The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, poses a threat to many Americans. Although Obamacare provides health coverage, the policies it offers have fairly high deductibles, forcing people to prepare financially to cover many of their own costs.
In the following video, Dan Caplinger, The Motley Fool's director of investment planning, looks at Obamacare deductibles and what you need to do to be ready for them. Dan notes that bronze plans with minimal coverage have average deductibles above $5,000, which is much more than the $1,100 deductibles for a typical employer-provided plan. He also notes the danger of bronze plans in that unlike higher-tier plans, bronze coverage doesn't allow for cost-sharing subsidies under Obamacare. Dan concludes with some tips on how to save for out-of-pocket costs, noting that the impact on hospitals Community Health Systems (CYH 7.26%), Tenet Healthcare (THC -0.76%), and HCA Holdings (HCA -1.54%) could be devastating if patients with Obamacare coverage can't afford deductibles, leaving hospitals with the same uncollectible bad debt they'd hoped to eliminate under the Affordable Care Act.
