Did anyone else see them?

[bersaguy]

I was watching the World Series game last and during a couple of the commercial breaks Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee ran advertisements that you can call them for a quote on Medical Insurance Premiums. Do ya'll think that they are planning on the ACA program imploding in on itself and that folks will be going back to old way of buying insurance? I wonder if they know something we don't know?

[Hozzie]

There is nothing saying you can't buy your own insurance as a single/family outside of the healthcare marketplace.  I don't think it has anything to do with them thinking or knowing that the healthcare exchanges are going to fail.  I just see it as them going after the market directly.  If they are competitive and offer plans that meet the requirements for a price someone wants to pay, there is nothing to stop it.  They are in the insurance business, I would expect to see them advertising their services.  

 

However, I wouldn't argue that due to the challenges that the ACA has had so far, one would think they are trying to take advantage of that.  

Edited October 31, 2013 by Hozzie

[gregintenn]

There is nothing saying you can't buy your own insurance as a single/family outside of the healthcare marketplace.  I don't think it has anything to do with them thinking or knowing that the healthcare exchanges are going to fail.  I just see it as them going after the market directly.  If they are competitive and offer plans that meet the requirements for a price someone wants to pay, there is nothing to stop it.  They are in the insurance business, I would expect to see them advertising their services.  

 

However, I wouldn't argue that due to the challenges that the ACA has had so far, one would think they are trying to take advantage of that.  

Actually, you are only allowed forced to buy certain "approved" plans according to the Affordable Care Act.

[Hozzie]

Actually, you are only allowed forced to buy certain "approved" plans according to the Affordable Care Act.

 

I agree, I didn't say you could buy any plan.  They all have to meet certain requirements, but there is nothing that says you can't buy from a supplier directly.

Edited October 31, 2013 by Hozzie

[Oh Shoot]

Blue Cross is a vendor on the federal exchange and on many if not most state exchanges also.

 

I heard it said today that if you don't qualify for a ACA subsidy, you may well be able to get the same policy listed on site cheaper directly from the provider. This would suggest that the insurance companies are padding their price to some degree on the exchanges.

 

Btw, you can see the plans on Healthcare.gov now without making an account or actually applying. Every page in the questions stresses the prices are without the subsidies that "most" will get, to try and reduce sticker shock I guess.

 

- OS

Edited October 31, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Dustbuster]

To answer the OP question, they're doing everything they can to rake it in. BCBS are a bunch of lying ass scoundrels and they train their people to act as such.I hope they lose billions.I've witnessed them treat customers in the most hideous fashion, I'm appalled at how they manage to stay in business.They have fabricated false statements that they've alleged came from physicians about patient history and more and thats only scratching the tip of the iceberg. W more govt money coming in to the medical world it means they have to open their stuff up for audits which they DONT want...BCBS of TN is only 1 notch above witch doctors, only difference is a witch doctor may actually work for a cure instead of walking away or denying a treatment.The bastards will buy world series airtime, but wont pay for treatments that St Jude will perform for free. fuck BCBS.........

[Farman]

The insurance companies are all for Obama Care. They are not renewing policies, and when people need insurance they raise rates, increase out of pocket and co-pays.

[bersaguy]

To answer the OP question, they're doing everything they can to rake it in. BCBS are a bunch of lying ass scoundrels and they train their people to act as such.I hope they lose billions.I've witnessed them treat customers in the most hideous fashion, I'm appalled at how they manage to stay in business.They have fabricated false statements that they've alleged came from physicians about patient history and more and thats only scratching the tip of the iceberg. W more govt money coming in to the medical world it means they have to open their stuff up for audits which they DONT want...BCBS of TN is only 1 notch above witch doctors, only difference is a witch doctor may actually work for a cure instead of walking away or denying a treatment.The bastards will buy world series airtime, but wont pay for treatments that St Jude will perform for free. #### BCBS.........

I promise you that you won't get an argument out of me to how BCBS does business. I was just expressing a fact that they were advertising. I had my bout with them back in 1987 and had it not been for a very good friend who was also a great attorney they would have screwed me but he stopped them in their tracks and helped me a lot and did it for free. I was employed and my employer was a member of Tennessee Gasoline Retailers assoc and we had a Rolls Royce insurance program with BCBS. I had a 3 million dollar medical payout policy that my boss paid 80% of and  paid the other 20 because I requested the high option plan for my family. When my son had his auto accident and received the brain injury and was listed as terminal from the night of the accident he was in a coma for almost 6 months and came out of it slowly. About 8 month while still in the hospital BCBS contacted the Hospital and said they were cancelling my sons coverage at the end of the month. It stated right in their hand book that they could not stop coverage during any benefit period which means until doctor releases them. The hospital social worker came and told me what BCBS was going to do. I went dow to the billing office and asked them if my sons bills were approaching 3 million dollars and they told me no and far from it. They also told me BCBS was know for that stuff. I called them up and they said they were stopping his coverage once the doctors told them he would be a long term patient. I didn't know what to do so I called my buddy and he came up to the hospital and talked with me and picked up my membership book. About two weeks later BCBS was looking at lawsuit papers filed on Breach of Contract charges and their answer was "we choose to fight it in court rather than pay his bills. My friend got the case moved to Nashville on his turf and BCBS didn't bother to fight that. Once that was done and locked in my buddy drove down to Chattanooga and had a meeting with the board of BCBS and he explained his entire plan to them. He was going to have it in Nashville and in the Courtroom would be his doctors, nurses, the patient himself on the life support system and all the news medias and Press he could get to show the jury and the whole country just what kind of company BCBS is. everyone but 3 people were asked to leave the meeting room. After everyone had left the guy at the end of the table had another guy come to him and he whispered and the guy left. About 10 minutes later he came back and whispered in the guys ear. Then all but the guy at the end of the table left. Then the guy at the end of the table made a statement that my sons hospital had been notified that BCBS would be continuing to take care of my sons expenses until at which time he was released from his doctors of 3 million dollars had terminated to coverage. At that point my buddy told him that he would have the suit put on a stay meaning that is could be brought back if they tried it again. When my son passed away in 1990 BCBS had actually paid out 3 million 179,000.00 in his medical expenses. My buddy George owns his own law firm and has 12 lawyers and we are still friends to this day. The only clients they have are large corporations that they work for. They fight large insurance companies every day and they win most of them.   I am sorry for such a long post but no way to write this one short.

Edited November 1, 2013 by bersaguy

[bersaguy]

The insurance companies are all for Obama Care. They are not renewing policies, and when people need insurance they raise rates, increase out of pocket and co-pays.

I  love your Dads quote in your signature........Reminds me of something my father would have said.............. :wave:

[Sam1]

To answer the OP question, they're doing everything they can to rake it in. BCBS are a bunch of lying ass scoundrels and they train their people to act as such.I hope they lose billions.I've witnessed them treat customers in the most hideous fashion, I'm appalled at how they manage to stay in business.They have fabricated false statements that they've alleged came from physicians about patient history and more and thats only scratching the tip of the iceberg. W more govt money coming in to the medical world it means they have to open their stuff up for audits which they DONT want...BCBS of TN is only 1 notch above witch doctors, only difference is a witch doctor may actually work for a cure instead of walking away or denying a treatment.The bastards will buy world series airtime, but wont pay for treatments that St Jude will perform for free. #### BCBS.........

 

Have to disagree, we're pushing roughly $700,000 in bills since 2011 and have not had a single billing issue.. not one, out of hundreds and hundreds of them

[jtmaze]

When we went to them at work, it cost more money and benefits went down.

[Oh Shoot]

When we went to them at work, it cost more money and benefits went down.

 

Always hard to judge that though, premiums going and up and bennies going down has been the norm for years now.

 

I had BCBS for 21 years while at UT through '97, was always aces.

 

You want to see how bad insurance situation has been over the last decade, I'll be happy to tell you what my experience was with individual policy options at age 47-65.. In a word, terrible, even for one in good health as I was and continued to be for the whole time.

 

Now as official geezer, I'm with them again with Medicare Advantage, and so far, it's been like a gift from heaven, saves me 5.5K a year in premiums, and bennies are stellar.

 

- OS

Edited November 1, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[bersaguy]

Always hard to judge that though, premiums going and up and bennies going down has been the norm for years now.

 

I had BCBS for 21 years while at UT through '97, was always aces.

 

You want to see how bad insurance situation has been over the last decade, I'll be happy to tell you what my experience was with individual policy options at age 47-65.. In a word, terrible, even for one in good health as I was and continued to be for the whole time.

 

Now as official geezer, I'm with them again with Medicare Advantage, and so far, it's been like a gift from heaven, saves me 5.5K a year in premiums, and bennies are stellar.

 

- OS

I heard last evening that some of the folks on the Medicare Advantage program are having policy issues and may be losing their Advantage policies so you might want to check you Advantage policy shoot. I didn't get all the numbers that it was effecting...... :stunned: :stunned:

[Oh Shoot]

I heard last evening that some of the folks on the Medicare Advantage program are having policy issues and may be losing their Advantage policies so you might want to check you Advantage policy shoot. I didn't get all the numbers that it was effecting...... :stunned: :stunned:

 

That was the early scuttlebutt with the huge cut to Medicare that Hussein had to have to help pay for ACA, but money got shuffled and seems no effect actually occurred.

 

The 2014 official Evidence of Coverage has already been distributed, and 'bout the only diff I see is that advanced imaging (MRI, CAT, whatever) went from $150 to $200. Instead of the $1200 or so it would have cost me a year ago.

 

A couple of other minor things actually went down, too.

 

- OS