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It was only one of countless things she said happened to him due to his medical bills...the point of the post was to iterate that he was a successful man who got sick, and his medical bills caused him to lose everything he had even though he had insurance. The fact there may have been low income apartments he could have moved into is really not relevant to that point, JMO. It wasn't about him being homeless, that was one of many things in a list of examples of what he went through due to out of pocket health care costs in this country.
I want to add to everyone, that also prior to ACA, lifetime limits on coverage were also legal. I saw a family on 20/20 whose son got cancer, and hit the million dollar lifetime limit on the insurance the first YEAR of his treatment, so the insurer just stopped paying even though the boy still had cancer and had still been undergoing treatment. His family had to remortgage their home 2 or 3 times before finally filing bankruptcy. So I am glad the ACA ended that abominable practice (one of the things insurance company lobbyists fought hard to keep as is). Today their story would not have ended in bankruptcy.
What is your problem? I did not disagree with her nor attack her. I gave my opinion on one item in her her list of problems that happened to the man after his cancer diagnosis. The person I was quoting did not have a problem with my post, only you.
What is your problem? I did not disagree with her nor attack her. I gave my opinion on one item in her her list of problems that happened to the man after his cancer diagnosis. The person I was quoting did not have a problem with my post, only you.
Sorry, but it came off to me like you were using that to discredit the entire post.
before Obamacare I never once saw a gofundme for vet bills for peoples pets. After Obamacare I have seen over a DOZEN! The ACA must have somehow caused this. Thanks Obama!
All this stuff about bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is a protection yet lots of people here are making it out to be a scourge. If people stopped looking at bankruptcy as the end of everything then perhaps it wouldn't be what they think it is.
A bankruptcy isn't a forever thing and ACA isn't going to prevent bankruptcies either.
What ACA might do though is help bankrupt the USA. Then what?
Maybe a Go Fund Me for the USA and see if Russia, China or the Euro want to help out?
We were talking about this issue on the Parenting board recently. I have to say, I'm a bit of a "Hard-hearted Hannah" about some of these requests for money. I've read the thread, and my own family has had enough health care issues that I know that insurance doesn't cover everything. Both my daughter and my husband have had cancer surgery. DD spent a night in the hosp., DH spent about 5, plus we started in the ER with his problems. Fortunately neither needed further treatment, but DH had some complications and does see the oncologist frequently and gets frequent scans and blood tests. I also had a hip replaced. I say all this to show that I am not ignorant of the type of bills one gets. And certainly, when one is young, like char, it's worse. We had more cash available in our 50s/60s when these things happened than in our 20s.
But what's with this expectation that someone else pay all the co-pays, the travel expenses, this, that and the other? What I/we appreciated was someone shoveling our driveway when it snowed ~ 10" the day of my surgery, and a couple of times while DH was in the hospital. We appreciated the meals brought over. And we've "paid it forward". Someone at DH's office needed meals and the guys, being guys, took up a collection to purchase some meal service rather than making them. Not to mention I've made plenty of meals in my day for sick people, most recently for my son-in-law who just had surgery on his ACL Memorial Day W/E.
"Gofundme" is pretty new. It used to be people did benefits, spaghetti dinners, stuff like that. I think part of it is that some people just want to DO something.
All this stuff about bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is a protection yet lots of people here are making it out to be a scourge. If people stopped looking at bankruptcy as the end of everything then perhaps it wouldn't be what they think it is.
A bankruptcy isn't a forever thing and ACA isn't going to prevent bankruptcies either.
What ACA might do though is help bankrupt the USA. Then what?
Maybe a Go Fund Me for the USA and see if Russia, China or the Euro want to help out?
I lost everything but didn't file for bankruptcy as I did not have enough assets for that to make sense. As a young person just starting out in my career with no property whatsoever, a bankruptcy would make life even more difficult. It's hard enough finding an apartment with roommates, paying increased rates for car insurance, and securing loans with a credit tarnished by medical and credit card bills (because when my savings ran out, I turned to credit cards for necessities) but a bankruptcy would have made that even more difficult.
Bankruptcy or not, I still skipped necessary medications, needed scans, and worked full time through treatment against doctor's orders because of the cost. And again, I had an excellent insurance plan.
You seem to be focusing on a lot of specific terms but not the overarching truth: illness and injury are expensive, even with insurance. If you do not have a solid amount of savings to lean on, you could quickly find yourself asking for help to pay rent, eat, or park at the hospital (to the tune of $25 a day at my cancer center) even if you have a fantastic insurance plan (as I did). Lost wages compound this problem. I regret every day that at 22, I didn't see the immediate need to get short term care insurance. Now, it's too late and I am unlikely to find coverage with my cancer history.
And as expensive as my cancer experience has already been, it would be much worse if I relapsed. 4 months of intensive chemo, a stem cell/bone marrow transplant, 2 months in isolation in the hospital, and then at least 2 or 3 more months of recovery. At best, I'd be looking at 6 months out of work - more than what FMLA guarantees for unpaid leave. I could find myself not only with huge copays and medical bills, but also with no salary to pay them. You can't even apply for disability for 6 months after you are unable to work.
Location: Los Angeles>Little Rock>Houston>Little Rock
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My husband has been in cancer treatment for over 12 years. I have had 3 spinal surgeries. If we hadn't had good health insurance through his employer we would be destitute. Now that he nor I are no longer able to work we are stuck with ACA. It is over $1200 a month for the two of us and that is with a $5000 deductible.
If we didn't have a healthy portfolio and savings we would not be able to afford the premiums. Asking for $ on GoFundMe is against everything in my nature, but "there but for the grace of God go I".
We were talking about this issue on the Parenting board recently. I have to say, I'm a bit of a "Hard-hearted Hannah" about some of these requests for money. I've read the thread, and my own family has had enough health care issues that I know that insurance doesn't cover everything. Both my daughter and my husband have had cancer surgery. DD spent a night in the hosp., DH spent about 5, plus we started in the ER with his problems. Fortunately neither needed further treatment, but DH had some complications and does see the oncologist frequently and gets frequent scans and blood tests. I also had a hip replaced. I say all this to show that I am not ignorant of the type of bills one gets. And certainly, when one is young, like char, it's worse. We had more cash available in our 50s/60s when these things happened than in our 20s.
But what's with this expectation that someone else pay all the co-pays, the travel expenses, this, that and the other? What I/we appreciated was someone shoveling our driveway when it snowed ~ 10" the day of my surgery, and a couple of times while DH was in the hospital. We appreciated the meals brought over. And we've "paid it forward". Someone at DH's office needed meals and the guys, being guys, took up a collection to purchase some meal service rather than making them. Not to mention I've made plenty of meals in my day for sick people, most recently for my son-in-law who just had surgery on his ACL Memorial Day W/E.
"Gofundme" is pretty new. It used to be people did benefits, spaghetti dinners, stuff like that. I think part of it is that some people just want to DO something.
I think the greatest benefit to things like Gofundme is that they help people whose support network is not local. If I was in the town I grew up in, I'm sure there would have been a spaghetti supper or dinners delivered to my house. Because I lived 1000 miles away from where I grew up and my college friends had graduated and scattered quite literally all over the world, something like that would have been helpful in both showing them that there was a need (as I've found that many of my friends, family, and even coworkers assumed that since I was insured that I had no financial need) and giving an easy platform for people to help,
I didn't use Gofundme when I was sick, but wouldn't hesitate to do it if I relapse. The pride of being "financially independent" isn't all that it's cracked up to be when it means that you don't get the care you need. Those that I know who have used it have found a lot of comfort from $10 or $20 gifts from friends, and it removes the sense of obligation that an email or direct ask would create. It's an easy way for people to feel like they're contributing.
Now, sometimes the campaigns grind my gears. A friend recently shared a Gofundme campaign for a friend who was a competitive Crossfitter (to the tune of $200 a month gym membership) but chose not to purchase health insurance. He ended up paralyzed in a Crossfit accident and was asking for help to pay the entire bill for his hospital stay and rehab. I have no problem with people asking for help when they need to supplement what their savings and insurance provide, but it should not be seen as a replacement for insurance. Most campaigns are lucky to get a few hundred dollars, anyway.
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