 a week for someone who has the family plan,. And frankly,our insurance policy is a joke. High deductibles, High copays..and they doubled the employee contribution for the drug card to $20.

Welcome to the new world...

No possible.

Random strangers of GFY have said otherwise. No fear from Obama medical.

Embrace the new world order. Grab your boots and start goose stepping.

[kane]

Originally Posted by Minte

There's nothing affordable about it. second 11% increase in a row on our group policy through bluecross blueshield. Since the new rate was announced we had more employees drop out. Even though they pay only 30% of the premium it's still too much for average income people. It's nearly $100 a week for someone who has the family plan,. And frankly,our insurance policy is a joke. High deductibles, High copays..and they doubled the employee contribution for the drug card to $20.

Welcome to the new world...

To me, examples like this are why I think eventually this country will end up with a single payer system like Canada/UK.

The reason is that the cost of healthcare in general (insurance, actual care, drugs etc) just continues to rise. Nearly half of all bankruptcies in the US are because of medical bills and most of those people had/have some kind of health insurance. As the prices continue to rise we will see more people who are unable to afford it even if they are offered it through their jobs and they could end up in some serious financial problems if they then get sick or hurt. As more and more people drop out and more and more people start to see financial ruin eventually it will reach a breaking point where there will either need to be a major overhaul of the system or the system will have to change and I think it is more likely that they will come up with a "medicaid for all" solution instead of doing other things that would lower the cost.

I think you are seeing the start of this first hand.

[Rochard]

Small businesses aren't the only ones getting the shock; Everyone is. I have a friend of mind who is a state employee for the past twenty years, and every year she makes less and less money because her raises aren't half of the health care costs increase. It's fucking shameful.

To top it off, it's not the doctors making bank. My wife runs a small doctor's office, and the doctor is making less than she is - and that's not much.

It's the HMOs themselves. They know they can raise prices by staggering amounts, and they do. The only way to control this is to have the government step in and bitch smack the healthcare industry hard.

[Supz]

Originally Posted by marcop

The USA... California. And the company I buy from is Anthem, which used to be Blue Shield. Ironically 25 years ago, when I was a computer consultant, I worked for nearly a year at their headquarters in Woodland Hills (Los Angeles).

If you work for yourself as a webmaster. Have you ever looked into Freelancers Union Insurance? This seems to be very popular amongst self employed people.

[Bman]

Originally Posted by Supz

If you work for yourself as a webmaster. Have you ever looked into Freelancers Union Insurance? This seems to be very popular amongst self employed people.

We don't offer health insurance plans where you live, but we are working to expand our model to new states, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, make sure you check out our other services, including dental, life, and disability insurance.

[Supz]

Originally Posted by Bman

We don't offer health insurance plans where you live, but we are working to expand our model to new states, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, make sure you check out our other services, including dental, life, and disability insurance.

Dont you get free healthcare in Vancouver, or are you in Vancouver, WA?

[PornoMonster]

Originally Posted by Rochard

Small businesses aren't the only ones getting the shock; Everyone is. I have a friend of mind who is a state employee for the past twenty years, and every year she makes less and less money because her raises aren't half of the health care costs increase. It's fucking shameful.

To top it off, it's not the doctors making bank. My wife runs a small doctor's office, and the doctor is making less than she is - and that's not much.

It's the HMOs themselves. They know they can raise prices by staggering amounts, and they do. The only way to control this is to have the government step in and bitch smack the healthcare industry hard.

Can't be true, Didn't Obama Care limit the percent Profit an insurance company can make?
I bet they run the same books as Non-Profit organizations.

[Kolargol]

Originally Posted by marcop

I grew up in England, so the healthcare system in the US makes absolutely no sense to me.

Perhaps the quality of care here is better... it may well be. But no one dies in England because they get cancer and then can't afford to pay for treatment.

I wouldn't say quality of care is better in USA, In USA medicine is really modern and innovative but in the UK on average you have better chances to survive your hospital stay without ending as a bankrupt.

[_Richard_]

Originally Posted by marcop

I grew up in England, so the healthcare system in the US makes absolutely no sense to me.

Perhaps the quality of care here is better... it may well be. But no one dies in England because they get cancer and then can't afford to pay for treatment.

id have to dig up the quotes from my friend out of florida, but what they take as usual is about 1000% more than i pay for health insurance.. if i had a full family, 999%

we're talking.. batshit crazy kinda stuff

then you get into what the honest doctors down there have to deal with, and that's.. a little mind numbing

we're moving towards semi-privatized.. same for the UK?

[HelmutKohl]

Only Public Option can stop it, but GOP shot it down in the first round of negotiations. What is left of Obama Care is a big lunch for health insurance industry. Business and thier Republicans pimps won again and people will suffer.