Consulting and the Affordable Care Act 11

[Mr168]

I'm curious as to the thoughts of the Eng-Tips community as to whether we will see the Affordable Care Act have a significant impact on the Engineering Consulting industry.

For a moment, lets put aside the turmoil associated with Obamacare, and operate under the assumption that the ACA won't be repealed any time soon.

The single greatest factor in me not venturing into the world of private consulting has been healthcare. As someone with a number of preexisting medical conditions and a history of cancer, any sort of private health insurance is either a pipe dream, or tremendously cost prohibitive. As much as I hate to entertain the though, Obamacare does provide at least some inkling of a possibility that I could leave the big Fortune 100 EPC's and venture off on my own, with premiums and care much worse than my corporate policy, but not unbearable.

If the ACA manages to stick around, do the folks here anticipate any sort of significant influx of private consultants? Any other anticipated consequences or thoughts on the matter?

 

[JohnRBaker]

As much as I hate to entertain the though, Obamacare does provide at least some inkling of a possibility that I could leave the big Fortune 100 EPC's and venture off on my own, with premiums and care much worse than my corporate policy, but not unbearable.

Until you've actually gone on-line (or spoken to an insurance agent participating in the ACA program) and looked at what might be available in your state and for your family's situation, I think that you should NOT assume that you will not be able to get something close to or better than your current group coverage or that the cost will be out-of-line with what you'd have expected to have paid if you did NOT have any sort of "preexisting medical conditions and a history of cancer". This is really the benchmark by which you should be basing your decision, NOT what it's costing you today for your employer-subsidized insurance coverage. After all, you seem to be suggesting that if it were NOT for your current medical issues holding you back, that you would have already left the "big Fortune 100 EPC" and would have struck out on your own.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[Mr168]

John - These are all hypothetical. I have no inherent desire to leave my present job, simply pondering what doors could be conceivably opened to those who either a) always feared losing the safety net of employer-subsidized coverage, or b) have been denied based on preexisting conditions. I fall into both categories (I took a look into category b some years ago when I was considering relocating, was refused coverage by more than one provider), and had never given it any thought otherwise. The topic had surfaced when some fellow engineers were informed of a branch closing, and were discussing venturing out on their own.

I should note that my reference to being "worse than my corporate policy" is based on having lucked into a very nice PPO setup which far exceeded those of my previous employers. I'd be stunned if I could find deductibles and overall costs as low as my current setup with comparable coverage.

 

[JohnRBaker]

My response was based on your statement that "The single greatest factor in me not venturing into the world of private consulting has been healthcare." To me that sounded a bit more than your questions being purely "hypothetical" ;-)

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[Mr168]

Sorry, poor wording on my part. I worded it as past/present tense, when I really meant to imply future!

 

[hokie66]

You will get lots of opinions, but until you actually investigate, you won't know. I understand your reluctance to give up your safety net before you know what will replace it. From what I read, and this is only from afar, this situation looks like it will take a while to shake down.

 

[dvd]

I think that if the insurance companies and brokers and those who hate Obama don't kill off the ACA that it will allow a lot of people to quit hanging onto jobs for the sake of having insurance. I hope the ACA gets a chance.

 

[cranky108]

Most of us are part of professional groups that offer group plans, so why do we have to look very far for health care?

 

[greenone]

Cranky108-both my husband and I belong to pro groups which offer health care plans, but due to pre-existing conditions, he was rejected from both organizations. It wasn't that coverage was expensive, they just would not insure him.
To date, employer insurance has been our only option-I am looking forward to seeing how the new program will shake out, because COBRA is running out for us.

 

[H57]

I will say that I always assumed I would start my own consulting business. When my child was diagnosed with serious medical issues I assumed that I would never work on my own. In fact, the need for medical insurance was the reason that I changed jobs from a two man office (what would happen to my insurance if my boss died?) to a much larger office. I needed health insurance.

I have no regrets in changing jobs and I don't have much of a desire to start out on my own, but I do wonder if my decisions would have been the same if I had another option for insurance for my family.

 

[beej67]

Unrelated but I felt I needed to share.

Buddy of mine was at a Christmas party this year with some high paid hospital admin types. They were talking about how the uninsured are going to be the latest big gold mine. The hospital can find someone who's uninsured who needs a procedure, and then offer to pay the guy's first six months of health insurance (since he can't be denied for preexisting conditions) and then the patient can drop coverage.

Patient never pays a dime. Hospital pays six months of insurance, and gets paid the full value of the procedure in return. And nobody can stop it because of the new law.

Next few years could be interesting.

Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East -

http://www.campbellcivil.com

 

[kylesito]

beej67, you mean there are unintended consequences to something that had to be passed before it was understood? How dare you make those assertions!

PE, SE
Eastern United States

"If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death!"
~Code of Hammurabi

 

[cranky108]

The voters get the kind of goverment they deserve. And the laws they deserve.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

I believe we're at a point where the average voter cannot possibly hope to understand our system of government to any level necessary to affect a proper change. Too many loophole safeguards have been put in place over the years, and the same confusion reigns that allow new loopholes to be implemented if old ones are closed.

Essentially, I think we've hit critical mass for a system that cannot be fixed by the average Joe. It can only be done by a group of altruistic politicians or a civil uprising.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[dvd]

It is time to defenestrate the non-altruistic politicians in the US, or to choose the other alternative. Problem is getting a consensus on the definition of altruistic.

 

[IRstuff]

So, this is supposedly worse than waiting for these uninsured to get critically ill, thereby justifying going to the ER, and making all the taxpayers pay anyway, but even more? Or worse, allowing people to die for the lack of insurance in the riches country in the world? People are gaming whatever system exists. The existing system was not sustainable.

Rather than spending brainpower gaming the system or criticizing the system, put all the brainpower into making it work correctly, cost-effectively, and efficiently.

TTFN
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[dvd]

Where is the money in making the system work correctly? Heretics go to Siberia.

 

[hokie66]

Taxpayers didn't pay for people to go to the ER. Nobody paid. It just went on the government's tab, which never gets paid. The new system is not different in that respect.

 

[JohnRBaker]

For what it's worth:

http://www.pantagraph.com/news/nati...cle_43f6f99e-bae9-11e1-bece-001a4bcf887a.html

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[IRstuff]

Then the problem isn't the health care system, per se. We need to shoot all the CEOs and continue to do so until things start working the way they're supposed to.

TTFN
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Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529