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ACA Running Thread

None of these arguments are terribly compelling as to why we need to add pediatric dental to a medical plan when most people either 1) don't have kids or 2) have a separate dental plan.
 
No Dental Insurance? Don’t Wait for Something to Go Wrong

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Around 40 percent of Americans lacked dental insurance at the end of 2012, according to the National Association of Dental Plans. That’s compared to 12.9 percent without health insurance, according to the latest figures from Gallup. Those lacking coverage are far less likely to see a dentist – both for regular preventive exams and treatment of acute pain and other problems.
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We should be able to buy insurance for cancer, diabetes, long-term-care, etc. only after we are afflicted with the need for such care.

That would work so much better.

Not.
 
ConnorEl said:
No Dental Insurance? Don’t Wait for Something to Go Wrong

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Around 40 percent of Americans lacked dental insurance at the end of 2012, according to the National Association of Dental Plans. That’s compared to 12.9 percent without health insurance, according to the latest figures from Gallup. Those lacking coverage are far less likely to see a dentist – both for regular preventive exams and treatment of acute pain and other problems.
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Dental insurance is the biggest rip off in the world. The plans generally have a max payout of $2,000 and they cost $700-900 in premiums. So you're insuring for what exactly?

If they weren't subsidized by being a pre-tax payment made by your employer, no one would ever buy it on their own (if they were smart).

The only value they provide is convenience for employees.
 
Doesn’t mean it couldn’t be made better.

Health insurance, including dental, cancer, trauma, residential hospice, long-term care, etc. insurance, should be universal, IMO. Details wrt copay, deductibles, etc. are open to debate. But everyone should have affordable access to decent care.
 
ConnorEl said:
Doesn’t mean it couldn’t be made better.

Health insurance, including dental, cancer, trauma, residential hospice, long-term care, etc. insurance, should be universal, IMO. Details wrt copay, deductibles, etc. are open to debate. But everyone should have affordable access to decent care.
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Dental coverage is pretty affordable without insurance. But it's also probably the easiest thing to nationalize. Everyone gets a free cleaning or two per year.
 
ACA enrollment for 2018 nearly matches last year's, despite Trump administration efforts to undermine it

More than 8.8 million Americans signed up for Affordable Care Act health plans for 2018 in the 39 states relying on the federal HealthCare.gov website, an unexpectedly robust turnout that approaches the 2017 total, despite an enrollment season cut by half and other moves by the Trump administration to undermine the law's insurance marketplaces.

The numbers the administration reported Thursday include an all-time high for the number of new consumers signing up in a single week, with 1 million such people picking health plans in the final days before the Dec. 15 federal deadline.
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palmab03 said:
None of these arguments are terribly compelling as to why we need to add pediatric dental to a medical plan when most people either 1) don't have kids or 2) have a separate dental plan.
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There is a strong correlation between overall health and dental health. Ultimately, its a pretty small impact to rate, maybe 1% or so. Strong dental lobby on this one too back in 2011.

That being said, insurance spreads costs to everyone. A policy for a 6 YO covers a vasectomy. A policy for a 65 year old female covers maternity.

Ultimately, your policy likely reflects the costs/risks to you even if you carved out all the stuff thats immaterial. You'd pay more for the age/gender risks of your cohort which offset the cost savings from excluding things.
 
CHDeac said:
There is a strong correlation between overall health and dental health. Ultimately, its a pretty small impact to rate, maybe 1% or so. Strong dental lobby on this one too back in 2011.

That being said, insurance spreads costs to everyone. A policy for a 6 YO covers a vasectomy. A policy for a 65 year old female covers maternity.

Ultimately, your policy likely reflects the costs/risks to you even if you carved out all the stuff thats immaterial. You'd pay more for the age/gender risks of your cohort which offset the cost savings from excluding things.
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Good response, thanks.
 
CHDeac said:
Wait. The rhetoric of people dying in the streets due to a shortened open enrollment window didn't happen? This was political no doubt but the impact was so over-stated.
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The impact was over-stated because ACA increased in popularity due to Republicans trying to kill it.
 
PhDeac said:
The impact was over-stated because ACA increased in popularity due to Republicans trying to kill it.
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Maybe but I doubt it. We are in year 5 and the enrollment system largely works well with auto re-enrollment.

As a point of comparison for Medicare Advantage, seniors have 7 weeks to do it and they have no issues.

The enrollment aspects of the ACA market have largely stabilized.

No political spin needed now, on either side.
 
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It’s not spin to note that Trump and Pubs have spoken disparagingly against and tried at every turn to undermine the ACA. And that the effects of essentially all their efforts have been (or would be) to decrease the number of people insured (broadly).
 
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ConnorEl said:
It’s not spin to note that Trump and Pubs have spoken disparagingly against and tried at every turn to undermine the ACA. And that the effects of essentially all their efforts have been (or would be) to decrease the number of people insured (broadly).
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I wont argue that but at this point its semantics and has little to no impact on the law (or enrollment) itself. This change had no impact (regardless of intent) despite a lot of crying on the left.
 
ONW said:
No impact on the law maybe, but these changes have to be impacting people.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/19/us/what-trump-can-do-to-let-obamacare-fail.html
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Meh. Of these, only CSR defunding had a significant impact (15%) on rates which only hits 20% of the market (ie the non subsidized market). Insurers rated for it and the average exchange customer got more premium tax credit to cover the increased cost, and in some cases, more than the increase in the actual cost.

I think the waiver of the individual mandate may have a small impact but the modeling is all over the place on it.

Not sure I buy the others are material at all.

What I question is the hyperbole on both sides of this issue....
 
CHDeac said:
Meh. Of these, only CSR defunding had a significant impact (15%) on rates which only hits 20% of the market (ie the non subsidized market). Insurers rated for it and the average exchange customer got more premium tax credit to cover the increased cost, and in some cases, more than the increase in the actual cost.

I think the waiver of the individual mandate may have a small impact but the modeling is all over the place on it.

Not sure I buy the others are material at all.

What I question is the hyperbole on both sides of this issue....
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If most of these changes are trivial, was the ACA destroying the healthcare industry in the first place?
 
CHDeac said:
Meh. Of these, only CSR defunding had a significant impact (15%) on rates which only hits 20% of the market (ie the non subsidized market). Insurers rated for it and the average exchange customer got more premium tax credit to cover the increased cost, and in some cases, more than the increase in the actual cost.

I think the waiver of the individual mandate may have a small impact but the modeling is all over the place on it.

Not sure I buy the others are material at all.

What I question is the hyperbole on both sides of this issue....
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Seems like you partly answered your own. The uncertainty allows all sides to embrace worst case scenarios.
 
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