Posted: 3/10/2017 10:23:41 PM EDT
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So apparently I missed a magic enrollment period. I'm not very familiar with health insurance, and have only had it once years ago through an employer.
Am I to believe that if a person doesn't enroll during the magic time, they can't have insurance the rest of the year? I don't absolutely need it, but it would be nice. I saw the special circumstances that would allow it, but none apply to me. |
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Welcome to the Obamacare nightmare. Hopefully it'll be fixed soon. This isn't specific to Obamacare. It's how health insurance has always worked in the US. Totally broken, but a stupid fixation on not doing healthcare the same way as the rest of the world. |
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Yep, called open enrollment and has been that way for as long as I can remember (20+years). It is to prevent people from hopping on when they have an issue and then dropping off. Marriage, a kid, job change, maybe a handful of other exceptions apply, but typically those are limited to 30/60 days. You could get a short term coverage policy to cover you until the next enrollment period, but be prepared to pay more and/or be rejected for pre-existing conditions. Short-term coverage does not have to go by ACA standards (as far as I am aware)
Not only that, but previously, if you had a pre-existing condition COBRA coverage was probably about the only way you'd get coverage at a new job if you let your healthcare lapse between jobs. |
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This isn't specific to Obamacare. It's how health insurance has always worked in the US. Totally broken, but a stupid fixation on not doing healthcare the same way as the rest of the world. http://i.imgur.com/c95omMY.gif If you didn't enroll during the open enrollment period you didn't get insurance for the year. |
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I don't have anything wrong with me that I know of. That's a strange way of doing things. I understand people buying it when there's something wrong, but fuck, have them get a qualifying physical first or something. Not that I'm against legalizing the chronic, but can the same doctors that hands out medical marijuana cards, or classifies perfectly able bodied people as "disabled", so they can get welfare, do the physicals? |
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This isn't specific to Obamacare. It's how health insurance has always worked in the US. Totally broken, but a stupid fixation on not doing healthcare the same way as the rest of the world. 
No, it hasn't. The "open enrollment period" thing was created by the ACA (Obamacare). Prior to it, there was no enrollment period. It was just call up an insurance salesman and buy some, if you wanted to. Or don't. Any time of year. |
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That's the way it has always worked for me where I worked - even before Zero Care. If you didn't enroll during the open enrollment period you didn't get insurance for the year. Which is an entirely different thing. That was your company's health plan. Something you were not obligated to buy or participate in by law. Two of the onerous, totalitarian features of the affordable care act that we're talking about requires (among other things), that you 1. buy health insurance that meets certain specific requirements and 2. are only allowed to buy it during a 6 week window at the start of the year (barring certain listed exceptions). We're not talking about a company health insurance plan that your company has contracted for and has certain contractually stipulations about joining. We're talking about "The government is making me buy insurance that it won't allow anyone to sell me outside these specific 6 weeks at the start of the year." |
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No, it hasn't. The "open enrollment period" thing was created by the ACA (Obamacare). Prior to it, there was no enrollment period. It was just call up an insurance salesman and buy some, if you wanted to. Or don't. Any time of year. Quoted:
Quoted:
This isn't specific to Obamacare. It's how health insurance has always worked in the US. Totally broken, but a stupid fixation on not doing healthcare the same way as the rest of the world.
No, it hasn't. The "open enrollment period" thing was created by the ACA (Obamacare). Prior to it, there was no enrollment period. It was just call up an insurance salesman and buy some, if you wanted to. Or don't. Any time of year. They have always had open enrollment periods - if you didn't enroll annually then you didn't get your group insurance rates. Yeah, you could always go outside of your group plan and purchase insurance individually - but it was ALWAYS more expensive than the group plan. |
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Holy fuck, do people really not know how the world worked a scant handful of years ago? Or did I wake up in an alternate universe today with a different timeline? I'm now retired but I had to deal with more insurance changes in my career than I'd like to remember, and that's not just a few scant years ago.... Perhaps we are in an alternate universe today.... |
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That's the way it has always worked for me where I worked - even before Zero Care. If you didn't enroll during the open enrollment period you didn't get insurance for the year. I always bought my own insurance and never had an enrollment period. They would not cover a pre existing condition and could refuse to insure me due to any reason. I loved that system it was affordable and good insurance. |
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Holy fuck, do people really not know how the world worked a scant handful of years ago? Or did I wake up in an alternate universe today with a different timeline? |
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No, it hasn't. The "open enrollment period" thing was created by the ACA (Obamacare). Prior to it, there was no enrollment period. It was just call up an insurance salesman and buy some, if you wanted to. Or don't. Any time of year. Quoted:
Quoted:
This isn't specific to Obamacare. It's how health insurance has always worked in the US. Totally broken, but a stupid fixation on not doing healthcare the same way as the rest of the world.
No, it hasn't. The "open enrollment period" thing was created by the ACA (Obamacare). Prior to it, there was no enrollment period. It was just call up an insurance salesman and buy some, if you wanted to. Or don't. Any time of year. 1Andy2 is correct. Previous to Obamacare, I visited with my insurance guy, it was April as I recall (and could be ANY time of year), and got a health insurance policy shortly thereafter. Now, it's during "open enrollment" only. Fuck Obamacare, btw. For the very few people it has helped, millions have been screwed over. |
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No, it hasn't. The "open enrollment period" thing was created by the ACA (Obamacare). Prior to it, there was no enrollment period. It was just call up an insurance salesman and buy some, if you wanted to. Or don't. Any time of year. Every employer-supported plan I've had in nearly 30 years has had open enrollment. |
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This, lol, he thinks health insurance companies wouldn't take your money at any time throughout the year if it wasn't for some stupid law? |
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Not sure what you mean. I'm now retired but I had to deal with more insurance changes in my career than I'd like to remember, and that's not just a few scant years ago.... Perhaps we are in an alternate universe today.... You used to be able to buy health insurance from an insurance provider at any given time. Who cares about your employer's rules? |
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You used to be able to buy health insurance from an insurance provider at any given time. Who cares about your employer's rules? Quoted:
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Not sure what you mean. I'm now retired but I had to deal with more insurance changes in my career than I'd like to remember, and that's not just a few scant years ago.... Perhaps we are in an alternate universe today.... You used to be able to buy health insurance from an insurance provider at any given time. Who cares about your employer's rules? Usually, group plans through a work place offer plans that are far less expensive - but they do have enrollment periods (and these enrollment periods existed long before ZeroCare). I'm no insurance expert, but I believe that these enrollment periods are more-or-less guarantees to the insurance companies so they know what their incoming is so they can decide what reduced rates they can charge for group insurance. |
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This isn't specific to Obamacare. It's how health insurance has always worked in the US. Totally broken, but a stupid fixation on not doing healthcare the same way as the rest of the world. http://i.imgur.com/c95omMY.gif Correct. Until FBHObamacare, you could get health insurance any time you wanted it, and it cost a third what it does now. |