Obamacare

can anyone explain it to me.......no one honestly seems to know........i was sent a wonderful website but honestly its so confusing...........ill be moving back home in the next year or two and hubby will follow in a few years...........just want/need to know what we are facing with healthcare.........thanks

In a word....EXPENSIVE!

Not because of "Obamacare" IMHO, but because it doesn't go far enough. Insurance is expensive, unless you are lucky enough to be covered by an employer, and even with insurance your out of pocket expense (co-pays etc) can be high if you have a major illness/accident/chronic condition.

In my opinion, it's not really different from before, aside from the fact that you can't be turned down for a pre-existing condition. And I guess starting next year you'll be obligated to find some kind of insurance or face a fine from the government for not having any.

Otherwise, it's still insurance companies, it's still expensive, and it's still a sad state of affairs.

So from what I understand of it (and I could very well be wrong), American citizens must have insurance of some kind..... but how will that affect Americans living abroad?  Will NHS cover the requirement for those of us in the UK?

The thing to keep in mind about the requirement to have insurance is that, at least in theory, there's meant to be tax credits/assistance/exemptions for people who can't afford insurance, and the impression I got was that it would apply to fairly middle-income people, as well (unlike things like Medicaid, for which you have to be really poor to qualify).

But yes, I do wish they'd just bit the bullet and, at the very least, allowed people to buy in to Medicare/Medicaid.

The thing to keep in mind about the requirement to have insurance is that, at least in theory, there's meant to be tax credits/assistance/exemptions for people who can't afford insurance, and the impression I got was that it would apply to fairly middle-income people, as well (unlike things like Medicaid, for which you have to be really poor to qualify).

But yes, I do wish they'd just bit the bullet and, at the very least, allowed people to buy in to Medicare/Medicaid.

Yes, I'm not entirely clear on how exactly it's going to work and who will be subject to what. I just know that all the tax professionals were telling everyone this year 'Starting next year, health insurance fine blah blah blah...' so I think the fine itself will be applied when you do your taxes, the way the credits/exemptions also will be. Even though I'm paying for insurance now, should probably look into it anyway!

This was posted on the main website a while back: http://www.uk-yankee.com/articles/american-expats-and-obamacare

I wish they would hurry up and do it so i could clearly know whats going on.........yes i read on the website that someone sent me........middle class folks will qualify for discounted healthcare........we honestly cannot affort to pay 1000 bucks a month for insurance........i feel like im caught in limbo............thanks for all your comments

I understand it is modeled after the system in Massachusetts (MassHealth).  In which case, at the end of the tax year if you have health insurance, your insurer sends you an official form stating you have insurance.  If you don't have insurance, you are hit with a penalty, that either decreases your refund or means you have to pay up to the state.  I had a single friend in graduate school who opted not to get insurance because the penalty was way less than the cost of insurance.

As for coverage for those who don't have employer based insurance or can't afford private insurance, there is MassHealth.  It's costed on a sliding scale and open to anyone, but if you make a million....you are going to pay more than someone who makes $30K.  It is still pretty expensive, but better than paying out of pocket for those who are middle income. 

Just the experience I have had living in Massachusetts.  Who knows how it will really be implemented for Obamacare.

This has really been a sore spot for me.  Working as a bartender at the moment, my job falls under the loophole that they don't have to provide insurance....too few workers.  So I have to purchase my own.  I make more than the limit and don't qualify for assistance and received a letter with my w2 stating that I needed to obtain healthcare or face a fine next year. To insure my husband and I, it will cost over $1400 a month....which is more than our monthly rent.  I will opt to pay the fine which I believe is $700 the first year and goes up each year (I could be wrong on the exact amount).  After so many years tho I believe they can threaten you with jail (again I could be wrong) the information out there really isn't clear.  I go to my doctor once a year for a check up and am charged $250 with no insurance.  I RARELY get sick, and if I do, I load up on vitamin c and cold medicine til it passes.  My DH just goes to his GP when he comes back to the UK. 

What is sad, is many politicians are now against Obamacare now that they have actually had the time to read the law.  Very sad that they voted on something before they fully understood it.  Hopefully tho, I will be over in the UK and NHS will cover us.

i think its something all of us that live or are moving back home to the us are worried about......i honestly dont know how we are gonna handle the situation.......we have a few pots on the stove right now but cant cook until we find out about the health care...... ..........i use to never worry about it but now that im 54 its becoming a concern........hopefully they will figure it out and in a positive way............thanks again yall

The problem is that the Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats gutted the original bill so badly that it's just completely destroyed a lot of what was good about it. It was important to get through some of the reforms, like not being denied for pre-existing conditions, but Obama and the Dems compromised way too much and ended up with something pretty crappy.