Do you have health insurance?

[Tiggerlover91]

I'm insured through my job which covers me, DH, and DS. Hubby is also covered under the VA.

 

[ChrizJen]

So what if you don't "make" any money working, you are saving yourself from financial ruin by working just to get health insurance. I know several women that work and most if not all of their paycheck goes to health insurance. It is still money that doesn't have to come out of your budget to pay if your kids get sick. What would $20,000 in medical bills tomorrow do to your household? How about $500,000 or more??

What you're not seeing here is that for some, not making money is not an option. Let me make sure I'm understanding correctly. The person you quoted, luvjack I believe stated that her husband cannot work a second job because he is over the road. She stated that she can get coverage through her current job, but they cannot afford to pay the premium. So she tried to take a second job (to help pay for the insurance being offered by the first job). But she had to quit because the money she thought would be helping to fund the insurance was going towards childcare.

If you really sit back and think about it, not all people live in the perfect world in which you live, golfgal. It's easy even for someone like me to say that everyone should be able to access good healthcare if they really try hard enough. But the cold hard truth is that some people just cannot. No matter how many jobs they work. It's just not affordable for some. And as I stated before, it's not that they're choosing not to have insurance. They're just choosing to feed their kids. There's a big difference.

 

[cltk78]

We're insured through DH's employer. We pay about $440/month for medical, dental, and vision coverage.

 

[Robinrs]

I finally have health insurance for the first time in 3 years. I pay $200 a pay period for it and it really chews up my funds but I need it.

 

[MushyMushy]

We have BC/BS, but we pay out the nose for it and our co-pays get higher every year. We are also paying into an FSA to help with the co-pays and such, but we used it all up pretty quickly. Next year we'll know to put more in!

I know QUITE a few people without health insurance. Maybe I should point them towards Minnesota where Golfgal claims it's so cheap and easy to get. But even so, I wonder how a person with no savings can afford even minimal rates when they only earn minimum wage. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but I honestly think you just don't get how it is in other areas.

 

[manning]

I would consider taking a high deductible in exchange for a reasonable premium.

Years back I had a serious operation at a cost of close to $150,000. Back then that was considered very high. I had a deductible where I paid the first $2700 up front and then the insurance paid 80% up to until my out of pocket reached 5,000. After that the insurance paid the rest. I was able to handle it.

The idea is to protect against a catastrophe.

 

[golfgal]

What you're not seeing here is that for some, not making money is not an option. Let me make sure I'm understanding correctly. The person you quoted, luvjack I believe stated that her husband cannot work a second job because he is over the road. She stated that she can get coverage through her current job, but they cannot afford to pay the premium. So she tried to take a second job (to help pay for the insurance being offered by the first job). But she had to quit because the money she thought would be helping to fund the insurance was going towards childcare.

If you really sit back and think about it, not all people live in the perfect world in which you live, golfgal. It's easy even for someone like me to say that everyone should be able to access good healthcare if they really try hard enough. But the cold hard truth is that some people just cannot. No matter how many jobs they work. It's just not affordable for some. And as I stated before, it's not that they're choosing not to have insurance. They're just choosing to feed their kids. There's a big difference.

I certainly don't live in a perfect world but I would do whatever I can to find a way to get health insurance. Like I said, what would their finances look like if they suddenly had $500,000 in medical bills. For me it just isn't an option to go without. There are ways to make it work but it takes work. No, it isn't ideal but it is better then the alternative. Again, they are making the choice to not have insurance no matter how you look at it. They are choosing NOT to find an alternative to getting insurance. There are plenty of over the road truck driving companies out there looking for drivers-they offer health plans-why not apply there? If he is self-employed then the health insurance premiums are a business expense and money can be saved on taxes to help make up the difference. There ARE options, you just have to find them. Again, you are never going to convince me that people don't have a choice in taking health insurance or not because they ALWAYS have a CHOICE, sometimes they choose not to go through the work to get it done.

 

[Chicago526]

Well, I don't know what to say. I just find it hard to believe that the rest of the country costs so much more than MN. I know for a fact that my numbers are correct. Maybe that is why Obama came to MN to pitch the health plan--we don't need it here, we already have it.

My company pays about $15k a year to cover DH and I in IL. This is for a faboulous plan, covers 100% of everything, I only pay $10 to see a doc and $50 for an ER visit (wavied if later admitted). I pay $5/$10 for prescriptions. That's it, it's all covered otherwise. My share of the premium is 10%, or $1500 a year. It's a deal in any book. But the point is that insurance costs vary widely and wildlly acrouss the country. If DH and I had to pay that ourselves, well, we make enough that we probably could, but we wouldn't have a penney of descretionary spending. Just the basics to live and that would be it. Most people of course, can't afford it at all.

 

[golfgal]

Believe it! what you think I am lying? That's right I just do not want health coverage I would rather go without it so in case someone in our family gets sick and needs medical care we can mortgage our now paid for home again or go bankrupt...yes that is what we want to do.

Our insurance provider was BC/BS of Tennessee

I don't think you are lying I am just trying to get you to think of ways to get this covered. Why do you need to put your kids in daycare to work a second job? If you do that job in the evening, hire a high school kid to babysit. My DS17 is doing that for a family this school year. He is there for 3 hours every day after school. They pay him about $50/week-which he thinks is GREAT money to sit and do homework with the kids while he is doing his homework along side of them. I can give you a list of about 100+ high school kids that would JUMP at the chance to have his job. Take a job working retail on commission and you can clear $250+/week EASILY working 15-20 hours/week. No, not ideal, but better then filing bankruptcy. Again, it is all about choices.

 

[luvsJack]

I certainly don't live in a perfect world but I would do whatever I can to find a way to get health insurance. Like I said, what would their finances look like if they suddenly had $500,000 in medical bills. For me it just isn't an option to go without. There are ways to make it work but it takes work. No, it isn't ideal but it is better then the alternative. Again, they are making the choice to not have insurance no matter how you look at it. They are choosing NOT to find an alternative to getting insurance. There are plenty of over the road truck driving companies out there looking for drivers-they offer health plans-why not apply there? If he is self-employed then the health insurance premiums are a business expense and money can be saved on taxes to help make up the difference. There ARE options, you just have to find them. Again, you are never going to convince me that people don't have a choice in taking health insurance or not because they ALWAYS have a CHOICE, sometimes they choose not to go through the work to get it done.

He is not self-employed. And as for "plenty of companies looking for drivers" uhhh no they're not. Many, many companies are going under and many of the bigger companies are hiring only trainee drivers--dh is a bit past that.

We are making a choice--I will give you that. A choice to keep a roof over our heads, a car so that I can get to work, clothes on our backs and the lights on in our house and food on the table. Sorry, but all those things trump health insurance.

We didn't just haphazardly decide to let him go without coverage for awhile. We made a decision that we had to make at the time. His coverage tripled in cost and his income went down by half. Dropping that coverage was basically a no-brainer if we didn't want to lose everything we have. We do not plan for him to stay without coverage; his income is starting to come back up again and we will be able to either get him on my insurance or get insurance for him on one of the other plans we have looked at or he may change jobs to a company with more and better benefits; but right now that option is very, very limited.

 

[MidgeD79]

I am a school bus driver and I have insurance through my work. I have medical,vision, dental at no cost to myself (except for co-pays), but to insure my kids would cost me over $800 a month. I make about $1,600 a month. Both of the boys get medicaid.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

I am 40 years old and have never gone without health insurance. Even through college, or when unemployed - it is just not done. That bill got paid first.

Health insurance is a really big deal - it is so selfish to others to go without - we all pay more because of the uninsured.

And to have kids and not insure them is horrible.

 

[jodifla]

We've been told plenty of times on this board by people who cannot get insurance AT ANY COST!

It's always surprising to me that some people refuse to believe that.

Also, the majority of people who go bankrupt over medical bills HAD insurance....they lousy insurance companies just weasled out their responsibilities.

 

[SCHBR'smom]

Our family is covered under DH. We pay about $95/week, excluding dental. Our copay is high compared to others, $30/visit. Which isn't too bad until all the kids get sick at once and need antibiotics, then you're looking at $150 just for co-pays, forget about prescriptions. Our rates go up every year and our coverage goes down. But, I'm still grateful that we have it. DD10 has asthma and I remember being shocked at how much her meds went up at the last insurance change. I told DH that I don't know how families without insurance could do it.

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

removed

 

[r1lissa]

We have family health coverage (BC/BS) through my employer. It costs about $375 a month, and I am very thankful to have it.

Sick visit and checkup co-pays are $20
Specialist doctor co-pays are $30
Medicine co-pays are $10-50
A visit to the ER costs $100

I also have Aetna dental insurance that is about $18 per month. For anything beyond an exam and cleaning, the coverage is not too good.

 

[MAKmom]

Yes we have it & pay $9000.00 a year for our family.

 

[Ephany]

I (finally) have insurance through my university. DH does not. His company plan starts at $1,000 per month per person for really crappy coverage. If we both were on his plan that would have been $24K per year before copays/rxs/deductibles. Hopefully that will change next month if he's hired for a job that has much better benefits. I know many, many people who can be classified as working poor; they work 40-50 hours a week and still can't afford insurance for their family. Many times the kids can go on state plans, but it's very hard to find affordable coverage for parents, especially if it's not offered through their employers.

The company I work for requires 30 hours per week over a calender year for insurance; I've heard upper management in the store many times reprimand my direct supervisor for allowing us part-timers to get too close to that average.

 

[brios86]

I have insurance through my employer starting this month. Its about $90 a month for health, dental and vision. I did not have insurance before this for about a year and half since I got kicked off my dad's plan for finishing school. I don't go to the doctor for more than my physical each year. I have never broken a bone or had a medical emergency. Guess I am lucky. The only times I was ever in a hospital was when I was born and when I had my son. Flame me all you want, but I really don't feel like health insurance is an absolute necesity. I think if it comes down to having a roof over your head and some food to eat or having health insurance, its just a choice you have to make. I don't think one is more right over the other, but its a personal choice and each person knows what is right for them in their situation. Personally, I would not take out a policy for myself if it was not offered through my employer.

 

[disney1990]

My DD is 24 and going to college in New York. She is no longer eligible for our health insurance. I went through an insurance broker to try and find a policy for her; the cheapest one I could find was over $400 a month. Hello, she is a college student and can't afford that. She did manage to get on the university health insurance. Thankfully, because the first week of school, she broke her toe. The problem is that this policy has a really low total payout about $50,000. If she should get seriously stick, she will be in big trouble.

My darling granddaughter was diagnosed with cancer just over 2 years ago at the age of 8 - every parent's worse nightmare. Her parents have great health insurance which has had paid most of the almost a million dollars in bills that she has incurred. She will have to get tests for the rest of her life -- right now they are every 6 months. However, when she gets older, there is nobody that will give her a policy on her own.

Everybody thinks that it won't happen to them. That they have insurance and that they always will. Well, I was laid off in February. Of the 75 people that were laid off, 2/3s of them now have no health insurance because they can't afford in on unemployment.

What's that saying, "There, but for the Grace of God, go I".