Originally Posted By velo Can you show me a link that they are now banned? HSA's are not only for high deductible plans; if your employer offers an HSA option I believe you can still participate (these plans were only offered to owners/employees anyway)
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf "Like I said ... only hurts Republicans. Amazing!" *sigh* I am not a Republican but thanks for proving why it's hard for some people on either side to have a rational discussion. "Cancelled by whom, though?" Her current insurance company, Aetna. I believe the letter said something about getting out of the individual insurance market in California now that this type of plan doesn't qualify for adequate coverage effective 1/1/2014. "Is she a dependent only for your tax purposes?" No, she is a dependent in the truest sense of the word. She depends on me for all of her finacial support, including health insurance. And, because she hasn't been a permanent resident of the U.S. for 5 years, she does not qualify for Medicare. "It's a little more complicated than just saying they were "cancelled."" Yes, you are correct. They weren't canceled by ACA, just deemed inelligible to qualify as adequate coverage.
Originally Posted By EighthDwarf "HSA's are not only for high deductible plans; if your employer offers an HSA option I believe you can still participate (these plans were only offered to owners/employees anyway)" Well, that's partially correct. You can only contribute to an HSA if you have a High Deductible Health Plan. So if your employer offers one, you can still contribute to the HSA (which is the situation I am in, even in California, for myself and my children, but not my mother-in-law)
Originally Posted By Dabob2 "Yes, you are correct. They weren't canceled by ACA, just deemed inelligible to qualify as adequate coverage." In other words, Aetna was offering an insurance plan that didn't even meet minimum ACA requirements. In other other words, a pretty lousy plan. I've had Aetna; II can relate. If Aetna would improve its plan to be up to snuff, they could participate in ACA. So the cancellation is really on them.
Originally Posted By ecdc Right. Look, I get that ACA isn't perfect. But here's what seems to keep happening: Companies cut back on full-time hours to avoid having to provide insurance and insurance companies cut plans and then charge people more for different plans. In other words, private businesses are making business decisions based on their bottom line and people are whining about Obamacare and blaming the government. Why not 1) Blame the company? or 2) Praise capitalism!
Originally Posted By hopemax Speaking of Aetna, I was flipping through the Costco magazine thingy and there was an little article that mentioned that in Texas, Costco was partnering with Aetna to provide affordable coverage under the ACA. Don't know any details more than that, but maybe something for the OP to look into if they are Costco members.
Originally Posted By ecdc I should add, I'm not unsympathetic to eighthdwarf's situation or anyone else who finds themselves in a tough spot. The ACA won't meet everyone's needs perfectly. That doesn't make it a failure and it doesn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do. Unfortunately, we're stuck with this privatized system for the foreseeable future, so people will be at the mercy of the whims of corporate profits.
