Health insurance rant.

[Quillgirl]

PineappleMama, you and I are sort of on the same page. But I know there are more things that can derail the family than Cancer or Aids with multiple treatments. One visit to the ER for chest pain, or a car accident, or a child born with some problem or variety of unexpected things can rack up a bill well over $8,000- $20,000. Hubby had chest pain, spent a little time in the ER, had some tests, then one night for observation: $12,000. Son had a concussion from sports: $10,000. I would encourage, at minimum, getting the cheap coverage for ER visits through SBA.

 

[BlackBart]

Quote:
Me too, I couldn't afford health insurance at those rates.

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

I dont have health insurance at all. And my state only lets adults that are pregnant on the State health plan. I have a surgery that needs to be done. They want $8,000 to $10,000 down. And that doesnt include the person that puts you under and the hospital stay. There is no way I will ever get the surgery done.. So I have to suffer. We cant afford any health insurance. My DH's work dont supply it. We can barely even afford rent in the cheapest appartment in town. We havent been able to pay for our phone or net in 2 months.

Wages going down... Price of every thing going up.. I dont see how any one can survive. I guess its time to search down a fully self contained RV and park on the side of the road like so many other people are forced to do.. It will be happening to use soon I fear.

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

Quote:
Me too, I couldn't afford health insurance at those rates.

How does the canadian insurance differ from USA. I heard rumors it was bad like ours. Please tell..

Oh and if it is better than here. How can one immagrate to your country...

 

[slackwater]

I guess we are one family where the insurance company actually LOSES money - so it is advantageous to us to continue working for a company that has good benefits. My husband and two daughters have a congenital bone condition that necessitates at least one specialist visit per year, with a boat loat of x-rays, and my husband has had several surgeries in the time that I've known him - all of which got very expensive. Then there was the 2 week NICU stay for the girls when they were born, a lot of diagnostics/specialist visits for some issues that one of my daughters has, and my meds, which the insurance company pays several hundred dollars/month for (and I pay $35/month)...our $120/pay check covers medical/dental & vision, w/a $10 copay for primary care and $10 basic script, on up to specialists/hospital visits & more expensive meds.

Yes, there are plenty of times when I have to fight with the insurance company...but I can't IMAGINE not having health insurance. We would have gone broke YEARS ago.

That being said, I do agree that the system is broken...but I don't think that government-controlled insurance is the answer.

 

[CityChicker]

Some of you act like those of us that have had high health care costs are idiots that have never thought of these things. This is why I don't post about my experience online anymore. When I bought my individual policy, it was $139/month and I did chose a high deductible because, like so many of you, I thought of it as more of a safety net if I needed it for catastrophic illness. Really, I was thinking of it more for protection like against injury. I never thought I would actually be diagnosed with a life threatening illness. Very few people think that at my age (and obviously a lot of people here have that "will never happen to me" mentality). Something just told me to buy insurance just "in case" anything ever happened.

Anyway, I am not going to post again about all of my expenses related to my illness and how everything progressed step by step with my insurance. I had my insurance for a couple of years before I did have to use it. They have fought me tooth and nail through the entire process to the point that I paid out of pocket for some of my surgeries (despite the insurance company tripling my premiums). What I really think is that these companies put you through this nightmare so that you eventually just drop the insurance. I have lived this firsthand and I have also paid every dime of my bills with zero public assistance. I think that entitles me to have an opinion about the process and the companies. My opinion is that it is a corrupt process and the insurance companies are thieves. It should be illegal. Oh, but wait- I know, it is somehow my fault that I got seriously ill in my 30's. LOL.

The funny thing is that I am not even a person looking for any sort of free ride. I only wanted what my insurance company AGREED TO PAY and supposedly covered. I sincerely hope that none of you have to ever be in my position and see firsthand what your policy will and will not cover. You might be very surprised at the things they say upfront are covered, but fight you on with all their might.

 

[CityChicker]

Quote:
Yeah, that is the basis of how insurance works though. Insurance is not like a savings account, where the money you pay in goes to only your care (and I'm sure you realize this, but some people don't). Certainly when someone has a serious illness, what they have paid in often does not cover the cost of their care. That is a gamble the insurance companies make. The healthy people that never need their insurance pay for the people that end up needing it. Nobody (usually) knows going in which they will be- the person who needs the insurance or the person that doesn't, but we all agree to the concept when we purchase insurance.

Before I needed to use it, I would have thought that my insurance paid for what they say they pay for in black and white. What a joke that has been. It is like if I put $1 in a slot machine and was awarded (according to the rules printed on the machine) $50 and the casino comes out and says, "No, we're sorry you are not covered for the award on this line and on this line you will only get $1.50 and now the bet is $10". That is what it has been like for me. Constant back and forth with them raising my rates and then not paying anyway.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

Regardless of political persuasion, I think it's pretty hard to deny that the medical system in our country is broken, broken, broken.

I'm twenty-two years old and currently a college student supported by my parents, and I must admit I'm scared of the day that I can no longer be on my parents' medical insurance plan. It's like there's no affordable and reasonable option, especially because I do have some medical problems. The stories I've heard about medical insurance denying life-saving treatments, refusing to pay for problems that come up, and just plain the insane cost of it all scare the heck out of me. Making some profit is one thing, for it to be a massive industry revolving around nothing but profit is another. To be honest, it kind of makes me want to pack up and move to Canada...

My friend is the same age I am, generally very healthy, and she doesn't have health insurance because of how crazy the costs are. A few weeks ago, she passed out at work and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital. Turns out she's just fine, it was a fluke thing, but the cost of this one incident? $20,000. Utterly ridiculous. She's going to be paying it off for years.

I don't know what the solution is at this point (though I personally think socialized medicine seems to work pretty well, and have plenty of online friends in those countries that have it and love it. Not interested in arguing on that point but anyway...), I just know that the way it is is frankly kind of terrifying.

I want to live in a world where when people get sick or hurt or need help, they get it and don't have to go through all kinds of difficulties and anguish just to pay for medical care. Between mortgages and medical insurance and car insurance and college loans (I'm pre-vet) and all those other sorts of things, I'm scared for my future as a young adult. I just want to be able to live happily in the future owning a little house and some property for my flock, get the medical help I need when I need it for a reasonable price, be able to drive my car, and enjoy my career without having to constantly, constantly stress about money. I worry that may be too much to ask in these times, though.

 

[Quillgirl]

Canadian health care is nationalized. It's perfectly reasonable and works well for many folks. It does not work well (in my opinion) if you need or want something "pronto" or something that might not be considered cost effective by the case workers. And once the budget for the year runs out, most procedures and tests (unless extraordinarily critical) must be put off until next budget year. Canadians who have the cash come to the USA for things they can't get in Canada, or for procedures and tests they want immediately. There is always a way to get better health care if you have a better salary, no matter where you live. I do think the Canadian drug benefits are enviable. I think Canadian taxes are ridiculous. You pay for your healthcare!

We actually do have govn't health care in the USA... it's called medicare and medicaid. It's certainly not perfect, but it is something. If you think those programs work well, then maybe you'll like the new healthcare system. SilverPhoenix, regarding lifesaving procedures: just know that a government plan will weigh the cost of the same procedures and make choices based on the impact to the budget. There will be rationing and difficult decisions that will not be popular.

If you cannot afford insurance, or don't want to buy it, please do put something aside as an emergency fund so that you are not completely vulnerable. This is called "self-insurance." It may make sense to put the dollars you'd spend on premiums into a savings account earmarked for health. If you need it it's there, if you don't you have a bit of a cushion.

There is no perfect system anywhere, IMO.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I'm in the medical field and about 6 years ago I found out that our hospital (an academic institution/hospital) had more CT scanners than all of Canada. I'm hopeful that that has changed now.

For everyday stuff, nationalized healthcare is unbeatable...but if you get something serious that needs urgent surgery by a specialist and you are screwed. That's why we treat so many Canadians at our institution. They come all the way to Florida and pay for stuff that they cannot get within months at home.

Free always sounds great...until you need it and can't get it.