Have you had “the conversation” with your doctor yet? I don’t mean the conversation you used to have with your pre-pubescent kids before the Internet and Facebook took over sex education; I mean the post-ObamaCare conversation, where you try to figure out if you’ll get to keep your doctor or not.
Is she planning on retiring early or moving to a large group or a hospital practice where you can’t follow her? Will she be taking your new insurance? Will the various Medicare cuts and changes force her to limit her practice size just when you’re reaching 65 and need her the most?
How does she feel about a future where doctors will be paid for government-defined “quality,” rather than for delivering you a service the way lawyers are paid? Beware: It’s much easier for a doctor to document quality if her patient gets better. The sicker you get, the more incentive your doctor has to run away.
You also need to have “the conversation” with your employer. Will he continue to provide you with insurance, or will he change you to a part-time worker in order to drop your insurance but avoid paying a penalty? If he does continue to provide insurance, how much will you be asked to pay? That can be up to 40 percent of the premium under ObamaCare — and ObamaCare premiums are higher, too.
If he decides to drop your coverage and takes the penalty, will you be compelled to go to your state exchange for a new policy only to find you can’t afford the premium of the comprehensive plans you find there (aptly named bronze, silver, gold, or platinum) and don’t quite qualify for a federal subsidy?
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
