What's Everyone Doing for Health Insurance?

[urbanfood]

i have a policy with healthnet and pay about $105 a month. it's basically a catastrophic plan as i'm in good health

my wife has her own policy blue shield with blue cross at about $120 a month and she gets maternity coverage.

my 15 month old son has his own plan blue shield at about $120 month.

we're both self employed and it didn't make any sense for us to have a family plan, it was way too expensive. we're in the los angeles area.

it's odd that we have to have three separate plans and my 15 month old son has his own plan, but i guess it's the nature of health insurance today.

[love vintage]

That amounts to $345.00 a month!

I live in Canada, where we have "universal" health care. Basically, means if you require out-patient or in-house services from a hospital you will never be refused. Regardless of financial income.

However, we pay high taxes and do not have "mortgage interest" as a deduction.

In (solely) my opinion, I firmly believe that every persons health should be afforded the same degree of care. Whereas, owning a home must be based on individual finances.

If given the choice, I would agree to higher taxes in order assure my family
would never be denied adequate health services.

I know, I know , I know... will probably recieve backlash for my comments. Too bad, so sad, get over it!

[DFord79]

Originally Posted by love vintage

That amounts to $345.00 a month!

I live in Canada, where we have "universal" health care. Basically, means if you require out-patient or in-house services from a hospital you will never be refused. Regardless of financial income.

However, we pay high taxes and do not have "mortgage interest" as a deduction.

In (solely) my opinion, I firmly believe that every persons health should be afforded the same degree of care. Whereas, owning a home must be based on individual finances.

If given the choice, I would agree to higher taxes in order assure my family
would never be denied adequate health services.

I know, I know , I know... will probably recieve backlash for my comments. Too bad, so sad, get over it!

I completely agree with you. Health insurance here in the USA is so exspensive that the uninsured is nearly 40% of the population. Some of those uninsured get financial help. But for someone like Mywife and myself full converage if we were to pay on our own for decent converage is 900 dollars a month. When We retire at 62 well will NOT have health insurance unless We pay out of our own pockets. Medicare kicks in at 65 but then you have to have suplimental insurance payed out of pocket. It is a crying shame that people like us can work all our lives at good jobs and the hapenstance of health care can destroy our retirement if one of us comes down with a serious health issue.

OR....I would sell everything ..live on the streets...or be from a foreign country to the south of us...and get it free.

[love vintage]

Perhaps create (initially) a local group of citizens who agree with you and raise this issue to your elected representative. My apologies, I am not familiar with American political titles.

Hopefully other communities, cities, states, will also agree and begin the process of change.

Change is always possible, but the citizens need to unite and be strong and refuse to take "no" for an answer.

Healthcare should have no restrictions. A sick child from a poor family and a sick child from a rich family are equal and should be treated as such.

[rmpray]

Have a pretty good plan from a career in the military, but not perfect...So...I work and have a shared plan with my copany...between the two we are pretty well covered. Not big on government controll, but believe in spreading the load to help keep cost down. My pet peives are unclear policies that seemed to turn on a whim. What is covered ought to be clear as a bell up front. I was not a fan of it, but now it is there we should watch and see if Mass. required insurance does make insurance affordable. Since I have insurance, when I hit the hospital the charges load up quickly. I had triple by-pass and there were several in there with me who were not insured. My cost were high because so many are in the system that can not pay...I am not well off, just have good coverage...
I have heard the horror stories of those in countries with "free" health care who faced long (as in years) wates for serious and minor problems. ENgland and France both have free health care in pooer financial shape...I don't have the answer...but my guess is if all had insurance and the insurance controls were reasonable the system might just float. We have the best staff, best doctors, best paramedics, just need a better way of making sure the cost is kept in control.
I will add that my wife was out of work for nealy five years after an out accident )hit by an unlicensed, uninsurred individual of unknown origin with no papers and quick feet). Her Long term disability paid only six months and determined she was fit for work...with four badly damaged disks...Yes, depite my desire to keep the government small there is need for some basic oversite!!!
GUess it is all above my pay grade

[soldiermedic]

Originally Posted by rmpray

Have a pretty good plan from a career in the military, but not perfect...GUess it is all above my pay grade

Nothing like using "Tri-To get-Care" for your medical coverages...that is, if you can get an appointment to see them. The retiree I used to work with could never be seen with all of the privates whining on a daily basis for a doctor.

Steve

[henw]

The health care issue is complex. One of the main factors in expense starts right at the consumers doorstep. Of course you will never hear the politicians lay any blame on those who vote.
So, are you fit? Do you eat healthy even when going out? Or did you have that big steak the other night? Are you exercising?
When you have a respiratory infection do you run to the Dr.? Or, wait the recommended 7-10 days first? Hypertension? Have you truly thrown out all the packaged foods in you cupboard that contain sodium?
If you have headaches that by all objective description are normal, do you still want an MRI? Same for backaches, have you been scanned before lots of time and all consevative modalities were tried first?
On a more philosophic note, is it OK to spend 100's of thousands of dollars on an 89 y/o's bypass surgery and subsequent care?
Americans are out of shape, they want the very best of everything, and they want it right now. Further, they are never personally responsible for their plight. Nor, do they ever wish to be financially responsible.
If you want Universal health care get use to the fact that on demand features will change. You will not have a knee scan and then surgery the following week. Cost contol works by screening access and limiting choices.
Then there is the question of who will pay. Does this mean more taxes on the working?? Are retiree's entitled all the way?
The insurance companies often do a lousy job? But, do you really want the people who run the IRS and the Drivers license bureau overseeing it all?

Tom

[Andrew T]

I don't know that the Canadian system is the answer. Thousands of Canadians go to the US every year and pay for health care. The system here is collapsing and is bassically unsustainable as the population ages. I have paid massive taxes my hole life for health care that I have hardly used. By the time I am old enough to need it it won't be there, I would have been much better off if I could have been paying into a Health Savings Account that I controlled instead of the government system.

Myself and millions of Canadians pay for Critical illness insurance so we can get care in the US if the worst happens. It is so rediculus if I needed an MRI for my child it could take 6-12 weeks to get an appointment. If I need one for my dog, because I have to pay for that I can get it in 24 hours. However I can take my child to the US and have it done in 24 hours.

It looks to me like the problem is not the U.S. medical system it is the expence imposed on it by the legal system.

Andy

[wanderer1]

What's health insurance? Or dental for that matter. Here's an idea!!!!!! What if we,I mean they,(the ones in office) were to ban the brain washing,every 30 seconds,tv commerchals about "talk to your doctor"/we (drug company's) want your money ,so talk your doc into this drug - crap. Guess how much cheaper the prescript drugs could be,if the big drug/big biz,(drug pusher) companys didn't waste millions on these tv ads every few minutes. I really believe the doctor should decide what to give you,like in the old days,without all the "oh,I saw on tv" brain washing the drug companys try their best to get you to do for them! The ads aren't to inform you,only convince you. Guess who is paying for all this tv air time? End of rant........

[love vintage]

I agree, the Canadian system is not the perfect answer. I pay every month from my pension (as I did when employed) supplemental insurance premiums to cover costs of eye glasses, dental, prescriptions etc. Minimal cost.

However, patients (even with no additional insurance), are never refused medical care at any Hospital in our country. Poor or rich, it's not an issue.

Of course, private rooms vrs. wards is a different story.As is life, unfortunately, those who have etc. etc.

Our Canadian healthcare system may not be perfect, but it is a step in the right direction!

[henw]

No person is ever refused care at an Emergency room in the United States. It's the law. If your condition warrants hospitalization ( and all that it entails ) from the ER you will also get that.

[Tinsel Loaf]

First: Don't get sick in America.
Second: Have a basic self insured plan. Enought to get you in and a basic fix in a good ER (ie: accident) about, $25,000.00 per person.
Third: Never stay in a hospital unless you cannot get out. Remember you can negotiate your bill and get a payment plan, many interest free.
Forth: Go home to recover or die.

[safari57]

Originally Posted by Tinsel Loaf

First: Don't get sick in America.
Second: Have a basic self insured plan. Enough to get you in and a basic fix in a good ER (IE: accident) about, $25,000.00 per person.
Third: Never stay in a hospital unless you cannot get out. Remember you can negotiate your bill and get a payment plan, many interest free.
Forth: Go home to recover or die.

Tinsel,

Funny but that's our plan . Since I have very minimal coverage out of Province, we stick to within a short distance of the CAN/US border. The wife and friends all have explicit instructions - throw me in the fastest car and dash to the border - once there they'll get an ambulance real quickly. The time waiting at the campsite for an ambulance to show up is likely close to as long as it will take them to get me to the border. We've had one instance where this worked perfectly but I drove myself (oops). Typical not thinking male response - I know my chest hurts like hell dear but it's okay, I can still hook the trailer up and drive..........I won't live that one down for a long time. Even my doctor throws that one at me now and then just to remind me he has a long memory and sometimes I don't make the wisest of decisions.

Skymed has been suggested by some as my other option. Get stabilized which I believe my basic stuff covers, then get flown home. We are researching that to see if it would work given we are in Canada. If we can make that work then we'll be making our faces known at the 4CU and other rallies sooner.

Barry