Is anyone else sickk of the presidential campaign yet?

[sturd]

So I don't care how you vote, your deal. But these two are a pair of dumbf*cks.

And some facts I know for sure:

I pay less for health insurance for my employees today than I did before Obamacare
was enacted. And my guy with chronic kidney issues is covered for a price
I can afford.

We know how to out compete the Chinese. It's fairly easy as they make cheap
plastic crap. We should be following Buick where they sell more there than
in the US. In the meantime, we'll continue to buy cheap plastic crap from
them or start inflating prices for no dang reason. Indeed, I placed an order
Friday for a bunch of cheap plastic Chinese crap so I can stuff it full of nice
American technology and sell it for a profit.

The above won't happen much longer unless we spend a whole lot more on
making sure everybody has a chance to get educated. Feds don't necessarily
have to do that by taking our money and giving it back but we damn
sure need to do it.

It's infuriating to hear these dimbulbs talking about energy policy as neither
intends to actually do anything constructive. The freakin French figured this
out years ago and we're stuck with this crap.

I need to found a religion so I can regulate what other people do in their own
bedroom.

 

[hershey]

Haha...my health care for my employees went up 80% the next renewal after Obamacare......yes not a typo 80%. I asked my agent why because we had NOT ONE CLAIM that year.....his explanation was simply " No one is certain what is going to really happen with Obamacare, the maximum allowable increase is 80% and the ins co felt your company was a risk" He also said the lowest increase he had that year was 23%.

Poo on Obama care, I had to change carriers and drop my coverage drastically just to get a 40% increase. Im glad for you and the coverage you have found for your employees but from all the business owners I encountered since then you are by far in the minority.

On top of that I pay much more money in taxes just because I own a company since he has been in office as well. No good reason for it and I cant remember any of it being on a ballot.

 

[sturd]

Hershey,

You need a new insurance broker and maybe accountant. Would be happy to let you in
on my insurance guy, he's done great by me. As for more taxes since Obama took office -
rates haven't gone up so you're doing something that's causing that, not congress (they
set taxes, not the prez, he just signs off or not). With any luck, it's because you're making
more money. Yep, you have to pay more taxes then.

If you're in northeast Ohio, would be happy to buy lunch and discuss our mutual small
business woes.

 

[TimSr90]

My employer provided insurance went up about $1200 this year. Barely changed the two years prior. Its simple math. I now have to pay to cover the "risk pool" of people who already have medical issues, and for 28 year old "children" still iving in their parent's basement. If Obamacare included car insurance, we would have to pay enough to cover habitual drunk drivers, and vehicles that were already wrecked. Of course rates go up! Its not rocket science.

Energy policy? Sounds like common sense to use the energy sources under your own two feet, and pipe it in from Canada as opposed to buying it from 3rd world unstable dictators who regard us as vermon. It sounds like common sense to produce inexpensive energy readily available as opposed to spending billions and billions of taxpayer money on expensive inefficient energy sources that dont work, and companies who go bankrupt with our money while trying to build them. It makes no sense to pass a huge energy tax (carbon tax) to force conservation by making energy unaffordable. (Thank goodness some dems helped shoot that one down in one House!) It makes no sense to force coal powered generating plants out of business while waiting for "cleaner" sources to be invented. It makes no sense to cancel 40% of the drilling leases on federal lands, and then put state drilling permitting for the natural gas boom in the hands of the same feds that cancelled all the oil drilling leases. It makes no sense to run a continuous trade defecit with Chine and OPEC, when we could be exporting petroleum products to China and giving OPEC the finger.

 

[sturd]

TimSr990, Not sure what you mean, did your employer increase what you pay? If so, that isn't necessarily because his rates went up. If you mean you, as an employer, had an increase in cost to cover your employees, nevermind. Small businesses, like mine, should have had a small decrease in cost due to a number of things but two of them are the requirement that insurance companies spend no more than 20% on marketing and profit and a tax credit of 35%. I don't entirely agree with the tax credit but more of my guys are insured because now I can afford it and that's a good thing.

I don't disagree with your take on energy policy except that we should be developing all forms of energy, including nuclear. Neither of the prez candidates have an energy policy that makes any sense.

 

[hershey]

sturd......

I checked with 4-5 insurance brokers. Every one of them checked my company and the best I could find was going with Anthem with a drastic reduction in coverage to get a 40% increase. In all honesty you are the first person I have heard that believes Obama care helped. I have talked to doctors and insurance people, all believe it has increase costs and paperwork.

Tim hit the nail on the head, if the insurance companies are required to insure high risk people and know they are going to lose money on them they need to make that money up somewhere. The only way they will make money to cover those losses is to increase their income. Our rates. The only way you could possibly paying less now is if you were paying way too much prior.

You sound just like Obama when he was campaigning and selling Obama care, " The health care bill will require insurance companies to cover all preexisting conditions and it wont cost you anymore money" RIGHT! Lol..... Insurance companies arent going to cover high risk people for free, they are a business like any other!

So as a business owner you are telling me that if the Gov told you" You will do this specific work for $x even though it will cost you more". As a business owner knowing you will lose money on that work you are REQUIRED by law to do...you wont try to make more money on your other work? You have to or you go out of business.

 

[Kaiser 878]

It is very simple...This election you are voting for health care.....Bottom line...

Obama has ruined/and continues to ruin healthcare....If any of you have small hometown hospitals near you...Kiss them good bye...Especially if Obama gets re-elected.... So you know what that means??? More un-employed people..... Obama care lets the lazy and un-employed leach off the people who work...

Your health insurance is gonig to continue to go up...Obamacare is driven toward giving health care to those who cant afford it...Meaning people who pay for insurance are now paying more for insurance so un-employed and immigrants,etc. who want health care, can have it... Im sorry...But this is a country...wait...WAS a country where you worked for what you had....Now it is a country of, how much can I get by leaching off others..... THey are building a society of people who depend on the government.... Lazy people love it...Hard workers hate it... Big surprise huh?

 

[hershey]

X2

But add that this election is also about the economy and if the spending doesnt stop this country CAN go bankrupt. How many of us out there really want to become more in debt to China ..... or go bankrupt and be at China's mercy?

 

[sturd]

Hi hershey,

I don't know much about how insurance companies price things. I know that my experience, that is, I pay for this out of
my own pocket, is that the cost to insure my employees went down (barely but still down) since Obamacare was enacted.
I don't know why your experience is different. So it's not about me sounding like Obama. It may be that your company is
not as small??? I only have 5 employees (including me) that now have insurance, one of whom I couldn't insure for anything
near reasonable before.

I do a lot of work that I am required to do by law as I'm an FDA registered manufacturing site. That is not a way for me to
"try to make more money on your other work", it's a way for me to differentiate myself from others and make MORE money.
No, I won't charge my other, non-medical, customers more. I do my best to make money and make sure my customers
make money too, otherwise I'm not going to be in business long.

I believe that you talked to a lot of brokers and don't know your situation. However, the offer of introduction to mine,
that seems to have helped my situation end up better than yours, stands.

 

[sturd]

Re: spending. You're absolutely right. Don't think China is at fault, they're just doing what we'd do.
But if we continue to spend like drunken sailors, we're screwed.

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

Well Cleveland clinic just notified me that my health insurance benefits premium that is deducted out of check biweekly will increase 14%. Beginning January 1st.

However birth control contraception is now included at 100%. CCF had to pay for that govt mandate somehow, so in turn I get to pay an increase in premiums to displace the cost from the cleveland clinic back to me.

Wonderful. Woohoo.

oh and my parking is going up also. Which is deducted from my pay.

 

[k01]

Hi hershey,

I don't know much about how insurance companies price things. I know that my experience, that is, I pay for this out of
my own pocket, is that the cost to insure my employees went down (barely but still down) since Obamacare was enacted.
I don't know why your experience is different. So it's not about me sounding like Obama. It may be that your company is
noticed as small??? I only have 5 employees (including me) that now have insurance, one of whom I couldn't insure for anything
near reasonable before.

I do a lot of work that I am required to do by law as I'm an FDA registered manufacturing site. That is not a way for me to
"try to make more money on your other work", it's a way for me to differentiate myself from others and make MORE money.
No, I won't charge my other, non-medical, customers more. I do my best to make money and make sure my customers
make money too, otherwise I'm not going to be in business long.

I believe that you talked to a lot of brokers and don't know your situation. However, the offer of introduction to mine,
that seems to have helped my situation end up better than yours, stands.

But overall higher insurance rates, an unintended consequence of preexisting conditions coverage in Obamacare?

 

[sturd]

Hi Hershey,

Maybe, but there's lots of conflicting data out there. I found a NY Times article that showed
the year after preexisting condition coverage (2011, it was required to start in 2010), the
increase in insurance premiums was the lowest since 1999 - 4%. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/business/health-care-premiums-rise-modestly-report-says.html
It was 13% in 2002! Article is worth a read no matter what side of the fence you are on. I hadn't
gone looking for this stuff until now - I was just telling what my experience has been.

The bottom line to me is that a lot of people don't actually know what this bill does and are making
decisions that aren't necessarily in their own best interest.

By the way, paying for contraception is WAY cheaper than paying for maternity care. Why any
organization paying for insurance didn't do that on their own is beyond me.

 

[hershey]

Interesting article, they also show that deductibles are way up and medical spending is way down. The slow economy is the main reason they show the moderate increase in rates.

Again I am happy you have done well in the insurance area, I have not and from my research not many have. If you look at my rate increase it doesnt look near as bad as it is because my deductible went from $0 to $2500. My coverage dropped considerably. My prescription drug costs doubled. The reports findings on rate increases doesnt take all those factors into account. Like your employee with preexisting problems, I have preexisting heart issues. My rates have been high for years but they only got worse.

 

[jms158bmx]

Ive never had a problem with my medical until now. I had numerous broken bones and surgurys, and my insurance company was always easy to deal with. Well in September I had a bad crash, both wrists, right elbow, right shoulder, concussion. Absolute nightmare. Not only are they doing everything to not pay, they are trying to go after the property owner where the accident occured. I get a letter in the mail everyweek asking serious questions as to whos fault the accident was. O and they wont let me use my mra acount till they can figure out if someone else is responsible for me crashing my dirtbike. 'merica baby!

 

[k01]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/aroy/2012/10/29/in-ohio-obamacare-to-increase-individual-insurance-premiums-by-55-85/

 

[TimSr90]

sturd,

My healthcare is provided by my employer, and I pay a percentage. My percentage has not changed. My contribution was increased by about $100 a month for my family plan, Cigna high deductible w/HSA which is a great way to go if you are relatively healthy.

You are the first I have heard of that now pays a lower rate. I'm guessing you have some employees with health issues that are either high risk or certain loss. While I'm happy for your good fortune, I will also say that for every guy like you who is getting a break, there are guys like me who are paying for it. Its basically a "good health tax" for those blessed with good health or who choose to live healthy lifestyes. Its a redistribution of health.

 

[NQ1965]

Ive never had a problem with my medical until now. Not only are they doing everything to not pay, they are trying to go after the property owner where the accident occured. I get a letter in the mail everyweek asking serious questions as to whos fault the accident was. O and they wont let me use my mra acount till they can figure out if someone else is responsible for me crashing my dirtbike. 'merica baby!

I wonder if you can report them to the Ohio department of Insurance for non performance?
Is there a "NO-MOTO" or No-Hobby" clause in you policy?

 

[hershey]

I dont think it is so much about being on the bike as trying to find some one else responsible. Ran into the same thing a few years back. They tried like hell to find some else to pay the bill. All I kept telling them was " I was on public land" Still took them about 20 times before they quit hounding me.

I just left a home owners house looking at electrical work for him. He owns a company that has less than 50 employees. Their health insurance premiums just renewed at a 40% increase......

 

[Kaiser 878]

Face it!!!!! We live in a s**t hole!!! We will be a third world country before long, sucking hind tit off someone like china or russia!