Obama care smoking charges

It could, depending on your insurance plan. However, you should only see those changes when making changes to your health plan. The co-pay is part of the contract for your plan and cannot be changed during the policy period without your knowledge.

Since the sign up for the new health care State exchanges doesn't even start until the first week of October 2013, the medical office charging $28.00 claiming it was because of Obama care were taking advantage of a patient. I bet your insurance company would like to hear about the scheme that doc is working. Doctors go to jail for over billing Medicare, but if patients don't complain, the doc gets to keep the extra money. By the way, if you are already on Medicare, co-pays are not charged.

Can you elaborate on that last, gb? I am on Medicare and have a copay for almost every medical event. Surely, the hospital and at least three doctors can't all be wrong?

Serious question.

Yep, the idea is that smokers need more medical care and may do other activities that are dangerous to their health. Bottom line: you cost the insurance company more, so they collect more from you.

Maybe it depends which State you live in. I didn't sign up for dental or eye care. Those are not my weak points, so I pay full freight for eye exams, glasses, and dental care. Prior to Medicare, I had only Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal. (I shouldn't say only, because it was pretty good). I pay the same price for BCBS as my gap insurance as i did before i was eligible for Medicare, and also the quarterly billing for Medicare. So I pay about 35% more yearly to keep myself insured. I consider myself lucky, every health crisis I've had has been addressed and handled. I also didn't sign up for prescription plan because BCBS Fed takes care of that. I live in Maryland, you might need to write to your Senator for an explanation about your docs who charge co-pay on their Medicare patients.

The downside of Medicare here in Maryland has been that many specialists would refuse Medicare patients. That's changed for the most part, there are still a few holdouts. But there are or were dangers with even Fed BCBS. When I was pregnant with whoever was my last child, I miscarried and the OBGYN who cared for me had dropped BCBS and I had to pay out of pocket an amount that exceeded what an entire pregnancy and delivery would have cost. The money wasn't an insult, but the note I received from my insurance company was. The medical term for miscarriage is spontaneous abortion, an idiot processing my claim informed me that my insurance didn't cover abortions. I sat down and cried, the loss of this baby was a terrible hurt, and not a bunch of cells I was trying to destroy.

Well Roger, I'm sorry I gave you a personal sob story instead of answering your question, but it seems that since each State uses Federal block grants differently I would need an entire research team to figure out why it differs State by State. There is a vast criminal network that sets up shops, then bills Medicare for imaginary treatment for non-existent patients. Unfortunately, criminals manage to catapult costs for everything, much higher for those of us with a sense of fairness.

Yikes. Your insurance company should be sued.

I'm not sure the rest helped. I'm going out on a limb and wondering if we are both talking about Medicare. I'm quite sure that unlike Medicade, it is an entirely federal operation in which the patient pays 20% and Medicare pays 80% after an annual deductaable. Of course, the totat bill is the amount Medicare allows the doctor or hospital, which is usually well below the doctor's normal rate. Unless you are doing Medicare Advantage or have one of the various suplimental policies, it doesn't sound like we are in the country.

Thanks for taking the time to answer.

Ok, I checked with Mr. G. We are on Medicare. However the Blue Cross Blue Shield covered almost everything that Medicare doesn't. We are both retired but mr. Glitterbag works part time for a contractor, I've not held a paid position since I retired but I have been involved in a few non-profits.

I sell health insurance so I think I have a fairly good handle on things (as good as anyone can in a state of chaos). There will be a 50% increase in premium for all smokers who buy major medical plans. This has been postponed until 2015 because the govt. can't figure out how to do this with their computers yet.

I am not aware of insurance not paying for certain things. If anything insurance pays for more things which is one reason costs are going up.

Hope this helped.

Are you saying people should LIE to their insurance company?

You do realize doing so could mean they wouldn't honor your insurance since you defrauded them when they entered into a contract with you.

Since you sell health insurance, can you tell me why my insurance will not pay for cough syrup containing codeine. I've called BCBS about this and their answer is because it can't be purchased over the counter. Well, I can't buy the codeine mixture without a script in Maryland or DC. Is there a State in the US that let's you buy a controlled substance without a prescription. It's a minor inconvenience, but it irks me when that's the reason they give.

My parents years ago were meeting with a life insurance agent. Upon entering their house with ashtrays and the smell of smoke lingering in the house (in other words even a moron would realize they were smokers). So the agent asks them if they smoke which they answer truthfully - yes. He said you should say no as the insurance is less for non-smokers. Basically the insurance agent recommended they lie.

This is an old question, but maybe you can answer a few questions regarding Obamacare.
I heard a short program on the radio.
Obamacare will cost $56 a month
Some people do not want to sign up - if it is that cheap why does not every American sign up?
If you do not sign up you will have to pay either $95 a year or 1% or your income. Correct?
As medical care is expensive - not only in USA - how can you be able to run all medical care on $56 a month per person? If everybody has to be on obamacare.
If smokers have to pay more what about alcoholics, obese, sportlers, dangerous jobs, people living in big cities with strong pollution,? The list is endless.
If you already have an insurance are you still forced to pay obamacare?

I have never heard anything about that or any other medical insurance costing as little as $56.00 per month. I think you should look to your sources.

My sources was the radio program here overseas. A lady was interviewing poor prople in Pittburg and asking why when is only cost 56 per month.

the goal is to use the full weight of the American Federal Government to force smokers to quit, up to making it at criminal act.

I realize it is about getting people to stop smoking.
Alcohol is about three times as bad as smoking for society. It costs the medical care a lot of money, the is violence involved in drinking etc.

who gets the hammer is rarely decided by reason, it is an emotional choice. It is open season on smokers in America, they are the new fags.

another thing you need to factor in is benefit to the collective. Drugs and alcohol go far towards keeping people from burning the place down, which is a real threat when young people have been extremely fucked over and dont have enough work to keep them busy (both are more of a problem in the USA than in the EU, but you folks need to be careful as well). Smoking does not help with this anywhere near as much, which goes far toward explaining why the state feels free to go after smokers but not as much drinkers or drug users.

What I really want to know is why when obamacare is so cheap people do not want it.
And why do you have to pay a punishment for not signing up? Do you have to pay these $95 even if you have another insurance already?