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Sorry, but I don't share your opinion that the ACA is going to bring down the country. I think what it is going to do is give millions of people like me a chance to buy insurance again. I would rather have single payer, but trust me, having insurance is better than not having insurance.
Why do you think you're going to be able to buy insurance again?
I agree, you do need to take care of yourself. In the 10 years I've been without insurance the fact that I do take care of myself has paid off for me, but I also have been incredibly lucky. I haven't had any accidents or illnesses that could have very easily wiped me out. If you can't understand why being able to afford to buy insurance again would bring peace of mind, you have never lived with the fear of not having it.
Sorry, but I don't share your opinion that the ACA is going to bring down the country. I think what it is going to do is give millions of people like me a chance to buy insurance again. I would rather have single payer, but trust me, having insurance is better than not having insurance.
I can appreciate the role luck plays in "staying healthy", and glad that you have been lucky. Props also to you for taking care of yourself, because sadly, that doesn't happen often enough these days.
I've probably missed the answer in your posts along the way, but were you without insurance for those 10 years due to a pre-existing condition?
I can appreciate the role luck plays in "staying healthy", and glad that you have been lucky. Props also to you for taking care of yourself, because sadly, that doesn't happen often enough these days.
I've probably missed the answer in your posts along the way, but were you without insurance for those 10 years due to a pre-existing condition?
No, I'm self-employed and I simply got priced out of the market. I had a broker who worked very hard to keep me insured, and I changed providers frequently as the price went up, but when my monthly premiums hit $800 a month I simply couldn't afford to keep it up any longer. And mind you, except for having two children 30 years ago, I've never been hospitalized for any reason, never been sick, never made a single claim. And still, my premiums went up every six months like clockwork. With no employer pool to tap into, many people like me were simply priced out of the market.
In my profession, though I started out as an employee many years ago, it has gone almost completely subcontractor now, and I know many others who do the kind of work I do who have been in the same position unless they had a spouse with insurance.
A chest x-ray, blood workup, ECG and a general physical isn't a service?
The point of your post was "preventative care", which is all about individual behavior. Not those. Prevention of illness has almost NOTHING to do with those things, and is ALL about lifestyle change.
And whether you lump them into "preventative care" or not, they are NOT what you buy insurance for.
No, I'm self-employed and I simply got priced out of the market. I had a broker who worked very hard to keep me insured, and I changed providers frequently as the price went up, but when my monthly premiums hit $800 a month I simply couldn't afford to keep it up any longer. And mind you, except for having two children 30 years ago, I've never been hospitalized for any reason, never been sick, never made a single claim. And still, my premiums went up every six months like clockwork. With no employer pool to tap into, many people like me were simply priced out of the market.
In my profession, though I started out as an employee many years ago, it has gone almost completely subcontractor now, and I know many others who do the kind of work I do who have been in the same position unless they had a spouse with insurance.
With Obamacare raising the premiums a bunch, you're not going to be any better off.
No, I'm self-employed and I simply got priced out of the market. I had a broker who worked very hard to keep me insured, and I changed providers frequently as the price went up, but when my monthly premiums hit $800 a month I simply couldn't afford to keep it up any longer. And mind you, except for having two children 30 years ago, I've never been hospitalized for any reason, never been sick, never made a single claim. And still, my premiums went up every six months like clockwork. With no employer pool to tap into, many people like me were simply priced out of the market.
In my profession, though I started out as an employee many years ago, it has gone almost completely subcontractor now, and I know many others who do the kind of work I do who have been in the same position unless they had a spouse with insurance.
Ah, I see.
Quick question -- when your premiums hit $800 a month, what kind of deductible were you paying? That's ridiculous that you were getting gouged that badly, especially since you basically had no medical history.
I have friends in the tech business that went the subcontractor route. Some of them are married, but some are not and have to fend for themselves. A couple of them managed to jump on some insurance that was done through a group plan for members of the Chamber of Commerce (never got any details from them, but they seemed happy with the coverage). I will say -- these guys were WELL compensated ($75-$100/hr as contractors), so the cost of the insurance never seemed to bother them.
That's all well and good, but if some drunk driver plows into your car and you end up in intensive care, or if you get cancer through no fault of your own, or you suffer a heart attack even though you're healthy and have taken care of yourself (remember Jim Fixx?), or you suffer an appendicitis, or you fall and break your leg, all of that healthy living isn't going to pay for your healthcare. And trust me, when you have no insurance, you think about these things and worry about these things every single day.
I'm a vegetarian, I don't smoke or drink and I exercise moderately, and I plan to continue living this healthy lifestyle. But on January 1st, I will be able to buy myself a little peace of mind for all of those things I have no control over.
What prevented a healthy adult like you from buying peace of mind before?
I don't always agree with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, but this is one article where I completely agree with him.
He poses the question: "Does health insurance make us healthier?"
In Obama's wettest dreams, his signature legislation Obamacare -- remember when HE said "I like it, because I DO care"? -- is the ultimate panacea.
But in Dr. Gupta's world -- one that is just a wee bit closer to actual "health care" than the fantasy world of our president -- YOU are the key to fixing the health care system, by improving your own health.
But this requires personal accountability, a trait often found in short supply amongst those in favor of "big government". After all, they want the government to take of them, instead of taking care of themselves.
This kind of simple minded clap trap that passes for deep thinking yet ignores data about the mortality rates of people with insurance and those without.
I suggest Dr. Gupta look at some data, and not go by his gut or his intuition or use his common sense or any other nonsense buzzwords that many people use to justify ignoring empirical data.
Not having health insurance costs lives every year. So yes factually more people having health insurance will save lives, will improve the health of millions of people. This is objective reality, regardless of the gut feelings of Dr. Gupta or anyone else.
This kind of simple minded clap trap that passes for deep thinking yet ignores data about the mortality rates of people with insurance and those without.
That's sort of a self description.
Mortality rate for humans without health insurance = 100%
Mortality rate for humans WITH health insurance = 100%
We all die. Does health insurance make us live longer? Statistically, the factors for longevity will prove that insurance / no insurance, normalized for all other factors will prove that the difference is so small as to be difficult to impossible to prove there's any difference.
Quote:
I suggest Dr. Gupta look at some data, and not go by his gut or his intuition or use his common sense or any other nonsense buzzwords that many people use to justify ignoring empirical data.
That's what YOU need to do.
Quote:
Not having health insurance costs lives every year. So yes factually more people having health insurance will save lives, will improve the health of millions of people. This is objective reality, regardless of the gut feelings of Dr. Gupta or anyone else.
Provide some evidence. No, REAL evidence, not liberal talking points.
Having female asian genes outweighs ALL other factors in living longer. How does insurance overcome that?
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