Do you have health insurance?

[honugirl]

Part of the reason our infant mortality rate is higher than other countries is the fact that we tend to include the very, very, very premature infants that may/may not survive in our statistics whereas other countries do not. We have the technology here to potentially save those children, but they do have a high mortality rate, therefore screwing with our numbers. We do take heroic measures to attempt to save them. In other countries, they do not survive or heroic measures are not taken.

I have insurance that we pay OOP for. My premiums just went up again, but I wouldn't trade that plan for anything. They have not denied a single claim since I started this horrific battle with Cushing's Disease.

I do worry about my specialists quitting if we have to go to a single payer option. My specialized endocrinologist already does not accept insurance and I pay OOP to see him. If he's forced to accept anyone and everyone, I believe he'll quit since his day job is as a full time researcher at UCLA. His practice is only a couple nights a week. Without him, I will be in a world of hurt as there aren't many people in the US with adequate skill and a knowledge base large enough to handle my health challenges. The next nearest doc is in Kentucky.

Single payer works great if you've got basic issues, but once you get into specialized diseases, it sucks. I have relatives that live under the Canadian system and they are extremely unhappy with it for anything other than common, everyday problems. I also talk to people around the world that live in countries with government run healthcare and I see the struggles they have. Compared to what they go through, I've been on a cake walk.

 

[golfgal]

Just on the bolded part: The ones not working are getting free health care, its the ones who are out working their tails off and can't afford health insurance that are the concern here.

My comment had nothing to do with people working at a job-it was directed at the SYSTEM not working vs the USERS OF THE SYSTEM not working right-working meaning doing what the system is designed to do, not going into a job to earn a paycheck working.

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

Wow, it's just so easy, isn't it.

I posted earlier about my BIL that is suffering from cancer right now with no insurance. He is getting some of the bills paid for by the state through our state program. But, it's definitely not all. He had his leg amputated...can't exactly go back to his day job that involved lots of physical activity. His last bill for an emergency ambulance trip to get to the state funded hospital 3 hours away was over $3,000. Not funded in any way by the state program.

 

[honugirl]

That's the problem, it's not easy. There's no single answer that will work for everyone. We all have different needs. Each health care issue has it's own challenges to be dealt with. What works for someone with say breast cancer, won't work for me and what works for me, doesn't work for someone with diabetes. We need as many options and choices as we can get to make any health care reform work.

 

[lovetonap]

It is almost futile to argue. Some just will not accept that there is NO FREE LUNCH. There is a new poll that says that if the plan as proposed is passed, 45% of physicians will leave their practices or take an early retirement. I know a couple who have already changed direction and will not be doing patient care on a consistent basis.

I saw that! Scary stuff! I can't blame the doctors though. My husband is a consultant who is at hospitals every single day. He said that all of the doctors he has spoken to are opposed to the plans being discussed in Congress. He said that he has spoken to several doctors who said that they will likely retire if any of the current plans go through. So, I am not terribly surprised by that survey. It seems to bear out what my husband has been reporting from the hospitals he's visited.

I have a family member who is a physician. His plan would be to drop the portion of his business that accepts insurance (half of his business is cash-only cosmetic procedures). He is so fortunate that he has that option!

 

[MushyMushy]

Ummm, my taxes pay for police officers, firefighters, emt's, 911 and if I'm not mistaken these are all services I use. As for school taxes, we don't use the government schools, so therefore I don't think it is fair to make me pay for them. I would not be using government health care, so it's not fair to make me pay for it. Just like we won't purchase a GM (you know, Government Motors) No one can tell me that they cannot get health care, there is a difference between health care and health insurance. No one here has ever been turned away from a hospital, turned away from a Dr's office, possibly if the circumstances permitted. My parents, retired baby boomers, do not have health insurance and you know what? my father just had open-heart by-pass surgery and was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks....and he got all of this care without any insurance! Does he have bills to pay....of course he does. You see when you use a service, you have to pay for it.

I beg to differ that you don't use government schools. You happen to live in an educated society, and we all benefit from the education of our children.

I'm not sure why people can't make the logical leap that if we are better off for living in a more educated society, why we wouldn't be better off for living in a healthier society.

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

I don't know about anyone else, but when we can't afford something, we don't buy it. We can't afford a private jet, therefore we don't have one. I certainly don't think I should be able to have one just because other people do. BTW....not everyone in this country pays taxes, and to say otherwise is a lie.

 

[paintnolish]

Yes-ish. I have student insurance which is not so great. DH's plan is way to expensive to put me on and dcs are covered by their dad's plan (xh).

 

[gonzo76]

Actually, if you read the constitution, one of the responsibilities of the government is to protect the citizens so your police example is not valid. It is also the responsibility of the government to provide an education for it's citizens. When the country was founded there was no such thing as health insurance.

I still disagree that there is not affordable health insurance out there. There are plans, they are not perfect, but they are there. Not knowing about them is not an excuse to not have one. Everyone is screaming about high deductibles. The deductible is only high if you USE that much in medical care each year. When we had a plan that had a high deductible/out of pocket cost the ONLY time we EVER hit that was when we had our kids. Most high deductible plans have 100% coverage for preventative care--well at least they do in MN. You then pay out of pocket for sick visits. I see nothing wrong with making people think twice about taking a child to the dr for every cough or sniffle.

I bet if everyone on here whining about their health insurance spent a day looking at health plans in there are they could find one that is affordable.

Here's the problem you are not understanding. In MN it seems to be affordable because your state has laid out laws for affordable coverage. It is totally different in other states. You are comparing apples to oranges. It is not the same. So you saying get another job is being a little naive.

You should feel lucky that it is affordable in your state.

 

[golfgal]

Here's the problem you are not understanding. In MN it seems to be affordable because your state has laid out laws for affordable coverage. It is totally different in other states. You are comparing apples to oranges. It is not the same. So you saying get another job is being a little naive.

You should feel lucky that it is affordable in your state.

We don't have any laws governing the cost of health care. Again, I don't think that our coverage is any more or less affordable then anywhere else. I think what is at play here is people ASSUME they have bad coverage or expensive coverage with no qualification of what they are paying, what they have covered, etc. Our premiums are higher then what a LOT of people here are paying. On paper it looks like we have really expensive coverage but the reality is that our out pocket expenses after our premiums is minimal. We could choose a less expensive plan (premiums) but then our out of pocket is more and ends up costing us more. I know a lot of people that just look at the premium and say they can't afford to change when they don't factor in the overall cost of the program.

I also think that most people don't understand HOW their insurance coverage works. Everyone is complaining about having a high deductible plan. HD plans are BEAUTIFUL if you use it right. I have been trying to get DH's company to move to a HD for several years.

One factor that NO ONE has taken into consideration is the cost of living across the county. One person may pay $1000/month for health insurance but they make twice as much money as someone living in a state where they pay $500/month so it LOOKS like their insurance is more expensive.

 

[SereneOne]

We don't have any laws governing the cost of health care. Again, I don't think that our coverage is any more or less affordable then anywhere else. I think what is at play here is people ASSUME they have bad coverage or expensive coverage with no qualification of what they are paying, what they have covered, etc. Our premiums are higher then what a LOT of people here are paying. On paper it looks like we have really expensive coverage but the reality is that our out pocket expenses after our premiums is minimal. We could choose a less expensive plan (premiums) but then our out of pocket is more and ends up costing us more. I know a lot of people that just look at the premium and say they can't afford to change when they don't factor in the overall cost of the program.

I also think that most people don't understand HOW their insurance coverage works. Everyone is complaining about having a high deductible plan. HD plans are BEAUTIFUL if you use it right. I have been trying to get DH's company to move to a HD for several years.

One factor that NO ONE has taken into consideration is the cost of living across the county. One person may pay $1000/month for health insurance but they make twice as much money as someone living in a state where they pay $500/month so it LOOKS like their insurance is more expensive.

The company my husband works for has stores in a quarter of the country and expanding. Everyone pays the same REGARDLESS of what state they live in. Again, we have excellent insurance (other than the fact BC/BS waits as long as possible to pay claims) that we pay about 168 every two weeks for. Our co-pays are 20/25 and 100 for eroom visits. Meds are 15/25/ and 40, but we get several at Walmart for 4 bucks.

Why do you continue to think you are Einstein and everyone else has had a lobotomy?

 

[mlynn]

We have insurance through DH's job. The coverage (Blue Cross/Blue Shield) is pretty pathetic.

Same insurance! It is bad!!! My husband pays 1100 a month through is paycheck. But 3 times in the last year I had to take my girls to the hospital. After all teh insurance we pay and never really used except for checkups.I'm so in debt to the hospitals.One I had to take a home Eq. out on my house.I pay 300 a month on that one(it was over $5000 3 years left on that one) and the other 2 hospitals are each over $300 I owe.They get the min. each month.

 

[golfgal]

And you dear, are DELUSIONAL!

Do you really think so damn many people are ignorant and you are so brilliant that they do not read their plans? Or that if there were affordable healthplans for them that everyone who does not is just ignorant unlike you (sarcasm)? Affordable healthcare is lacking in this country and for you to deny it is dysfunctional and asnine on your part. My family has excellent insurance at a decent price. ALL Americans should have access to that, not just a lucky few.

As far as my examples, the constitution can and has been amended. We can change those things. Why should my taxes have to go to your protection and your kids education? Are "you" too lazy and ignorant to provide those things for yourself? United we stand, divided we fall. Greed is one of the reasons our country is in the position it is in.

And you seem to want to constantly overlook the fact of pre-existing conditions. Many self insurances REFUSE to cover people and many charge outrageous prices for minimal care. I DO know what I am talking about because my husband was offered a job paying double what he makes now But with no medical insurance. We looked at the plans and they where exactly what I said they were-outrageously priced for minimal care and pre-existing conditions which means they will use that condition as an excuse to charge you more and refuse to cover you.

You can disagree all you want about there not being affordable health care, but this is not a matter of your very asnine opinion. It is a FACT that many people can not obtain affordable health insurance.

Federal portability laws do govern covering preexisting conditions. The problem comes in when people have a break in coverage. Again, a choice someone make to not continue health insurance. There IS affordable insurance out there, people CHOOSE not to pay for it. Maybe the coverage isn't perfect but it IS better then nothing.

SereneOne--the vast majority of people have NO IDEA how their insurance works, how the coverage works nor do they compare plan costs vs premiums. The look at the bottom line and buy the cheapest coverage offered and then gripe that they have to pay out of pocket for care. Ask all of your friends if they know the details of their plan, beyond how much their office co-pay is and what choices they had in selecting plans and I bet 90% have no idea.

I was helping a friend do exactly this a couple weeks ago. They are business owners and could get a GREAT group plan. They didn't want to offer coverage to their employees, which they didn't have to do. The group plan cost them more each month in premiums but they had no out of pocket expenses after that. The ended up taking 3 individual plans that "saved" them $100/month in premiums but had a $300 deductible on each plan (so $900/year) and $20 office co-pay and minimal coverage for prescriptions. The allergy meds their DD takes alone makes up the difference in what the premium cost difference would have been-but you know, the other plan was more expensive .

 

[SereneOne]

Part of the reason our infant mortality rate is higher than other countries is the fact that we tend to include the very, very, very premature infants that may/may not survive in our statistics whereas other countries do not. We have the technology here to potentially save those children, but they do have a high mortality rate, therefore screwing with our numbers. We do take heroic measures to attempt to save them. In other countries, they do not survive or heroic measures are not taken.

I have insurance that we pay OOP for. My premiums just went up again, but I wouldn't trade that plan for anything. They have not denied a single claim since I started this horrific battle with Cushing's Disease.

I do worry about my specialists quitting if we have to go to a single payer option. My specialized endocrinologist already does not accept insurance and I pay OOP to see him. If he's forced to accept anyone and everyone, I believe he'll quit since his day job is as a full time researcher at UCLA. His practice is only a couple nights a week. Without him, I will be in a world of hurt as there aren't many people in the US with adequate skill and a knowledge base large enough to handle my health challenges. The next nearest doc is in Kentucky.

Single payer works great if you've got basic issues, but once you get into specialized diseases, it sucks. I have relatives that live under the Canadian system and they are extremely unhappy with it for anything other than common, everyday problems. I also talk to people around the world that live in countries with government run healthcare and I see the struggles they have. Compared to what they go through, I've been on a cake walk.

Guess what? YOU are NOT the only one that talks to people allllll over the world This is the age of the internet, everyone talks to people all over the world. I have lived all over the world.

And as far as specialists, my daughter at one point saw eight of them, so I know all about it.

Again, my family has great insurance and I want great insurance for everyone in America. There is no excuse in this country not to.

And as far as your statistics on America's high mortality rate, I disagree and I could produce opposite ones and we could continue to go back and forth.

I have not talked to one person who lives in a country with nationwide healthcare that is not glad to have it. NOT ONE.

If some doctors want to stop practicing because we will no longer be cash cows, then oh well. There are many professions that are just as important that get paid low wages (nurses, teachers, firefighters, police, etc) and have many dedicated workers. My daughter at one point saw a cardiologist, nephrologist, neurosurgeon, GI, pulmonologist, endocrinologist, bone doctor (sorry, cant recall what they are called right at this moment, lol), etc. and every one of them is for a form of nationwide healthcare. But then, these are incredibly dedicated professionals that the world needs more of.

Free lunch, Dawn? Show me where in any of these postings anyone asked for a FREE LUNCH...not everyone lives off their doctor husband like you do. What happens when he decides he wants a young and pretty trophy wife? People want AFFORDABLE health care, not FREE. Again, wait until the prices are so high that not even your husband can afford it, then you will change your stance when it affects YOU.

Again, my family has good insurance. I want that for ALL legal Americans.

I have real life things to do...Peace!

 

[robinb]

It is almost futile to argue. Some just will not accept that there is NO FREE LUNCH. There is a new poll that says that if the plan as proposed is passed, 45% of physicians will leave their practices or take an early retirement. I know a couple who have already changed direction and will not be doing patient care on a consistent basis.

It's not about money, it's about physicians being able to make choices about how they practice medicine.

I'm old enough to remember the same arguments being used when HMOs became popular in the 70's. Sure, some doctors retired back then. Others joined in the bigger health organizations and became employees. Others retained their private practices. Those doctors who want to stay in private practice will. I have to wonder how many doctors really are still in private practice and how many are part of am HMO/PPO.

 

[gonzo76]

We don't have any laws governing the cost of health care. Again, I don't think that our coverage is any more or less affordable then anywhere else. I think what is at play here is people ASSUME they have bad coverage or expensive coverage with no qualification of what they are paying, what they have covered, etc. Our premiums are higher then what a LOT of people here are paying. On paper it looks like we have really expensive coverage but the reality is that our out pocket expenses after our premiums is minimal. We could choose a less expensive plan (premiums) but then our out of pocket is more and ends up costing us more. I know a lot of people that just look at the premium and say they can't afford to change when they don't factor in the overall cost of the program.

I also think that most people don't understand HOW their insurance coverage works. Everyone is complaining about having a high deductible plan. HD plans are BEAUTIFUL if you use it right. I have been trying to get DH's company to move to a HD for several years.

One factor that NO ONE has taken into consideration is the cost of living across the county. One person may pay $1000/month for health insurance but they make twice as much money as someone living in a state where they pay $500/month so it LOOKS like their insurance is more expensive.

Actually you do. I find it funny that you don't know that since you live in the State.

The nonprofit Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association offers an insurance for people denied private coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
Individuals who exhaust COBRA benefits.
Individuals working for employers who do not offer health insurance.
Individuals who have exceeded lifetime maximum limits, or their previous coverage.
Former employees of bankrupt companies

Mn also seems to use nonprofit insurance to keep costs down.

You seem to have one of the best states for Health Care coverage.

 

[golfgal]

Same insurance! It is bad!!! My husband pays 1100 a month through is paycheck. But 3 times in the last year I had to take my girls to the hospital. After all teh insurance we pay and never really used except for checkups.I'm so in debt to the hospitals.One I had to take a home Eq. out on my house.I pay 300 a month on that one(it was over $5000 3 years left on that one) and the other 2 hospitals are each over $300 I owe.They get the min. each month.

No, you don't have the same insurance--this is what people DON'T understand. You have blue cross/blue shield but it is NOT the same plan as someone else has. Your husbands company meets with a rep from Blue Cross, they determine WHAT they want to cover and how and Blue Cross administers that plan. We also have Blue Cross, we pay $550/month. A hospital stay would cost us $75. Yes, it sounds like the plan your DH's company picked isn't the best.

Just curious, why were your girls in the hospital 3 times last year?

 

[Chicago526]

When I was single and making $6/hour I HAD health insurance. It wasn't very good coverage but I knew if something major happened I wouldn't have to file bankruptcy.

2/3 of those that file bankruptcy due to medical bills HAVE insurance. Health insurance does not protect you from bankruptcy.

 

[golfgal]

Actually you do. I find it funny that you don't know that since you live in the State.

The nonprofit Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association offers an insurance for people denied private coverage because of pre-existing conditions.
Individuals who exhaust COBRA benefits.
Individuals working for employers who do not offer health insurance.
Individuals who have exceeded lifetime maximum limits, or their previous coverage.
Former employees of bankrupt companies

Mn also seems to use nonprofit insurance to keep costs down.

You seem to have one of the best states for Health Care coverage.

Having a plan in place is NOT the same as having a law about keeping health costs alone. I do know about this state plan and have posted about it several times on this thread already. Yes, we are LUCKY to have a good BACK UP plan in place but it has nothing to do with private carrier costs in our state.

 

[mlynn]

No, you don't have the same insurance--this is what people DON'T understand. You have blue cross/blue shield but it is NOT the same plan as someone else has. Your husbands company meets with a rep from Blue Cross, they determine WHAT they want to cover and how and Blue Cross administers that plan. We also have Blue Cross, we pay $550/month. A hospital stay would cost us $75. Yes, it sounds like the plan your DH's company picked isn't the best.

Just curious, why were your girls in the hospital 3 times last year?

Youngest Peanut allergy didn't know she had it. and 3 months later she had breathing problems both times she was admitted after seeing out family doctor who sent us to the ER.
Oldest daughter had a to have 16 teeth removed because nobody can tell me why the teeth rioted for the root up. (that is the big bill).

I understand it isn't the same plan I'm not a moron!! He pays $1100 a month and we have the worse RX plan. But don't you think paying that much money I shouldn't have to pay all these bills.(Yes we have dental with them too. But after the dental and the medical protions were done that is what I had to pay and I'm still paying.She had the surgery Dec 14,2007)