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I was forced by my insurance company to use a less effective chemo regime (ABVD) versus the one my doctor actually wanted to give me due to the extent of my illness (eBEACOPP). eBEACOPP is standard in every other country and standard in most hospitals for advanced disease. However, it is more expensive and involves more time at the doctor's office, so the insurance company wouldn't cover it.
Again, if I lose my job, I'm now 24 with a serious medical condition. Who is going to insure someone with a cancer history? Furthermore, what 24 year old could afford the sort of premiums that that plan would cost?
I happened to get cancer in my 20s. If you're in your 50s or 60s, flip a coin. If it hasn't happened to you or your spouse and you are decrying those lousy poor people and their healthcare, just wait. 1 in 2. Which one of you will it be? Which of your children? Your grandchildren?
Unfortunately your story is far far far too common in America today.
This seems to be the stupid "survival of the fittest" attitude by many morons in the USA today............... They do, however, sing a completely different song when they or their loved ones become seriously ill and they suddenly discover "rip off" health care in the USA.
I hope you are doing OK but too many do not understand how a serious or even not so serious illness affects people in the USA in the 21st Century....
These self rightous morons must be so proud to be so ignorant!
Unfortunately your story is far far far too common in America today.
This seems to be the stupid "survival of the fittest" attitude by many morons in the USA today............... They do, however, sing a completely different song when they or their loved ones become seriously ill and the suddenly discover "rip off" health care in the USA.
I hope you are doing OK but too many do not understand how a serious or even not so serious illness affects people in the USA in the 21st Century....
These self rightous morons must be so proud to be so ignorant!
What bothers me is the lack of empathy for others people have. There are many things that "don't happen to me" but I can actually visualize it happening to me and know how that would make me feel.
I have been constantly amazed at those who have never been touched by cancer in some way, or some other medical malady, who cannot even put themselves in those shoes and realize how they might be affected.
But, there are those personality types, and it's taken me most of my life to realize it, that really do live with blinders on, believe they are invinsible, and just don't even ponder the "what if's".
Couple of hundred bucks per month will get a extremely restricted cover with high co pays........... if good health care was a couple of hundred bucks a month we woudn't be having this discussion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As usual, we get down to the cold, hard economic facts of it all. Wages have been fairly flat relative to inflation for some time now. Many of the affordable plans touted in Post #1 would require extensive out of pocket expenses for those that actually do have whatever health problems. In fact, delivery of healthcare services declined during this monster recession.
The expense of going to the doctor, etc, was one of the things people cut to be "responsible". Now if they are paying $200 a month for an expensive cell phone plan, I could agree that they should cut that first. But I think most probably did.
The majority of people live in the real world. They know that even with cheap family plan costing $500 to $1,000 a month, the average wage earner couldn't cut it. Employers know full well how important benefits are to their employees. It may well be lost on the younger people, as they feel invincible. Take away employer-provided health benefits and you'll see utter chaos.
One also needs to separate these two separate, and distinct elements.
1. Health Care
2. Insurance
While having no insurance, or bad health care insurance can impact your health, they are financially related. Having a $10,000 or $100,000 deductible to get premiums down only saves the middle class and lower income people from larger bankruptcies.
As usual, we get down to the cold, hard economic facts of it all. Wages have been fairly flat relative to inflation for some time now. Many of the affordable plans touted in Post #1 would require extensive out of pocket expenses for those that actually do have whatever health problems. In fact, delivery of healthcare services declined during this monster recession.
The expense of going to the doctor, etc, was one of the things people cut to be "responsible". Now if they are paying $200 a month for an expensive cell phone plan, I could agree that they should cut that first. But I think most probably did.
The majority of people live in the real world. They know that even with cheap family plan costing $500 to $1,000 a month, the average wage earner couldn't cut it. Employers know full well how important benefits are to their employees. It may well be lost on the younger people, as they feel invincible. Take away employer-provided health benefits and you'll see utter chaos.
One also needs to separate these two separate, and distinct elements.
1. Health Care
2. Insurance
While having no insurance, or bad health care insurance can impact your health, they are financially related. Having a $10,000 or $100,000 deductible to get premiums down only saves the middle class and lower income people from larger bankruptcies.
Absolutely agree with you.
The people here who can afford good health care or indeed have a good work related health care cover seem to live in some kind of "Fantasy Land" with regard to citizens who cannot afford health care or are unemployed.
These elitists are NOT in the real world of America today..... they think that the families who are on low wages or are poor all have new cars or expensive cell phone plans or even go out to restaurants and buy buy buy uneeded things.................... WRONG...... They have to survive day to day , hand to mouth, in debt and praying they or their loved ones don't get sick.
You are right that health care and insurance should be two different entities for our health care and health insurance NOT the prime option but available to anyone who wants to buy private health care as a personal choice.
This health system here today is like the "inmates running the assylum" with profit as their sole criteria and the sick NOT wanted on their books. What is health insurance for??????????? obviously the healthy here and that is NOT what health care is designed for.... it is for the sick NOT the "wealthy healthy" ............. Absolute Madness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was forced by my insurance company to use a less effective chemo regime (ABVD) versus the one my doctor actually wanted to give me due to the extent of my illness (eBEACOPP). eBEACOPP is standard in every other country and standard in most hospitals for advanced disease. However, it is more expensive and involves more time at the doctor's office, so the insurance company wouldn't cover it.
Again, if I lose my job, I'm now 24 with a serious medical condition. Who is going to insure someone with a cancer history? Furthermore, what 24 year old could afford the sort of premiums that that plan would cost?
I happened to get cancer in my 20s. If you're in your 50s or 60s, flip a coin. If it hasn't happened to you or your spouse and you are decrying those lousy poor people and their healthcare, just wait. 1 in 2. Which one of you will it be? Which of your children? Your grandchildren?
Did you have the option of paying the difference out-of-pocket for the more expensive treatment?
Well, I'd say a big problem over the years we're our public employees were all getting the Cadillac health care plan where they didn't have to pay anything at all....which their doctors of course knew, allowing them to charge for pretty much everything they wanted at the expense of everyone else.
Except for exceptional circumstances, like being 70 and having 3 types of cancer, health insurance is available and affordable. I have shopped around for the hell of it using several different states for comparison and all of the plans were quite affordable. (ie. $80-250 month). Is it the best insurance on the planet? Not neccessarily, but with out of pocket maximums, it's much better than nothing.
Are there exceptions? Of course. But I don't buy the whole "its not affordable" argument. It's all about priorities. If insurance costs $250 per month, and you really need health insurance, then you prioritize your spending accordingly.
Millions of American's don't even know how to budget. That they also don't understand their priorities is of no concern to me.
There are 15% of the US population that are currently uninsured. But probably less than 5% of that population is what we would call "un insurable". I think that's where we need to focus our attention on. Any younger adults under age 40 who's relatively healthy even with a family should be able to afford their own health insurance. The 5% I mention (those with preexisiting conditions); we need to focus on that. As with all news that is released by the press in any country, the truth about the real uninsured population is much less than what's reported. Unfortunately many people choose not to go with health insurance because they feel like they don't need it. Almost any young adult (18-30) should be able to get insurance with high deducible ($2500 and up) for less than $100 a month, sometimes less than $70. Many of the uninsured population have different priorities (eating out, cable TV, smartphones, alcohol).
Well, I'd say a big problem over the years we're our public employees were all getting the Cadillac health care plan where they didn't have to pay anything at all....which their doctors of course knew, allowing them to charge for pretty much everything they wanted at the expense of everyone else.
The whole system here now just encourages overcharging and discrimination.
We all know that one reason Doctors love the present insurance system is that it is a "cah cow" for them. The difference in the price of treatment when paid directly by a patient and what the Doctor charges the Insurance company is HUGE! This is one of the reasons that high premiums are needed to give insurance companies the profits they desire. Huge salaries to the CEO's etc also requires high premiums. Paying claims adjusters to investigate paperwork etc to deny claims also requires high premiums. Advertising campaigns requires high premiums. Greasing the palms of law makers also requires high premiums............... high premiums are not because of people without cover. The health insurance companies are huge money earning machines and health care is not their priority........ profits are their priority and that is NOT what health care is about.
Having used a UHC and the insurance based health system here i can tell you that there is a extremely huge difference between the two.
A UHC does what it is supposed to do........... give treatment to the sick no matter how rich or poor with NO discrimination or lack of care dependent on wealth or work status. This is supposed to be a caring christian Country but that can not be the case when whether you get health care is determined by the ability to pay.......... NOT very christian is it????????????????????????
Let's get real here........... In America, health care is a luxury item and there is NO excuse for that...... DISGUSTING in 2012!
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