I'm sorry to hear your situation Steph. I looked at a Florida Blue Cross website and saw an individual platinum plan with an $800 deductible, 90% coverage and a $2500 yearly maximum out of pocket. On the bottom was the fine print, "Premium is based on age, gender, county, tobacco usage, etc.". I don't know what that means exactly. It doesn't sound as good as your current plan but hopefully you can find something that can work well enough. Perhaps more plans will be offered between now and 3/2014. Good luck. I hope the uncertainty ends quickly. No one with MG deserves that kind of stress.

It appears there 'is a provision in the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" section 1251 entitled "preservation of right to maintain existing coverage" and which states "nothing in the act shall be construed to require that an individual terminate coverage under a group health plan or health insurance coverage in which such individual was enrolled on the date of enactment of this Act. " There is also reference made to grandfathered plans...which I think would be something I want to do...

I need to read more - the Act is about 1,000 pages - but am hopeful there may be something in the Act which provides protection for situations like mine. It seems to me there be some sort of protection in it but based on the letter from my insurance company they make it seem as if the Act is terminating the coverage.

I am hopeful there might be a way to reject the termination letter and instead claim my right to continue with my current policy. I will post more as I learn more.

Hi Steph C,

I am grandfathered under my individual policy as long as I make NO change whatsoever. Any change of any kind terminates your grandfathered eligibility. A grandfathered policy is also NOT subject to the rules of ObamaCare. In other words, if you have a lifetime limit, it still exits under a grandfathered policy. Any of the mandatory provisions under the PPACA, like maternity coverge, etc. does NOT apply to grandfathered policies. A grandfathered policy must not be changed in any manner. If you had certain coverages under your grandfathered policy, you may not ADD nor Subtract any coverage, including items that are now mandatory coverage items of the PPACA. Grandfathered policies are not allowed to make any changes, even ones that are now required under the law. Grandfathered policies are EXEMPT from the new mandates of covered items. About the only thing that is allowed to change on a grandfathered policy is the cost for it.

Steph, I could not find any premium information for that Florida BlueCross plan because I would have to apply and I'm not a Florida resident.

Meanwhile, that letter you got from your insurance company seems like a booby-trap. If you signed up for a plan under ACA, you would lose your chance at keeping your grandfathered plan. It appears they forgot to mention that there was a grandfather provision in the ACA. Perfect, they send out a letter like that, make you afraid, prod you into making a decision in the midst of fear and they get out of having to cover you under the terms of your old policy.

I may be way, way over-thinking but it may be in the insurance company's financial interest to 'bump' people with good plans into the exchanges. I hope you have unlocked the secret to keeping coverage that works for you. I'll be happy for you if you can find security during this change.

I'll also comment that StephC's discovery of the grandfather provision of the ACA could be very, very helpful to a lot of people. As the information about that becomes clearer it probably deserves some type of 'sticky' status and not just on the MG forum.

Yes, it should be on other forums as well.

Another thing to consider........

No matter what insurance you have, no matter how great the benefits, it is of no help if the providers (docs) will not accept it.

Even if you want to keep your current policy under the "grandfather" clause, there is no guarantee that your insurance company will continue to offer it. Insurance companies are not required to continue to offer all their plans. The grandfather clause allows you to not have the mandated benefits listed under PPACA. Example: If the policy that you have was in force before passage of the PPACA, and it had a lifetime maxiumum, that will remain. The grandfather clause does not force insurance companies to continue to offer plans in effect prior to PPACA. Just means if they do and you were under it before passage, you have those provisions, not the provisions of ObamaCare. And you can NOT make any changes to your poicy or you lose your grandfather status.

Hopeless you are exactly right. Doctors are either not accepting the insurance coverage or they are leaving the medical community because of the government involvement.

I have found that being covered by Medicare there are so many doctors that won't accept me. My supplemental coverage will cover anything that Medicare accepts. I have had two different doctors who are practicing within a group but there are only one or two doctors who will accept me in that practice. And it is mainly because Medicare dictates how much they will be paid for procedures. I actually have been to a Dermatologic Surgeon who accepts Medicare but you have to sign an agreement that you will be responsible to reinburse him for anything that Medicare reduces his charges.

Southern Bell

Yes, it is in many cases, advantageous for an insurance company to discontinue good plans and dump the policyholders onto the exchanges.

Did it provide any premiums for any group?

i figured my medical billings for last year, based on billings not payments by insurance company, since insurance only pays about 1/5 of the bill! if I didnt have insurance, I would have incurred about $600,000 worth of bills (IVIG billed at $35,000 per every three weeks is big majority of that)

Thank you for the research and the time, Steph. I think it will be invaluable to all of us with these expensive diseases. I am really getting worried about it all.