"Affordable" Used to Mean Something

We had a plan.

When my DH retired at the end of 2014, we went on COBRA for the 18 months it was allowed. Granted, the premiums were like buying a new refrigerator every month, but forget what you've heard about "Cadillac" plans. This insurance was a Rolls Royce.

It covered EVERYTHING! My trips to Mayo Clinic, several rounds of intensive pulmonary tests both there and here closer to home, knee and cataract surgery for the DH, as well as the astoundingly expensive maintenance meds that keep me breathing and functioning more or less like a person--and all without a dime of deductible.

Ok, I'll admit it. We were spoiled. It was expensive, but there were no surprises. Even if we'd had an emergency, we knew what our healthcare costs would be.

Then when our COBRA eligibility ran out, we figured one or both of us would enroll in the local college and sign up for student insurance. Since we'd be part of a low-risk pool, the rates were very affordable--about $4800 a year for decent 80/20 coverage for both of us. Besides, each September when I'm not in class somewhere, I feel like I'm missing something.

The Affordable Care Act changed all that. Since the law went into effect, colleges no longer offer insurance to their students. They can stay on their parents' plans until they're 26 or be forced into the Marketplace.

So when we could no longer get our COBRA insurance, we bit the bullet and signed up for a policy on Healthcare.gov for the last half of this year. It was really ridiculous. Each month, we were still buying a refrigerator, but now our monthly premium (read: tax) pays for very little. Essentially, we're self-insuring since we're not likely to spend more than the over $10K deductible.

And now it's time to sign up for 2017. Can you really call it a Marketplace if there's only one provider available?

We received a letter informing us that our current plan's premium will be increasing by...hold onto your knickers...more than 100%!

I've got to confess. It totally knocked the wind out of my sails.

But we're not the only ones groaning under this system. One of my friends is not a fan of western medicine, so she opted NOT to have insurance last year. Unfortunately, she had to have an emergency appendectomy and no amount of herbs can fix that. But she's a very responsible person and had money in her savings to pay the hospital and doctors for her care. Her medical expenses topped $20K, but because she paid them herself, the ACA requires her to also pay a hefty PENALTY for not having insurance!

There's something wrong with this picture.

I'm sorry for this rant. I usually don't fuss like this, but I don't know what the answer is. Clearly, there is no "Affordable" in the Affordable Care Act.

I find myself wishing I was taking classes at our local college and paying for my healthcare where I pay my tuition.

How about you? Do you have insurance through your job? Medicare? Or are you, like us, in that no-man's land of the early retired or self-employed? What do you think should happen to fix the system?