Not So Affordable: Under ObamaCare, Frank From Massachusetts Is Struggling To Care For His Family

Frank K. is a father of two from Massachusetts whose family is struggling under the newly imposed Flex Spending Account regulations thanks to ObamaCare.

The FSA accounts, which previously allowed for up to a $5,000 maximum contribution, are now capped at $2,500 per family. For families who have ongoing medical struggles, this is a tremendous burden.

Not only are their medical expenses and insurance premiums on the rise, but their ability to sufficiently plan for and afford medical care for themselves or their families is in jeopardy.

“As a father of two kids who have chronic on-going issues (one with GI issues and one with Autism), and a wife who is unable to work due to back problems, we have a LOT of medical bills every year. So being able to use a $5,000 FSA account every year was a win for us.

 

We don’t really have a choice to treat or not treat our children.

 

So when he FSA limit went down to $2500 thanks to ACA we lost quite a chunk of money. As a result of this, and since ObamaCare never put in any support for kids with Autism or actually addressed the underlying cost issues, we as a family have been forced to make painful cutbacks; picking and choosing which therapies to apply for our autistic son, delaying my wife’s back surgery and ultimately forcing us to go from two cars to one to save on costs.

 

Even so we put most costs onto a Credit Card and payoff what we can when we can. For us ObamaCare solved nothing and if anything my employer will likely force us onto an Exchange because they are self-funded and our care costs so much.”

–          Frank K.

Citing revenue increases as the reason why the accounts were slashed in half, the administration has not provided any suggestion or type of recommendation for people who are dependent on their FSA for medical equipment, treatment and care.

 “The actual amount of revenue that is generated by the ACA’s changes to FSAs will be determined by budget analysts. However, it may be more important to assess whether the benefits of the FSA change outweigh the cost that will be borne by those employees with substantial medical expenses who had relied on the larger FSA contribution limits.”

–    J. Nicole Martin, J.D.

It’s clear that these types of policy changes under ObamaCare are hurting Americans and their ability to care for their families.

Do you have a story about how ObamaCare is affecting you? Share it with us here.

(“Your Health Flexible Spending Account just got a little less flexible.” J. Nicole Martin, Philly.com. 1/3/13)