現在那些能夠參加employer sponsored group plan的人，落到和他們以前一樣的慘狀了，自己也沒有變得更好。
Before the ACA, self-employed and small business owners called a local health insurance broker. The broker would shop the plans of a dozen or more companies and offer some policies based on the self-employed or small business owners needs.
Before the ACA, self-employed and small business owners called a local health insurance broker. The broker would shop the plans of a dozen or more companies and offer some policies based on the self-employed or small business owners needs.
Those insurance policies were 5X to 10X CHEAPER than the ACA plans. I was looking at a plan in 2013 for about $350 per month. In 2014, when the ACA plan came out, it was $2800 per month. Although the plans were slightly different, as a general rule, the ACA plan covered LESS than the private plan.
Basically, the private plan, with co-pays and deductibles, was expected to cost between $14,000 and $15,000 per year, which isn’t necessarily inexpensive. However, the ACA plan, with co-pays and deductibles, was expected to cost $51,000 to $55,000 per year. That was much more than my expected $36,000 per year income at the time.
Self-employed and small business owners was one of the groups which the ACA was designed to punish. It did that spectacularly. Not only did it make insurance not affordable for small business owners, but it required some small business owners to provide unaffordable insurance to their employees. Those employers were required to either close shop or try to operate without employees. There is no way an employer can afford to pay $3000 for an insurance policy for an employee who only makes $2500 per month and there is now way that the employee can afford to pay their share of the policy if the employer decides to pass the increase along.
