Do you have health insurance?

[honugirl]

I don't think the poster you responded to was "pretending" at all. Where did that come from? You are not the only one with health problems on this planet. Also, just a curious question -- Since you don't seem to work, who is paying for your health care? It's not an accusation, just a curious question

It's really no one's business on here who pays for my health care. I am not on medicare, disability, or any other government assistance, that's about all every one needs to know.

 

[luvsJack]

@luvsjack

True. Why should anyone be forced to work more than 1 job just to have health insurance? It's the COST of it that makes people reticent to get it if it comes to either having a house and food on the table or having insurance.

And just 'cuz MN has great health plans doesn't mean the rest of us have that option. LAY OFF.

Exactly! You should not have to choose between your family and having insurance!

I hope and pray that I never reach a place; emotionally, financially, socially, whatever, that I cannot have empathy for other people! (as some posters seem to have done!)

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

removed

 

[luvsJack]

I know you weren't saying this to me, but I need to respond. I think you are totally off base with stating that people have no empathy for others. I do. When someone starts saying "I'm entitled to (fill in the blank) and I want the gov't to force my fellow Americans to give it to me"....that is what people are against. I will and do help people financially, emotionally, socially and whatever, each and every day. When people start saying and believing that the help is OWED to them b/c they shouldn't have to choose between family and insurance, is when my help stops. Life is all about hard choices and sometimes, you can't give your children what you'd like to or what you think you should be able to give them, and we have to deal with those choices that we make. Sometimes, we don't get the glory of making the decision on our own, sometimes others make it for us, maybe by laying off employees or down-sizing, or making their product out of our price range. That's the way life is sometimes. The easy things are seldom the right things, and the right things are seldom easy to do. I say this with all sincerity and compassion.

I never said I feel entitled to anything I work my tail off for everything I have. I work very hard and so does my husband. Myself and my child are insured; only my husband is not. His lack of insurance is NOT because of what I choose to give or not give my dd, it is not because we are not working enough, it is not because we are spending the money on something else. IT IS BECAUSE HIS INCOME HAS GONE DOWN AND WE CANNOT MAKE THE PREMIUM PAYMENTS. When I said empathy I meant a particular poster who cannot seem to comprehend that things are not as easy as he/she would like to imagine.

My husband is on the road as much as the law, the available loads and his company will allow. He goes without a decent nights sleep most of the week so that he gets his loads to the right place at the right time. He goes without decent meals most of the week because he doesn't take the time to stop and eat, if a truck is not rolling it is not making money. He works his tail off every week and yet there are those that think "get a second job" is the answer to his lack of insurance. But by all means lets deny him decent health care. I have tried the second job only to end up with $0 to pay on insurance because child care costs and extra expences ate up the little I could make.

My choice between insurance and family is not about choosing to be with them or choosing to spend money on them. Its choosing to feed, clothe and provide shelter my family rather than purchase insurance for my husband.

Some of you continue to fool yourself into thinking it is an easy choice. "Just do _____ and get insurance" But, you have no clue what choices some people are making.

 

[islandtimect]

We have health ins because we PAY for it. DH is a self employed physician and we spend $12000 a yr for a family policy that doesn't include prescription drugs. Every yr the rate goes up around 10%, but this yr Anthem is trying to increase 20% or more in CT! With pre-existing conditions (none of which are life threatening - just painful at times), we can't change plans.

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

I never said I feel entitled to anything I work my tail off for everything I have. I work very hard and so does my husband. Myself and my child are insured; only my husband is not. His lack of insurance is NOT because of what I choose to give or not give my dd, it is not because we are not working enough, it is not because we are spending the money on something else. IT IS BECAUSE HIS INCOME HAS GONE DOWN AND WE CANNOT MAKE THE PREMIUM PAYMENTS. When I said empathy I meant a particular poster who cannot seem to comprehend that things are not as easy as he/she would like to imagine.

My husband is on the road as much as the law, the available loads and his company will allow. He goes without a decent nights sleep most of the week so that he gets his loads to the right place at the right time. He goes without decent meals most of the week because he doesn't take the time to stop and eat, if a truck is not rolling it is not making money. He works his tail off every week and yet there are those that think "get a second job" is the answer to his lack of insurance. But by all means lets deny him decent health care. I have tried the second job only to end up with $0 to pay on insurance because child care costs and extra expences ate up the little I could make.

My choice between insurance and family is not about choosing to be with them or choosing to spend money on them. Its choosing to feed, clothe and provide shelter my family rather than purchase insurance for my husband.

Some of you continue to fool yourself into thinking it is an easy choice. "Just do _____ and get insurance" But, you have no clue what choices some people are making.

I did not say that you thought you were entitled, I'm sorry if that's what you thought I was saying. But some people do think that. Your husband, bustin his tail off and not having insurance is certainly not something you would choose, nor would I choose it for you. It is however, the way the cookie has crumbled right now. It just is. Tragic and sad, I've been there. You are doing the right thing by providing shelter, food and clothing, and it's not easy, that's what I'm saying. Insurance isn't an option for you right now, so we shouldn't want others to make the option possible. I'm not saying to just do _____ and get insurance. I'm saying, not everyone can afford or qualify for insurance, that's just the way it is and we, as adults have to be able to deal with it. I never said we would like it.

 

[luvsJack]

I would never make a ill thought out statement like family or insurance. If one would rather not have a job to have more time with their family that is up to them but they will have to suffer the consequences. I would never allow my family to be without health insurance so that I could not work. Our insurance costs us $12/year. That is under $6/hours for 40 hours. I would go to work to pay that rather than complain that I am owed it and then sit home having fun with the family. How much fun would it be to see your child suffer because he or she does not have the medicine he or she needs?

IMHO having health insurance is more important than owning a home. I would pay my insurance premium before I would pay my mortgage. What good is a roof over you head if you are in too sick to care?

I would give up internet, eating out, cable, going to the movies, going to WDW etc. before I would allow my family to not have health insurance.

When this last recession hit DH and I talked about what would be the triggers that would need to happen for us to put our home on the market and find a cheaper place to live. We would use the profit from the house to keep our insurance.
QUOTE]

Where did I ever say I don't think I should have a job? I have one, thank you very much. Last winter I had two, along with going to school part time. But the second job=0$ because of the child care, extra gas and other expences. It left nothing to purchase insurance for my husband and in fact could possibly hurt us in the long run because of taxes.

Since his income has decreased, we do not eat out and or anything else extra. We are not planning a trip to disney any time soon. I do have internet because I am still taking online classes and need it for that.

If I don't pay my mortgage, I will lose my house. I cannot understand the theory that raising my child on the street would be better than going witout insurance! That is ridiculous.
(I cannot rent a place cheaper than I can pay my mortgage).

I have worked my entire adult life, sometimes for less than minimum wage. I supported my sons for a time on $3.35 an hour. I have worked two jobs even three jobs at a time. I have worked 60-80 hours a week and then went in during the few hours I had off and cleaned the business to make more money. During those hard first years of our marriage, my husband has done without to make sure his family was provided for. He has worked hard his whole life and has never expected not to. . DO NOT talk to me about entitlement or wanting to stay home with my family.

We have made the choice to cut his insurance as well as other things in order to continue to survive. We had gotten ourselves to a place where we were able to work less and enjoy more and then things got bad within the industry he works in. We thankfully have savings that has helped us through but without knowing how long his income would be cut in half, we had to make cuts in the money we were paying out. His insurance tripled in cost, so it was one of those cuts.

I have said repeatedly, this is a temporary choice for us. But for thousads of people it is permenant and for many, many of those thousands it is a necessary choice to make. My comment about choosing family or insurance had nothing to do with choosing to stay home and not work.

In order to have empathy, you have to be able to understand the place someone is in. Obviously some of you have never been in the place of choosing to pay the doctor, pay for insurance or put food on the table (thank you to God in heaven above that I no longer have to make that choice). Try it sometime, you may have a differnt outlook on what is a necessary choice.

 

[luvsJack]

I did not say that you thought you were entitled, I'm sorry if that's what you thought I was saying. But some people do think that. Your husband, bustin his tail off and not having insurance is certainly not something you would choose, nor would I choose it for you. It is however, the way the cookie has crumbled right now. It just is. Tragic and sad, I've been there. You are doing the right thing by providing shelter, food and clothing, and it's not easy, that's what I'm saying. Insurance isn't an option for you right now, so we shouldn't want others to make the option possible. I'm not saying to just do _____ and get insurance. I'm saying, not everyone can afford or qualify for insurance, that's just the way it is and we, as adults have to be able to deal with it. I never said we would like it.

Oh, ok. I see what you are saying. Didn't mean to get my feathers in such a ruffle!

And truthfully, if I was just basing my feelings on health care on my family's situation; I would probably share your outlook. I truly do not expect someone to give me something or to change my options. But my views come from witnessing those that aren't just making a choice for now. They have to make that choice permenantly. We as adult do have to deal with many things that we do not like, this is true. But basic health care is a need just as food, water and shelter and there are many, many people that are doing without it on a daily basis.

 

[shortbun]

interesting that 10% of the DIS don;t have insurance

 

[wdwfan16]

I hope and pray for your sake that after you sell your house and use those profits to keep that insurance that you or yours do not get sick and your Insurance does not deny treatments or medications that are needed.

So you think a better option would be to keep the house and go without insurance? Maybe this thought process is why you are without insurance.

I will take my chances with my plan rather than your plan.

 

[MushyMushy]

So you think a better option would be to keep the house and go without insurance? Maybe this thought process is why you are without insurance.

I will take my chances with my plan rather than your plan.

I don't think you're getting the point that even with what you think is good insurance, you could still lose everything (including your LIFE) when the insurance company screws you around.

 

[MushyMushy]

I never said I feel entitled to anything I work my tail off for everything I have. I work very hard and so does my husband. Myself and my child are insured; only my husband is not. His lack of insurance is NOT because of what I choose to give or not give my dd, it is not because we are not working enough, it is not because we are spending the money on something else. IT IS BECAUSE HIS INCOME HAS GONE DOWN AND WE CANNOT MAKE THE PREMIUM PAYMENTS. When I said empathy I meant a particular poster who cannot seem to comprehend that things are not as easy as he/she would like to imagine.

My husband is on the road as much as the law, the available loads and his company will allow. He goes without a decent nights sleep most of the week so that he gets his loads to the right place at the right time. He goes without decent meals most of the week because he doesn't take the time to stop and eat, if a truck is not rolling it is not making money. He works his tail off every week and yet there are those that think "get a second job" is the answer to his lack of insurance. But by all means lets deny him decent health care. I have tried the second job only to end up with $0 to pay on insurance because child care costs and extra expences ate up the little I could make.

My choice between insurance and family is not about choosing to be with them or choosing to spend money on them. Its choosing to feed, clothe and provide shelter my family rather than purchase insurance for my husband.

Some of you continue to fool yourself into thinking it is an easy choice. "Just do _____ and get insurance" But, you have no clue what choices some people are making.

I think another thing some people are forgetting is that it's so easy for them to say "go get another job" or have the attitude that you chose your profession, but where would we be as a society without people willing to drive trucks, or wait tables, or work minimum wage, etc? It must be so easy to sit in those ivory towers, casting judgment on those whose lives are so different from their own.

 

[kendall]

While traveling I struck up a conversation with a bartender in the hotel I was staying at. She has been working for years, has health insurance with a 1 million dollar cap. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, had to undergo surgery and other treatments. Her treatment costs reached the cap, and she ended up 500K in debt beyond that cap. She had to declare personal bankrupcy, has trouble getting credit (was seeking a car loan and was unsuccessful getting a reasonable rate). She played by all the rules and still got burned. Oh, yeah, and she had to fight for treatment with her insurance company on top of it all. She had to use the ombudsman service and go through several appeals.

Our system is just so broken on so many levels. It works for some, it doesn't work for others.

 

[luvsJack]

So you think a better option would be to keep the house and go without insurance? Maybe this thought process is why you are without insurance.

I will take my chances with my plan rather than your plan.

So, I will ask you again. Do you honestly think that a person should pay thier insurance, NOT their mortgage; lose their home and then raise their children on the streets BUT keep their insurance.

Really? Honestly? Seriously?

You do realize that could very well be the choice that many people have to make.

 

[ZachnElli]

I would never make a ill thought out statement like family or insurance. If one would rather not have a job to have more time with their family that is up to them but they will have to suffer the consequences. I would never allow my family to be without health insurance so that I could not work. Our insurance costs us $12/year. That is under $6/hours for 40 hours. I would go to work to pay that rather than complain that I am owed it and then sit home having fun with the family. How much fun would it be to see your child suffer because he or she does not have the medicine he or she needs?

IMHO having health insurance is more important than owning a home. I would pay my insurance premium before I would pay my mortgage. What good is a roof over you head if you are in too sick to care?

I would give up internet, eating out, cable, going to the movies, going to WDW etc. before I would allow my family to not have health insurance.

When this last recession hit DH and I talked about what would be the triggers that would need to happen for us to put our home on the market and find a cheaper place to live. We would use the profit from the house to keep our insurance.





ITA


I have found that doing the right thing is rarely the easy thing. Sadly many do the easy thing. I do the right thing and I reap the rewards from it.

The previous posts weren't about not working at all, I don't know how you leapt to that assumption, but working 3 jobs to pay for health insurance. But I still want to know, how is a person suppose to get 3 jobs right now, when they can't even find one??

 

[luvsJack]

I think another thing some people are forgetting is that it's so easy for them to say "go get another job" or have the attitude that you chose your profession, but where would we be as a society without people willing to drive trucks, or wait tables, or work minimum wage, etc? It must be so easy to sit in those ivory towers, casting judgment on those whose lives are so different from their own.

So true

 

[manning]

In answer to your first question - you are right of course but the origianl post talks about the USSR so I'm hazarding a guess the incident happened a fair few years ago!

In answer to your random statistics....does your information break down the survival rates in different ethnic ans socio-economic groups in each country? Also, as someone said earlier, the was the USA reports it's data is different to how the UK reports its so it's kind of like comparing apples to oranges!

Second part I have no idea how it is broken down yet it is the national rate.


First part, The only thing that has changed is the USSR is now known as Russia. Nothing has changed. The one running the show is an ex KGB person.

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

removed

 

[wdwfan16]

So, I will ask you again. Do you honestly think that a person should pay thier insurance, NOT their mortgage; lose their home and then raise their children on the streets BUT keep their insurance.

Really? Honestly? Seriously?

You do realize that could very well be the choice that many people have to make.

As I stated above I would sell the house and move to a cheaper place to rent and use the proceeds from the house for the health insurance. They could do the same.

 

[wdwfan16]

personally I could care less what you do. Good luck with that, hope you are never put into that postition...no actually I hope you are so you will get down off that high horse you are on.

Don't worry I will do whatever I need rather than complain to others and wait for a handout.

No we are without insurance because they kept raising our premiums until we could no longer afford them after having insured us for over 10 years and never having to pay a claim not even so much as a co pay because they did not offer a plan with a co pay to persons buying individual policies.

Do you think that you are the only person whose rates when up over the last 10 years?

Are you working? So internet and WDW vacation money was not enough to cover the increases?

I know people who make $30K/year and still have insurance. They pay for it our of their checks. Guess what they do no have internet, cable or have never been to WDW or any other vacation in over a dozen years. There was one vacation in her entire 53 year life. She drives a 1997 car and had no CC debt. She makes it a priority.


Many here need to realize that multi-generational or borders was how older generations kept from living on the street. It is nice to think that everybody can live in a nuclear family in a home them own, but that is not reality in most of the history of the world and in most of the world today.