Nothing affordable about the Affordable Care Act

By Greg Rickaby

Published Nov 13, 2014 | Updated Dec 28, 2022

I have Individual Blue from Blue Cross Blue Shield. It’s a health insurance plan for the self-employed and is a no-frills, high deductible, catastrophic, “oh fuck I just lost my left leg” kind of thing.

Why do I have it? Because in 2008 I ventured out on my own as a freelancer, and this plan covered my entire family for a mere $297 per month.

This plan was lucky enough to be “grandfathered in” under the Affordable Care Act. Quite honestly, it’s terrible insurance. I pay out the ass for co-pays, and prescriptions, and had to pony up $2,000 (out of pocket) so Tara could give birth to Chloe – BUT HEY! IT’S HALF THE PRICE OF ANYTHING ELSE!

Three things have changed in the last 6 years:

Added dental in 2010
Added a dependent in 2014 (Chloe)
My premium has risen from $297 -> $615

Why?

Why has my coverage remained the same, but my premium more than doubled in just SIX YEARS!? The inflation rate in this time span is 8.2%. But my insurance premium has risen 55%? Can someone help me understand how this is fair?

Dave Ramsey says it’s basic math:

This is simply not sustainable! Furthermore, it’s now ILLEGAL to NOT have this. It’s fucking extortion really.

I fear the day Blue Cross Blue Shield drops our plan – and we have to actually go buy insurance on the marketplace. God help us all.

Comments

bZirk

Jan 12, 2016

So it’s January 2016, and how about deductibles of $6,000+. Forget losing a leg. If you take a specialty drug, oh, say an immuno-suppressant that keeps you alive, you could pay $1,000 a month just for drugs, and the co-pay doesn’t count towards the deductible. Yeah, that’s a enough to say fuck.

Ben Lobaugh (blobaugh)

Jan 12, 2016

My aunt has been a health insurance agent for years. She tells me that less people are now insured, and less people are able to get insurance, and the process is significantly more difficult……Yay “progress”