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What happens when people who are uninsured get sick or injured?
They go to the emergency room. If they are destitute, they get charity care. If they are not totally destitute, they get massive bills. Outside of Medicare, there is no insurance available. There are reduced price clinics, but again, no access to pharma, labwork, dental or preventive care unless you are absolutely broke.
I'm a Federal retiree that got so bored in retirement that I took a school bus driving job. I know quite a few drivers who do it only for the excellent health insurance provided by the County school district to all employees.
They're mostly young moms whose husbands make very good salaries but have no health insurance. The bus driving job is great for them...they can bring their kids on the bus with them, thus saving child care costs, and they can work as many hours or as few as they like. Most only work enough hours to cover the employee share of the insurance premiums, which doesn't take long at the starting pay of $17 an hour. Plus, they're off all summer to spend with their kids. Pretty good deal!
I've worked in the newspaper industry for about 20 years designing ads, Tribune was offering buy-outs to employees so I took that and we we relocated to Greenville, SC from Maryland. Because (apparently) my experience was relatively narrow I've had an incredibly tough time time finding a new job! I'm on this one medication that without insurance would alone cost me about $2200/month. Insane, right? So I started working in a warehouse because of the benefits...which are actually pretty good - but my job absolutely sucks and it is demeaning just walking in there and having to wait for the bell before I can swipe my time card.
Since moving here my husband has been diagnosed with porphyria (sp) which involves lots of specialist appts and lab work on a continuous basis...not to mention one of his prescriptions which would be $700/mth.
I'm 43yrs old and my supervisor is a complete idiot who is not much older than my son...plus am extremely overqualified. But I have to suck it up because I don't consider ANYONE responsible for our health care besides us. In March I will have been there for a year...am still trying to find a new job...don't really care doing what - just want to get back into an office environment...this place isn't heated or have A/C, that plus the constant physical labor for 10hrs a day is wreaking havoc on my joints!
They go to the emergency room. If they are destitute, they get charity care. If they are not totally destitute, they get massive bills. Outside of Medicare, there is no insurance available. There are reduced price clinics, but again, no access to pharma, labwork, dental or preventive care unless you are absolutely broke.
Actually many community clinics that operate on a sliding scale do offer those services as well--still on a sliding scale.
I took my sick daughter to the local clinic here and their "sliding scale" cost was $110.00, whuich had to be paid before we she could even be seen. This was for a doctor to look in her ears, eyes and throat for all of about three minutes. He wanted to give her a shot that cost $80.00, but I told him we didn't have insurance and were paying out of pocket and could not afford that. So, he wrote me a perscription for a $4.00 perscription at Wal-mart and hurried out of the room (onto the next patient WITH insurance coverage, no doubt).
I work full-time, but our family coverage cost almost as much per month as my house payment.
Actually many community clinics that operate on a sliding scale do offer those services as well--still on a sliding scale.
And sometimes in some places/states for free if you are REALLY REALLY poor.
Also, regarding the comment about minor age kids, in most states nowadays state insurance for kids has some pretty loose guidelines. While this is the biggest extreme in the US in NY you can get greatly reduced rate insurance (as in maybe $30-40/month per child) for your kids in a family of 4 if your income is as high as the mid $80K! And I believe under about $35K it is completely free!
It is for adults where the guidelines are a lot lower.
Quote:
Originally Posted by montanamom
I took my sick daughter to the local clinic here and their "sliding scale" cost was $110.00, whuich had to be paid before we she could even be seen. This was for a doctor to look in her ears, eyes and throat for all of about three minutes. He wanted to give her a shot that cost $80.00, but I told him we didn't have insurance and were paying out of pocket and could not afford that. So, he wrote me a perscription for a $4.00 perscription at Wal-mart and hurried out of the room (onto the next patient WITH insurance coverage, no doubt).
I work full-time, but our family coverage cost almost as much per month as my house payment.
It's ALL about the money.
Move to a "blue state", they're much nicer about clinics, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmcfarlane
But I have to suck it up because I don't consider ANYONE responsible for our health care besides us. In March I will have been there for a year...am still trying to find a new job...don't really care doing what - just want to get back into an office environment...this place isn't heated or have A/C, that plus the constant physical labor for 10hrs a day is wreaking havoc on my joints!
This is the problem, our country is the EXCEPTION, not the norm when it comes to attitudes toward health care. The burden of health care being on business is an "accident of fate" (I've long explained elsewhere) that shouldn't be, it is as unfair to business as it is to us. Now yes "single payer" has flaws, but at the very least people, stop voting in droves for people who don't want to make ANY reform and want to leave the "status quo". Do you think the insurance company lobbyists fighting for the "status quo" care about your health? They laugh to the bank the "no one is responsible but us" attitude.
FYI--For routine things like sinus infections, strep, etc. the CVS Minute Clinic and whatever the Walgreens version is called generally cost $30-60 per visit (depending on location) and they won't charge you if they can't treat you. Something to consider if you are uninsured or have a high copay or deductable.
I've known people in my past and present jobs who do that. It's usually females --- their husbands are either self-employed or the benefits at their jobs are so expensive so the wife gets a job strictly to cover the benefits.
I also knew a guy at one of my old jobs -- his 'main' job offered benefits but they were way too much, so he took a p/t job at the company where we worked just to get the benefits.
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