HCR and PPACA

In May, I left my previous job as an Executive Assistant for a property management company and started a job as Marketing Assistant at a corporate benefits consulting firm. This job, while extremely challenging and difficult has really been a great opportunity. Not only because its a great job and all that, but I now actually understand medical. dental, vision, life, disability, LTC, and pretty much any other benefit that a company would like to offer for their company. Also, I also have the ability to actually understand what the hell is happening with Health Care Reform and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

You know, that thing that most people have just stuck to calling "Obamacare." 

Honestly, I'm absolutely sick of hearing people trying to talk about it like they actually know what is happening. This morning we spent just under three hours with one of our lawyers and he went pretty in detail about what to expect the next two years and what the regulations actually are and what really is going to happen. It was one of the most exhausting meetings I've been in just for the sheer volume of information. Even though I still have a bit of a headache from everything that's going to happen, I'm really glad we had that meeting. 

There is a large number of people that like to write articles about what you should expect in 2013 and 2014 with healthcare reform and I would say (at a rough estimate) 90% of these people are talking out of their ass. These people like to regurgitate the exact same non-information that has been presented over and over before. Very few of them have actually read PPACA or any of the announcements and rulings that have been made about it. We (meaning me and the company I work for) can't have such a luxury. We have to read this. We have to know exactly what is happening. We have to be able to advise our clients. And knowing as much as I do about the coming six years in healthcare really has me worried about the amount of misinformation out there about it. I'm really more concerned with the sheer amount of outright lies being told to the US public about what the ramifications will be. I'm concerned about the fact that people blindly read and watch these major news networks and accept their word as gospel when they don't have the slightest clue what is happening.

I'm not going to tell you all the caveats about HCR and PPACA for two simple reasons: 

1. Did I mention we were in a three hour meeting today discussing it and my head still hurts? Its complicated stuff.
2. I like my job

But I can tell you all this: Don't blindly accept that everyone's insurance rates are going to be rising exponentially and companies are going to start getting rid of benefits. That's not going to happen. Health care  will increase, but mostly due to the fact that there are going to be a lot of people that don't have insurance that now will and a lot of previous limits are no longer there. So there is a big risk that underwriters (the people that determine your rates) can't account for. 

If you would like more information about what's actually happening, I would suggest reading the actual bills. Anyone that says that this program is going to cripple the country or bankrupt the country obviously doesn't know anything about PPACA. I'd be more than happy to explain what is really happening with anyone that has questions, just obviously not in a blog post where you might be able to take it as legal counsel. If you're a business owner, I would suggest hiring someone in this business (a corporate benefits consulting firm) to help you navigate the next few years. Don't try to do it on your own.

(I do know of a great company that could help you all out...)