[Bucco]

Originally Posted by mrfixit

...FACT.....the new Affordable Health Care Act ( AHCA) will only allow
a 3 times swing from lowest to highest premium for ANY class........

Currently a 8 times swing is generally used.
FOR EXAMPLE....
A 70 yr old male pays 8 times as much $ premium as a 21 year old male.
70 year old male pays $800.........21 year old pays $100 for same coverage.

NEW RULE...under AHCA...as written...
...70 year old male rate can only be 3 times the 21 year olds' rate.

GUESS who is going to have a MAJOR premium increases.

.....increase the 21 year olds' premium to $ 266. (up from $100)...
the insurance company will be able to charge the 70 year old the $800.

Some of those in Congress were told there IS a Forest out there...
they replied ... "no way.....there is only a bunch of trees".

Understand that the Affordable Care Act has many many tentacles and many companies are trying to "get ready" as best they can.

One article I read right before the Supreme Court decision on the act spells out a bit...


"A little-discussed ramification of Thursday's landmark Supreme Court health care decision is that it could make things harder for the nation's heaviest workers.

The decision upholding the Affordable Care Act has cleared the way for a planned increase in the penalties that employers can impose on workers who don't participate in company wellness programs and, in some cases, who don't meet certain health targets such as an appropriate body mass index. In other words, the obese may wind up paying penalties for being overweight. Smokers, too, may get hit.

The language of the penalties under corporate health plans is often written in terms of "incentives," where the "absence of a surcharge" on health care premiums is an "incentive" for employees to agree to take part in a wellness program. Read another way, that means workers who don't agree to participate have to pay a fine. President Barack Obama's health care law raises the limit on how high a penalty employers can set to "incentivize" participation in the programs, which typically consist of health risk assessments (often including blood tests), fitness classes, disease management plans and nutrition education.

Those most likely to be affected by the increase are cigarette smokers and obese people, two groups who studies show account for a disproportionately high percentage of health care spending.

Consider one current employer plan. Swiss Village Retirement Community in Berne, Ind., gives employees $500 discounts on their health care deductibles for meeting each of the following metrics, "not smoking, having a BMI of 27.5 or less, a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (LDL) of 130 milligrams per deciliter or less, and blood pressure of 130/85 or less," according to the Kaiser Health Network. Those who don't reach the goals but participate in the program are given $250 discounts. Those who don't participate at all pay full price.

But studies show that health care plans offering rewards, like the one at Swiss Village, are rapidly giving way to plans that offer rewards and assess penalties. According to a report from benefits consulting firm Towers Watson, which was cited in Forbes, 38 percent of employers expect to have such penalties in place by the end of 2012."

Health Plan Costs For Obese And Smokers Could Rise After Supreme Court Ruling

Lots of changes on the horizon and keep in mind that those in congress who passed this did not read it so expect changes as it becomes uncomfortable for those same folks who may lose votes because of this piece of legislation.