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Curious on US health insurance

Curious on US health insurance

Old Sep 30th 2021, 12:11 pm
  #1  
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Default Curious on US health insurance

As the title says, I have a some curiosity about how US health insurance works. I'm not moving the the US so don't need full links nor really detailed explanations.

What I'm wondering is whether people can get health insurance if they were previously healthy but then develop a chronic condition. For example a healthy 30 yo with no insurance becomes epileptic (or something requiring long term treatment) can they obtain a healthcare plan or does having the condition mean they are uninsurable?

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Old Sep 30th 2021, 12:53 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Yes, previous or current health conditions does not make them uninsurable. It will result in very high premiums, but they will be able to obtain health insurance.
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Old Sep 30th 2021, 1:07 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Originally Posted by Rete
Yes, previous or current health conditions does not make them uninsurable. It will result in very high premiums, but they will be able to obtain health insurance.
Surely not: https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about...ons/index.html
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Old Sep 30th 2021, 1:21 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Originally Posted by MidAtlantic

Thanks for this. I hadn't realized that they insurance company could not charge more for coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
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Old Sep 30th 2021, 1:24 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Originally Posted by MidAtlantic
This is so called Obamacare, right ?
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Old Sep 30th 2021, 1:47 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

The situation you describe above was one of the primary drivers of the Affordable Care Act.
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Old Sep 30th 2021, 2:15 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Originally Posted by Shard
This is so called Obamacare, right ?
It is called the Affordable Care Act or ACA.

https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/fi...protection.pdf
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Old Sep 30th 2021, 3:41 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Insurance does not cover everything, most people bankrupted by Medical costs have Insurance.

Lady I was talking to yesterday pays $600pm for medicines after Insurance and all the other ways of getting lower prices.
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Old Sep 30th 2021, 3:51 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Majority of Americans acquire their health insurance via their employer. As such you'll want to look at the specific plan to know what coats and coverage it has.
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Old Sep 30th 2021, 4:41 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Originally Posted by Shard
This is so called Obamacare, right ?
That's what the majority of Americans know it as. I would never call it ACA but always Obamacare.
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Old Sep 30th 2021, 5:11 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Then there’s Medicare. Medicare is a federal health insurance program that pays for covered health care services for most people aged 65 and older and for certain permanently disabled individuals under the age of 65.
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Old Sep 30th 2021, 6:34 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

In California (presumably other states as well) if your low income there is Medi-Cal which is California's version of Medicaid, Medi-Cal actually isn't too bad, the low income in California on Medi-Cal get better coverage for healthcare than people do in Canada.

One of the best changes due to ACA was the changes surrounding pre-existing conditions, when I was booted off my parents insurance at 19 since I wasn't a student, I couldn't find health insurance I was either denied due to pre-existing conditions or they wanted obscene monthly premiums, and they went back all the way to 1979 and 1983 to justify the pre-existing conditions denial.

For most it boils down to who you work for and how good their insurance is, some employers do better than others, some pass more of the cost of health insurance to employees than others do.



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Old Oct 1st 2021, 1:02 pm
  #13  
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Originally Posted by robin1234
Then there’s Medicare. Medicare is a federal health insurance program that pays for covered health care services for most people aged 65 and older and for certain permanently disabled individuals under the age of 65.
How does the Medicare for over 65's compare to NHS for over 65's in the UK? Roughly the same? Prescriptions perhaps not included.
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Old Oct 1st 2021, 1:11 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Originally Posted by tom169
Majority of Americans acquire their health insurance via their employer. As such you'll want to look at the specific plan to know what coats and coverage it has.
It's always seemed another tool of corporate indenture to me. It's interesting that many Americans actually support the idea of unequal healthcare (competitive economic incentives etc).
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Old Oct 1st 2021, 1:26 pm
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Default Re: Curious on US health insurance

Originally Posted by Shard
It's always seemed another tool of corporate indenture to me. It's interesting that many Americans actually support the idea of unequal healthcare (competitive economic incentives etc).
Don't you always go with what you know and what is consider status quo?

Why would they want healthcare sponsored by a government that few trust or voted for? Medicare is okay for the most part but requires a supplemental policy if you don't want medical bills sent you for uncovered services. Medicare does have a Part "D or E" that covers prescriptions, I believe. But it doesn't cover eye wear or hearing aids.
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