Monday, December 23, 2013


December 22, 2013

The Affordable Care Act is leaving my children uninsured as of January – so how can this law have the word Care in it?

An Open Letter to the Obama Administration and American Citizens:
           
          My family’s journey with securing our new insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) started on October 1, 2013.   I have decided to write this letter to let the American people know what it has been like for us.   We are a family of four, with two little boys’ ages seven years old and three years old.   My husband and I have had full time jobs for 6 years and 13 years respectively.  We have been with the same two companies for those years.  We are a middle class family; we own our three bedroom two bath house, we own two cars, and previously provided our own insurance for the four of us.  We have coverage through Individual Blue from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama until 12/31/13. Our premiums have been $380.00 a month, which also included dental coverage for all four of us. 

On October, 1, 2013 we received our letters like other Alabamians about our new premiums and plans for 2014 from Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of Alabama.  When I opened our letter to say I had sticker shock was an understatement.   Our premiums for the Blue Saver Silver would now be $753.26. This included the ACA tax but did not include the additional $75.00 we would need to pay in order to keep dental for me and my husband.  So we would need to pay total $828.26 to keep health and dental insurance for the four of us.  This payment is roughly $64.00 less than what we pay for our mortgage each month.  I was outraged that anyone thought we could afford this.  Sure we have some savings, but with that price tag we would whittle it down to almost nothing very quickly.  I consider savings as a rainy day fund, a start to saving for the kid’s college, our retirement, etc.  I never dreamed in a million years we would need to use it to pay our insurance premiums each month – how in the world could this help the economy too? 

Throughout the month of October we read everything we could on what our plan would cover, and tried to get the information we needed about the ACA.  I was also blown away when I realized that my son’s medical care, he has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), would cost us so much more out of pocket than it was currently costing us.  My son has to go to his doctor every other month for his care.  If we need to see a therapist we do that monthly, so you see on top of the premiums there are other out of pocket cost we have to factor in.  He is also on medication that he takes daily.  His medicine is a life saver for him and helps him function like a normal seven year old, without it he can’t focus, his grades slip and his mind literally goes back to the mind of a three or four year old.  When he was first put on his medicine his reading went up 20 points and he went from writing one to two sentences to paragraphs, all in the course of a week.  He is a straight A student and very bright, but without the proper medical care that could slip away from him.   Under our new plan for 2014 we would need to pay a $55.00 co-pay, and then it would be covered at 80 percent once we reached his deductible, which would be $2,000 individual $4,000 family.  Out of pocket max numbers are $6,350 individual and $12,700 family.  All of this is enough to make anyone’s head spin.  We were then forced to look at other options as none of this was affordable for our family.
              
             I started to dig deeper into healthcare.gov.  I was hearing all the horror stories through the news about the subpar website.  I was reading right off their healthcare.gov Facebook page about other people’s terrible experiences trying to get coverage.   Then the government announces that they are going to be working on the site and making it a better experience as well as making it more secure.  They had already had three years to make this happen but they said would need the month of November to get it running right.  So I waited patiently for them to get the site running so I could see if we would qualify for the subsidy and continue our health insurance through that route.
               
             December 6, 2013 I went to healthcare.gov and started our application.  The process took me over two hours to complete.   Once it was completed it came back with our results.  The results were that my husband and I qualified.  That my three year old qualified for All Kids and that my seven year old did not qualify for anything through the exchange (ACA).  I was so confused, how could a seven year old not qualify for a subsidy?  I was also confused on why they wanted me to enroll one of my children in All Kids?  So, I called the number they provided to speak to a representative.  I was on hold for 20 minutes when a woman answered and offered to help me with the results.  She told me that it is coming back that my seven year old son did not qualify and the only thing I could do was to file an appeal.  I asked her a few more questions about how this could have happened, and I was told “she does not know and that all I can do is file an appeal”.  She was reading her responses to me right off of a chart that I am sure they are given.  So, I ended my conversation with her and proceeded to try to wrap my head around what was happening.  

I decided to call back, this time I waited 15 minutes and spoke to a very nice gentleman who seemed to have an understanding for how the system was working.   He looked up the results and said “this can’t be right, let’s start over and do an application over the phone”.  So again I went through the application process.  The results came back the exact same, we all qualified for something except my seven year old son.  The gentleman could not understand how this could be happening and assured me it had to be a “glitch” in the system.   He placed me on hold so he could speak with his supervisor on how to fix this error.  I waited several minutes and when he came back he said “there was nothing more they could do tonight”.  He said “we are sending your application to two different departments and that one of the departments would get back to me through a phone call with a fix to this problem”.  He also told me “it could take 2-5 days but that I would receive a phone call when they had closed my case”. 

So I waited until Tuesday December 10, 2013, which was day four and called them back.  I was then told it would be 2-5 business days and if I had not heard from them at that time to call back.  So that is what I did, I waited till 9:00 pm on that Friday December 13, 2013 with no phone call.  I called Sunday December 15th, 2013 and spoke with my 3rd supervisor who told me “they were very sorry that I had not received a phone call and they were messaging the two departments to give me a call the following day”. He also said to go ahead and file with All Kids in my state because even though they send that information to them, they have no idea when they will receive it. So Monday I went and applied for All Kids for my children, it was a similar application to the healthcare.gov site. I called them to verify that they received my application and was told they cannot access it till sometime in January. They said once they could access it that they would be in touch and if the kids qualified the coverage would retro act to January 1, 2014. So that was a little bit of good news. 
                 
              So here we are December 22, 2013, the day before the December 23rd deadline to sign up through the Health Insurance Marketplace’s Exchange.   I decide I will call one last time to see what they can tell me about coverage, since I never received a phone call after my last conversation with a supervisor.  I waited on hold for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  I asked to speak with a supervisor and I was transferred.  The supervisor pulled my file and was talking to me when she must have accidentally pressed a button and we got disconnected.  I thought for sure she would call me back.  That is one of the first things they ask for is your phone number.  I did not receive a call back, so I call back and have to be placed on hold again to speak to someone.  I waited another hour and a half before I get connected with a supervisor.   She pulls up my file and tells me “there is nothing they can do and I have to wait the 90 days they have to contact me through the appeals process”.  The supervisor tells me “that this whole time I have been told wrong by numerous people and that I should have been called back but that the two departments could do nothing for me”.   I just have to wait the 90 days.  I asked her, “so yet again an error, due to no fault of my own, has occurred all these times I have been calling and speaking with people and no one can really do anything”?  She said “yes that is correct, I am sorry you have been told something different but that is all I can tell you”. 
               
            I have never been treated so poorly by any insurance company in my whole life.  I have never experienced such terrible customer service in all my years on this earth.  I can’t imagine how long a company would last in this country if they followed the same protocol as the ACA/Health Insurance Marketplace does.   Most companies can fix a glitch in their systems pretty easily, or can connect you to someone who can.  Not the ACA/ Health Insurance Marketplace, you spend all that time on hold to just be told, so sorry but you have to wait for someone to get back to you in a 90 day time span.
                
             What is the most sickening thing to me is that we have been forced into the Health Insurance Marketplace’s Exchange.  We wanted to continue our coverage through BSBC and pay as we always had been.  But, we found out that option would not be affordable under the new Act, which is how we were forced into the Exchange.  Furthermore, not only were we forced into the Exchange, but then forced again to submit an application to ALL Kids for our children.   I just don’t understand how we go from being hard working middle class family who provides everything for our family to where we are today.  I feel like everything that my husband and I have worked hard for is for nothing.  I pray each night that we will get something resolved with our “glitch” in the system so our children will have health insurance coverage in January and by the time I have to purchase my son’s $400 a month ADHD medicine. 

I really don’t know how our government can allow this to be taking place.  What if something happens and one of my boys breaks an arm, or God forbid something worse?  They don’t have insurance, so I guess we will then be paying the hospital monthly if that happens.  We are almost completely debit free currently and now all I see is very large medical bills in our future until the government can fix the issues with the ACA/Exchange.  I would really like them to rename the Affordable Care Act, because from where I am sitting it is anything but affordable or caring for my family.

Sincerely,
Karri Kinder


37 comments:

  1. What a giant mess. It is unfortunate for all of us that the government does not run like a business. If it did, it would be way more efficient.

    I pray that this all works out for you and your family and for everyone else in the country in similar situations. Thank you for sharing your story!

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    1. The Federal Government getting invokved in Health Insurance, by itself, is a tragedy. It's going to take years to fix this mess. When the next president is elected, I'm confident, they will vote to not fund this crap and make it a dead law.

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  2. My wife received the same plans in October, but she had the option to have her current Individual Blue policy grandfathered. We just had our first child on December 10th. Insurance was my second concern. We called BC/BS and upgraded to a family plan under the same 750 Plan that April already had. The premium went to $571. At my workplace the premium would have been $1200 per month (only $400 less than what I bring in per month). We were not forced to go to the marketplace. $571 is still quite a bit, but I can be added for no additional cost (my workplace is also talking about employees paying the difference on any premium increase). I might have to jump on my wife and daughter's plan if that happens. Obama's self-proclaimed healthcare is unfairly burdening middle class Americans, but I believe that's the point. Dependence is the goal of our current administration.

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    1. Thank you for sharing. I so wish ours would have been grandfathered in. Ours was outright canceled. I totally agree with your statement. I feel like they are getting rid of the middle class

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  3. Karri,
    I am so sorry to hear about this happening to your family. I have heard other stories as well. The cost of insurance is so exorbitant no matter which route you go; the school district I work for is "self-insured" which means that the district pays all the bills, but allows BCBS to handle the billing, etc. Last year we moved our daughter to Florida's AllKids program because the cost of family insurance was ridiculous---almost 1000/month with no dental. This year, I was forced to switch to a lower benefits plan PPO that cost the same as my high benefits plan. Why? The district decided to cut down their options on what to offer employees. Dental is extra. I do know that one colleague who had plan cancelled received a letter from his BCBS that said he was now eligible under the revisions. Could that be an option for your family? I truly hope that you get your situation resolved.

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    1. Thank you for the kinds words. I am sorry to hear what you guys have been through as well. Unfortunately we are still be cancelled. I wish we were able to keep our current plan.

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  4. I am sorry to hear this. This was supposed to make things affordable. Personally I had doubts from the beginning. Now that it has been rolled out we can see that it has numerous loopholes and most of us will pay the price. If you take the 3 groups that need insurance the most - no income or low income that qualify for medicaid, low income that qualify for subsidies, and the middle class the only group that is benefiting is those that qualify for medicaid. Someone who is working his first job out of college falls in that "family" loophole. To insure his wife his premiums would be 33-35% of his gross income. Before ACA their premiums would have been about 20%. Because employer coverage is offered they are not entitled to subsidies.
    Someone else I know was divorced recently and her divorce decree states that she is entitled to continue receiving health care on her ex husbands plan. The value plan she had more than doubled in price and now costs around 40% of her yearly income. Because she has access to an employer plan she is not eligible for subsidies on the exchange. These are incomes between $16k -$20k a year. And while their premiums were high compared to their income before ACA they could make do. While both own their homes with no mortgage or rent they do have car insurance and other bills. If either qualified for subsidies they would be able to afford a silver plan plan but with deductibles of $2k & $4k anything above basic doctors visits would be impossible.

    Then you have the middle class that are seeing their individual premiums skyrocket and their coverage drastically decline with higher deductibles and out of pocket expenses. And some fall in that family loophole as well.

    It is a mess. And we have to wait a year to see how the new employer mandates will affect the rest of us.

    Best wishes, and I hope that you are able to get your children insured under All Kids.

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    1. Thank you for the kind words. I could not agree with you more. I can't imagine how bad it will be once it hits all the businesses.

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  5. This is what happens when you put people in charge that just, honestly, don't care. Its cheaper for me to pay the penalty. They will never get me sucked into this mess.

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  6. My understanding is that if you don't have insurance by Jan 1, 2014, then you will have to pay the "tax" or "penalty?" There is a lawsuit right now by the ACLJ on behalf of those who have tried to sign up for insurance but have been unable to do so due to no fault of their own, but instead due to failure of the healthcare.gov website/system. It sounds like you fall into the category. I would contact the ACLJ for more information.

    Also, there are three non-insurance options available that qualify under a religious exemption from the PPACA. Any one of these may be more affordable for your family. I will pray that you find resolution.

    Medi-Share: www.medi-share.org
    Christian Healthcare Ministries: www.chministries.org
    Samaritan Ministries: www.samaritanministries.org

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    1. Your understanding is a bit off. There is actually a grace period that extends through March 31.

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  7. I have ADHD too but I take vitamins that help. I take L-Theanine which really helps with my ADHD. I take 6 a day and also I take Dilatin which helps. I get the Dilatin prescription through my doctor. L-T I get at the Vitamin shoppe.

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    1. Who cares what you take, that is not going to help a child that has ADHD. You have to have the doctor's RX for this child and do what is best for the child not take your advice. I'm not trying to be ugly but that is not what the issue is here!

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  8. Obamacare was a mistake from the get go! His ideals and his laws he signed in are for the birds, not the American people. We need things back like they were. We use to fuss about the insurance premiums going up and they were getting high, but oh, now we are just now knowing what high is with the government getting involved in the health insurance business. They need to butt out of our business and step lightly when it comes to things like this. Laws are suppose to be to protect us and help us not hurt us. However, in this light, we now have laws that are there to hurt us, frustrate us, break us financially, threaten us, etc. What I do not understand is how we the people allowed the men and women we put into office to get away with this! But as you see, those particular men and women are EXEMPT from Obamacare! Wonder why? Not really, I know it is because it is one big fat way to take our money and threaten our lives as we know it. Hope we vote someone in next time who will abolish this mess and fix this system!

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  9. We have a son with a similar disability as you son and know of many others in a similar predicament. Where is the compassion in this 'Law?' We were just fine before they decided to fix it!

    What will parents do with children born and diagnosed after today?

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  10. A healthy and happy new year. I hope all works out well for you and your family. I researched....

    I checked HealthCare.gov and found lower premiums listed for Lee County. I entered $65,000 as yearly income. Your children might qualify for coverage under CHIP? Did you have 100% coverage with your previous insurance? What were your out-of-pockets expenses? What was covered under your original insurance that isn't covered under Obamacare? I believe that all is relevant information.

    Please clarify your situation so that we may better understand the complete picture. Thank you!

    https://www.healthcare.gov/find-premium-estimates/#results/&aud=indv&type=med&state=AL&county=Lee&age0=30&age1=32&employerCoverage=no&householdSize=4&income=65000

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    1. again, jack...NOT THE POINT. Government shouldn't be involved in America's healthcare. we, who had healthcare and faithfully paid the premiums every month, should not be forced to carry the burden of those who either don't want health insurance in the first place or those who can't have insurance because they don't have a way to pay for it...but by golly they can find a way to pay for drugs, new wheels, a new car, nails every other week, alcohol and the latest version of whatever trashy magazine they want draped across their kitchen table all the while talking on their "Obamaphone" and collecting food stamps. THAT'S the point - we were taking care of ourselves. we PAID for health insurance every month and didn't ask the government (or anyone else) to take care of us. we didn't HAVE to check around to see HOW we could get our kids covered for insurance BECAUSE WE HAD INSURANCE!!

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  11. I too have had a terrible experience. I lost my job (at a hospital, figures) in October and looked to see what insurance would cost my family. Since I am on unemployment, I thought I could get a decent rate, although I can barely pay bills now, I want my son to be covered. After putting in mine and my husbands total monthly income (actually, my unemployment since they group it together), which is under $50k/year, my lowest plan option just for MYSELF was $138/month with a $12,700 deductible! I honestly cannot believe this is even a choice! TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS?! Not to mention I couldn't come up with $138 extra a month if I swam through a fountain collecting coins! What am I supposed to do, stop buying diapers and formula so I can have ins just for myself? I just can't wrap my mind around how anyone thinks this is "affordable"?! This country is sad right now, and Obama is to blame. $138 is a new blouse for his wife so of course he says it's affordable! I will take my 1% "penalty" for not having insurance, but I hope to God I don't need medical care because I sure won't be seeking it. You will see people start to die because they won't, no wait, CAN'T, seek medical treatment. 3 year countdown to him being gone!!

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    1. Maximum out-of-pocket expenses for an individual with a low-end plan (minimal premium) can not be more than $6,350. Twice that for family coverage ($12,700), with per person maximum of $6,350. Do you expect to have the spend that much? Will you get that sick? Possibly, but not likely .. none of us want that. But if you do get 'that sick', your maximum out of pocket is $6,350 .. even if you require a $100,000 operation and $50,000 follow-up care. And if your were to become 'very very sick' there is no limit as to what your insurance must pay after you've paid your maximum out-of-pocket. If your operations and after-care cost $1,000,000 .. the insurance would have to pay, no questions. There is no cap. All in all, it is a good deal.

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    2. Hey, @ChuckMuz. listen up, jackhole. who freakin' cares what the new maximum out-of-pocket expenses are and "if" you get sick and "if" you have to spend that much money?! THE POINT IS, we were forced into this. we were FORCED to change our health insurance plans, we are being forced to spend MORE money for LESS coverage. case in point, you blowhole - before this "affordable care act" (AFFORDABLE?!?! FOR WHOM?!?! the scum and barnacles of the American people who are sucking the ever-loving life out of this country with their laziness and "poor poor pitiful" attitude of ENTITLEMENT?!), for the same plan I had, my premium would have been $120 more each month. For my husband, his same plan would have been $130 more each month. Do the math, that's $250 out. of. our. pockets. for the same freakin' health insurance that we had the month before. and why? what changed? did I become sicker? nope. did he? nope. did I all of the sudden make more money? nope. did the biiiiiig American government go sticking it's nose in the American people's business and push everyone toward socialized EVERYTHING?! ding ding ding. yes. the point is, those with the brains and common sense to NOT vote BHO - that foreign, arrogant, weaseling, lying sack of crap - into office are now paying the price for all those who did - those who want to be babied and pansied and made into little robotic followers. It's called entitlement, @ChuckMuz, and I. AM. SICK. OF. IT.

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  12. You never said if you or your husband's employer offered insurance coverage. All you said was you had private insurance. I must move to whatever state you reside in if such wonderful health insurance for a family of four WITH DENTAL was available for only $380 a month. But that is neither here nor there. Aren't you lucky that under the ACA, if you or your husband lost coverage for WHATEVER reason, that your son with ADHD will NEVER be denied coverage for a pre-existing condition ever again? I am calling shenanigans on this post and blog.

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    1. Tara - you're missing the point, of course. (and I'm sure you probably voted this clown into office who has assumed the office of President of the United States.) the point is, the family HAD health insurance. they WERE fending for themselves. they did not ask the government for a handout. WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT INVOLVED IN HEALTH INSURANCE?!?!? they WERE NOT depending on the government to hand out money and phones and food help and insurance help to them. this "President" (and I use that term as loosely as possible) has skirted the Constitution, the very document that is supposed to keep our great-but-soon-to-be-circling-the-toilet country in check. the point is, the "President" can do whatever the crap he wants and NO ONE CHECKS HIM ON IT. he doesn't have to have this good-for-nothing health insurance - and why? because he doesn't have any consequences. he can push whatever he wants on the American people with no backlash and no consequences, but no alternative for Americans. my countdown to get this clown out of office started the moment he was elected. I hope that this is repealed sooner rather than later and that this "man" must make a public apology to the American people for being such a miserable waste of a human being and single-handedly beginning the flushing of America down the toilet.

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    2. No they do not. I fully support people don't being denied health insurance. However right now my child with ADHD is being denied thru healthcare.gov and does not have insurance right now. Something we have always provided for him. I didn't want to be forced into the system which is where we are today. I wanted to keep my coverage that we had at yes $380.00 a month for all 4 of us. Something the President kept saying "we could keep our plan." My point of my blog is to show the "glitches" and terrible service of healthcare.gov and how it has left my children out in the cold. 2 children who were being taken care of and had health insurance previously, before the government got involved.

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  13. This is my story, too. Almost exactly. I have three boys -- two are twins. Our results were that my husband and I qualify, two of the boys do not and one of the twins might qualify for North Carolina's version of All Kids. I actually visited an insurance company here locally that is certified to assist with the Marketplace and they were baffled. It's a family thing, they told me. If my husband an I qualify, the kids should, too.

    We are different in that my husband and I are self-employed. He and the kids are insured privately, but I am not. She resubmitted my application three different times changing little bits to see if she could change the glitch, but no dice.

    On the website, there are four options to appeal: call the number, appeal online instantly, fill out and mail in the appeal form, or mail them a letter. She tried to appeal online and it just took us back to the application. :\ Called the number and we got the same thing: a guy reading from a script that basically said we had to mail the form. So, we mailed the form and now we're waiting the 90 days, too.

    I am beyond frustrated that thinking individuals can look at our results (yours, too) and say, "Oh, wait, that's not right.", but there is no protocol to fix it other than waiting in a line with people who just didn't like their results.

    I am terrified of what this is going to do to medical care in our country.

    Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to share since you are the first person that I have heard of that has the exact same issue we did. It's even more frustrating that you had your issue two weeks before we had ours and they still hadn't fixed it. Hello?! Glitch discovered. Fix it!

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    1. I am so sorry to hear that you guys are going through this too. I urge you to write an open letter as I did. If we all come out publicly, then they have to listen to us. I have been contacted by so many people who is going thru this. We have to stand together and fight. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers and I hope we all get answers soon.

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  14. This is exactly what happened with us. When I was finally able to get my application done--after two months of trying--our eligibility results showed that my husband and I were eligible for a small credit and can purchase insurance through the marketplace, but that our kids were 1)not eligible for credits 2)not eligible to purchase through the marketplace 3) the oldest two were not eligible for chip but the youngest might be. We applied for CHIP last year and were denied. The only way our kids get coverage is if we purchase it for them--what sense does this make? I bounced around on the helpline trying to find some way to file an appeal that would actually get us a policy by Jan 1, but the only thing we could do was file the 90 day appeal. I am so frustrated and angry over this entire experience. No private company with customer service this horrible would ever manage to stay in business.

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    1. I am so sorry you and your family are going through this as well. I urge everyone who this is happening to, to write an open letter as I did. We must all stand together and demand change. You will all be in my thoughts and prayers and I hope you get some answers soon.

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  15. I purchased the medicine (6 month supply) I needed after getting a prescription from the Doc online @ www.canadapharmacyonline.com It is the same price as I would pay with insurance buying it from the insurance companies pharmacy. I foresaw the problem since Obamacare caused my insurance company to be bought out by BC/BS. I could't afford to purchase it at $130. per month without insurance. It cost me $35.00 per month on this site. I am still waiting to see if BC/BS will except me and for what price. Just when the economy starts to pick up our wonderful government sends it back down the hole. This is the first time in my life and I am 60 that I haven't had insurance and I am not sure I can afford it. Food and my mortgage payment come first, I guess.

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  16. Karri - I'm so sorry you - WE - are having to go through this. We don't have children yet, so I'm sure y'all are worse off than we are - and I'm so sorry. We felt the brunt of it as well - $250 more a month together for our premiums IF we stayed at that level. So we either stay at that level ($2K deductible) or drop to the lowest level premiums and our deductibles skyrocket - and we're STILL both paying $100 more a month than we were...for less! It's just ridiculous, and I wring my hands and pace the floor thinking of what, if anything, can be done. What can we do?! It's maddening - and sickening - to think that our "President" (I use that term as loosely as possible) can skirt the Constitution and do whatever he wants with no backlash and no recourse. It's just ridiculous and so very disheartening. I hope this letter, along with millions of others, makes it to the top and the American people continue to speak out against this grave injustice forced upon the American people. (I also pray that Jesus comes back and takes us all Home!) In the meantime, I'll hope to meet you in person when we come down to the Loveliest Village :). My husband and I are praying for you and your sweet family. WAR EAGLE!

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    1. I completely agree. It is so frustrating to not be able to provide for my children as I once did. Thank you so much for the kind words and War Eagle! Thank you for the support.

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  17. Karri, I pray your family finds the insurance you need. I am lucky enough to have employer provided health insurance, but I also know it can be pulled from me at any time. I encourage you to continue to highlight your experiences on your blog.
    Rick Scheper
    Newport, Ky

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  18. Your experience is very similar to mine. I tried to get my wife and daughter a policy beginning in late November. Finally on December 23 I gave it one more try, after hours of being on hold and being disconnected I called a third party company to get them insured. They took all of the information for a BCBSTX Bronze plan and said we were good to go. After a week of hearing nothing from BCBS I call and they can find no record of my application. I called ehealth back and they said it was up to BCBS to contact me - a big circle again. Bottom line, no insurance for January because of this screwed up system. When I tried to get insured on the ACA site I was able to get to the final step and ready to pay when the site said there was a system error and to call they toll free number - the one I'd been on hold on for hours - the system is BROKEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  19. Thank you for writing and publicly posting the unbelievably horrific experience your family is going through just to be covered. There is no doubt that the ultimate goal of Obamacare has always been to bring everyone (except the wealthy elite who can self-insure) into the single-payer system and as a result, bring down the quality of medical care and destroy the middle class in the process. In addition to outrageous costs and less access to quality care, wait until all Americans are forced (as laid out in the ACT) to submit to bio-metric screenings and adhere to "improvement plans" through their insurance/employers. We already received a letter to that effect--voluntary for this year, so of course we declined. But I know people who are insured through private employers who have already had to make the choice between submitting to the biometric screenings or pay $400 a month more in premiums. So my employer (actually the government) is going to be involved in my diet, exercise and lifestyle choices? Yes, indeed.
    I am praying for your family.

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  20. Karri,

    I am in the same position as you. My wife and I have two young daughters and another baby on the way. I did my application in a timely manner and there was always a new "glitch". I was also told it was being sent to an IT Dept to be fixed and I would receive a call within 2-5 days and not to worry, our coverage would be retroactive since we tried to do it, but couldn't.
    Over the course of two days, I spent over 9 hours on hold and countless time on the website. All told, I've done the application 8 different times with varying issues and now it just sits there at the spot where I can go no further with zero answers. My wife is nearly 11 weeks pregnant. We have no insurance, we have yet to have a visit with the obgyn to see if our baby is progressing healthy. They have no clue how to fix my issue and it keeps happening at the same spot! To call this a nightmare would be an understatement.

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  21. This is exactly what Obamacare is designed to do. Your increased premiums are subsidizing the millions of new Medicaid recipients. It's a stealth tax on the middle class. It was never about affordable health insurance.

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