Health Care

[Nekhrun]

I wonder how many people are actually happy with their healthcare, and how many just say/think they are because they've been conditioned to fear social healthcare as some kind of doombringing thing that will destroy America.

Not one person I know personally is satisfied with his/her insurance plan. I'm forced to take mine. My wife has her insurance through her employer, the worst of the worst of the offenders (United Healthcare), and even that is terrible. They don't even offer good plans to their own employees. She also has been receiving corporate emails about how to start grassroots movements in local communities to tell everyone what a great job United is doing. They spend over a million a day trying to kill this thing.

[SandRider]

mine's fantastic.

Line Construction Benefit Fund (LineCo)

Electrical Worker's Union, the old guys literally had to
kiss ass and take names to get it.

Organized Labor.
Socialism.
LOVE it.

[SandChigger]

(Quoting from memory, so this may not be exactly what she said.)

Young twenty-something(?) bint at one of the recent town meetings:

"I don't want to see our country turn into Russia and become a socialized country."

From the scenes I'm seeing of Americans Behaving Badly, not much chance of that, toots!


Ooh ooh ooh! Ron Paul on Larry King! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA! I DONE DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN!

[Freakzilla]

I don't know anyone (with a job) who isn't happy with their health care.

[SandChigger]

Therefore those among the other 300 million who also have jobs must be happy with theirs, too?

As goes Atlanta, Georgia, so goes the nation!

[Freakzilla]

Therefore those among the other 300 million who also have jobs must be happy with theirs, too?

As goes Atlanta, Georgia, so goes the nation!

You don't really think I'm that out of touch, do you?

I've said several times, the system needs reform. Reform does not equal government takover.

[SandChigger]

Nah, I just consider this some more of that "special sauce" that had to go into the recipe to create the wonder that is you.

And I'm just spinning my wheels waiting for 'Rider or Tleszer to post something extreme.

[SandChigger]

(And actually, I agree with you in principle, about the government taking over. The last thing I want to see in the States is the bullshit "second income tax" they have over here. Which I don't pay into, as I think I've mentioned before. My doctor and dentist both keep telling me I should join, I'd "only have to pay 30% then" and I tell them "Yeah, but the amount I'd have to pay per month to get that 30%, plus the 30%, is still more than I'm paying out of pocket now, so no thank you." Of course, if I have something major come up or am in a serious accident, I'm fucked. )

[Freakzilla]

Nah, I just consider this some more of that "special sauce" that had to go into the recipe to create the wonder that is you.

And I'm just spinning my wheels waiting for 'Rider or Tleszer to post something extreme.

Guatamalan insanity pepper

[SandChigger]

Does that open up yer third eye?

[Nekhrun]

I don't know anyone (with a job) who isn't happy with their health care.

Me.

[Freakzilla]

I don't know anyone (with a job) who isn't happy with their health care.

Me.

tell us, man.

[SandRider]

And I'm just spinning my wheels waiting for 'Rider or Tleszer to post something extreme.

[SandChigger]

Oh, now I get it! It's that famous anecdote about limited perceptions!

Where are the other two blind kids? (And what's with the football? )

[Nekhrun]

I don't know anyone (with a job) who isn't happy with their health care.

Me.

tell us, man.

I wear orthotics that prevent severe foot and knee pain. I also pay close to $6,000 a year for insurance. The only way I can get these $400-500 shoe inserts paid for is if I somehow get diabetes, otherwise it's out of pocket. A couple of years ago I had a broken bone in my foot that needed to be removed, it was considered an elective surgery. Admittedly, those are not life-saving procedures but they were things that caused intense pain and needed to be addressed. I pay out-of-pocket for a number of doctor visits and medications that I have previously needed.

There was even a time when I needed physical therapy for my back that involved sitting in a traction chair. Instead of letting me rent the chair to have at home for a month the insurance company made me go to the clinic to use it 4 times a week which was about 300% more in cost to them.

My wife's issues with her insurance have been far worse. Any treatment regarding infertility are considered elective and are out-of-pocket expenses. Women really get the short end of the insurance stick when it comes to services that are covered or not.

[A Thing of Eternity]

I don't know anyone (with a job) who isn't happy with their health care.

Me.

tell us, man.

I wear orthotics that prevent severe foot and knee pain. I also pay close to $6,000 a year for insurance. The only way I can get these $400-500 shoe inserts paid for is if I somehow get diabetes, otherwise it's out of pocket. A couple of years ago I had a broken bone in my foot that needed to be removed, it was considered an elective surgery. Admittedly, those are not life-saving procedures but they were things that caused intense pain and needed to be addressed. I pay out-of-pocket for a number of doctor visits and medications that I have previously needed.

There was even a time when I needed physical therapy for my back that involved sitting in a traction chair. Instead of letting me rent the chair to have at home for a month the insurance company made me go to the clinic to use it 4 times a week which was about 300% more in cost to them.

My wife's issues with her insurance have been far worse. Any treatment regarding infertility are considered elective and are out-of-pocket expenses. Women really get the short end of the insurance stick when it comes to services that are covered or not.

Wow.

(we have some room up here... you know you want to...)

EDIT: 6K for insurance? Is that normal? If so, then holy shit.

[Crysknife]

I pay about $6,000 as well, but my company pays the same. So in all to insure me and my family of five costs $12,000 a year.

My wife had to go to the ER last night because of a sinus infection that got pretty bad. She had to pay a $150.00 co-pay just to get in, and then they will bill us for 10% of the expense to see the doctor.

What the fuck am I paying insurance for? Did the $150.00 just go to pay the secretary her 20 seconds worth of asking my wife questions? Or the doctors 5 minutes worth of chit chat just for a prescription and I.V. antibiotic?

I don't fucking have $150.00 dollars. God forbid I, or anyone else in my family gets cancer. I’m screwed then.

[A Thing of Eternity]

Scary stuff.

[Freakzilla]

I think I pay about $150 a month for my whole family. Cigna is the provider, I think.

Co-pay: $35
ER: $50
I think well-visits for the kids were like $20, I don't know, the wife usually takes them. Optical and dental too.

I've had plans with $100 ER fees but damn, $150 is to much.

[Omphalos]

I pay about $6,000 as well, but my company pays the same. So in all to insure me and my family of five costs $12,000 a year.

My wife had to go to the ER last night because of a sinus infection that got pretty bad. She had to pay a $150.00 co-pay just to get in, and then they will bill us for 10% of the expense to see the doctor.

What the fuck am I paying insurance for? Did the $150.00 just go to pay the secretary her 20 seconds worth of asking my wife questions? Or the doctors 5 minutes worth of chit chat just for a prescription and I.V. antibiotic?

I don't fucking have $150.00 dollars. God forbid I, or anyone else in my family gets cancer. I’m screwed then.

You have what is called a catastrophic health care plan, Crys. They usually get sold these days with a HSA, as the yearly deductible is often upwards of $3K. I had one of those when I was in school. Thank god I did, because I needed emergency surgery on my taters one year. I still wound up paying them about $4K (knocked down by negotiation from about $25K), but I paid on that for some time.

[chanilover]

Wow, healthcare is really expensive in the US! I get private healthcare through my employer which I don't pay a penny towards, but I still pay the full rate of National Insurance contributions for NHS and whatever pittance the state pension might pay when I retire. I've got a contributory pension plan in work as well, thank God.

The NHS is overall pretty good in the UK, you just have National Insurance contributions deducted from your pay every month, on top of income tax, and your employer also makes NI contributions, so healthcare is free at the point of use. There's also something called the Patients' Charter, where you can choose which hospital you use. My mum needed a knee replacement last year and even though my dad pays for private healthcare, she went to the GP and chose which hospital she went to, and used a BUPA private hospital, all paid for by the NHS, so there was no claim under the private health insurance meaning the premiumd didn't go up. You do hear horror stories about MRSA in dirty NHS hospitals, but on the whole the system is a good one. Just don't try to find an NHS dentist! Most of them only accept private patients now, the money grabbing bastards. They should be forced to take a quota of NHS patients.

[SandRider]

(knocked down by negotiation from about $25K)

hey, that's a good point, & something for you young'uns to keep in mind.

if you ever find yourself with a huge hospital bill,
walk in to their business office & just say "WHAT THE FUCK ?!?"
over and over.

then offer a cash payment of about 25% of the total bill.

if they don't like that, pay them $10 bucks a month for the rest of your life.
(better than insurance, really, if you think about it)

[Nekhrun]

(knocked down by negotiation from about $25K)

hey, that's a good point, & something for you young'uns to keep in mind.

if you ever find yourself with a huge hospital bill,
walk in to their business office & just say "WHAT THE FUCK ?!?"
over and over.

then offer a cash payment of about 25% of the total bill.

if they don't like that, pay them $10 bucks a month for the rest of your life.
(better than insurance, really, if you think about it)

I did have a surgery a few years back in college and they kept hassling me for the money and I just told them I didn't have it and would send them $100 a month until it was paid off. They didn't like it, but at least they didn't take me to a collection agency. That happened to my sister.

Next month for my "health" insurance I'm going to a high deductible HSA plan. I will pay $5800 for my deductible before the insurance starts kicking in money.

[SandChigger]

What does HSA stand for ... Here, Suck Ass?

Damn. It's sounding much worse back there than I thought.

[Crysknife]

I pay about $6,000 as well, but my company pays the same. So in all to insure me and my family of five costs $12,000 a year.

My wife had to go to the ER last night because of a sinus infection that got pretty bad. She had to pay a $150.00 co-pay just to get in, and then they will bill us for 10% of the expense to see the doctor.

What the fuck am I paying insurance for? Did the $150.00 just go to pay the secretary her 20 seconds worth of asking my wife questions? Or the doctors 5 minutes worth of chit chat just for a prescription and I.V. antibiotic?

I don't fucking have $150.00 dollars. God forbid I, or anyone else in my family gets cancer. I’m screwed then.

You have what is called a catastrophic health care plan, Crys. They usually get sold these days with a HSA, as the yearly deductible is often upwards of $3K. I had one of those when I was in school. Thank god I did, because I needed emergency surgery on my taters one year. I still wound up paying them about $4K (knocked down by negotiation from about $25K), but I paid on that for some time.

Omph, what other plans are there? I'm more than willing to do something different. The rep we use comes in with two or three palns and we pick the best over all plan, but is he screwing us or something? I don't think we have Cigna here.

I think I'm going to drop myself from the plan and have my wife pick it up from her provider.