re: What are the economics of Affordable Care Act?

Bottom line economics for our family.

We HAD (new plan starts in January) a Cadillac healthplan through husband's job.

Now we will be moved into $3000 deductible HSA/100% when we reach out of pocket $10 grand. Pre tax dollar contributed to HSA we can fund first year IIRC around 7 grand because we are over 55.

Still be paying several hundred dollars a month for coverage. Three pages of covered preventative services. Going to have to negotiate with doctors for services and meds.

Positives for HSA is that we can take it with us and I can inherit, but past spouse, money goes to beneficiary or estate and will be taxable. At least that is how I interpret the plan.

Like all insurance, you don't know what you got until you have to use it, so we are just going to be winging it this first year.

As I said in another thread, we are not sure what we are going to be responsible for until the HSA is funded by payroll deductible dollars. We are going to be limiting spending this Christmas.

I can understand families holding off on major purchases like housing until they fully grasp the changes. HR meetings started in mid- late August and my husband says that all his clients are talking about the changes.

There is a lot of confusion out there and I have heard of many companies that are only going to be giving employees allotments to purchase their own from those exchanges. The media reports that some of the exchanges are not ready to accept customers.

I don't think anyone really knows how this is all going to work and it is going to be a huge cluster for quite a while.