Small Business and Healthcare

[MTI]

As I understand it, conservatives are convinced that the ACA Obamacare is a death knell to small business and "the no. 1 job killer." But how so?

1) Access to healthcare, without penalty for pre-existing and current conditions, means that fewer people will be dependent on their workplace health plan . . . possibly allowing them for the first time, to start their own small business.

2) Small business employers that provide health insurance are less likely to see their premiums skyrocket if one of their employees, or kids, has a catastrophic illness.

3) Employer tax credits

4) The 25% of small business owners who don't carry health insurance for themselves, for various reason, can also be insured.

[spdrun]

It's not, it's just the usual line of unfounded nonsense.

[Mike Murrell]

Originally Posted by MTI

1) Access to healthcare, without penalty for pre-existing and current conditions, means that fewer people will be dependent on their workplace health plan . . . possibly allowing them for the first time, to start their own small business.

This is where it gets confusing for me.

One can buy an ACA plan while currently enrolled in an employer-provided plan?

If so, the ACA plan picks up where the employer plan left off. "Left off" being another way of saying "employers plan won't pay"?

I might proceed with my next question after my 2 queries have been clarified.

[rs899]

^^ 1 perhaps, if it sux badly enough


https://www.healthcare.gov/what-if-i-have-job-based-health-insurance/


2 Not sure I understand your question, but it's not a supplement. It's either or....

[barry12345]

I am 71 and consume maybe an hour per year average of a health care professionals time. This includes four per year scope examinations to make sure I am still clear of cancer. Less than five minutes each to preform each procedure.

In retrospect this health care system is somewhat insane even if it is pre funded like here in Canada or paid by some insurance system like in the states.

I am to get a cat scan and ultrasound this week though because I had an infection. I just do not get it. Are we really just brainwashed totally. For example our dogs vet seems to get about 600.00 per hour by my recient experiences.

When something is really out of shape we tend to not look at it properly. If health care is not seriously out of shape I have no ideal what is.

What is even worse is for the average person under direct insurance pay of some sort or another they may not even be meeting their yearly deductables. So they fundamentally just have disaster insurance. Since they are still saddled with paying for normal medical costs anyways.This above and beyond their premium costs.

Some effort by governments should be made to examine a system that is very abusive from a financial perspective. I hear fifty thousand to deal with a heart attack situation. My question is how is this even possible? Then an ongoing prescription drug situation of some substantial cost. I am not arguing pre paid government versus private insurance. Just the seemingly insane costs of both.

[sloride]

Originally Posted by MTI

As I understand it, conservatives are convinced that the ACA Obamacare is a death knell to small business and "the no. 1 job killer." But how so?

1) Access to healthcare, without penalty for pre-existing and current conditions, means that fewer people will be dependent on their workplace health plan . . . possibly allowing them for the first time, to start their own small business.

2) Small business employers that provide health insurance are less likely to see their premiums skyrocket if one of their employees, or kids, has a catastrophic illness.

3) Employer tax credits

4) The 25% of small business owners who don't carry health insurance for themselves, for various reason, can also be insured.

The only advantage as I see it is for the fifty year old plus looking for a job. Before the ACA an employer might pass on some older applicants as not to throw their group into a more expensive group. The way I understand it is that the ACA act requires that the most a plan can charge is three times that of twenty seven year old in the same plan.

[spdrun]

Originally Posted by sloride

The only advantage as I see it is for the fifty year old plus looking for a job. Before the ACA an employer might pass on some older applicants as not to throw their group into a more expensive group. The way I understand it is that the ACA act requires that the most a plan can charge is three times that of twenty seven year old in the same plan.

What about the 30-something with a pre-existing condition who hates his job, wants to tell his employer to gently caress a fire axe, but would end up paying $20k/yr for healthcare as a freelancer? Seems a plan rated based only on age and location would be very good for such a person, and what he does may well turn into a small business.

[MTI]

Originally Posted by sloride

The only advantage as I see it is for the fifty year old plus looking for a job. Before the ACA an employer might pass on some older applicants as not to throw their group into a more expensive group. The way I understand it is that the ACA act requires that the most a plan can charge is three times that of twenty seven year old in the same plan.

For a small business owner before the ACA, their underwriting standards are much less generous than a company with 5000+ employees, since the risk is spread over a larger group. Depending on the number of employees, a small business owner's premiums can shoot up if even a couple of employees have substantial claims history. Having a semblance of predictability is a benefit.

[elchivito]

The teabaggers totally missed the mark in the last couple of weeks. If the dummies had focused specifically on the miserable, embarrassing roll-out of the ACA instead of their dumb shut down tantrum they could have gained some real traction.

[Jorn]

Health Net adding 400 jobs.

[POS]

Originally Posted by spdrun

It's not, it's just the usual line of unfounded nonsense.

Except that my employees health insurance rates went up ONLY 11% this year under the available grandfathering - without the grandfathering (expires next year), their quote was a 44% increase. ObamaCare doesn't allow for age discrimination, so age can no longer be a factor in the insurance quotes. Therefore, the younger American workers are now paying more to offset the older because the insurance companies know that the older are more expensive.

I pay my employees more than market salaries, and out of their salaries, they pay for their insurance for their families. A family of four usually costs about $650 a month for damn good policy. Next year they'll have to come up with another $200-300 a month to keep their existing policy; they will see zero additional coverage for that extra spent. They work hard, they're honest, they pay their bills, and now they'll take home less. A lot less - with nothing gained.

Great system.

[spdrun]

Well, I think the idea is to eventually push most people onto the exchanges (which do price by age) or onto a public option if/when it develops, and away from employer health insurance.

Hence them being OK with delaying the employer mandate and making the fines for employers reasonably low. That outcome, along with a rise in subsidies and rise in taxes to pay for it all, would be best.

It's a back door route to socialized insurance, and I'm tickled pink about it.

[Botnst]

The magical part that I can hardly wait to watch unfold is expanding the coverage and lowering the price to all citizens.

This is gonna be good!

[SwampYankee]

We officially switch from our current Point of Service plan to an HSA on 12/1. We've got <50 employees so we've got a bit more flexibility. In addition to subsidizing their policy premium (as we've always done), we're giving employees a one-time $2K to fund their account and are encouraging them to put their weekly payroll deduction savings into their HSA account up to their max yearly contribution of $3,300 ind./$6,550 fam. this year.

We did give them the option to buy up to a similar POS plan to what we currently have completely at their own expense. We kick in the dollar amount we would have paid for their HSA plan, they pay everything above and beyond that. I actually have one employee opting to buy up. Lower benefits and higher taxable income in exchange for less responsibility and higher cost.

It's our holding pattern until we see how things with the ACA pans out. Can't make heads or tails out of the b.s. from both sides so we'll wait to see how it actually works over the next year or two.

Still dreaming of getting out of the health insurance provider business. The dream is not dead yet.

[spdrun]

If you're under 50 employees, why don't you just drop coverage for everyone, pay them commensurately more, and let them buy their own coverage?

If I were on W-2 (which, thank the Good Lord, I'm NOT), I'd rather not be tied to my employer for insurance.