Twiller (who is 33) and I (36) make - well, a decent amount of money, even considering we live in an area with a high cost of living.
Insurance for three people (for those of you reading along who don't know - I am expecting a baby in February) is going to be about 400 dollars a month, for a fairly decent plan. As it stands, I'm paying about 300 for me and the bean - and included in that is the really snazzy "I am 36 and therefore old in terms of making a baby and so get a lot of extra tests" extra - and some of that is ONLY possible because of parts of the ACA that are already kicking in (like at-risk* pregnancy not being considered a pre-existing condition) - I'd be paying about 15,000 dollars for those tests otherwise (in addition to the 15,000 dollars or so of just costs of "Made a baby!")
Without the ACA, Twiller alone was 400 a month. I alone was 450 a month. No pre-existing conditions, no serious health issues, the biggest thing we have is some anti-anxiety meds and seasonal allergies.
If I stop working after bean is born, then that cost (again for three presumably healthy people, two of which are in their 30's) drops to about 200 a month. We are WELL above the poverty line. For the first time in a decade our health insurance costs will be less than the car payment for -two new cars-.
Included in this is that I am at risk for depression after the baby (it's not a sure thing because the last time was very circumstantial) - if it wasn't for the ACA it'd be very easy for my insurance company to drop me when I rolled into my doctor's office for meds because I've been treated for it before so it's "pre-existing" - and now they CAN'T. As it is, I'll be eligible for either low-cost or covered meds and therapy in a way that would otherwise be difficult to get, because the out of pocket costs would terrify me out of even bringing it up.
I'll put this bluntly for people who might not entirely get it - if my health insurance had risen to pre-ACA rates even with the current roll-out, then there would be no typechipbaby arriving in Feb, and probably never had a kid because the sheer cost of it would've made it impossible. A ... year and a half ago we had a condom break, and got the day-after pill because we sat down, talked about it and looked at how much it would cost and couldn't afford it. We can now.
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Date: 2013-10-02 06:20 pm (UTC)Insurance for three people (for those of you reading along who don't know - I am expecting a baby in February) is going to be about 400 dollars a month, for a fairly decent plan. As it stands, I'm paying about 300 for me and the bean - and included in that is the really snazzy "I am 36 and therefore old in terms of making a baby and so get a lot of extra tests" extra - and some of that is ONLY possible because of parts of the ACA that are already kicking in (like at-risk* pregnancy not being considered a pre-existing condition) - I'd be paying about 15,000 dollars for those tests otherwise (in addition to the 15,000 dollars or so of just costs of "Made a baby!")
Without the ACA, Twiller alone was 400 a month. I alone was 450 a month. No pre-existing conditions, no serious health issues, the biggest thing we have is some anti-anxiety meds and seasonal allergies.
If I stop working after bean is born, then that cost (again for three presumably healthy people, two of which are in their 30's) drops to about 200 a month. We are WELL above the poverty line. For the first time in a decade our health insurance costs will be less than the car payment for -two new cars-.
Included in this is that I am at risk for depression after the baby (it's not a sure thing because the last time was very circumstantial) - if it wasn't for the ACA it'd be very easy for my insurance company to drop me when I rolled into my doctor's office for meds because I've been treated for it before so it's "pre-existing" - and now they CAN'T. As it is, I'll be eligible for either low-cost or covered meds and therapy in a way that would otherwise be difficult to get, because the out of pocket costs would terrify me out of even bringing it up.
I'll put this bluntly for people who might not entirely get it - if my health insurance had risen to pre-ACA rates even with the current roll-out, then there would be no typechipbaby arriving in Feb, and probably never had a kid because the sheer cost of it would've made it impossible. A ... year and a half ago we had a condom break, and got the day-after pill because we sat down, talked about it and looked at how much it would cost and couldn't afford it. We can now.