Georgia Has 2nd Highest Obamacare Rates in the Country

[somarco]

12 Georgia counties have the second highest Obamacare health insurance rates in the country. If you live in Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Crisp, Dougherty, Lee, Mitchell, Randolph, Schley, Sumter, Terrell and Worth counties you are paying too much.

Kaiser Health's 10 most expensive places to get medical insurance - Health Exchange - MarketWatch

If you have a BCBSGA plan, Phoebe Putney, the areas largest hospital network, is not in your network. The nearest participating hospital could be more than 100 miles away.

http://bit.ly/1lxOrgJ

 

[xrac]

What is the reason behind this?

 

[somarco]

If you are asking why the rates are so high in these counties, there are multiple reasons.

Phoebe Putney hospital dominates the market and Blue hasn't been willing to negotiate in good faith for several years.

Putney sets the rates for treatment, which is slightly higher than surrounding areas.

The area has a higher than normal rate of obesity related health conditions.

All of these situations were in place before, but Obamacare only made it significantly worse. The implication of community rating with high claim costs resulted in very high rates for 2014.

 

[GreenSky]

If you are asking why the rates are so high in these counties, there are multiple reasons.

Phoebe Putney hospital dominates the market and Blue hasn't been willing to negotiate in good faith for several years.

Putney sets the rates for treatment, which is slightly higher than surrounding areas.

The area has a higher than normal rate of obesity related health conditions.

All of these situations were in place before, but Obamacare only made it significantly worse. The implication of community rating with high claim costs resulted in very high rates for 2014.

Impossible. We were promised our rates would drop $3,000. Or was that 3,000%.

I forget.

Rick

 

[somarco]

We were promised our rates would drop $3,000.

The rates would have been a lot higher if not for the Obama discount.

 

[xrac]

If you are asking why the rates are so high in these counties, there are multiple reasons.

Phoebe Putney hospital dominates the market and Blue hasn't been willing to negotiate in good faith for several years.

Putney sets the rates for treatment, which is slightly higher than surrounding areas.

The area has a higher than normal rate of obesity related health conditions.

All of these situations were in place before, but Obamacare only made it significantly worse. The implication of community rating with high claim costs resulted in very high rates for 2014.

That is what I was asking. Thanks for the answer.

 

[ltcadviser]

12 Georgia counties have the second highest Obamacare health insurance rates in the country. If you live in Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Crisp, Dougherty, Lee, Mitchell, Randolph, Schley, Sumter, Terrell and Worth counties you are paying too much.

Kaiser Health's 10 most expensive places to get medical insurance - Health Exchange - MarketWatch

If you have a BCBSGA plan, Phoebe Putney, the areas largest hospital network, is not in your network. The nearest participating hospital could be more than 100 miles away.

Affordable Health Care in Georgia Doesn't Exist in Albany

Bob, how come all my friends feel Obamacare is awful. I actually am doing a lot better on Obamacare than I was doing with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of GA. I have a Humana POS Platinum Plan, $1000 deductible, family of 4, $800 month. We had a Blue Value 70/30 $10,000 deductible plan that was $1100 month. Why am I the only happy and satisfied Georgian living in Fulton County? My situation cant be so unusual, can it?

 

[YouGotMyMoney]

ltc did u check the network before signing up with humana, just curious..

 

[somarco]

Jack, you are probably not the only happy one in FC. The folks in south Fulton that you and I are subsidizing are happy too . . . until they try to use their plan.

Yes, there are some winners in this shell game, but more losers than winners.

I have some clients that were paying in xs of $1000/mo just for medication. For about the same premium they now have a plan that caps their OOP for everything at $1000 - $1500 a year.

But I also have couples like this. The husband turns 65 in June but wife has 2 more years before she is Medicare eligible. They took the early renewal option from Humana that allowed them to keep their plan for another year with a $60/mo bump.

If they didn't have the 12 month extension their premium would have tripled and their deductible 30% higher.

And there are the 650,000 or so participants in the GA SHBP (state health benefit plan) that saw their premiums increase, higher deductibles, higher OOP and loss of copay's (only HRA options now).

So yes, Jack. Your situation is unusual.

And Mark, the Humana POS is the same network offered pre-Obamacare.

 

[ltcadviser]

ltc did u check the network before signing up with humana, just curious..

Yes. I did. The process was awful last Fall. But I am thrilled with my plan. I was stuck in a high deductible plan with BCBSGA because I have AFib and my son has ADHD. We couldn't get an affordable plan. I had to pay $15,000 with my BCBSGA plan to get 2 ablations last year.

$10,000 deductible. 70/30. $15,000 OOP. And I had a $1000 RX deductible with BCBSGA too. For $1100 month! All because I became uninsurable for health insurance 2 years ago. Please.

Doing much better now with Obama! Go Barack Go!!!!