My 2015 ACA Premium Increases 24% FYI

[Dave Schwartz]

I know you guys love to banter about whether or not the ACA insurance is good or bad so. Here is some updated information for you.

We just received our new premium for next year's coverage. Now, understand that we have the best plan available - platinum - mostly because of our age and my wife's next surgical need (knee replacements).

The plan description this year (2014) is:
*$10 co-pay on just about everything.
*$100 deductible
*$3,500 max out of pocket

We have had absolutely zero problems getting to doctors, as both of the primary care networks in town are covered. I went to the same doctor as before. MY wife could have but chose to switch to a different doctor.

The $10 co-pay mentioned above also applied to medications. In the last month the co-pay on many of the meds has dropped to $5. We assume this is because having met the max-out-of-pocket.

We did have a couple of medications refused that had to be re-ordered for something less expensive.

Premiums
Our 2014 premium was $1,553 per month. We have not seen the coverage yet - for all we know the coverage has changed substantially - but the 2015 premium is $1,930 per month.

That is a 24% increase.


Nevada Changes
Previously, we were the only state that operated its own exchange and website. Not sure if this was an improvement or not as we had problems, too.

This year we will go to the same site as everyone else.


The Process/Experience
Our process is definitely not to go to the website and sign up. Instead, we go to a local agent, with an appointment, and let them sort through the potential mess.

Last year (essentially), they walked us through the process, explaining options as we went. Ultimately, we selected a plan. When the plan was "delivered" a couple of months later, it was NOT precisely what we signed up for.

To be clear - the NAME of the plan was the same but the max out-of-pocket was listed at $1,000 and eventually became $3,500.

Although I did not like this, there was nothing I could do.


My Summary
Obviously, your experience could be far different from mine, but all things considered, this was the best bang for the insurance buck I have ever had.

You may have heard a lot of negative things about the ACA but to my knowledge most of the posts on this forum regarding Obamacare are not from people actually using it.

Please KNOW that I am no fan of Obama. Neither am I a fan of the insurance plan itself because I am not convinced that it is good for America. However, if you are 50+ years old and not pleased with your current insurance, I suggest that you investigate through a local agent what it will be like for you.

This is especially true if you make less than $50k per year. The subsidy can be significant. Our monthly premium in 2014 would have been around $350 per month if our income was $50k. Remember that is for TWO people and the amazing coverage we have.

I would also challenge those of you who are naysayers to go to an agent and walk through the process. You can always say, "No." Note that the agent does not collect a premium. It comes in a monthly invoice directly from the company or exchange (as in our case).

I have heard that the ACA is simply not a viable strategy in the Northeast because there are no doctors available under the plan. This may or may not be true, but I heard it directly from my agent.

One other last-minute caveat... As you go through the process, if your income is low enough or (as I have heard) the network is very crowded in your area, the application may offer you Medicaid. DO NOT TAKE THIS! It drops you into a very different type of coverage!


Lastly
I would encourage those people who have actually experienced the ACA to share their experiences here. Otherwise, we just have the highly negative posts from highly biased sources.

Do not be chased away by someone else's opinion-without-experience! Find out for yourself.


Regards,
Dave Schwartz

[ArlJim78]

I baffled why you're singing the praises when you've just been hit with a 24% increase and you still don't know what benefit changes have been made. What am I missing?

[tucker6]

I baffled why you're singing the praises when you've just been hit with a 24% increase and you still don't know what benefit changes have been made. What am I missing?
Yeah, that's a head scratcher.

[Tom]

I get my new BCBS rates for next year tomorrow, but I heard it will be up 18%

Did NObama lie to me when he told me it would be going down?

[Clocker]

Did NObama lie to me when he told me it would be going down?

He said it would be going down about $2500 a year for the average family of four.

You might have trouble convincing anyone at ObamaCare that you are average. :eek:

[Clocker]

I know you guys love to banter about whether or not the ACA insurance is good or bad so.

Good or bad is going to be all over the map depending on individual circumstances. It will be good if you get a big subsidy, if you can afford the deductibles, and if you can get into a network that works for you.

There are winners and losers, and the latter are losers through no fault of their own. I don't judge it by adding up the winners and losers. I judge it on the principles. It greatly restricts freedom of choice, it drives up health care costs, and it is a totally dishonest welfare entitlement program funded by hidden regressive taxes on the young and the healthy. And for the most part it does not fulfill its promise of bringing affordable healthcare to the needy. The program is a loser, as is the country.

[Marshall Bennett]

The insurance I had to buy when Obama cancelled mine will increase by 21% on January 1. Will now be paying $936 a month for myself only.
The bastard makes me want to PUKE !!! :ThmbDown::ThmbDown::ThmbDown:

[FantasticDan]

The insurance I had to buy when Obama cancelled mine will increase by 21% on January 1. Will now be paying $936 a month for myself only. The bastard makes me want to PUKE !!! :ThmbDown::ThmbDown::ThmbDown:Marshall Bennett, 10/22/13:

Due to a preexisting condition (heart surgery in 1995) I've had to get insurance for the past several years through a risk pool program set up in Texas through Blue Cross Blue Shield. Their ending all coverage due to Obamacare at year's end so I'll be forced to go elsewhere. On the plus side there's no doubt the cost for me will be much less. I was paying over $1000 a month just for myself for a good many years.

I guess you wish you were back in your risk-pool paying more (and puking less) :confused: :bang:

[lamboguy]

no one has ever said that the idea behind affordable health is bad. its just to expensive. the reason why is because they never did anything to contain the prices the health care system charges. that is really what is so frustrating about this. there is no way the system can work when doctor's charge $350 for a 10 minute checkup, or a podiatrists charges $300 to take a razer to the bottom of your foot to take out a callus. i don't have a problem with people that can't afford to pay premiums to have health insurance, i just have a problem paying for it.

top to bottom the healthcare business gets all the money. no plan will ever work if they allowed to rob the public like they are doing. and by the way, most of these doctor's haven't got a clue what they are doing to begin with.

[fast4522]

Well not welcomed by some.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/ali-meyer/100-newly-elected-gop-senators-campaigned-repealing-obamacare

[Dave Schwartz]

I baffled why you're singing the praises when you've just been hit with a 24% increase and you still don't know what benefit changes have been made. What am I missing?

Because it is still, far and away, the best coverage I have ever had.

Listen, I had Anthem Blue Cross. Years ago it was $360. Just for me. Then it was $420. Then they went from 80-20 to 70-30 (i.e. 30% co-pay) and the premium still went up. Then it was $550. Then it was $650.

Then it was for 2 of us and the premium was over $1,200. That was 2013.

$1,200 - 30% co-pay, office visits $40, and the deductible was $4,200! DEDUCTIBLE!

Other than an office visit, they paid almost nothing!

Therefore:
Before = $1,200 for nothing but a Major Medical
2014 ACA = $1,550 for EVERYTHING.

So, we were out-of-pocket $650 for my wife's $70k surgery this year.

When I went to get physical therapy, they approved me for 5 sessions per week, for the entire year. My cost was $10 per visit.

Am I thrilled with a 24% increase? No. But I am thrilled with the amazing coverage.

Last year, when the coverage became available, I searched on the open market for a "similar" plan. That is, 10% co-pay and a $1,000 deductible. The closest I came was a 90-10 plan with a $2,000 deductible and the cost was $3,800 per month. That's insane!

[Dave Schwartz]

Good or bad is going to be all over the map depending on individual circumstances. It will be good if you get a big subsidy, if you can afford the deductibles, and if you can get into a network that works for you.

There are winners and losers, and the latter are losers through no fault of their own. I don't judge it by adding up the winners and losers. I judge it on the principles. It greatly restricts freedom of choice, it drives up health care costs, and it is a totally dishonest welfare entitlement program funded by hidden regressive taxes on the young and the healthy. And for the most part it does not fulfill its promise of bringing affordable healthcare to the needy. The program is a loser, as is the country.

I completely agree.

Personally, I think it is bad for the country. After all, how do we (ultimately) afford it?

It is another classic example of the government pretending to solve a problem while the real problem goes unaddressed.

The REAL problem is medical care costs! If you want to solve a problem, go to the source!

[johnhannibalsmith]

Thank God we all must get on board with this bullshit now that some people only get groped mercilessly instead of just outright raped like before.

[JustRalph]

Dave, good for you! I'm very happy for you.

[mostpost]

I know you guys love to banter about whether or not the ACA insurance is good or bad so. Here is some updated information for you.

We just received our new premium for next year's coverage. Now, understand that we have the best plan available - platinum - mostly because of our age and my wife's next surgical need (knee replacements).

The plan description this year (2014) is:
*$10 co-pay on just about everything.
*$100 deductible
*$3,500 max out of pocket

We have had absolutely zero problems getting to doctors, as both of the primary care networks in town are covered. I went to the same doctor as before. MY wife could have but chose to switch to a different doctor.

The $10 co-pay mentioned above also applied to medications. In the last month the co-pay on many of the meds has dropped to $5. We assume this is because having met the max-out-of-pocket.

We did have a couple of medications refused that had to be re-ordered for something less expensive.

Premiums
Our 2014 premium was $1,553 per month. We have not seen the coverage yet - for all we know the coverage has changed substantially - but the 2015 premium is $1,930 per month.

That is a 24% increase.


Nevada Changes
Previously, we were the only state that operated its own exchange and website. Not sure if this was an improvement or not as we had problems, too.

This year we will go to the same site as everyone else.


The Process/Experience
Our process is definitely not to go to the website and sign up. Instead, we go to a local agent, with an appointment, and let them sort through the potential mess.

Last year (essentially), they walked us through the process, explaining options as we went. Ultimately, we selected a plan. When the plan was "delivered" a couple of months later, it was NOT precisely what we signed up for.

To be clear - the NAME of the plan was the same but the max out-of-pocket was listed at $1,000 and eventually became $3,500.

Although I did not like this, there was nothing I could do.


My Summary
Obviously, your experience could be far different from mine, but all things considered, this was the best bang for the insurance buck I have ever had.

You may have heard a lot of negative things about the ACA but to my knowledge most of the posts on this forum regarding Obamacare are not from people actually using it.

Please KNOW that I am no fan of Obama. Neither am I a fan of the insurance plan itself because I am not convinced that it is good for America. However, if you are 50+ years old and not pleased with your current insurance, I suggest that you investigate through a local agent what it will be like for you.

This is especially true if you make less than $50k per year. The subsidy can be significant. Our monthly premium in 2014 would have been around $350 per month if our income was $50k. Remember that is for TWO people and the amazing coverage we have.

I would also challenge those of you who are naysayers to go to an agent and walk through the process. You can always say, "No." Note that the agent does not collect a premium. It comes in a monthly invoice directly from the company or exchange (as in our case).

I have heard that the ACA is simply not a viable strategy in the Northeast because there are no doctors available under the plan. This may or may not be true, but I heard it directly from my agent.

One other last-minute caveat... As you go through the process, if your income is low enough or (as I have heard) the network is very crowded in your area, the application may offer you Medicaid. DO NOT TAKE THIS! It drops you into a very different type of coverage!


Lastly
I would encourage those people who have actually experienced the ACA to share their experiences here. Otherwise, we just have the highly negative posts from highly biased sources.

Do not be chased away by someone else's opinion-without-experience! Find out for yourself.


Regards,
Dave Schwartz
If I recall, you have a platinum plan. I'm sure you want to stay with a platinum plan. I assume you will not sign up for next year until you-or your agent-can research all the plans for 2015. Because, as far as I can determine, the exchanges are not open until the 15th. So, while you may have gotten notice of premiums from your insurer, there may be better options out there.

[Marshall Bennett]

Marshall Bennett, 10/22/13:

Due to a preexisting condition (heart surgery in 1995) I've had to get insurance for the past several years through a risk pool program set up in Texas through Blue Cross Blue Shield. Their ending all coverage due to Obamacare at year's end so I'll be forced to go elsewhere. On the plus side there's no doubt the cost for me will be much less. I was paying over $1000 a month just for myself for a good many years.

I guess you wish you were back in your risk-pool paying more (and puking less) :confused: :bang:
I finally received a discount just before the plan ended as my income level fell within the subsidy conditions of the risk pool. The cost wasn't so much of an issue as was the deductible ($2500 on the old plan vs. $6500 on the new). I was allowed unlimited doctor visits on the old, only 3 per year on the new. The prescriptions cost about 25% more on the new plan.
I've actually heard far worse stories of comparisons by others who's insurance was cancelled. Because of my income and the home I live in I didn't qualify for the government subsidies under Obamacare.

[mostpost]

Well not welcomed by some.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/ali-meyer/100-newly-elected-gop-senators-campaigned-repealing-obamacare
To quote my friend Clocker, "post hoc ergo propter hoc. Some of those new GOP Senators were in states where they would have won if they were against motherhood and apple pie. Others beat Democratic candidates who also distanced themselves from Obamacare.

So you had Republicans voting because they want Obamacare repealed and Democrats not voting because their candidates were unwilling to support Obamacare.

[Tom]

You and your ilk were rejected by the American people, mosite.
Deal with it.

65% think you were destroying America.
Personally, I think that is ridiculous.

ONLY 65%???? :lol: :lol:

[FantasticDan]

You and your ilk were rejected by the American people, mosite.
Deal with it. 65% think you were destroying America. Personally, I think that is ridiculous. ONLY 65%???? :lol: :lol:I hate to state the obvious, but I think if you asked those people why the country was headed in the "wrong direction", most would mention the ridiculous dysfunction of Congress in general rather than the President in particular. His approval numbers are much higher than theirs, after all.

Here are some historical charts on the "right direction" poll :rolleyes:

http://www.pollingreport.com/right.htm

[Dave Schwartz]

If I recall, you have a platinum plan. I'm sure you want to stay with a platinum plan. I assume you will not sign up for next year until you-or your agent-can research all the plans for 2015. Because, as far as I can determine, the exchanges are not open until the 15th. So, while you may have gotten notice of premiums from your insurer, there may be better options out there.

Yes, the letter we received today was for the same plan and it was Platinum. We have an appointment on the 18th to research with the agents.

LOL - They have an "open sign-up" on the 17th at the Peppermill. I am figuring they will be very experienced with the new website by the 2nd day.

[reckless]

Because it is still, far and away, the best coverage I have ever had.

Listen, I had Anthem Blue Cross. Years ago it was $360. Just for me. Then it was $420. Then they went from 80-20 to 70-30 (i.e. 30% co-pay) and the premium still went up. Then it was $550. Then it was $650.

Then it was for 2 of us and the premium was over $1,200. That was 2013.

$1,200 - 30% co-pay, office visits $40, and the deductible was $4,200! DEDUCTIBLE!

Other than an office visit, they paid almost nothing!

Therefore:
Before = $1,200 for nothing but a Major Medical
2014 ACA = $1,550 for EVERYTHING.

So, we were out-of-pocket $650 for my wife's $70k surgery this year.

When I went to get physical therapy, they approved me for 5 sessions per week, for the entire year. My cost was $10 per visit.

Am I thrilled with a 24% increase? No. But I am thrilled with the amazing coverage.

Last year, when the coverage became available, I searched on the open market for a "similar" plan. That is, 10% co-pay and a $1,000 deductible. The closest I came was a 90-10 plan with a $2,000 deductible and the cost was $3,800 per month. That's insane!

I am very glad that you are happy with your ObamaCare coverage.

Let's just hope and pray you never ever get ill and need some of this insurance.

Obama and the Democrats sold a bill of goods to a naive country on the needs for national health 'insurance'.

They never once promised anything about providing quality health 'care.'

[FantasticDan]

I am very glad that you are happy with your ObamaCare coverage. Let's just hope and pray you never ever get ill and need some of this insurance.He's already needed it and has been very satisfied. Didn't you even read his post you quoted?

[Dave Schwartz]

I am very glad that you are happy with your ObamaCare coverage.

Let's just hope and pray you never ever get ill and need some of this insurance.

Did you actually read my posts? Did you read the part about all the benefits we have received and how well it has worked out?


Do you have personal experience with the ACA? If so, please tell us about it.

BTW, in case you didn't read it, I am a registered Republican. I vote conservative on many (but not all) issues and I am right-leaning on many issues.

All that being said, IMHO, we need people to be Americans before they are D's or R's.

[acorn54]

You and your ilk were rejected by the American people, mosite.
Deal with it.

65% think you were destroying America.
Personally, I think that is ridiculous.

ONLY 65%???? :lol: :lol:


personally, i am an independent
i just voted ALL the incumbents out of office.
a worker for steve isreal here on long island called me to vote for him (DEMOCRAT), i told the woman i am voting all the incumbants out of office, because all the politicians we have don't get along, and there is enough blame to go around to both parties. she hung up.
i think my sympathies as to how to vote is pretty popular these days.

[johnhannibalsmith]

I thought conservatives were the polite ones?

[reckless]

Did you actually read my posts? Did you read the part about all the benefits we have received and how well it has worked out?

Do you have personal experience with the ACA? If so, please tell us about it.

BTW, in case you didn't read it, I am a registered Republican. I vote conservative on many (but not all) issues and I am right-leaning on many issues.

All that being said, IMHO, we need people to be Americans before they are D's or R's.

So you're the exception to the 1000s of horror stories that we hear about regularly. I am truly happy for you and the family that it worked for you so far.

I stand by what I have said ad naseum since before ObamaCare criminally became law: the ACA is an insurance scam, with no regard to health care. There is no health and no care in ObamaCare.

I could guess that from your last line you put in bold suggests you think I am speaking from a ideological point of view and not as an American. :lol: :lol: :lol:

If so, you are wrong, Dave.

Obama and those Democrats that voted for ObamaCare solely acted like D's and they did not act like Americans in passing this bill. You know that, right?

[_______]

Dave-

California also runs its own exchange and website. My neighbor works at an agency and is the point person for healthcare policies. She was in tears a number of times last year due to the volume of policies she was working on in addition to her regular duties.

Every state is different and, in fact, different regions of a state can have different rates. As others mentioned, you may find that a different company offers a platinum policy at a rate less than what the one you used last year will charge in 2015. Or not.

It does you no good but our experience here is rates expected to be flat to single digit rises.

I wish you luck and ask that you keep us posted after you see your agent.

[Dave Schwartz]

First, thanks to Prince or whatever _________'s real name is. LOL

So you're the exception to the 1000s of horror stories that we hear about regularly. I am truly happy for you and the family that it worked for you so far.

I am not so sure that those stories are accurate. I have read many of them - like the guy who said that his $149-per-month insurance was covering 100% of his everything-wrong and now his premium was $3k per month with ACA. Most of those stories appear to me to be politically contrived.

Kind of Joe-the-Plumber-like.

Also, I would say that "1,000's" is an gross exaggeration.

My point in writing this stuff - as I have since we got signed up almost a year ago - is that the stories are clearly NOT an accurate portrayal.

Listen - I did not vote for Obama - I didn't like him before he was elected and I don't like what he has done since he has been in office. I pretty much don't like anything that has happened in the last 6 years. (I am also not crazy about the previous 8 years, or 16 years if you want to get technical. For that matter, you'd have to go back to the Reagan years to make me a happy camper - and I didn't vote for him!)

But, we, as a society must learn to be objective. LOL - Now, you might think that I don't sound so objective but, hey - I am an equal opportunity hater: I hate BOTH sides of the aisle.

Back to objective... we must analyze things for what they are, individually, based upon their merits; as opposed to following the party line.

Sure, perhaps you are one that does not do that. Good for you.

However, the majority of the time that I see someone who takes a negative view on something where they have no REAL experience themselves, and COINCIDENTLY it lines up with their political leanings... well, I admit that I prejudge such as situation - call it "political profiling" if you want. I THINK that I have found a PO-litical stereotype.


I had a neighbor across the street - staunch capital "L" liberal. Always wanted to have debates with me. During the Bush-Kerry Presidential race, EVERY morning he would find that his Kerry sign was swapped out for a Bush sign. LOL - He thought I did it. (I didn't. That would be far too much work.)

Anyway, he told me that he was an open-minded person. I said, "Prove it. Name for me 3 things that you think the Democrats have screwed up royally." His response was that they had done EVERYTHING right.

That's a joke. Nobody does everything right.

I mean really... if you're a registered R or D and you can't find 3 things wrong with YOUR side of the aisle, then congratulations. You're a D or R all the way through.

Access to "good" Healthcare should not be a political issue. Unfortunately, it is and like all the others, a completely polarized one.

And let's not forget that this is not a NEW problem. It has been with us for decades, getting worse all along.

[pandy]

The costs for the ACA to the working middle class who do not qualify for subsides are enormous. Young people, who rarely need health care, pay way too much. There is a huge excise tax that businesses have to pay. This is a wage and job killer, plus the shortened hours to slide under the 35 hour limit. Wages continue to drop or stagnate.

Overall, this is a welfare program that greatly benefits low income earners but is brutal for the middle class that does not qualify for subsidies.

Obviously they need to cut healthcare costs and limit lawsuits. But another thing I don't like about Obamacare is that the rich pay the same amount as an average middle class person. It would make more sense to scale it in a similar way that income tax is scaled, so everyone in the middle class could be subsidized by millionaires.

[classhandicapper]

Dave,

I don't think the issue was ever whether the coverage would be better (cost and quality) for some people. That was almost a certainty. The issue was and still is where the money will come from to pay for it. That money doesn't just magically appear.

If it results in higher premiums for some to subsidize others or by government picking up the tab and raising personal taxes/borrowing more money/printing more money, those are things that need to be discussed honestly.

If it comes by forcing some people to pay for things they don't want, don't need, etc... that needs to be discussed honestly.

If it comes by forcing some people off plans they got at work that they were happy with into plans they are not happy with, that needs to be discussed honestly.

The problem is that none of this got discussed honestly because then it never would have passed. Everyone that got screwed either directly or indirectly by having the costs passed to government would be against it (and that's a boatload lot of people subsidizing others).

I have no issue with helping those in need get better healthcare. I would be willing to kick in my share. But not until many inefficiencies and abuses are removed from the system. I'm a nice guy, but I'm not an idiot.

[pandy]

Another thing, which we've discussed before, is the cuts to medicare. My mom was affected because her plan dropped her doctor. In order to keep her doctor, she had to move to a much more expensive plan. So the ACA did increase health care costs for many seniors, as well as many other Americans.

[Dave Schwartz]

I don't think the issue was ever whether the coverage would be better (cost and quality) for some people. That was almost a certainty. The issue was and still is where the money will come from to pay for it. That money doesn't just magically appear.

Classic Handicapper,

I completely agree.

I do not see how the ACA is sustainable.

[pandy]

This is the problem with so many tax burdens, they are not sustainable. Look at real estate taxes. I remember when my parents bought their first (and last) house. The school taxes were a few hundred dollars a year. It seemed like a small price to pay to fund education. No one complained. But, every year like clockwork the tax went up until it was as much as the mortgage payment, and there were no controls at all over the spending of the school board.

[AndyC]

............Access to "good" Healthcare should not be a political issue. Unfortunately, it is and like all the others, a completely polarized one.

The problem is that many people don't want the government telling us what "good" healthcare is. So as long as the government is involved it is a political issue.

[boxcar]

Classic Handicapper,

I completely agree.

I do not see how the ACA is sustainable.

It isn't. And that was always the plan from the inception socialized heath care.

Up next at bat: Single Payer.

[Clocker]

It isn't. And that was always the plan from the inception socialized heath care.

Up next at bat: Single Payer.

Single payer is too big a step to accomplish all at once. The original Democratic proposal for ObamaCare was to include a public option, a kind of Medicare for everyone, where people would pay premiums to the government and receive health insurance. They saw the public option as a transitional device leading inevitably to single payer.

Barney Frank: Public option to single payer. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3BS4C9el98)

The public option could not get the votes at the time, but as ObamaCare collapses under its own weight, I'd bet the libs will bring up the public option again as a "fix" to protect the people against the bad-apple insurance companies. The next step after that would be single payer to "fix" the public option when it doesn't work.

[fast4522]

Up next at bat: Single Payer.

Not in your lifetime.

[Dave Schwartz]

Yesterday was momentous in our walk down ACA Avenue.

1. Beth was approved for knee replacement surgery. Cost: $287.
2. I was approved for hearing aids. Cost: 10% or $75, whichever is LESS!
3. We got signed up for next year's plan.

#3 is the important one of course, for purposes of this discussion.

Note

Premium jumped from $1,553 to $1,901, a 22% increase.

Just as I logged the "subsidized premium" costs last year (for a $50k income level), here they are this year:

Last year was $353 and this year jumped to $629!
That is a whopping 78% increase!

Please note that this is for the Platinum plan, just flat out the best insurance I have had in my lifetime.

The point is that if you are a worker bee in our society, your world is getting rocked this year.

Okay, folks, have at it!

[Tom]

How much coverage do I have if Obama makes me sick to my stomach?

[pandy]

Just got my notice today. My plan went up $150 a month. I'll be shopping for a cheaper plan, which will probably be a lower quality plan with higher deductible.

[RaceBookJoe]

How much coverage do I have if Obama makes me sick to my stomach?

It depends on the degree of stomach sickedness...you have to vomit first so we can see whats in it :)