I am so darned confused about this new mandatory healthcare stuff!
I've been getting health Ins thru Aetna - deceased husband's coverage.
Does this new stuff mean I'll dropped by them & have to purchase a new plan for myself?
I've been getting my Insulin & test strips from Express Scripts w/a $10.00 per month co-pay. No other meds/drugs.
Anyone else in a similar situation or a quandary?

That won't happen Earlybird. That part of the health reform bill is being contested by several States anyway. The provision was for people who have no insurance. This was going to be one way for the bill to save money. Kind of like mandatory auto insurance. You auto insurance is so high, much because of uninsured motorists that you have to pay for. If you already have Medicare or other personal health insurance, you are covered by the bill's mandatory requirement.

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- Jim

�Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.� Sir Winston Churchill

Thanks, Jim. My concern is if my present Ins Co will continue to provide coverage, since it's not something I pay for.
I'm covered under deceased spouse coverage. I do have Medicare as my First Insurer, but Aetna then picks up some too. I'm not part of any plan that has to worry about a doughnut hole. Didn't sign up for that!
I feel so embarrassingly stupid with this stuff.
Yes, it's being contested in some states but it seems that just because this is true, it sounds
to me like it will go thru anyway. Maybe I should call Aetna?

Don't be. If it was simple and easy to understand then people might start complaining even more then they are now and we can't have that, can we?

I doubt that mandatory insurance will cause your rates to go down. I would not be surprised to see them go up because you now have no choice but to pay whatever the companies ask.

But that shouldn't be too surprising as this bill was essentially written by and for the insurance companies.

I don't pay anything for Aetna coverage now; it's part of the benefit package from my deceased husband's
company. usually half of the year passes before Aetna or Medicare contribute anything to
my medical bills since I go to a Dr so rarely.
The only exception is Aetna pays for my diabetic test strips & insulin. Medicare doesn't pay towards those at all.
With a new year beginning again, I'll be paying full price for any Dr visits until probably June or July.
I have an eye Dr appt in Jan - only twice a year, and a foot Dr appt also in Jan. - every 90 days.

Thanks for being brave enough to ask the question, Earlybird. I now fit into this senior category and have no insurance. I was thinking I would try to get some cobra health insurance until I get back to work. But an unemployment check sure won't cover the cost of cobra insurance. I was able to get my Prevacid from my doctor so that has helped immensely.

Good luck to you, Greg....hope you get back to work soon.
Hopefully your Dr will/can continue to give you samples/meds.

Check with other sources other than your Aetna representative The reason being is they may confuse you more in order to get your consent to drop them..
I think my parents have Aetna as their primary, but it's a different situation because they're getting billed.. i get Aetna as part of my benefit pkg @ work.

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Earlybird, I got a letter from aetna yesterday, reminding me of the changes and told me that I had recieved an application in the mail back in june... this was my fatherinlaws policy, and I am not on the insurance (sort of wish I were) his policy was also work related... from my understanding of the letter I got yesterday, if you dont fill out the form, you lose coverage... I would make sure you call your representative, but I would be making sure I had one of my kids or someone that knew more about insurance then me on the other line, or on a speakerphone so I wouldnt get confused and somehow give them permission to drop me.. I hate how they talk around in circles...they purposely try to confuse people, I believe!

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God is and all is well
~John Greenleaf Whittier~

Hey guys. How could they premiums not go up. How could we possibly add benefits to existing insureds through government mandates, cover more people and premiums not go up. Starting in 2011 the insurance companies will be operating on a shoestring, and you think you had difficulty getting anwers before, wait until government completely takes this over. Our congressional leaders should be subject to the same mandates and coverage that as we.

Medicare coverage should not change much in the short run, but down the road is a different story. They propose to rob Peter to pay Paul.

Yes, the salaries, etc. of the execs seem high, but how about the million dollar vacations of our president's family. He is our chief executive, but completely exonerates himself of any responsibility to the American people. People are struggling so badly, and they are wasting millions. We could cut out the waste and pay the freight easily.

They could have taken the current system and expanded Medicare and Medicaid and the public health department to cover the uninsured. Also there is the issue of personal responsibility and lifestyle choices or poor choices.

I could obviously go on for a very long time about this. As more is learned about the new bill it is absolutely outrageous and appalling.

Good luck to all.

the way I see this health care bill is another attack on the middle class. The poor are in the clear because they will get free coverage. The upper class already have insurance so they in a sense are in the clear as well. It is the working men and women that are going to suffer the most. I agree a backdoor bailout to the insurance companies. Also, if I chose not to drive I am not required to buy auto insurance.