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How about arthritis? But if people would just take responsibility. . .
My sister and my aunt both have rheumatoid arthritis - my sister is disabled from it at the age of 38. I am showing some signs that I have it, too, but as an uninsured person, I just take Aleve and try to eat an anti-inflammatory diet.
But, it's all our fault and we need to take personal responsibility for our cranky immune systems.
As a lot of you may know (it's been mentioned a few times in here), I'm self employed and we currently have no health insurance. The last time I priced it was about a year ago, when we started our business. The plans I was looking at then were all over the map, as we weren't sure how fast the business would take off and how much money we'd have to spend on insurance.
With all the talk about health insurance these days, and with all the threads going here discussing the "health care crisis" we are or aren't experiencing and the alleged outrageous cost of plans for those whose employers aren't bearing the brunt, I decided to take another look at the options available and their cost.
What I found was that as long as you're not wanting every single nickle and dime covered, the plans are actually pretty affordable. You do, of course, have to look at the details and really understand what it is you're signing up for, but then, shouldn't you always do that when you're entering into a contract? I would think that would be particularly important when dealing with something as significant as your health. I say this because a big part of the argument for some form of government run health care is that the insurance companies try to weasel out of providing care, and often the care in question isn't covered by the plan. Most people don't read what they sign...
Here's the basics of the plan that best fits our situation. We may or may not purchase this plan in the next month or two - I need to do some more shopping around. The comparison tool I used this afternoon was eHealthInsurance.com. The quote is for two adult smokers and two teenage boys.
Office Visits: $35, 2 per year per person
Specialists: $35, 2 per year per person
Coinsurance: 20% after deductible
Annual Deductible: $5,000, $2,500 per person, two persons max
Rx: Generic: $15 copay, no brand name coverage
Annual out of pocket limit: $3,000 per person + deductible
Lifetime Maximum: $3,000,000 per person
Out of network coverage: Yes
Out of country coverage: Yes, emergency only
Primary Care Physician Required: No
Specialist Referral Required: No
OB/GYN: Basics are 20% coinsurance after deductible
Emergency Room: 20% coinsurance after deductible, $500 copay if not admitted
Lab/X-ray: 20% coinsurance after deductible if performed within 2 weeks of surgery
Outpatient Surgery, Hospitalization: 20% coinsurance after deductible
Maternity: Not covered
Cost: $306.94 / month
There are some things in the list I'd like to see tweaked, but it's really not that bad of a deal. It's certainly not indicative of a "crisis." Would it be a free ride if there was a major accident or illness? No. Would it bankrupt us? No. There's enough coverage there to ensure that we'd get the care we need, and we'd just have to tighten our belts for a while.
I do agree that some things could be done to reduce the cost of health care, but I am, and always have been, convinced that there is no "health care crisis" in this country. Despite all the propaganda being thrown about these days, I still haven't seen anything that even comes close to convincing me that the Federal government should get involved. It's not their job, plain and simple, and if they're going to be sticking their hands into an industry that represents as much as 1/6 of our economy, they're going to have to provide a heck of a lot of proof that it's absolutely necessary. If the states want to experiment with some sort of UHC or mandatory coverage ideas, such as Massachusetts has, more power to 'em. I'm all about states' rights, and they have the right to do stuff like that. The Feds don't. It's not their place, and they absolutely should not get involved.
20% Coinsurance after deductible will bankrupt many Americans should they get a catastrophic illness such as cancer.
Last edited by jojajn; 08-06-2009 at 10:41 PM..
Reason: mistake
My sister and my aunt both have rheumatoid arthritis - my sister is disabled from it at the age of 38. I am showing some signs that I have it, too, but as an uninsured person, I just take Aleve and try to eat an anti-inflammatory diet.
But, it's all our fault and we need to take personal responsibility for our cranky immune systems.
I'm so sorry to hear that. I have recently been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my cervical spine, which developed after an injury I sustained while riding my bike, trying to stay healthy, since I have auto-immune Hashimoto's thyroid disease. Without treatment and anti-inflammatories, the pain is literally disabling. Take care of yourself!
I'm so sorry to hear that. I have recently been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my cervical spine, which developed after an injury I sustained while riding my bike, trying to stay healthy, since I have auto-immune Hashimoto's thyroid disease. Without treatment and anti-inflammatories, the pain is literally disabling. Take care of yourself!
Ouch. I understand; I'm heading for osteo in my hip due to a childhood injury. And three of my immediate family have Hashimoto's - I'm pretty amazed my thyroid is still performing up to par.
20% Coinsurance after deductible will bankrupt many Americans should they get a catastrophic illness such as cancer.
I KNOW I'm going to get slammed for saying this but - IMO, it has to be said.
Bankruptcy is not that big of deal today - the problem is, many have little or know knowledge of the BK laws and many / most believe some of the MYTHS associated with BK -
First off, Bankruptcy is actually a Constitutionally protected right
Under Federal and State laws - a portion of the equity in your home is protected from claim by creditors. For instance, and it varies by state - in Arizona, $150,000 of equity is protected in your primary personal residence. In Nevada, it is $600,000 of equity.
Your retirement funds (401K's etc) are exempt.
You don't have to turn over your whole paycheck.
You might have to sell the boat though.
You do not lose the shirt off your back -
You can in some cases discharge certain debt (like Medical) while reaffirming other debt (like your home mortgage)
You can discharge Income Tax debt owed to the IRS (there are certain things that need to be done to have this done - but it is not a major issue)
As for your credit: BK and Foreclosure have essentially the same FICO score deduction.
FHA / HUD guidelines provide that FHA will insure a loan for someone to purchase a home 1 year after the discharge of a BK
There is more - far more than what I can do here - but, suffice to say, if someone has to file a Bankruptcy because of their Medical bills - they WILL NOT "lose" everything they own and have worked for.
One really needs to consult with competent legal council in their state to get specific details for their state of residence.
What is your point with these statistics? If you understood epidemiology, you'd know these are rather large numbers, particularly the diabetes stat. 5% of the population is 1 in 20 people. That's a lot, epidemiologically speaking.
apply that to all types of problems in our nation. Why is this more important than them? There are many more problems in our society that have MUCH higher statistics than this and yet why are they less important than this? Why does this get attention for government mandated provisions to force people and those do not? Or maybe, you are naive enough to think we can do them all? Maybe we should have the government place us in padded rooms and force feed us to save us from ourselves? Why is your position more important than everything else? What gives your opinion on this issue more clout than another? Who the hell do you think you are?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana
You don't seem to have a good grasp of diabetes if you think the two forms are Type "A" and Type "B". It's Type I and Type 2, and you cannot "cure" Type 1. You can only control it.
And they are also referred to as Type A and B, but you would know this if you weren't so busy attacking form and ignoring content. Type A or for the narrow thinkers Type 1 can be helped with diet and exercise. IT is not the main control, but it can help. Type B or for you, type 2 can be controlled with diet and exercise and even eliminated as such.
Yet NEITHER are these amazing wonderland stories about Bob and how he has this rare rare disease that no insurance company will touch and he has to beg the country to pay all his bills because he can't make it and how this is the NORM or STANDARD for the nation and requires drastic measures to force all to pay for it for the benefit of mankind.
Sell your garbage to the idiots who will suck it up. Seriously, you are not in the local university with all the moronic pawns soaking up every word the programming tells them. I see your rhetoric coming from a mile away. Move along!
My sister and my aunt both have rheumatoid arthritis - my sister is disabled from it at the age of 38. I am showing some signs that I have it, too, but as an uninsured person, I just take Aleve and try to eat an anti-inflammatory diet.
But, it's all our fault and we need to take personal responsibility for our cranky immune systems.
Of course it's your fault!
Just like it was my fault that I was rear ended by an uninsured driver and ended up with ER bills out the wazoo that I couldn't pay off... the day before starting a new job (a job with no health care option, BTW)... I am lucky, I guess, in that the worst of it all was the loss of my very reliable car, and some severe hits to my credit, and no permanent physical injury. For ME. My 11 year old ended up with a broken leg and 8 weeks in a cast. Yes, I had car insurance, liability only, since that's all I could afford in the interim between jobs. (who carries full coverage on a $1500 mid 90's Honda Civic? Certainly not someone who is driving that kind of car out of necessity in the 1st place! LOL)
It's always "their" fault!
Just like it's my partner's fault for suffering a severe spinal injury as a child (teen), and having a mother who didn't follow up later with appropriate health care (even though it was Medicaid paying! just didn't bother to take her after the crisis was over), and who now, at 32, has back, neck, and nerve damage issues that just get worse every year, and will most likely end up partially or totally physically disabled by age 40... and whose pre-existing conditions, well, we know all about that.
Her fault for jumping on that trampoline. Dumb kids.
Things happen, and it's not always "catastrophic", but to the person a few pages back talking about how "cash is king"... that's fine and dandy if you get diagnosed in one office visit. I have been suffering from headaches of unknown origin for a year now. They are labeled "migraines" due to their intensity but they don't really fit the "migraine" diagnosis. I have been visiting a neighborhood sliding scale clinic, where you pay based on your income. Great idea for when you have an upper respiratory infection, or need allergy meds, or something simple, but you better hope it's simple! If there's any mystery to it you're screwed.
I've landed in the ER twice due to the headaches (and trust me, I have a HIGH pain tolerance).. both times thinking I was literally going to die. I have had CT scans, my doc has prescribed an assortment of things, mostly pain meds (sometimes they don't work at all, even Toradol, Vicodin, and the like), but cannot figure out WHY, and the clinic's limited resources mean she cannot dig any deeper. There is no option for MRI or any other tools that might help figure this out. There's no referral to a neurologist. I am attempting to qualify for another program but it's pretty much limited to those with ZERO income... so if that doesn't work, I guess I just suffer. And "sliding scale" or not, I have racked up a ton of debt and paid out a good chunk of money just trying to figure out what is up, because even the sliding scale option gets costly when there's no immediate diagnosis, and I still have to pay for meds.
So yeah, I ration out any pain meds she prescribes and make a one month prescription last 3 months.
But so what, my problem... except this kind of problem becomes everyone's problem when someone misses work, or loses their job, or has to go to the ER in the middle of the night, etc. Or the student who has no insurance and ends up dropping due to health issues and then defaulting on student loans. I am currently a student FT, but it doesn't matter, because I have been working since I was 14 years old, and every job I have ever had has either A) not offered health insurance at all or B) offered it at rates that only management or those higher up could afford the premiums. My old boss used to play cheerleader around enrollment time, telling me how GREAT the plan was and how I should for sure sign up, and I just laughed at her.... sure, I'm able to afford that kind of cut out of my $8 or $9 an hour paycheck!? And still pay rent, feed the kids? And btw, that job was related to a major health insurance company, processing insurance claim forms. Irony. The only time I've been able to afford health insurance was pre-kids, just myself, working in a clerical job, and living with relatives for free.
Haven't had health insurance since I was married and my ex had me on his policy... and he was making $50k a year. I was accepting of that until the headaches started.
So there, it's "just anecdotal", I'm sure some will say. The same who say that you just didn't work hard enough, or plan well enough, or whatever "enough".
I believe I read on here that some people believe they will be FORCED to get a goverment plan if health care reform gets approved.
NOT TRUE! you will be able to keep the insurance you have if that is what YOU like.
My sister and my aunt both have rheumatoid arthritis - my sister is disabled from it at the age of 38. I am showing some signs that I have it, too, but as an uninsured person, I just take Aleve and try to eat an anti-inflammatory diet.
But, it's all our fault and we need to take personal responsibility for our cranky immune systems.
Arthritis can be extremely painful and i hope you are managing to control it. This is what makes my blood boil. NO ONE should have no health cover. Good Health is NOT a luxury that only the Elite should have.
You are just considered collateral Damage to the already Insured brigade. As long as some get good health cover then that is ok to them. It is NOT good enough. NO ONE should be denied medical treatment for illness.
The only time these Morons realise how bad the health system in America is, is when they lose their job and cover or can't get approval for treatment or are denied cover (happens all the time) then they ALL sing a different tune.
I just found out yesterday that my Daughter has hip dysplacia and will need a hip replacement. She is being refered to the National Orthopaedic Hospital. This is no problem here in the UK. Whether you are rich or poor, you get great health care with the UHC. She can also apply to get a new car every three years so she can be mobile. She can just go pick her car once approved for the benefit.
There is NOTHING to be proud of in America to sweep people with illness who cannot afford health insurance under the carpet. A UHC would stop that happening overnight.
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