Lucky Enough to Have Health Insurance? Odds Are Good That You Don't Have Enough
Every time someone (okay, my oldest childhood friend who, despite years of my positive influence, only watches Fox News with her libertarian hubby) tells me how her insurance is fine and she doesn't want Obama's "socialist" healthcare reform, I respond, "You don't have health insurance. You have the illusion of health insurance, and for your sake, I hope you never find out." Oy.
(CBS) President Obama will be promoting health care reform this week in Virginia and North Carolina, and plans to keep the pressure on Congress during next month's recess. One argument for health care reform is that 47 million Americans are uninsured.
But not everyone knows that another 25 million are underinsured as CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports.
John Stewardson is up at dawn, working for the local 602 union in Washington, D.C. But by 11:30 a.m., he's home fixing lunch for his ailing wife Linda, a cancer survivor.
"I'm just going to have to take medicine for the rest of my life," she said.
Diagnosed with a brain tumor last summer, she's in remission. Now it's her family's financial health at stake. In March, their healthcare insurance capped-out at $150,000 of treatment, minimum coverage by industry standards.
The cost of treating cancer and its side effects demolished their life savings.
"It's like she fell out a cancer tree and hit every branch on the way down," John Stewardson said.
They owe more than $100,000 in medical bills.
Dr. Deepa Subramaniam is counseling more and more patients like Linda - forced to decide which treatments are worth the cost.
"I am trying to balance cost and effectiveness in her case," Subramaniam said. "You worry that somehow by choosing a treatment that is less expensive, that we are compromising the quality of the care."
Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., is leading the effort to push the affordable health choices act through the Senate. He supports a government insurance plan that eliminates lifetime and annual caps on all healthcare plans.
"The underinsured are a critical group," Dodd told Miller. "In some cases 53 percent don't know they're underinsured. So they either have a huge co-pay if the problem happens or the deductibles being so high they might as well not have insurance."
this is pathetic!!! Time for a change people... single payer true medical coverage for all, not just the elite!
No. I'm 49 years old and one of the 47 million without any coverage. I don't believe that I'll ever get employer provided insurance again so I'm left doing without because I can't afford coverage whether it is mandated or not. Single payer is my only hope but that isn't going to happen so I guess I'm just one of those people who will be expendable to protect insurance companies' profits.
Barack Obama: Change we can only imagine
Just go with a blank space and write, over and over again, how sorry you are that you aren't contributing to the Great American Corporations' bottom line.
How. Dare. You.
(OK, that out of the way, please stay healthy and I hope you are able to get some kind of coverage at some point).
I know, I know. Removed double post.
According to EVERYONE I hear on the TeeVee you must be either:
* One of the 20 million able to afford health insurance but just choose to buy big screen TeeVees and Club Med vacations instead.
* One of the 20 million who qualify for free care but are just too lazy to go down and sign up.
* One of the 20 million criminialiens who we should just let die anyway. Saves the expense of catching and deporting them, right?
Koresh, these assholes make me sick. All of them. The Repuglikans, the talking heads, and even the 95% of the Dems.
!!! MEDICARE FOR ALL !!!
My job went away in January and I just found out that it won't be coming back. I have a chronic illness that isn't life threatening, (urethritis), but makes life really miserable to live sometimes. Nobody is going to insure me so I have the rest of my life to look forward to emergency room visits that I can't pay for whenever I experience a blockage. So pick one: Lazy, rather live my glamorous lifestyle or criminal, take your pick. One thing for sure: I WILL be a criminal if buying health insurance is mandated because whether or not a law is passed, I can't afford cable television, much less $1,800 a month for private insurance.
Barack Obama: Change we can only imagine
if you were to Become a criminal, your worries would be over - as most prisoners get Free Health Care.
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
I'm in same boat as Margaret so when I can't pay for the mandatory, for profit healthcare we'll all be required to get, that workhouse or jail health care is going to look purty good.
Good times.
my understanding there will be a hardship allowance. a mandate is a catch-22 as is this whole healthCare insurance reform. of course the idea is to increase the paying pool to reduce cost/spread risk.currently, there's a focus by many who look at the current number of uninsured and UNDERinsured but the real deal is how many people will become uninsured in the near future 5-10 years. this could become systemic. the current healthCare cost will double (again) in cost in less than 10 years.
The scuttlebutt lately (this morning's NPR) is that the administration is angling for the Reagan Plan, meaning get SOMETHING in play in the first year and use it as fodder for re-election and then revisit it to make it better.
Scant comfort for you if they manage to come up with something in 3-5 years!!
One of the tenets of any bill, before it's completely watered down, is that no one can be turned down for pre-existing. I hope that is the case.
(sorry removed double post. is this happening to veryone today?)
If you start getting sick, start getting broke real quick and head to the food stamp office. get yourself on share of cost while there. House doesn't count as asset.
It's the only way out
and watched again the other night. If others out there have a copy I encouraage you to share it.
..until their house is on fire.
or they need the police.
or they need to use a highway to travel to another city.
or, or, or etc.
this is what many don't understand NOT only is the number of uninsured on the rise of 14,000/day but many people are UNDER insured. they have NO idea because since the devil is in the small print. that's the BUSINESS model in this country BUYER BEWARE on steroids. the foreclosures,bailouts,deregulation,
speculation,fees,CREDIT card contracts and so on. SCREW the public...."capitalism" with an insatiable appetite. we DON'T manufacture much so LET's SEPARATE PEOPLE from THEIR MONEY. this will put many in a position to accept what is provided. it will essentially take free choice from people. take what they have and offer LOWER wages.
(McClatchy) Commentary: Health care debate must include farmers
Democracy is too important to be entrusted to politicians.
Rise Up!
Protest!
President Obama where Obama allegedly tells Grassley that he's willing to drop "The Public Option" for "Co-ops":
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/25/grassley-...
I went to a meeting with about 12 physicians on Saturday all of whom support "Single Payer". NONE of them (or I) understand what "The Public Option" would actually mean.
Then I pick up this doozy of Rep. Conyers saying, "Why bother reading the 1000 page draft bill when I'd need two lawyers just to get through it?":
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article...
Now Obama is supposedly willing to "make a deal" with the Republicans so he can be all bipartisanshippy and in the process move away from "The Public Option" to "Co-ops"???
It seems no one can figure out what the hell "The Public Option" is, now we're supposed to find out what "co-ops" are??
We can bet our lives that the "for-profit" insurance corporations are behind the "co-ops". Wanna bet?
I'm off to NYC tomorrow for the noontime demonstration at ABC headquarters to present them with thousands of petitions from Americans protesting the fact that they are purposely censoring any discussion of Single Payer from their network.
Can any of you join in??? Lunch at Carnegie Deli right after? Ha!!!
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/world/asia/...
if you get a chance maybe you can ask the opposition how are we going to compete in the "global economy" and slow down job outsourcing if countries like china provide incentive(s) for foreign companies to establish themselves in china. china is implementing universal health care.
Just get a supplemental policy for your policy's supplemental policy.
Oh noes! My avatar has been censored!
no more lickety splits fer yew
Good one, Floridiot!
account for more than half of all filings and more than half of those are among people WITH INSURANCE. I cannot tell you how many families I have seen in the hospital that have lost their homes and savings from illness and were insured at the time. If you have a cronically sick child, often one parent must quit their job placing further strain on the family. Bankruptcy, home loss, job loss, divorce, mental health issues, additional illness, etc are all side effects of the initial health crisis. A major illness does not just attack the patient, it attacks the spouse and the other children as well as it saps the health and resources from the entire family.
Head north. Eh.
any Americans.
Anyone know if that's true?
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
We employ all kinds of Americans, even republicans. Quebec would be a challenge for you guys unless you somehow speak French.
No!! :-D
NOT true to my knowledge.
Canucks love everyone. Eh.
So long as there is no mention of beer, or hockey, we generally will not take issue.
Be specific though. Are you disagreeing that we don't like Americans or that it would be hard for an American to find a job in Quebec?
Maybe it is time to tell the congress you vote against the single payer plan and we will vote you out of office and then do it. Maybe it is time to put our foot down. And how come they get to keep their insurance when they leave office and the rest of us loose ours when we leave our job? I will be retiring in about 5 years and I won't get to keep mine. How come we continue to pay for their insurance? They have socalized medicine and I don't hear them complaining about it. I guess only when it comes to insurance for the American people it is then socalized medicine.
Why aren't the people out there talking about how they have to get permission to have care that is life threatening. How come we are not charging these people with a crime? How come all we hear about is how the government is going to tell you what you can and cannot have? The insurance company does that everyday to the American people. You don't have to have permission if you are on Medicare of Medicade. Only private insurance companies require it. Aren't Medicade and Medicare government run? The American
people are so gullible that they will believe anything. That is what the insurance company is counting on. The people will always vote against their best interest.
that's what most of us want socialized healthCare insurance like the congress has.... NOT "socialized medicine". i'm not clear why they(congress) can have it and we can't. there are plenty of (r)'s in the medicare program a social program. ASK them if they would accept the money they paid in vs. accepting the medical care program most if not all will take the medicare program.
in asking a republican a logical question.
Maybe just pat them on the head and feel sorry for them ?
(Then wash your hands).
they are very special, very important people....and you obviously are not. Have a nice day!! #:)
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
When are the TeeVee talking heads going to have some guests on that DON'T have medical insurance????
The sponsors don't want to hear those peoples' opinions on what's best for the insurance industry.
The poll Ignagni was citing actually undercuts her position: By 72 to 20 percent, Americans favor the creation of a public plan, the June survey by the New York Times and CBS News found. People also said that they thought government would do a better job than private insurers of holding down health-care costs and providing coverage.
In addition, data from a Kaiser Family Foundation poll last year, compiled at the request of The Washington Post, suggest that the people who like their health plans the most are the people who use them the least.
Those who described their health as "excellent" -- people who presumably had relatively little experience pursuing medical care or submitting claims -- were almost twice as likely as those in good, fair or poor health to rate their private health insurance as excellent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/...
The public option will do little to solve this problem.
Even if we pretend that the public option will be of any value, just because the doctors will still have to deal with the myriad of insurance companies plus one more and waste countless hours with all the paper work, just because the insurance companies will continue on their merry way taking money for no services, just because the insurance companies "promise" to not increase costs will prolly be rescinded, oh is that why you said what you did? ;)
(I've posted this on other threads, sorry, but I think it's important. Mass insurance is regulated, and that apparently makes the state thinks its all right to force us to then buy "safe" private health insurance. I would prefer no further regulation, just offer a public option that doesn't have a cap and let it put the insurance companies out of business.)
I've sent the below letter to the Boston Globe and my representatives. I encourage others to publicize and take the pledge. The insurance companies are willing to "settle" for taking people with pre-existing conditions, in return for forcing everyone to buy private health insurance. Note that before this deal, denying insurance based on pre-existing condition was illegal for insurers in Mass.
================================================
At age 59, I look forward to being eligible for Medicare, the only reliable health insurance available in the US. I would gladly pay full cost to enroll in Medicare now, but that is not an option. Perhaps worse, as a Massachusetts resident I am forced to pay for private insurance, thus funding lobbyists who work to prevent that option being offered. And I am forced to pay $1000 more a year for unwanted prescription drug coverage, and now fund America's biggest drug cartel, the pharmaceutical industry.
I can no longer in good conscience obey state law, and will cancel my health insurance. I ask others to take my pledge:
I will refuse to obey any federal or state law that requires me to purchase private health insurance. I reject all government mandates that I fund investors, lobbyists or overpaid executives. I will not reward those who profit from human misery, and who further their profit and that misery by denying payment for needed medical procedures.
For all terminal patients everywhere, arm up, then seek out those responsible for not allowing everyone coverage. Show them your anger at not being allowed health care.
I'm not sure what my lifetime or yearly benefits might be, but I do worry about it. I broke my arm a number of years ago, and while my insurance paid for most of the surgery, that surgery was over $20,000! Just to fix a broken arm!
I will say, however, that my current insurance does not cover prescription drugs. While I currently do not take prescription medications and have not historically had to do so very often, I worry about this as I grow older. There is a history of heart disease in my family, and I know that in some cases, you have to take any number of pills.
I saw a story on CNN this weekend where a young guy with leukemia had no insurance. If I remember correctly, the medication he has to take is on the order of thousands of dollars a month.
It's no wonder that over 60% of personal bankruptcies in this country are the result of medical bills.
...from EVERYTHING I have read and heard, instituting a public, government-run option does not mean that a) you have to take it and b) that your precious private health insurance goes away (unless it is revealed as an inferior, expensive, craptacular product that can't stand up to the new competition, in which case it deserves to go the way of the do-do ala THE FREE MARKET SYSTEM of which these stupid conservatives claim to be so fond. Damn it all, sometimes I really think I hate these people).
I'm just superstitious enough to hedge my bets.
All these people who say they are perfectly happy with their current coverage are in for a rude awakening. As more and more people go unemployed or can't afford to pay for insurance anymore, those with coverage will see their insurance premiums increase dramatically because the pool is drying up.
I'll take it over the current system. Send insurance executives to Iraq and Afghanistan.
"I mean Romney is the most conservative on illegal immigration and I don't think Ronald Reagan could get elected in California today."
Ann "Clipped" Coulter
In my lifetime as a Canadian...
-2 weeks in an incubator
-Tonsils removed, adnoid glands removed
-Ears pinned back (they were malformed)
-Broken finger set
-Broken leg set (cast up to waist) + followups
-Numerous medical consults on my knee
-Knee reconstruction
-Extended hospitalization after knee reconstruction
In my life time, I have had 3 MRIs, dozens of Xrays, blood tests, checkups.
I see a doctor twice a year for checkups.
I see a doctor at a walk-in clinic whenever I want. This is probably 3-4 times a year so figure about 90-100 visits.
My wife has a heart defect and is followed closely by a cardiologist in addition to the typical medical history similar to mine.
IT HAS COST US ZERO DOLLARS.
Sure, I pay more taxes than you do (proportionally) but I also know that the family that is down on their luck get exactly the same medical care as me. I am personally proud of this, not upset.
Imagine how selfish a person has to be to rob someone of the necessity and basic human right that is healthcare? I don't think that bible quoting gets a lot of traction here but if there is a God, I hope he judges us by how we treat the least among us.
You guys have it so backwards it makes me sick. I can't believe it is a debate? Stop ignoring your poor and sick!
We're trying to raise the money now. Is your country interested in buying any used F-22s?
You guys are this military juggernaut. How can you afford healthcare when it is going to pay for space-age weapons. We have 2nd hand diesel subs from the UK:) Veeeery cheap!
http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf...
This is the Medicare 2009 booklet. It's a PDF file that I saved to my hard drive. I believe if one qualifies for Social Security Disability, then it starts a 1 year waiting period for Medicare eligibility. So, this avenue is possibly something to become familiar with if in poor health, or as part of a plan to deal with poor health should it develop. It's much smoother to plan for this before the onset of illness.
Now certainly, the Medicare laws are going to change, but this booklet, which I need to read myself will familiarize you with what Medicare pays, and doesn't pay. I'm going to focus on the MediGAP.
http://www.medicare.gov/Library/PDFNavigation...
Guide to MediGAP
I work in member benefits at a local of a fairly large union, (roughly 100,000 members) We help members with all areas of their benefits but the health insurance takes up the most time and energy. The stories are legion. A women charged $238,000.00 for a brain tumor operation (doctor is "out-of network"), a $22,000.00 abortion, a whole family "terminated" (a lovely expression) because of a paperwork error. Benefits terminated because of a divorce, or "aging out" (which means you are over the age of 23)
Our system is madness, absolute madness. We have probably about 75-100 people "managing" the benefits for this group. This is only at the union, it doesn't count the folks at the health insurance company working on claims, eligibility etc. What if benefits didn't have to be managed? What if benefits just WERE. (And I'm not talking about plastic surgery or other non-medically necessary procedures) What if you didn't have to call to make sure the provider was in-network. (And anyone out there who thinks they are making their own health care decisions is delusional, every time the trusted specialist your doctor wants you to see isn't "in-network" means a faceless drone (like me!) is deciding who you can see and who you can't. Oh, you have the right to appeal...to the Board of Trustees who meet every six months or so, but more often than not your letter of appeal won't get written, because you are so exhausted by the process, you just give up and pay the bill (or try to) or try to negotiate with the provider...I have had single mothers weeping on the telephone because all they want to do is take the asthmatic kid to the same doctor they've been seeing all along because that doctor knows them, the kid is comfortable with him or her and the doctor is familiar with the kid's history.
The kicker is, I've had people screaming at me to cancel the insurance because they've had Medicaid and they want THAT because they don't have to spend hours on the phone dealing with people like me when bills don't get paid. They want me to cancel the insurance that the employer pays for because it isn't as good as Medicaid. And you know what? You don't have a choice, the health insurance cannot be cancelled, even if you have other (better) coverage through a spouse.
A day does not go by when someone doesn't call asking why their benefits have terminated when they are out on disability. Oh, how I would love to reply "Oh sorry, you didn't know that we have this ridiculous Byzantine system where you have to apply for short-term disability through your employer but you call us for long-term disability?" "Oh, you wanted notification that your benefits were terminating instead of finding out at the doctors office when you were there for the follow-up to your open-heart surgery or in the ER when you bring your pregnant wife because she's bleeding."
Our system is designed to make the people who own the insurance companies rich...that's the only reason we have the system we have.
I have turned down a few jobs to work in the States. I have 2 children to think about and to think that a person can get stuck on a plan that is crap, or that a provider can play with loopholes to take away your house for a life saving treatment is disgusting.
This is your one and only chance to get this passed. You will never have congress, senate and executive at the same time again. It is either now or never.
It's consuming 1 in 6 dollars, soon to be 1 in 5. The baby boomers are getting older, so 1 in 4 isn't off in the distant future.
It'll come up again, and at that point, Cuba's system, resilient under a 50 year economic embargo will be considered.
The Reslug bedwetters and kool-aid drinkers that only watch Faux Noise were never properly educated enough to speak or read, so they just believe stomach their insane bullshit and lies.
It's no wonder that over 60% of personal bankruptcies in this country are the result of medical bills.
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The U.S. governnent is bankrupt and not admitting it.
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