CLEAN vent about new Health Care laws and SD...

Wow, I just realized I haven't posted since mid-December. So...hello to all of my StepTalk buddies out there!!

OK, so DH came home from work last night with a packet of Health Insurance information. It's time to sign up again for the new policy.

Because of the new laws that just went into effect, 'children' (I use that term loosely) are permitted to be covered under their parents' insurance until the age of 26. I knew this was coming, so I dreaded seeing him holding that paperwork in his hands.

As some of you may remember, we had an issue with SD21 paying her deductible portion of her bills last year. DH and I paid them off and I breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing that she was out of school and off the insurance policy, so it wouldn't be happening anymore.

Well, now she is legally allowed to be back on the policy. Which means that if she goes on the policy, we'll be faced with more mail from the doctors offices and pharmacies looking for payment of her deductibles.

She has no money. She's working part time as a hair stylist (just got the job in October) and part time at a beauty supply retailer (started last week). I know that if she is put back on the policy, we'll end up paying her bills again.

This caused a huge arguement between DH and I, and BM thought it was her business to call DH and tear him apart for not paying her bills. "You should be paying for that" were her shrill words. Yeah, OK BM. DH should be paying for a 20 year old's medical bills? NOT!

It's my opinion that if this is the new law, her mother should let her onto her policy, not us. She lives with her mother, so when the bills aren't paid, she has immediate access to SD to get them paid. Why should we have to call and chase after her to no avail?

Just venting.....

BTW-our premiums went up $80/month, deductible increased by $1000, and coverage is cut. UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Is it even worth it?

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i thought that they could be

i thought that they could be on up to 26 IF they were IN SCHOOL...not if they are working. that provision in the law was meant to close the grad school loop that was out there and bad (trust me, i lived thru it and had no insurance during law school because of it). the law is supposed to be if you have adult children still IN SCHOOL, they can be covered.

i do not think your working SD qualifies. nor is it required...merely optional.

School, no school, doesn't

School, no school, doesn't matter. I contacted the insurance company last year to find out what was going on. I asked the same question. Regardless of school, they can be on the policy. This gets my panties in a bunch.

Also, the employees asked yesterday why the premiums were up and deductible was up. They were told it's because there will be many more people to cover now that 20-somethings will be switching to their parents' policies.

Oh, la la la la la. I LOVE these new laws!!!

but key here...it is NOT

but key here...it is NOT REQUIRED. just because it is available, does not mean you have to put her on the insurance.

I know. That's my opinion.

I know. That's my opinion. But I know DH. He wants to do anything he can to help her out. That's why I think that if he's so concerned, he should have her go on her mother's insurance. That would ease his mind and keep us out of her financial messiness.

On a side-note, I told him that it was a bad idea for her to drop out of college and go to beauty school. I have a friend who did that and she struggles every month to pay her bills and go without insurance. She rushed to get into that school because there was a class starting in 2 weeks (later found out that classes start every month). Well, life lesson for her, right? Maybe next time she won't bite the hand that feeds her.

Hallelujah, I hope so. DH's

Hallelujah, I hope so. DH's son has not spoken to him for a year, disowned him as his dad, and we are are still carrying his insurance while he is in college. As soon as we get the new paperwork, he is coming off. There is no court order stating we have to carry any insurance or anything else on him past 18/graduation from high school.

"Kindness is usually mistaken for weakness by stupid people" author unknown

oh and the new premiums etc

oh and the new premiums etc are not a result of the new law that was just passed. just an FYI. those premiums are from the OLD set of laws. new law has one year to take effect.

Hi Crayon! "It's all about

Hi Crayon!

"It's all about buying votes and redistributing wealth via fines"

Yep. Now we have the privilege of paying to cover 20-somethings who should be working FULL TIME and supporting themselves, and people who believe that they're just too good to work. I get that there are truely disadvantaged people out there and people who have lost their jobs, but there were already safety nets in place for that type of situation.

JMO, too.

I have a similar situation

I have a similar situation with my SS (STB 18 and out of school). SS lives with BM and has health insurance thru both BM and me (on behalf of DH who is SAHD). BM had been complaining for the past year how expensive it was going to be to keep SS on her insurance after he turns 18, so she is happy about the extention to age 26. But now she wants DH and myself to keep SS on our policy until age 26 as well. My understanding is that only a dependent child can be covered on a policy beyond age 18 and out of school. Since SS lives with BM and she claims him as a dependent on her taxes, then she can continue to insure him. But DH and I cannot claim him as dependent so we cannot insure him through age 26. I have to admit, I don't know if that's just my company's policy or not. But BM finally accepted this as fact and hasn't questioned us again.

But why would he need

But why would he need secondary insurance? If he's on his mom's insurance, he's covered.

It is court-ordered that

It is court-ordered that both parties maintain insurance. I think it's a bunch of crap. Especially since the order states that if insurance isn't available through DH, then SM must provide. WTF?! Another example of responsibility without authority.

Ugh, that's horrible. IMO,

Ugh, that's horrible. IMO, no SM should be responsible for a human being that she did not create. Same with Step-dads. 2 parents per child is ENOUGH!

Yep Steperg, sounds like my

Yep Steperg, sounds like my SD. In the doctors' offices every month. For what, I don't know. She has no diseases, no ailments, no health problems. Her mom is a hype-condriac (sp?) so I'm assuming it rubbed off on SD. But yet, there she is, racking up the bills and having them sent here. And I better not even think of sending them to her house, because her mom will call here and chew our ears off again. Whatever...

But get this.....she's not

But get this.....she's not even asking. I don't think that she OR her mother even know about this (they are busy watching Andy Griffith reruns instead of the news). BM will figure it out when she renews her policy. It's DH who wants to put her back on his policy! I'm trying to talk him down from the ledge. But unfortunately the Obama-Care plan doesn't start this year. I think it starts in 2014 (not sure).

this is sickening. I've

this is sickening. I've been on my own insurance since I was 18 years old. I hate this new law, i really do. why is it the job of parents to pay and pay and pay and pay til their ADULT offspring is damn near 30???? I don't get it.

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We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. ~Anaïs Nin

Absolutely. It's like the

Absolutely. It's like the government is saying that a 'child' should be considered an adult until they're 26. So if you have a lazy one with an attitude sitting on your couch with a mary-jane stick that refuses to get a job and you can't get them out of the house, now they can have health care too!!!

It's such a hot button topic

It's such a hot button topic for me lol I'm trying so hard to keep my temper in check. If I have to pay for my kid til he's damn near 30,I swear I will put my boot so far up his little behind he'll be tasting leather for months.

It's hilarious that I'm 27, have been on my own since I was a teen,been raising my kid without help and I've had my own insurance plans for nearly 10 years but yet I JUST missed being able to sponge off my mother's military insurance. Ugh, I'd feel like a pathetic leech if I were this age and on mommy's healthcare plan. UNLESS I was paying for my portion of her premium,ded,and copays.

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We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. ~Anaïs Nin

Don't you think the new law

Don't you think the new law is acting like a guilty-daddy? Giving the adult kids yet more entitlements and making them feel .... entitled!

Amen!!!

ROFL omg I never even looked

ROFL omg I never even looked at it that way! lmao, our government is a guilt daddy!

Oh I'm definitely stealing that for future use:)

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We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. ~Anaïs Nin

YES! Very good observation

ok the law was specfically

ok the law was specfically written for grad students. no one is REQUIRED to keep their kids on for god's sake. so stop moaning. it is just an option. once you hit college graduation you cannot be on parents insurance in the old world.

however, if you go to grad school, you cannot be on their insurance, but you cannot afford your own. for me, this meant 3 years in law school WITH NO INSURANCE. the same goes for medical school etc.

now, i suppose your answer is screw the people getting graduate degrees and they should get jobs.

i WISH my mom had the option to have me on her insurance those three years. but it was not an option. so for one year i did not have my gall bladder out and sufferred in pain because of no insurance.

OPTIONAL PEOPLE. OPTIONAL. If you have a husband who is a guilty daddy and covers there kid for no reason, that is NOT the govts problem...that is YOUR problem.

I'm with you. It seems the

I'm with you. It seems the harder working people work, the less money they end up with. I don't even get to be the one to hand it to people in need. It's taken away from me before I ever see it. If it were truly going to people in need...not just people who don't want to work, it wouldn't be so much of an issue. All of these rebates and perks Obama has put in place...I have yet to benefit from one of them, however, my hard work is paying for ALL of them. BM is a prime example of a welfare/healthcare leech. She doesn't take the kids to a doctor. She takes them to the ER for a headache, a cold, a sliver, etc.

DH doesn't get insurance through his employer. He is on mine. She doesn't have an employer, so they receive Medicaid.

Don't get me wrong. I understand there is a need for a welfare program and assistance. I understand that people need healthcare, but I don't think it needs to be free. There are other ways...

I'm just gonna stop there. This healthcare/welafare crap is my sore spot.

I don't know much about the

I don't know much about the law at all, but I was happy that it was extended to age 26. There are certain parts about it that piss me off that I have heard of, but I may be the only one that was happy about the 26 year old thing.

I like my SD, and I have no problem continuing to provide her insurance (provided she is dong well in school/working full time) to help her out as a youngster. I had to get my own insurance at 19, and it sucked.

Of course, she will have to pay her own co-pays/medical, and I am sure I will have some kind of rules/stipulations for SD/my own children regarding keeping them on, but healthcare is one thing I DON'T mind providing for a young adult. Providing healthcare for them may be one less thing for them to worry about, and may help them start out life on a more secure foot. That is just my take on things, for my own personal situation.

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"If it sounds like I think I am better than you, it's because I do."

TW, I agree. Someone who is

TW, I agree. Someone who is in school and working should be able to be covered. But that was already in the laws. A young adult could be on a parent's policy AS LONG AS they were in school. But now, the new '26' rule is including ALL adults up to age 26. And my problem with this is that it's only buying time, not solving the problem. What happens when SD turns 26 and still has no insurance thru her employer? Back to square 1.

Once our kids hit 24 they

Once our kids hit 24 they were off our coverage, school or not. I agree, it's just buying time, but I'm ok with that for kids who are trying to do the right thing in life.

I'm with you, TW. My 24 year

I'm with you, TW. My 24 year old is in school and I'm happy to help her out. My SS, also 24, is recovering from some health issues and is not be able to get coverage under current regs for existing conditions. They're both on a COBRA plan now and it's eating us alive.

Most 20-somethings are HEALTHY and should not contribute to higher premiums for the rest of us. They don't consume as much of healthcare as the older population, so, yeah, let's add them to the pool.

I like some of the new provisions, don't like some, and it'll certainly change over time as we learn what works and what doesn't. I wish it weren't so damn partisan though.

"REAL heath insurance reform

"REAL heath insurance reform would include TORT REFORM so that the medical profession doesn't have to practice medicine in CYA mode. It would also have LESS coverage for those on medicaid and medicare than on standard insurance.

In fact, this notion that healthcare should be associated with work is nuts! It should be like other insurance, auto, house, etc.

You should be able to shop around cross state lines and then if you only want hospitalization and a high deductible then so be it. If you want cadillac insurance where every hang nail is covered then you pay the price yourself!"

Applause applause!!! It should also REGULATE what the hospitals can charge for services. I just got a bill in the mail for delivering BS#2. UNBELIEVABLE!!! $22,000+ just for the hospital! 3 days! Not for the doctors (anesthesiologist, obstetrician, etc), just hospital. $3390 for a hospital room for 3 days??? I could stay at the Ritz for less than that! And of course the insurance company negotiated the amounts and paid the bills, but what is that saying? It says that the hospitals purposely rape the patients HOPING to be paid the listed amount, knowing that it doesn't cost close to what they're charging. Makes me sick.

I goning to stick my neck

I goning to stick my neck out and butt my nose in and disagree. I think that our country does need a health care plan. I view health care like I view public education and I see it as a right that all citizens should have. I understand that I will be paying taxes for this and I'm okay with that. I work for a small business and our monthly insurance costs for 16 employees is about $10,000 per month. My employers have always provided insurance for their employees and have only recently charged their employees for the cost of the insurance. The premiums just continue to go up and up and the coverage decreases. Plus - we don't cover dependents and many of our entry level employees cannot afford to pay the dependent coverage. Under the Obama plan -it appears that we will receive a nice tax credit for our insurance coverage and knowing my employers - they will pass this on to us.

Yes, there are people who take advantage of the system and they will continue to do so. But there are so many others that will benefit from health care and my belief is that it will make our country better.

Okay - so I'm a Liberal - be gentle now!
Glynne