Comment: Obamacare’s taking people’s money, but despite (or because of) all the premiums they pay, they can’t afford to be seen. As critics of the Obamacare legislation pointed out early on, health insurance is NOT healthcare.
“For Martha Gruberman, a 63-year-old resident of south suburban Steger, obtaining health insurance through the Affordable Care Act hasn’t made it any easier to pay for routine medical care.”
“A plan she chose through the federal marketplace requires her to pay $5,000 toward medical costs before her insurer contributes anything. With an income of about $22,000, she doesn’t expect to hit that mark.”
“”I’m never going to use it,” she said. “I can’t use it. I can’t afford it.“”
[...] “As a result, many consumers with high-deductible plans are following old habits: delaying care or taking their needs to community health centers that have traditionally served the uninsured, local health administrators said.”
“”These people, even though they have access to some form of insurance, really do not have health care,” said Suzanne Hoban, executive director of Family Health Partnership Clinic, a free and reduced-cost clinic in Crystal Lake.”
[...]
“Premiums for the cheapest bronze plans in Illinois are increasing by an average of 11 percent in 2015, according to state data. In the Chicago area, that means a 40-year-old will choose among bronze plans that have an average premium of $243 and a median deductible of $5,000, lower than the state median.”
Some newly insured still struggle to pay for health care
By Wes Venteicher, Chicago Tribune
December 1, 2014