Thanks a lot for the Market Place- NOT!

[TracyBelle]

So the 2 market place plans available don't have my Dr. in network. He has been my neurologist since 2005. How am I supposed to just change Drs after 11.5 years? What happened to "you get to keep your own Dr.?" And of course an extra $200 + per month for a company I have never heard of in my life. Anyone ever think "Why do I even bother?"

[erash]

Hi TracyBelle

Im attending a webinar this evening on the Affordable Care Act. There are concerns about the "keeping of pre-existing conditions" lost to privatization and the lumping of people with pre-existing into high risk pools that will price you out of the market. In other words, things may not be good, but they may get worse. I will let you know if I hear any interesting action plans.

I think losing your physician, whom you have an important relationship with, is horrible. This is a negotiation b/w the insurance companies bargaining for the cheapest physician groups.

As a healthcare provider, I can tell you healthcare in the USA is not good. I'm an advocate for socialized medicine, universal healthcare as a right for everyone. But as our friends in the UK can likely attest, the NHS has problems too?

[Lizamy_5]

TracyBelle l am very sorry that this is happening.

I don't know if MSAA can help, but they might be able to point you in the right direction.

Toll-Free Helpline: [phone] for the MSAA

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador]

Ouch, I'm sry TracyBelle l hope like the other said you can get some info.

Hang in there

[jimeka]

Hope you can get sorted. Being from the uk I don't understand how your health insurance works, it sounds expensive and complicated. Hope it goes in your favour. Same as you I love seeing the same doctor as when you see a different one you have to waste time explaining everything again. At least seeing the one that knows you, understands and doesn't have to waste time reading your notes. Blessings Jimeka

[ItsChris]

Hey Tracy.

It's a total sham really (the system). Sorry to hear you are likely forced to switch physicians. I've had similar occur for Me as well.

On a positive note, thanks for the really great chuckle... "If you like your Dr., you can keep your doctor...Period"

Still gets Me every time 😆

[cheshcat]

My plan was dropped for 2017 and the remaining ones are all way up with worse deductibles.

I got an insurance agent to help me. They are free. I highly suggest calling your own insurance agent for a suggestion on who to call. My health insurance agent was very helpful for me.

I wish we would move to a single payer/universal system already. Our patched up system is broken beyond repair.

[StacyHayward]

I'm blessed with really great insurance through my husband's work, but my neurologist is not covered either. We chose to continue seeing him and just pay cash. Worth it to me. Fortunately I only see him about once a year and he is very affordable. If I do an MRI we make sure to have it done through a facility covered by my insurance though.

[erash]

Based on the nonpartisan webinar I attended, and the news, what's coming is likely to be worse for those with disability, pre-existing, the elderly, and the lower and middle income groups. The push is for privatization. They may give vouchers but premiums etc are likely to price you out of the market. Preventive care benefits are likely to disappear (free paps, mammograms, birth control). Regulations that limit insurance companies fees will go away.

Of course we can't be sure what's ahead yet, but based on the discussions and proposals it may make a bad system worse 🙁

[Hidden]

TracyShort, it's MSFighter responding back to your post. I think were all caught up in that current and it just swept us away. in the name of progress our health choices were just wiped out under our feet. In the attempt to provide care to all Americans, a poor, ill thought out plan was rolled out . What happened, was many employer's looked at the new law through an attorney's eye and millions more lost health insurance and 10 hours a week as the employees figured out that only full time employees working over 30 hours a week qualified for health insurance. So now millions of Americans lost 10 hours a week plus their health insurance yet they were going to be fined if they couldn't afford to buy their own. I lost my doctor of 14 years. She is my next door neighbor and took extra good care of me. In Kentucky we have had three different insurance companies go broke and file for bankruptcy because they lost too much money providing the care Obama had dctated. Affordable care my donkey, health insurance rates went up in many states 25-40%! I believe in New Mexico or possibly Arizona it went up over 100%! I hope the new Administration to be here's our cries and helps to fix this broken system,

[Iona60]

TracyShort,

Last year we switched to a no-name marketplace plan to save a few hundred bucks a month. Even the hoops they were made me go through to get Copaxone didn't work, like insisting that my Dr. call them and wait 1 1/2 hours on the phone to get through, pretending they never got the RX that was faxed in, etc, etc. They never sent me the meds and I ran out. Luckily, I was able to change back to Blue Cross during that first month and had the meds within days.

The moral here and a heads up to everyone is, if you are changing companies, try to have extra meds on hand, as much as possible, before you change plans, while you deal with their delays.