The impact of Obamacare in Berks County
By Bruce Posten And Matthew Nojiri, Reading Eagle, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Man or woman, Republican or Democrat, below the poverty level or slightly above it, it doesn't matter.
Some received federal health insurance. Some fell into a gap and got nothing.
After six months, hundreds of headlines and partisan angst, Monday marks the deadline for people to sign up for insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Those who started applications but were unable to finish them by the deadline have until mid-April to ask for an extension.
The law is one of President
But an anecdotal look at local people who signed up before the enrollment deadline tells a story that's not quite so universal.
Some in
Others fell outside the window for help and ended up paying more or are staring down big bills at the end of a year.
There are residents such as
And residents such as
From October through February, about 160,000 Pennsylvanians signed up for insurance through the site. Thousands more were expected to sign up before Monday's deadline.
Across the country, 6 million had already enrolled with a few days left before the deadline. The nonpartisan
"For us, we had a lot of people we helped who received coverage, and a lot of people who were not in a better position than they were before," Davenport said.
Glad to have help
Trimber, a part-time deli counter worker at
"I think the navigator at Berks Encore could tell by the look on my face that I was near tears," she said of selecting an insurance plan.
Widowed for eight years and the mother of three adult children, Trimber used to work in the optical field before 2009 and typically earned less than
<p>"Economically, it's been a rough road for me during the past five years with the loss and changes in my jobs; I was getting depressed," Trimber said. "I rent a place now because my home went into foreclosure, but I am on the rebound now."
Now, she has comparable insurance in a silver-tier plan, but for only a few dollars a month.
"I'm a registered Republican and all my kids are Democrats, but I've always leaned toward Republican views and held values of self-sufficiency and trying to make it on my own effort," she said. "There was all this negativity about Obamacare, so I was hesitant. I really wasn't sure this health care option was going to help me.
"I think I've seen the light."
In the gap
"Oh, I was disappointed," said Heagy, a part-time pizza delivery driver, who showed up at a Berks Encore Super Saturday event designed to help low- and moderate-income people navigate the insurance marketplace.
"I thought anyone who has low-income would be helped by this program, but that's not the case," she said.
With a
"I was told I fell into the gap," she said.
"I'm curious to know what the governor will do (if he will expand
Gov.
Heagy suffers from high blood pressure, gallstones and a kidney ailment and needs health insurance. Corbett declined the federal
But she was advised by insurance navigators that she would qualify for sliding-scale fees or for hospital charity programs to cover medical services. She also was advised that her first step for primary care would be to go to the federally supported
"I'm going to go through this process and see what happens, but they tell me I won't be penalized for not having this federal insurance," she said.
Young and invincible
At 23 and healthy,
Macaulay, a self-employed graphic and Web designer, signed up for new health insurance in March.
"I'm going to be walking around with almost
He was paying
"I'm a pretty healthy guy. I'm one of those twenty-something invincibles," he said. "Just in case something does happen, I have health insurance I can rely on."
Macaulay received help finding insurance from a navigator during a signup event at Berks Encore. He said he's been following the news about the health care law but believes it will ultimately help many people find insurance that had been out of their reach.
"There's so many acronyms and things to understand. It was really comforting to work with the adviser," he said. "It was a really good experience."
More out of his pocket
Last fall, Hoffman was among millions of Americans who received letters saying they would lose their insurance at the end of 2014 because it did not comply with the Affordable Care Act. He said he is worried what insurance rates will be like when he shops for a new policy later this year.
"I thought maybe my policy premiums were going to go up," he said. "I didn't expect to have mine canceled. I wanted to keep mine."
Kunkle, like Hoffman, received a cancellation notice. His insurance plan would have expired at the end of 2014, but he decided to select a new one after going through the exchange and calling a few different carriers.
His income was too high to qualify for subsidies. His new policy has a
"They are starting to dip into my pocket more," he said. "I just had to get a new sleep apnea machine. That was
"It's a disaster."
Big savings
She wanted the screenings, but her insurance policy had a
"That was what people don't understand," said Ember of
In December, Ember, 59, and her husband Alan "Breezy" Brintzenhoff, 61, found a policy on the exchange that will cost them
The most the couple, both self-employed artists, will pay for health care this year is
Ember said she favors a single-payer system in which everyone contributes to one health plan, but the Affordable Care Act has worked for her family. With a hefty subsidy, she's saving
"It's not a perfect plan," she said. "I think they did the best they could. I'm sure it will evolve and change over time."
Both ends of spectrum
As a licensed
But recently he spent time helping his retired registered nurse wife, Karen, 62, and daughter, Marijo, 30, a preschool teacher, find health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
"I am very happy with what I was able to get for my wife," said Smith, 63, of
Smith said he was able to get Karen a health plan in the federal marketplace, equal to or better than COBRA. Her new plan costs more than
"It is a gold plan, and it doesn't include dental or eye coverage, but we will pay those costs out of pocket," Smith said. Gold represents the third highest of the four available tiers.
Smith said his household income was too high for his wife to receive any tax credit to defray the monthly premium costs.
For his daughter, who has not had insurance for the past four years, Smith found a bronze plan, which carries a
"I actually feel relieved," said Marijo of Stony Creek Mills, who was on her parents' insurance plan until she was 26 and then let her insurance drop.
Healthy and active, Marijo said she took her parents' advice that she should still have a basic insurance plan in case of emergency.
"Based on my daughter's age and health, I think this plan will be fine for her," Smith said.
"I could have had health insurance with my employer," Marijo said, "but it would have cost me more than
More to come
Davenport said the winners and losers in the Affordable Care Act depended on income, current insurance and whether a person had pre-existing conditions; the new law helps those with pre-existing conditions, because it bars insurers from rejecting them.
He said the looming deadline is not the end of the story.
Enrollment on HealthCare.gov reopens
"It's definitely not unilateral," he said. "You'll hear that it's the worst law ever and hurt everybody. But you'll also hear it's the best law ever and didn't hurt anybody."
Contact
___
(c)2014 the Reading Eagle (Reading, Pa.)
Visit the Reading Eagle (Reading, Pa.) at readingeagle.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Wordcount: | 2017 |
A slow recovery after heroin overdose
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News