Not sure if this belongs here or 'off topic' but its terrible! I don't know how to get the polictians, etc to realize what an issue this is! They're all rich and its not a concern to them.
My wife and I pay all our costs since I 'medically retired', and I will admit, our medical costs are higher than average due to our illnesses, but we pay $400 a month just on the insurance premiums and another (approx) $375 just on drugs and doctor appointments! Now they are estimating a 10% increase in 2007.
Obviously, I'm pretty frustrated over this but what do you do? It would be worse without insurance.
I know what you mean. It frustrates me to no end. Especially when people that really need care and medicine can't get it because it isn't part of their plan, so they have to pay 100% out of pocket but who can afford that? The health care system sucks...tell me what to do, and I'll do it. Bitch to the politicians? Will it help? I pay about the same as you, more some months. Thank goodness I do have insurance, but I'm scared to see what happens when I get older. I'm young and have all these damn medical bills already!
This is a subject which will not ever stop. Nor should it. Just read, in NYT I believe, that hip surgery in the US-$50,000, England 10,000. Wow! Also economists were saying that we are at 16% and moving up of GNP for medical care. The interesting thing is that there was general agreement that it may not be a bad thing. You have to spend your money on something. Hmmmm.
And insurance companies believe that have a divine right to 15% or our health dollars, while drug companies believe they have a similar right to 30% return on capital versus other businesses 5-10%. It will take great political change to have an effect. Discussion of politics of this should probably be moved below to the Current Events section. Rob
My son had to spend 24 hours at the hospital last weekend. I figured it cost a mortgage payment every 6 hours. My wife was in the hospital for nearly a week with the birth of our daughter in 2002, and the final bill was well over $35,000 (this included an emergency surgery).
Without insurance we'd be dead broke. Heck, even with insurance the deductibles and non-covered items are eating us alive right now. Makes me wonder what the breaking point will be for making some changes.
__________________ Megaloi -- My Blog
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I know, it's completely ridiculous! I'm very thankful that I have wonderful coverage through my job, and it costs about $150 per month to cover my whole family. Of course, I know that will change when I retire. Why does it have to be this way? I think obese people should have to pay more, since they cost more to take care of. And for those people out there who are too lazy to work, THEY SHOULD NOT GET FREE COVERAGE!!! That makes me sick. Elderly retired people who have worked all their lives can't afford the medicine they need, but these lazy fuckers who have never put a penny into the system, never held a job,get over. That's why I try not to think about it too often, it PISSES me off bigtime. Okay, the rant is over now. Have a nice day!
I'm in the same boat as Frank. Been to the hospital more than the average person, due to a reckless lifestyle and have never paid a cent. Although I so have a feeling that this free health care won't last forever.
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GLOBOGYM - We're better than you, and we know it!
No program in this country will ever improve appreciably until we demand that our politicians participate in those very same programs.
Our elderly poor will never see as much in the remainder of their lives on Social Security what a one term senator sees in a few years of retirement on a full salary pension.
Our politicians can check into Bethesda and receive the best of care at no cost whatsoever. Why should they give a damn about you or me?
This country was born out of a need to shed a tyrannical monarchy and over the years we have allowed it to create a new aristocracy of politicians of all parties who are completely above and out of touch with the populace.
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
I seem to remember Hillary trying to do something about that but the Clintons were shut down by the republican congress in the early 90's. Of course the money needed to do anything drastic has been spent by the current administration.
We're Doomed...
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Today's mighty oak was once just some nut who held his ground!
There are members of Congress crying out for single payer healthcare in this country; however, they're not the members of the majority party running this show.
As someone with asthma and on occassion have had to visit the ER for some serious attacks - most recently in 04 when I no longer had insurrance (and w/out insurance the hospital charges MORE than if you had - that ain't NO lie), I can tell you all first hand, it's pretty f'd up in this country. We pay MORE than any other industrialized nation for healthcare services and for substandard service. We're rated #37 in terms of quality of healthcare.
What we have here folks? It's for profit healthcare. Period. The industry (insurance, medical and pharmacuetical) is running itself and setting the $$.
And we're all getting f'd. Can't really say it any other way.
haha im canadian. Of course I played hockey. Only for 8 years though. Never really injured myself in hockey, just a few broken fingers and a concusion or two.
I know, it's completely ridiculous! I'm very thankful that I have wonderful coverage through my job, and it costs about $150 per month to cover my whole family.
Wow, that's really good. We pay almost $400 for family coverage through my employer, which happens to be a University with an associated medical center and hospital!
Wow, that's really good. We pay almost $400 for family coverage through my employer, which happens to be a University with an associated medical center and hospital!
It's pretty good coverage, through Blue Cross. I recently had to put the prescription coverage to the test, a few times. I had to get some cream for one of my sons. For a box of 12 single-use packs of this stuff they wanted $250 bucks. I only had to pay $42. And I have a medicine I have to take 3X per day. The cost for 3 months is about $525. I pay $35 for a 3 month supply. Pretty awesome.
I had a tumor the size of a golf ball on my thyroid when I was 21. It sat in there for over a year before I got insurance. During that time, I watched a few times, ambulances pick up drunks and knew they would never see a bill. Here I was a working college student who choose paying for college over checking out a tumor sticking out of my neck like an adam's apple. I finally paid for my portion of it by cashing in my IRA - how does a 21 yo get hold of $1600 if mom or dad isn't willing to pay it? Stupid conservatives think I should have had a medical savings account.
I am very thankful for a good job with benefits and for healthy kids.
I think that all kids under 18 should be covered free and elderly that are low income. No kid should have to suffer because their parent can't afford it. Same with basic dental and eye exams and glasses.
I think that all kids under 18 should be covered free and elderly that are low income. No kid should have to suffer because their parent can't afford it. Same with basic dental and eye exams and glasses.
You can get that coverage. You just have to expatriate to a foreign country, then come back to the US as an illegal alien and all will be given to you.
__________________ In Fitness & Friendship, MAHLER
______________________________ __________________________ There is no light at the end of the tunnel. You carry the light with you.
You can get that coverage. You just have to expatriate to a foreign country, then come back to the US as an illegal alien and all will be given to you.
Or move to Canada.
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A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step.
Theres option out there, but the window of whats covered is limited. NYS has 'Healthy NY' which isn't bad IF YOU'RE HEALTHY! Its much cheaper than what we have, but it only covers up to $3000 worth of prescriptions. So, In my case I have another $4000 annually that more than what I pay for what I have.
On a related note, Mrs. C and I took 2 of the grandkids to the playpark yesterday and she fell in small hole created by a child digging in the dirt.
Now, she has a very bad back (4 prior surgeries) and is in considerable pain but she doesn't want to go to the ER and a $600 copay which is what her coverage 'dictates'. I have another year before I need to make a change and my COBRA coverage ends. Oh Joy!
I don't know how people without medical insurance cope. I've had three major bouts of surgery 8+ years ago, with a tab approching $1 million. Four weeks ago I had to go to the hospital for 3 nights = $22,000 so far, although I'm not liable. The $22,000 figure is fictitious, of course. The hospital and doctors will get what Medicare and my private insurance company are willing to pay.
And... ummm... don't get me started on the quality of the care...
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"It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in an argument." William Gibbs McAdoo. US Vice-President under Woodrow Wilson.
Ugh! Just talked to my mom...her insurance company changed prescription plans...now they don't cover two of her meds. She can't have generic according to her doctor...she was very ill last year (most of the year to the point of not being able to get out of bed) and her doctor insists she gets a specific brand. Now she has to pay for it out of pocket. The insurance company knows what she needs better than the doctor I guess
What? She can't get generics? That not only sounds outrageous, that sounds illegal. A generic is an identical drug... NO difference whatsoever. Her doctor shouldn't even have a say in it. If my doc prescribes something to me in a namebrand and they have it in generic, I request the generic at the pharmacy counter. The doctor has nothing to say about it. That really sounds fishy, TG. I would look further into that.
No...sorry..I should have worded that post differently.. Her insurance company provides a completely different brand than what she currently takes. However, her doctor does not want her on a different brand (even generic) because she just had SO many problems last year. Her insurance company will not cover the brand she currently takes, and is working well, because it's not part of their plan. I just hate the way insurance companies get to make the decisions.
TG, the same thing happened to me, but we found another drug worked for me. It was one of the acid-reflux drugs.
You may want to contact the insurance company, or you Mom due to HIPA restrictions. In some cases if a patient needs a specfic drug, and will be on it long term, you can appeal to have the drug covered with notice from a doctor. It doesn't always work, but in my case I was on 2 drugs that were deemed 'short-term' by the insurance carrier but my dr said I'd be on forever. By appealing the short- and long- term classification it was a change of co-payment.
Nothing to loose by asking what the options are. Good luck!
Alan
Thanks for the info...I will definitely tell her to call. It is Synthroid she is on and had a heck of a time last year getting her body straight on it. I know for a fact her Endocrinologist would do anything she could to help her out with this. Thanks again.
My insurance stopped coverage by 50% of my ambien, which means I could only get 15 per month for the same $25 co-pay. That totally sucks! I need a lot more than 15 per month to get by. Luckily Erika was able to get a script (which she doesn't use), but that meant effectively doubling our co-pay to get the same amount of drugs. I can't imagive having to pay full price for it. It is extremely expensive.
Health Care costs!!
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