Going to the poor house:2015 Inusrance premiums

[Gracie09]

We sure do - at last count 1.03 million unborn babies each and every year in the US (even though birth control is now FREE)

Birth control is not free in many states.

 

[MillauFr]

Not true,though it's rare you can go to jail for not paying taxes in the U.S.



How come no one complains when the CEO of Apple makes $74 million in salary and stock options?? Contrary to popular belief, not anyone can run a billion dollar company and do it well. There are only a select few who are qualified and can do it well so they are paid accordingly. Just like football or basketball players.

There is a big difference between Apple and Health Insurance Companies. The former sells non essential luxury products. No one has every died or has been injured because they couldn't afford the latest I*Phone. You can't make the same statement about Health Insurance Companies.

 

[MillauFr]

Birth control is not free in many states.

Since when is birth control free anywhere in the US?

 

[Gracie09]

Since when is birth control free anywhere in the US?

In some states if you are on Medicaid you are able to get birth control at no cost to you. (Obviously it cost the insurance company and ultimately the govt money.) however, if it is covered is up to the state. So if you live in a state where it's not covered you're sol if you can't find the money to pay for it out of pocket. And let's be honest if you qualify for Medicaid you probably don't have the money to pay out of pocket.
Aca says private insurance companies must provide birth control at no cost to the woman requesting it (with some religious exceptions).

 

[missbrooke06]

Since when is birth control free anywhere in the US?

Most insurers are required to cover select BC at 100%.

 

[hildarumpole]

Since when is birth control free anywhere in the US?

Since Obamacare:

http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/aca-birth-control-coverage-faq

The cost is factored into insurance premiums, but it may be perceived as "free" for those who previously paid co-pays or all of the cost for their prescription birth control. Taxpayers are paying the cost for Medicaid recipients.

 

[Gracie09]

Since Obamacare: http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/aca-birth-control-coverage-faq The cost is factored into insurance premiums, but it may be perceived as "free" for those who previously paid co-pays or all of the cost for their prescription birth control. Taxpayers are paying the cost for Medicaid recipients.

But only if they live in a state that allows Medicaid to pay for birth control. Not all do

 

[Teresa Pitman]

There are people who since they have insurance go to the doctor for every little cough or cold. My daughter who is an ER doctor said people come in all time for ear infections, sore throats, and headaches leaving a fat bill for insurance companies (or taxpayers) to foot.

I might have posted about this before but in a city near where I live (in Canada) (where pretty much everyone is covered by our provincial health insurance - no co-pay, no deductible), they decided to do an experiment to see if discouraging people from going to ER or after-hours clinics for these non-emergency things would save money. They had a big campaign with radio ads, etc.

It did work, in a sense. People came to the ER with these non-emergency things much less often. But overall, health care costs went UP! That's because out of say 20 people with a cough, 19 probably just have a cold. But that 20th person actually has something serious. Caught early, it might be quickly treated. But if the person is discouraged from getting prompt treatment, by the time he or she goes in, the condition is more complicate, takes longer to treat, longer to recover - and costs a lot more. The reason we ordinary people go into the ER is because we aren't doctors. We don't know if we have something serious or not. It turns out that it is actually more cost-effective to be seeing 19 people who have only minor problems in order to catch that one person who has something serious.

TP

 

[elgerber]

But only if they live in a state that allows Medicaid to pay for birth control. Not all do

Most employer and private plans cover birth control at 100%. As stated above its a provision of the affordable care act.

 

[Gracie09]

Most employer and private plans cover birth control at 100%. As stated above its a provision of the affordable care act.

I understand that but the pp said all birth control is free and that simply is not true especially for the women who can least afford it if they happen to live in one of the states that does not permit Medicaid to cover it.

 

[ellochka]

If ignorance is bliss Americans must be the happiest people on earth.

I worked in healthcare finance for 11 years. I worked for providers and payers. "high CEO salaries" are irrelevant. Malpractice lawsuits are irrelevant. Free birth control is irrelevant.

Let's use your example of "high CEO salaries." 106 million. Wow, that sounds like a lot! But when you divide it by the 300 million people in the US you are basically increasing costs by .30 per person per year. Not exactly a major driver. Malpractice is the same thing, it raises your rates maybe .50 per year, tops.


So what is driving healthcare costs in the US? It's quite simple: End of life care.

My dad got cancer at 60. He died of cancer at 63. During those three years he spent $10 million on healthcare costs.

$10 Million!!!!

His best friend lived in Sweden most his life and has family there. He told my dad that when he was diagnosed had he been in Sweden they would've given him some morphine and sent him to hospice care. Sweden would've saved $10 million.

Almost every person demands every test and every procedure available if there is the slimmest chance they will live one more day. We as a society have decided that one more day of life is worth whatever it costs.

Until we as a society do a cost-benefit analysis (DEATH PANELS!! shout the right wingers) we will continue to have high health care costs.

If you want lower health care costs you're going to have to let people with cancer, heart disease (triple bypass surgeries are not cheap), and other serious ailments die rather than trying to keep them alive for a few years.

Every other medical cost you can think of is insignificant next to a $3 million annual bill to keep my dad around a little bit longer.

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/cancer-prevalence

according to cancer.org there are 15.5 million people with cancer in the US right now. Let's say they don't all cost $3 million per year like my dad did. Let's say they average $10,000 per year (because some have been cured and don't cost much annually, but they did cost a lot up front for treatment). Well, 15.5 million X $10,000 = $155 BILLION

That puts your "$100 million! CEO Salary" figure into perspective, doesn't it?

So, make the choice: Should those cancer patients get life-saving care, or should they be given morphine and sent to Hospice?

Make your choice and stop whining about "gigantic CEO salaries!" or "evil trial lawyers!" or "free birth control!"

True.

While your dad's costs are not typical, I have read that something like 60% of all healthcare costs are incurred in the last year of life with as much as 30% in the last 30 days of life. I would not exactly call this care "life saving".

 

[MickeyMickey]

We sure do - at last count 1.03 million unborn babies each and every year in the US (even though birth control is now FREE)

Give me a break

 

[DebbieB]

True. While your dad's costs are not typical, I have read that something like 60% of all healthcare costs are incurred in the last year of life with as much as 30% in the last 30 days of life. I would not exactly call this care "life saving".

Even though her breast cancer had spread to her liver, my mom was getting treatments that were $17,000 each. I can't remember if it was every week or every 3 weeks, she had so many different kinds over a period of 5 years before she passed. It didn't save her but it did prolong her life and up to the last 30 to 60 days, she had a good quality of life. We went to WDW twice a year during this time.

 

[disney1990]

I understand that but the pp said all birth control is free and that simply is not true especially for the women who can least afford it if they happen to live in one of the states that does not permit Medicaid to cover it.

Planned Parenthood will provide birth control if you can't get it through you insurer - free or at a reduced cost.

 

[Gracie09]

Planned Parenthood will provide birth control if you can't get it through you insurer - free or at a reduced cost.

If you can get there. Many of the states that don't cover birth control through Medicaid have also put into place laws that are designed to drive planned parenthood out of business. Women have to drive several hours each way to even get to a pp and besides taking a day off from work at no pay, they have to pay for gas, assuming they even have access to a car. And those that don't face an even longer trip via public transport which again they can probably ill afford. So saying that all women have access to free or really cheap birth control is simply not true. And it is usually the ones that can afford it the least that don't have access to it.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Planned Parenthood will provide birth control if you can't get it through you insurer - free or at a reduced cost.

That's what I've been thinking.

I don't think free birth control is the huge issue for healthcare that many try to make it.

Making this a huge women's issue doesn't make sense. We all have A LOT of issues with healthcare. Free birth control IMO isn't one of them when there are and have been options from the start.

This war on women thing is so old and tiresome.

 

[Dakota731]

Women have to drive several hours each way to even get to a pp and besides taking a day off from work at no pay, they have to pay for gas, assuming they even have access to a car.

Are you kidding me - so you want the government to put the birth control pill actually in the woman's mouth as well? It's FREE with Obama Care (USE MAIL ORDER!!!), FREE with Planned Parenthood, FREE with MEDICAID. I am so sick of excuses and lack of responsibility in this country.

 

[OceanAnnie]

If you can get there. Many of the states that don't cover birth control through Medicaid have also put into place laws that are designed to drive planned parenthood out of business. Women have to drive several hours each way to even get to a pp and besides taking a day off from work at no pay, they have to pay for gas, assuming they even have access to a car. And those that don't face an even longer trip via public transport which again they can probably ill afford. So saying that all women have access to free or really cheap birth control is simply not true. And it is usually the ones that can afford it the least that don't have access to it.

I don't buy it.

People have to eat. They go to grocery stores, Wal-mart has clinics & pharmacies. That's just one example. People are more mobile than that , if they aren't they find a way to eat. They can find a way to pick up BC.

 

[Dakota731]

This war on women thing is so old and tiresome.

Give me a break! This is a war on dependence and total reliance on government. All we heard for years is that is if women get free birth control, then there wouldn't be all these unwanted children or abortions. Now that Obama Care has provided that, you are saying that these women shouldn't have to pay for gas to pick up their FREE condoms or FREE birth control pills. Or the government should give them a FREE car and a paid day off work to pick up their prescriptions. There is always another excuse.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Give me a break! This is a war on dependence and total reliance on government. All we heard for years is that is if women get free birth control, then there wouldn't be all these unwanted children or abortions. Now that Obama Care has provided that, you are saying that these women shouldn't have to pay for gas to pick up their FREE condoms or FREE birth control pills. Or the government should give them a FREE car and a paid day off work to pick up their prescriptions. There is always another excuse.

I agree with you. War on independence. But it's packaged as a war on women.

It never ends.