Opposition proposal to change Obamacare would be more punishing to returning expats

[Jingthing]

Just a heads up to Americans.

Obamacare (ACA) is now in effect.

Bona fide expats are not mandated to have U.S. health insurance under Obamacare.

However, expats REPATRIATING can then get into the system just as any American, without special penalty.

However, there is now a republican proposal to change Obamacare (more advanced than just saying to kill it all).

Just talking stages now, but if implemented it would more punishing to expats, as follows.

Like the ACA, the senators’ plan would insist that insurance companies sell policies to people with preexisting conditions. To keep insurers economically viable despite that demand, the senators, like President Obama, would press all Americans, healthy and sick, to buy coverage. The mechanism would be not an individual mandate but flexibility for insurance firms to charge unhealthy people more if those people hadn’t maintained coverage continuously. That’s arguably a sharper incentive to get covered than the relatively small fines the individual mandate applies to those lacking insurance.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/new-gop-health-care-plan-is-a-starting-point-for-a-conversation-not-a-replacement/2014/02/14/e145c5be-9377-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html

Many U.S. expats have an "escape plan" if they get sick to return to America for health care. That escape plan could be under threat for those under Medicare age.

Not suggesting this republican plan is a good or a bad idea, but thought it was worth posting about it just as a heads up that things could potentially change in this direction.

Edited February 15, 2014 by Jingthing

[mogandave]

I've never had any trouble getting health care in the US, with or without insurance.

[rickirs]

Us Republican Senators are a minority party in the Senate and cannot by themselves pass such a bill. More likely they'll get the Republican majority in the House to pass the bill but if the Democrats in the Senate do not pass a bill of their own, the House bill dies. So at this time I don't expect any changes to the ACA.

[Jingthing]

Elections have consequences.

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[Jingthing]

I've never had any trouble getting health care in the US, with or without insurance.

Isn't that special. I have

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[mogandave]

I've never had any trouble getting health care in the US, with or without insurance.

Isn't that special. I have

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Somehow that does't surprise me, but then you have difficulty getting a baht-buss on beach road.

[Jingthing]

In short and long run there will be further adjustments to the U.S. health care system.

I hope it is moving more towards a fully nationalized program.

In any case, looking at other countries with more national involvement (Obamacare represents that movement) you will notice a trend of penalizing returning expats. I think it is very possible returning expats will be looked at in future with a view to this isn't fair, they never paid in, they got sick, and now they want to be treated like everyone else. I think it's reasonable to think that expectation (of returning with no penalty) is NOT iron clad. Obviously not right away, but two major elections are coming up. Just stay tuned and be reminded what is policy today could easily be very different should you be running back home.

Edited February 15, 2014 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

I've never had any trouble getting health care in the US, with or without insurance.

Isn't that special. I have

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Somehow that does't surprise me, but then you have difficulty getting a baht-buss on beach road.

You'd be surprised at the number of people in their 50's with chronic preexisting conditions that made them uninsurable before Obamacare. I have been uninsurable most of my adult life. This isn't the place to debate pro or con Obamacare. Just to talk about impact on EXPATS.

Edited February 15, 2014 by Jingthing

[mogandave]

I've never had any trouble getting health care in the US, with or without insurance.

Isn't that special. I have

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Somehow that does't surprise me, but then you have difficulty getting a baht-buss on beach road.

You'd be surprised at the number of people in their 50's with chronic preexisting conditions that made them uninsurable before Obamacare. I have been uninsurable most of my adult life. This isn't the place to debate pro or con Obamacare. Just to talk about impact on EXPATS.

Whether or not I would be surprised would depend the number.

Before Obamacare anyone on a group plan with preexisting conditions had to be covered.

FO example, if you got a job, and the company had health care, the insurance company had to cover you, and they had to charge you the same price as people without a preexisting condition.

I've had a chronic preexisting condition since about 1980, and I have never had trouble getting health care, and I've have insurance with my current employer for 17 years.

I don't think expats need to be concerned about getting coverage, but I do I think they should be concerned about the deteriorating quality of care in the US.

Hey, I thought you weren't go ingot second to me anymore, LIAR!!!!!!!!!

[Jingthing]

My pre-Obamacare health insurance access situation in the U.S. was a nightmare lasting decades because of my working style (contracting mostly). I did use the COBRA system, scads of times, but multiple times my Cobra eligibility just ran out. What a stupid system so directly linking employment to health insurance access!

The current situation is that returning expats will be like everyone else. If they move to a Medicaid expansion state, if in that segment, could do that. If they can afford private insurance or a subsidized plan, they can do that. If they would need expanded Medicaid but move to the wrong state, they'd be in the same bad boat as non returning expats (out of luck). But still the SAME treatment as non-expats.

The OP is about the POTENTIAL this situation might change in a way not favorable to returning expats. Right now, you'd have to say expats are being treated really well. No mandate if a real expat. No penalty for normal access on return. One can't EXPECT the policies for expats to FOREVER be this favorable. They might be. One can hope.

I posted the OP in good faith because I saw it as a HINT that our maybe too nice treatment could POTENTIALLY be something to be CHIPPED at. Cheers.

I'm not sure what else of VALUE can be said about this topic NOW. We'll just have to wait and see how things shake out over the years. You can count on SOME change though, perhaps A LOT.

Edited February 15, 2014 by Jingthing

[Rooo]

Nothing to do with insurance in Thailand.

[Scott]

//Closed//