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At 68 yrs old, I am on Medicare. For many years, thoughout the 70's and 80', I worked for large corporations and had more than adequate health coverage. I oversaw a self insured plan and we processed all claims in house. I had 5 people working for me.
I left the corporate world and became self employed. We paid the Cobra as long as we could. When we went looking for private plans, I was denied coverage because of having been treated for depression and suspected bipolar disorder (bah). that went into a medical clearing house (the denial) and I was told I would never get private insurance again, of any kind. One of my clients put me on his group plan. My husband took out a high deductible plan for himself. When our monthly premiums reached $1,500 a month, we had to give it up. Later, before my insurance lapsed, I had an MRI done for some problems. The doctor did not find a huge tumor until a year later and my insurance was gone, so did the records of the MRI at the clinic.
We are paying off medical bills for that surgery of $50,000. No we didn't stiff the hospital for the bill and the doctors got paid up front.
Currently, DH doesnt have insurance. We can't afford it. I do have Medicare, not an Advantage Plan so WE pay the premiums.
The kids programs to insure kids(State sponsered ?) is a wonderful thing for young families today. I fill out many applications for kids to get on Kids Care. It is rationed, just like all socially funded health insurance. Getting to see a specialist can be hard and to find one in your area that takes the insurance is daunting. But, it is better than nothing.
When i was a kid, we could go to our county hospital. Until a very few years ago, this county still had such a facility locally. It only closed within the last 15-20 years.
I had my tonsils our there 62 years ago.
Wow, Annie, what a story and thanks for sharing. In today's age, what about all the people who go to their PCP and get labeled "depressed"? Will this also come back to haunt them? All the insurance companies know EVERY SINGLE PRESCRIPTION you've ever filled and what they are for, so forget that angle. I had ONE prescription filled ONE time that I never took. Needless to say, insurance company dug it up and quoted me premiums of between $1800 to $2200 per MONTH!
I just can't stress things strongly enough. If you have ANY mental health issues, stay off the record. Private pay for it and do NOT let the insurance companies know.
I have it through my employer. $80 a month, and I'm generally happy with the plan I have. That said, I hate my job a lot. It kind of ties you to your job if you don't want to pay ridiculous COBRA amounts to keep your coverage.
If you are fortunate enough to have it and not pay a fortune, consider yourself blessed.
I am really curious as to the No's, as I am thinking of just letting mine lapse.
OOPS, as usual I forgot a category - Medicare, aka socialized medicine, but you can just share that.
I have it thru my employer, pay around $80.00 a month premium. I'm very fit, dont drink or smoke, exercise daily, and then one day my feet started feeling numb, then my legs, then I had trouble walking. Now an MRI reveals that there is a spot of blood vessels putting pressure on my spinal cord, its a fairly low risk surgery but very delicate and a team of doctors using microscopic cameras will be removing this pressure point directly on my spinal cord.
W/O insurance I file for bankruptcy, I'm grateful my employer has a MOOP plan (max. out of pocket) which caps my costs at around 3K.
My advice: Do NOT let your coverage lapse, its too important, accidents happen, so do emergencies.
I have it thru my employer, pay around $80.00 a month premium. I'm very fit, dont drink or smoke, exercise daily, and then one day my feet started feeling numb, then my legs, then I had trouble walking. Now an MRI reveals that there is a spot of blood vessels putting pressure on my spinal cord, its a fairly low risk surgery but very delicate and a team of doctors using microscopic cameras will be removing this pressure point directly on my spinal cord.
W/O insurance I file for bankruptcy, I'm grateful my employer has a MOOP plan (max. out of pocket) which caps my costs at around 3K.
My advice: Do NOT let your coverage lapse, its too important, accidents happen, so do emergencies.
I have it thru my employer, pay around $80.00 a month premium. I'm very fit, dont drink or smoke, exercise daily, and then one day my feet started feeling numb, then my legs, then I had trouble walking. Now an MRI reveals that there is a spot of blood vessels putting pressure on my spinal cord, its a fairly low risk surgery but very delicate and a team of doctors using microscopic cameras will be removing this pressure point directly on my spinal cord.
W/O insurance I file for bankruptcy, I'm grateful my employer has a MOOP plan (max. out of pocket) which caps my costs at around 3K.
My advice: Do NOT let your coverage lapse, its too important, accidents happen, so do emergencies.
Well, I do wish you the best with your surgery and hope for a full and speedy recovery, but did you read the part about where I pay $1200 a month for it?
Well, I do wish you the best with your surgery and hope for a full and speedy recovery, but did you read the part about where I pay $1200 a month for it?
Thats insane. The medical industrial complex is as bad as the military industrial complex.
For that kind of money, $1200.00 a month, you are paying way too much. There should be some kind of more affordable coverage out there, you need to do some serious insurance shopping.
Ya, misclassified employees is becoming a big deal. Wait till one of your now sub-contractors files for unemployment! It only takes one. Ever hear of a IRS form SS-8? Research it.
I was a misclassified employee for the first 20 years of my after highschool working life. I had no idea that I was really my own business. I thought I was employed, but no taxes were withheld. learned the hard way, after getting thrown under the bus buy my last employer that called me a subcontractor to skate all the cost and liability of employees.
I filed unemployment and the unemployment commission had me file an IRS form SS-8.
Let's just say that guy is no longer in business. Lost all his assets, and it personally financially bankrupted him. The guy threatened me and my families life, after the crap hit the fan.
Be very careful about misclassifying employees. It could bite you real hard.
If you control any aspect of their work, they are your employee.
They set their own hours of business, not you
They complete the task under specific project contracts, not a work order.
Their contract for each specific project, has the scope and payment agreements, not verbal with no paper trail!!!!
You cannot set rules unless agree upon in each individual project contract. No dictating.
Piece work and a set price for completion, not hourly!!!!
They must supply all tools, training and the ability to subcontract their labor to anyone they please. Remember they are a separate independent business from you!
This may need to be another topic. I just heard your reply and it sent a red flag of my past. Thought I'd try to help before you got hurt bad.
How can you possibly not know you were not considered an employee? Did you never look at your paycheck? Thought it was a gift that you didn't have taxes taken out? That happened to me in my first job out of school. I caught it ON MY FIRST PAYCHECK. Dealt with it then.
I dont have ins cause I cant afford it plus I never get sick anyway. right now nursing a brown recluse spider bite on my back.sure it hurts and is ugly but what can a doc do? charge me 500 bucks to tell me what I already know and give me a med I will not take after I look up the side effects. health care is overrated and insanely overcharged. when something come and kills me so be it
They don't have that in every state . I have no insurance , I pay cash . When I move to Arizona , I hope to buy catastrophic coverage , to protect my home . The Obama care bill will take that opportunity away .
A piece of advice? I've lived here for going on eight years. Think LONG and HARD before you come to this state and do a LOT of research on insurance options BEFORE you make the move. Things have only gotten worse over the years. The politicians will NOT do anything in your favor. The insurance companies will NOT do anything in your favor. There are cameras all over the place and photo radar. Good-bye to actually having a cop pull you over if you're speeding. If you should ever have the misfortune of tipping one beer too many, don't drive or be prepared to wear diapers down in Tent City. Don't like the heat? Too bad. Even if it's 110 Tent City has no air conditioning. You will pay dearly.
Ready for low wages? You'll be happy here. Ready for freeway sprawl? You'll do fine. Ready for endless strip malls on every corner and no real downtown and nothing really of interest? You'll do fine. This is the only place you'll have to use language like which side of the corner is that on? NW, NE, SW, SE? That is because every corner is about endless strip malls.
A word of caution. Good luck with that "catastrophic coverage." Be prepared to get ripped off. This state favors business over its citizens. Ok, end of rant and consider this a public service announcement. Oh, and you won't have to worry about the Obamacare bill here. Brewer doesn't want it, will fight it, because she really doesn't care if half the population just dies off. Oh, and good luck paying cash if and when some major catastophic disease hits. You won't have the money to pay for your cancer treatments, etc. And forget an organ transplant. We don't like them here.
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