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Obamacare: Share your story
Voices from America:
"I had good insurance through my employer which cost me $60/month. My employer could no longer offer that plan because it didn't comply with the ACA. I was given three new options by my employer. The best of those options requires me to pay $240/month with a $6,000 deductible." -Nathan, Minnesota
"I lost my health coverage. Under Obamacare, my premiums have already risen $140. I wanted to buy a car, but now I can't afford it." -Michael, Minnesota
"Being a cancer survivor, I have to have a policy separate from my husband. We cannot get a 'family' policy. That said, my MCHA insurance for $403 per month will end in December. I then have to shop for insurance again. I was able to ascertain through the Minnesota exchange website that regardless of the policy provider, my insurance will increase to $500 per month. My husband received a letter that his policy premiums will increase from $275 per month to $350 per month. We are self employed and struggling already. Higher health insurance premiums and all of the small business requirements for Obamacare may very well put us out of business!" -Catherine, Minnesota
"My mother in law is losing her job at the end of the year because of Obamacare. Her company is letting the majority of employees age 55 and older go due to rising health care costs. She cannot yet afford retirement and she and my father in law see no other way than to sell their home" -Jennifer, Minnesota
“Prior to obamacare my monthly premium payment for secondary insurance was $46. Since it has been raised twice and I'm now paying $92 a month. And this year my Medicare payment went up.” –Jin, Minnesota
"“I am retired and get roughly $1,700 every two weeks, but nearly half of that has to go to medical expenses now.” -Phil, Florida
"We are a retired couple. Our company dropped our retirement insurance and we were forced to get Humana. The premiums are going up for next year." -Nadine
"After working for 32 years for IBM and retiring I am now faced with losing my medical coverage that I worked hard for. My company has informed me that due to increasing cost caused by the ACA they will no longer offer me insurance and that I have to go on the exchanges. I’m 78 years old." -Oliver, Colorado
"Tan tax and bad economy ruined my business and I had to close and am now about to lose my home. I have Lupus and had to give up my insurance in 2010 can't afford insurance how can I pay the penalty by the way I am 59 years old at one time I had 6 employees when I closed I was working 70 hrs. a week and couldn't pay the bills. please defund obamacare." -Jeannette, Alabama
"Our premiums went up 70% within a year. My husband works and I'm a stay at mom with 2 kids, this isn't "a great deal" for us." -Cara, Texas
"“Lost our doctor , costs have gone up , insurance premium is going up 26% . One of my meds now cost me more than double what it did and I can't get off it . Our out of pocket costs are going way up . Not sure how we will make ends meet if we really get ill . But I have a feeling that was the plan from the start . If you can't bring up the less fortunate , crush down those that have .” -Larry, Kentucky
"The amount we are allowed to put in our flexible spending account for unreimbursed medical expenses went from $5400 last year (the max.) to $2400 this year. In other words, we will pay tax on that $3000 that we used for healthcare expenses." -Renee, Texas
"I got a letter from my health insurance provider that said the plan I chose to fit my individual needs does not comply with Obamacare and thus had to be cancelled and I was moved automatically onto a plan that fit Obamacare. My premiums increased 66% and my out of pocket expenses went from $1500 to $6,350." -Shane, Wyoming
“I used to work 39 hours a week at my place of employment, but [my employer] cut everybody's hours to under 25.” -Zach, Michigan
“When we retired in 2008, our health insurance cost us $550 monthly with a deductible of $300 each. Now in 2013, our insurance is costing us $942 monthly with a deductible of $600 each. This is almost as high as our house note and now we have to cut back on the grocery money in order to pay the health insurance.” –Deborah, Alabama
“Our premium went up by double for a family. So we had no choice but to drop me from [our insurance plan].” –Melissa, Virginia
“I was shopping for health insurance when Obamacare passed. Within weeks the premium went up 40%. Now, in December, my company announced that hourly employees will no longer be allowed more than 30 hours per week. So far they have not implemented that policy, but it is coming. I am already under-employed. I cannot live off of part time work.” –James, Tennessee
“Since Obamacare was passed, my premium has gone up 3 times from a little over $200 to almost $400.” –Vivian, Virginia
“My health premium increased 42% in six months.” –Catherine, California
“I am a single mom of one daughter. …Last year (2012) my company made some changes and my hours were cut from 40-60 a week to less than 15 hours a week. My health insurance premium went up and I now pay more than $100.00 every pay (bi-weekly).” –Leslie, Maryland
“My monthly premium went up by $100. Nothing has changed in the health or make up of my family. My premiums have just gone up.” –Andy, Georgia
"“Another of my Doctors have sent me a letter deciding to close their practice. They were the best Doctors I could have and now they're gone. Here is an exact quote from the latest in a letter..."Under the forthcoming Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and new healthcare regulations, I will no longer be able to provide the quality of healthcare you have come to expect and that I believe is proper. The increased cost imposed by complying with these new laws, along with decreasing reimbursements, creates a financial burden that is unsustainable for my solo practice"." -Joel, Maryland
“Most of my insurance was paid by retirement it has now tripled. I was paying $21 and now it is $63. My annual deductible and coinsurance has doubled from $350 to $700 and from $1605 to $3210. This may not seem like a lot of money to some but my retirement is $500 per month! I live on a fixed income and the cost of this is an extreme burden to me. Now if I need to go into the hospital I have to pay $2000 more plus a inpatient hospital fee of $233. I don't ever remember having to pay a inpatient fee in the past just my coinsurance and annual deductible.” -Sharon, Virginia
