I am probably being Dramatic...

[BoardWalkBelle]

Ok, I am probably being dramatic. I have to cancel my health insurance because I can no longer afford it. I have an individual policy. Now I am scared to death that something will happen , such as i will come down with appendedcitis, get cancer, or some deathly sickness. Does any one knw what hapens if i should need emergency surgery or need care for something like cancer, will i be able to get care from the hospital or will they leave me to die, yes i am serious.

 

[Poohbear5]

The ER will take care of you.

Our friend's daughter was just hospitalized for a blood clot. They sent her a bill for $24,000. They are allowing her to pay it off at $300 a month until it's paid. In retrospect, she wishes she paid the insurance premium instead.

 

[J3nn78]

I would not cancel. Medical bills can get out of hand so quickly.

I would be canceling and downgrading other things first.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

The ER will take care of you.

Our friend's daughter was just hospitalized for a blood clot. They sent her a bill for $24,000. They are allowing her to pay it off at $300 a month until it's paid. In retrospect, she wishes she paid the insurance premium instead.

Oh my GOD, that is insane, how sad. I don't have health insurance either, so scary.

Just wanted to edit this to say I have school coverage but its crappy. and if put in her shoes I am assuming I would be paying $5000.

 

[Poohbear5]

Our friend who dropped her coverage wishes she drop the cable tv and internet service and cell phone service. That would have about paid for her insurance premium. In addition to a large monthly bill to the hospital, she has ongoing health issues and meds that they continue to pay for out of pocket.

 

[mickeyboat]

Ok, I am probably being dramatic. I have to cancel my health insurance because I can no longer afford it. I have an individual policy. Now I am scared to death that something will happen , such as i will come down with appendedcitis, get cancer, or some deathly sickness. Does any one knw what hapens if i should need emergency surgery or need care for something like cancer, will i be able to get care from the hospital or will they leave me to die, yes i am serious.

Can you change to a catastrophic-type policy? A higher deductible?

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

don't mean to thread jack here....but how do you go about getting your own insurance?
For example...I live with fiance and we basically live like a married couple, but I stay at home with DD and go to school at night. I don't work...so how do I go about getting insurance?
He and DD have insurance through his job, but I do not b/c we are not married.
I will be getting my degree in Jan and I hope I get a job, but probably won't get a job that offers insurance until Sept 2010....its hard to find a teaching job mid-year, just subbing.
I am covered through the college I go to, but if I got into a car accident it would cover squat.

 

[wall*e2008]

Ok, I am probably being dramatic. I have to cancel my health insurance because I can no longer afford it. I have an individual policy. Now I am scared to death that something will happen , such as i will come down with appendedcitis, get cancer, or some deathly sickness. Does any one knw what hapens if i should need emergency surgery or need care for something like cancer, will i be able to get care from the hospital or will they leave me to die, yes i am serious.

Have you cut out all other wants before you dropped a need?

 

[JCJRSmith]

Ok, I am probably being dramatic. I have to cancel my health insurance because I can no longer afford it. I have an individual policy. Now I am scared to death that something will happen , such as i will come down with appendedcitis, get cancer, or some deathly sickness. Does any one knw what hapens if i should need emergency surgery or need care for something like cancer, will i be able to get care from the hospital or will they leave me to die, yes i am serious.

Shop around. www.healthinsurance.org may offer some options

 

[cheshireqt]

Please don't drop if there is any way at all. Insurance can be very hard to get when not covered by an employer plan. Should you try to reinstate you may have a hard time.

 

[BoardWalkBelle]

<<Can you change to a catastrophic-type policy? A higher deductible? .>>
Actually, this is the type of insurance I have. It is $100.00 per month, which doest seem like alot but i just work pt( 2 pt jobs) and am a student and am trying to keep a roof over my head and gas in my car and food on the table so i dont have the $100.00 extra per month any more.
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[Liberty Belle]

I would not cancel. Medical bills can get out of hand so quickly.

I would be canceling and downgrading other things first.

Me, too. I would do cut everything I could before health insurance. What if you became pregnant? A kidney stone, bad flu, broken bone, anything could set you into tens of thousands of dollars of debt in no time. Honestly I don't think you're being dramatic at all. Things happen.

 

[SandrA9810]

If you ever drop coverage, it's going to be hard to pick up insurance unless it's through an employer.

I'd suggest looking into jobs that offer part-timers coverage.

My aunt got a job at the cracker barrel because she couldn't pay for private insurance. They used to require an average of 30hrs a week, now it's 24hrs a week to be qualified.

No, the hospital won't leave you to die, but the bill will kill you afterwards. (my mom has a problem with her stomach, had to have surgery... the dog knocked her over on a walk, had to have surgery on her hip), and even like 3-4years later I'm still getting calls even though she doesn't live with me.
Or you could ruin your life for 10yrs afterwards by filing bankruptcy.

You said you were in school... doesn't the school offer something for you?? and if you're still under 24, and your in school full time, can't you still be claimed by your parents??
Kari was on her parent's insurance till the max age, even though they were no longer providing daily needs for her. After that she started working at Home Depot and got coverage, then transfered to Disney coverage when her 3months was up. Thankfully I get to have coverage through her.

And you might want to look into state run stuff for some one your age. Who knows what you can find.

 

[englishteacha]

Does your school offer an insurance policy? When I was a student I had no health insurance. I bought insurance through the college which was much more affordable than anything else I could get. I also paid a flat fee for visits to the college health center. Also, look into sliding fee programs at area clinics and health centers. The health center I go to has a sliding fee, with very low cost care for the uninsured/underinsured.

 

[msmayor]

Ok, I am probably being dramatic. I have to cancel my health insurance because I can no longer afford it. I have an individual policy. Now I am scared to death that something will happen , such as i will come down with appendedcitis, get cancer, or some deathly sickness. Does any one knw what hapens if i should need emergency surgery or need care for something like cancer, will i be able to get care from the hospital or will they leave me to die, yes i am serious.

Actually, you can't afford NOT to have it.

 

[churchpilot]

An ER cannot turn you away for a true emergency, and any specialists on call for that ER cannot turn you away either. They can however decide to do only the minimjum amount of work to help you. The hospital will request payment at the of service and can decide to set up a payment plan. Don't forget that the ER physician usually bills separately from the hospital, as do most other physicians (radiologist, pathologists and specialists). If you let this insurance drop and then figure out a way to get future coverage, some pre-exsisting conditions may have clauses attached to them regarding how much they may or may not pay. You also have a period of time after you start paying for new insurance (anywhere from 1-3 months) where you are not covered. Figure out a way to up your deductible or convert to catastrophic insurance so you still have coverage.

 

[Mickey527]

I would NEVER drop Health Insurance. My son is uninsured right now and I am terrified that something will happen to him before he can sign up at his new place of employment.
I have no history of cancer in my family yet one day I woke up with pain in my breast only to find I had a tumor growing on my chest wall out of sight of a mammogram that was stage 3 already. I can't imagine not having insurance, I had surgery for the chemo port, the mastectomy, 8 chemo treatments, was hospitalized 6 times due to low blood counts durnig chemo, 38 radiations, then reconstructive surgery, the port removed. And now am having some more surgery due to scar tissue. This would have either cost me millions or I would be dead because I couldn't afford treatments.
I would never go without insurance and stressed that for my son's when they were looking for employment. I made sure they always knew to find out if the company had good benefits before accepting the job. It might not be as easy now in this economy but insurance is just as important as a good salary.

 

[wall*e2008]

<<Can you change to a catastrophic-type policy? A higher deductible? .>>
Actually, this is the type of insurance I have. It is $100.00 per month, which doest seem like alot but i just work pt( 2 pt jobs) and am a student and am trying to keep a roof over my head and gas in my car and food on the table so i dont have the $100.00 extra per month any more.
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I thought all colleges required health insurance to take classes. You either have to prove you have insurance or have to buy the school insurance.

 

[OctMtnWoods]

In MA, health insurance is now MANDATORY. You even need to prove you still carry it each year when you submit your state tax return.

 

[kevschickee]

I would cut out other things before my insurance. Yes the ER can't turn you away but they can charge you for everything. $100 a month is nothing you really need to find a way to keep it