Why I Will Be Paying the Tax Penalty for the ACA

The controversy continues to swirl around the Affordable Care Act, and at first I was a loyal Democrat and supported the law wholeheartedly. That is, until I tried to get health care myself.

Like a good citizen, I battled the slow web site and got signed up right after enrollment opened last year. It took some doing but I got my policy and was excited to have health care for the first time in years.

Yeah, right.

Comes January and I discover that the doctor assigned to me by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas did not accept the policy. Yep, that' right. BCBS had assigned me to a designer concierge medical office that didn't accept ANY kind of insurance, let alone my subsidized discounted policy. So, I call BCBS. Well, I tried. It took weeks to get through to them, and I was only able to get to speak to someone after I blew up at a representative who was calling ME to ask why I had not yet paid my premium. I told her why on no uncertain terms.

Not only did the doctor they assigned me not accept my plan, hardly anyone else did. Were I to keep my insurance, I would have to visit a clinic in the very worst part of our fair city. Yeah, that's right, the ghetto.
Not happening gurl.

I finally got through to BCBS, only to be told that if I wanted to change my policy, I would have to contact healthcare.gov, that since I bought my policy through the marketplace, they couldn't change it. Oh, well, if I wanted, they would sell me a policy independent of the marketplace....for $800 a month. Yeah, that's as much as my rent folks.

SO, I dutifully called healthcare.gov, only to be told that no, they couldn't change my plan, nor could they edit my profile and re-enroll me. I would have to do that through my provider.

See where this is going?

So as of today, March 27, 2014, my Blue Cross plan has been cancelled due to lack of payment. I'll be damned if I will pay for something that I can't use. Furthermore, I can't re-enroll and start all over again until November. Healthcare for every American!!!!

 Yeah, right.

Thank you, dear government for mounting yet another cluster fuck. Oh yeah, I even wrote to my Senator about my problem. He wrote me a very nice paragraph expressing his sympathy and directed me to contact my state senator for help. Let's see how that goes.

Good health to you!!