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Thousands are left furious, terrified after PPO plans dropped

Discussion in 'News & Current Events' started by carpro, Dec 7, 2015.

  1. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    http://www.houstonchronicle.com/bus...hp?t=1374eb521f438d9cbb&cmpid=twitter-premium


    Insurer cutbacks squeeze patients out of high-end care
    Thousands are left furious, terrified after PPO plans dropped


    More than 88,000 people in the Houston area have lost plans from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas for 2016, potentially cutting off some of the most seriously ill from the top-tier medical care the city has built its reputation on.

    Last summer, the state's largest insurance carrier dropped all preferred provider organization plans from both the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange in Houston and the private individual market.

    Now, with only weeks to go before existing plans expire, patients, doctors and hospitals are scrambling to find what care is available under the insurer's replacement health maintenance organization plans.

    snip

    M.D. Anderson, ranked first in cancer care in the nation last summer by U.S. News & World Report, is not covered by a single major insurer on the exchange.

    Nationally renowned Houston Methodist and Texas Children's Hospital also are mostly shut out of the federal marketplace by major insurer HMO plans.


    snip

    Dan Fontaine, executive vice president of administration at M.D. Anderson, has similar concerns about the disappearance of exchange coverage for Houston's prestige medical institutions: "Why so fast? Why so complete?"

    "The management of risk used to be handled through denials of pre-existing conditions," he said of pre-ACA days. "It is now being handled through the narrowing of the marketplace."
     
  2. Baptist Believer

    Baptist Believer Well-Known Member
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    This story is absolutely true.

    I have been working for two weeks to find insurance coverage through the exchange that includes MD Anderson and the doctors I need to continue my recovery. I'm completely out of luck. My healthcare marketplace advisor told me today that she doubts I will be able to find any private plan to cover me since the law is written in such a way that does not allow insurance companies to privately offer individual plans that they do not offer through the exchange.

    I was against the Obamacare plan from the beginning because I suspected that this sort of thing would happen very quickly, because the plan is unsustainable.

    I wish very much that I was wrong, but I'm having to deal with this mess while most media sources don't seem to know or care about what is going on.
     
  3. TCassidy

    TCassidy Late-Administator Emeritus
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    When I retired I continued my wife's health insurance using COBRA. I paid $412 per month.

    After my COBRA expired the same plan was $709 per month.

    After Obamacare kicked in the plan went to $1007 per month. I called Blue Cross and they told me Obamacare required them to provide pre and post natal care and abortion coverage which raised the cost to over $1000 per month. I explain that I was 70 and my wife was 64, I doubted she would need such coverage. It didn't matter. Obamacare said they had to offer it and I had to pay for it.

    My wife's Blue Cross Blue Shield plan was discontinued effective 1-1-16. They tried to sign her up with an alternate plan that is $217 more per month.

    We found a better HMO for her and signed her up for $248 per month less than the Blue Cross Blue Shield alternative plan.

    Obama care at work.
     
  4. carpro

    carpro Well-Known Member
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    Sorry to hear that you have been so adversely affected by this piece of trash legislation. Prayers for you and your recovery.
     
  5. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Yes sorry to hear that
     
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