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Where I am at insurance companies can refuse to insure anyone with a pre-existing condition. Pre-existing conditions can be anything the insurance company deems risky. If you've had something like cancer, arthritis, asthma, heart disease, etc. you can pretty much forget about being able to buy your own insurance no matter how much you are willing or able to pay.
Insurance also gets more and more expensive the older you get. My 20 year old daughter pays relatively little to insure herself. It is a very different case for someone that is in 60.
The OP is obviously very young and doesn't have a lot experience outside of his/her own backyard yet. The world is such a simple place for some folks
I think "health insurance" is actually affordable for "most" of the uninsured with a caveat. The people don't like the deductibles, maximum or limited coverage, or co-pays. I am sure there are $20/month plans out there but they aren't so great... with that said, most people that are more likely suffering are people suffering from chronic illnesses or catastrophic illnesses are the ones crying foul because the way the health insurance industry treats them, they are liabilities to the company because the company can't profit off of them... that needs to be fixed... I mentioned earlier how it can be fixed but overall health insurance is affordable but not if you have a chronic disease or suffer a major catastrophic illness, or belong to a very TINY part of the uninsured that can't really afford health insurance premiums...
You're right. I wonder if 83 is when this person was born?
And to keep arguing the point after people have pointed out "why people cannot afford health insurance" is beyond me. Question asked, Question answered.
Moving on.............................
I don't know if 83 is when he is born. At 25 I would think you would be smarter then that. He acts more like he was born in 93. At least thats when he's brain stopped retaining new information.
My husband works for a small business with only a few employees. They cannot yet afford health insurance for their employees. We have none. And we live in a state where the cheapest insurance we can buy is about $600/month for our family of 3, and that covers almost nothing except a complete medical disaster. I'm a stay at home mom right now, but I do go to school online in my spare time so we can hopefully be making more at some point in the future. But even when our income doubles, we will still probably not be able to afford health insurance. We live very much within our means. I don't enjoy shopping for clothes or trinkets, so I don't do it. We have a thrift store TV. We don't buy processed foods. We don't have cable, don't go to the movies. We live as simple and thrifty a life as any American I have ever met.
We are newly married, and about a year ago, I passed a kidney stone. I was in unbelievable pain, but ended up leaving the hospital before being treated because the nurse attending me kept pushing us as to how much money we had, and asking how we were going to pay. At one point she said we needed to talk to the hospital lawyer before I could be treated. I also had impacted wisdom teeth for about 7 months, until we could save the money to pay up front (doctor's policy). It isn't fun to not have insurance, and the assumption that we "choose" not to is downright rude. It weighs on us, especially as a couple just starting out. I'm sure at some point we will have some form of health insurance, but the fact is that at this moment we are one serious illness or accident away from becoming completely destitute. That is the reality of it, and I know it is the case for millions of people in this country. I don't feel like an exception.
You should have done like the illegals do...Go to the emergency room!!!! I mean a hospital in my hometown was closed because they went broke!! The illegals went to the ER for everything...I mean from the babies 6 week check up to removing of stitches. I guess someone must have told them it against the law for hospitals to turn you away from the ER. If you come in the ER you have to be seen no matter what the reason......atleast it was that way where Im from.
i don't know if 83 is when he is born. At 25 i would think you would be smarter then that. He acts more like he was born in 93. At least thats when he's brain stopped retaining new information.
You should have done like the illegals do...Go to the emergency room!!!! I mean a hospital in my hometown was closed because they went broke!! The illegals went to the ER for everything...I mean from the babies 6 week check up to removing of stitches. I guess someone must have told them it against the law for hospitals to turn you away from the ER. If you come in the ER you have to be seen no matter what the reason......atleast it was that way where Im from.
The funny thing was, I was in the ER.... now I know what that nurse was doing was illegal, but at the time she was really scaring me. I'm pretty sure I passed the stone at the hospital while waiting to be treated, and then I left without ever seeing the doctor. I still received a bill for about $200, I guess for the nurse taking my blood pressure???
You are correct,Slash, in that the numbers of uninsured could be significantly reduced by those that don't know ( or care about) the difference between need and want.
Insurance is a matter of assessing a risk and many chose to take the risk that they won't get caught.
Even as an example from someone who is probably living very frugally, there is still a lesson that can be learned.
ammank said:
"I also had impacted wisdom teeth for about 7 months, until we could save the money to pay up front"
This indicates that there WAS some money that could be saved.....and that amount could have been being saved and set aside before it was needed, rather than after.
Another point is that huge numbers of people that are not financially secure still go ahead and have families/have 2nd and 3rd kids, without being able to afford to fully provide for them.
BTW...we are among those that had to pay for our own insurance the majority of our lives.
Welcome to regulations prohibiting purchase of health insurance across state lines. Your insurance cost would be 1/3rd of that for the same plan here in Texas.
You bring up a good point from your example... the state where you live has much to do with your options.
I said the same thing early in this thread. And contrary to what many say, not everyone can just up and jump states easily. Family and economic obligations, etc........
I think "health insurance" is actually affordable for "most" of the uninsured with a caveat. The people don't like the deductibles, maximum or limited coverage, or co-pays. I am sure there are $20/month plans out there but they aren't so great... with that said, most people that are more likely suffering are people suffering from chronic illnesses or catastrophic illnesses are the ones crying foul because the way the health insurance industry treats them, they are liabilities to the company because the company can't profit off of them... that needs to be fixed... I mentioned earlier how it can be fixed but overall health insurance is affordable but not if you have a chronic disease or suffer a major catastrophic illness, or belong to a very TINY part of the uninsured that can't really afford health insurance premiums...
You should have done like the illegals do...Go to the emergency room!!!! I mean a hospital in my hometown was closed because they went broke!! The illegals went to the ER for everything...I mean from the babies 6 week check up to removing of stitches. I guess someone must have told them it against the law for hospitals to turn you away from the ER. If you come in the ER you have to be seen no matter what the reason......atleast it was that way where Im from.
This provides a reason to vent on illegal immigration, but it is still nothing that even approaches an actual solution to this very real problem.
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