Poll: Do you need ACA for either you or your spouse? For how long?

[ShokWaveRider]

Simple Poll for curiosities sake. I was curious how many of us use or rely on ACA for one's self or members of our household. With or without subsidies. Feel free to elaborate, if you Manage MAGI to Max subsidies etc.

The way things are going, ACA "May" not be available, or severely compromised in the coming years, what are your plans?

Please do not participate in the poll if you are on Medicare, Medicaid, VA, Tricare or any Employer or Ex Employer sponsored Healthcare. Of course your comments are welcome.

Some of the things we like are but do not necessarily use, but respect the fact others may need them:

Pre-Existing Condition coverage
Emergency Services
Drug coverage
For the most part guaranteed coverage
Childbirth coverage
Lab coverage
Preventative care

No real health questions and of course the subsidies.

 

[augam]

Not currently on it now but plan to start Cobra as soon as I retire in the 2nd/3rd qtr of this year after that the plan is ACA for the DW and I.

Personally do not seeing the plan going anywhere anytime soon.

jmho

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Not currently on it now but plan to start Cobra as soon as I retire in the 2nd/3rd qtr of this year after that the plan is ACA for the DW and I.

Personally do not seeing the plan going anywhere anytime soon.

jmho

So how many years "will" you need it for? You can still participate in the poll.

 

[VanWinkle]

This is my first full year on Medicare. I just finished 2 years of ACA for me, 1.5 years for my deceased wife. I used Cobra for my wife for 18 months prior to the ACA. I had paid retirement Health Insurance for 18 months due to never using a sick day at work for 15 years.

The ACA made early retirement much easier and less costly for my wife and I. Getting educated on the tax laws surrounding the ACA is critical to cost savings in early retirement.

 

[augam]

So how many years "will" you need it for? You can still participate in the poll.

Myself from late 2022ish when Cobra expires until say 2025 when I am eligible for MC. DW will need it for 6 years after that

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I didn't respond yet because I wanted to ask, do you want to poll just those who have retired, or did you want to include those who are still working, who will very likely have HI offered through their employer?

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I didn't respond yet because I wanted to ask, do you want to poll just those who have retired, or did you want to include those who are still working, who will very likely have HI offered through their employer?

I was initially thinking of ER. But if it affects you, then go for it. What I do not think is appropriate is folks with VA, Medicare, Medicaid, or employee covered healthcare putting "No, Do Not Use the ACA" as that would skew the numbers.

 

[Sarah S]

I need it for 18 months is that one more year in your thinking? I think ( hope) no matter what this year is ok

 

[SumDay]

I responded No do not need or use ACA now, but I don't turn 65 until 2022 and currently have retiree medical which is paid up through 12/31/2020. If Megacorp decides to ditch retiree medical (which was closed about 10 years ago to new employees and anyone with <10 years of service) I will be here asking for help getting enrolled with ACA for 2021. I'll know more in early October. (typed with crossed fingers)...

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I responded No do not need or use ACA now, but I don't turn 65 until 2022 and currently have retiree medical which is paid up through 12/31/2020. If Megacorp decides to ditch retiree medical (which was closed about 10 years ago to new employees and anyone with <10 years of service) I will be here asking for help getting enrolled with ACA for 2021. I'll know more in early October. (typed with crossed fingers)...

So you may need for 1 year.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

I was initially thinking of ER. But if it affects you, then go for it. What I do not think is appropriate is folks with VA, Medicare, Medicaid, or employee covered healthcare putting "No, Do Not Use the ACA" as that would skew the numbers.

Thanks. It's part of our retirement plan to get an ACA health plan from 55-65, as I already priced out plans for us and added that to our expenses. But since we haven't used it and don't know for sure that we will, I won't respond to the poll. Who knows? If I change jobs over the next few years, some of the employers I'm looking at allow you to continue your coverage in retirement. And a change has become a lot more likely in the last few months.

 

[tb001]

DH is still working, but as an independent consultant. We’re currently on cobra and likely will continue on cobra for full 36 months. After that we’ll be on ACA for the foreseeable future. Young kids and I’m late 40s. If ACA disappears, I’ll have to find a job with health benefits.

 

[Dreamer]

I am very sorry, but I voted and I am on Medicare. I voted before I read everything. I voted no, but I will say that I was not on ACA before we went on Medicare either.

 

[W2R]

I am very sorry, but I voted and I am on Medicare. I voted before I read everything. I voted no, but I will say that I was not on ACA before we went on Medicare either.

+1

 

[SumDay]

So you may need for 1 year.

You're good at the maths.

 

[jim584672]

10 years until Medicare. On ACA for 5.5 years now.

 

[pb4uski]

I didn't vote because I wasn't sure which choice to select.... we have had individual health insurance since I retired in early 2012... unsubsidized ACA since 2014.

We are generally healthy and typically spend less than $1k on health care in any given year (for the two if us)... the major benefit of ACA has been wealth insurance, access to negotiated rates for those services that we do need, and annual exams.

We'll be off of ACA and on Medicare in 2020... DW in March and me in November.

 

[scrabbler1]

I have been on an ACA plan since 2014, when the exchanges were born. I turn 57 in 2 months, so I will be on it for another 8 years until I am old enough to go on Medicare. That will be 14 years in all.


I can't begin to think about how expensive individual coverage would be had it not been for the ACA. Or I would have been underinsured, something which would have been very costly when I got sick in 2015 and had a 12-day hospital stay. Or how much sicker I would have been had I further delayed getting medical help due to being underinsured. Lots of awful alternatives without the ACA.

 

[ocean view]

We are 5 years into ACA plans. We will use them for a total of 12 years for me and 15 for DH. Originally my plan to was to Roth convert as quickly as possible, until I realized that we need to slow our conversions so that we have that tool available until 2030 to keep our income above the Medicaid threshold.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

DW and I won't need the ACA. We're fortunate to be getting retiree health insurance through my DW's employer at a very low cost when she retires.

Edit: Sorry - I should have read the initial post.

 

[Dash man]

We are on retiree healthcare, but we pay the full amount. ACA plans we looked at were much more expensive for not as good coverage. We wouldn’t qualify for any subsidy.

 

[Splash]

We have been on ACA for 3 years and need it for another 7 years.

We are especially grateful for pre-existing condition coverage and premium subsidies. The thing I miss the most is having access to coverage beyond my immediate geographic region. The only plans available where we live have very narrow networks so we are pretty much self insured when we travel which includes the 4 months we snowbird.

 

[GenXguy]

I use employer provided health care, but the ACA law still applies to those plans as well.

 

[candrew]

I've been on the ACA since E.R. 3 years ago. Won't be Medicare eligible until '22. DW started Medicare last month. Receiving premium subsidies.

 

[rodi]

My family has been on ACA since cobra ran out in 2015. DH has graduated to medicare but the kids and I are still on a HDHP through the ACA.

And since my older son has a pre-existing condition since just before he turned 16... Hopefully some form of guaranteed insurance will survive whatever happens with health care going forward. That's the biggest part of the ACA - no penalty for a pre-existing condition.