How many of you have Health Insurance?

[JohnBoy45]

I was watching T.V the other day and they said there is over 44 million people without health insurance in this country. I know for a fact if you have medical conditions you will not find health insurance or you rates will be so high you cann't afford the payments.

Thanks, Terry

 

[BigAl]

Terry ,
I got busted up in a plow truck vs. snow blower accident on Interstate 80 manny years ago . Broke my back and crushed my vertebrae's . Tried to walk around like that for 15 months before Workman's Comp finally decided I wasn't faking and paid for the xrays to prove it . Ended up with limited lifetime insurance on my back only . What the is limited mean !!! Anyway, ended up getting Pneumonia later which attacked the heart with a virus , killing the lower half of my heart . Needless to say the Insurance company's run in the oppisite direction if they see me coming .No coverage , no way !!! I have been in the hospital since then and they have a lot of payment plans so you don't have to give up hope .

 

[DUMBDOG]

We do not have medical conditions and our health insurance is still over 10K per year.

 

[JohnBoy45]

I use to get calls from insurance companys wanting me to buy their health insurance but now they run and hide. If I dropped my medical insurance I would never get medical insurance again. I pay 240.00 a month here in Tennessee and if I went back to Michigan I would pay around 800.00 the insurance companys have told me.

Terry

 

[George2615]

Both the wife and I have health insurance through work. It takes a good chunk out of our pay plus the deductibles and co-pays. Plus we bought additional insurance to reimburse us for various office visits or hospital stays. I'd hate to not have any insurance. I couldn't afford not to have it. I know of a local self employed contractor who did not have insurance. He and his wife were both in mid 50's. They had a few bucks put away when his wife got sick. She was diagnosed with advanced stages of cancer. They had waited too long to get it checked out and she died in the hospital 4 months after being admitted. The hospital and doctors lawyers took everything he had to pay his staggering bills and it still wasn't enough. He lost his beloved wife of 34 yrs., his business, equipment, house, properties, and vehicles.
If you aren't independently wealthy or don't have insurance I'd suggest everyone find a way to get some.

 

[JohnBoy45]

I wonder if we all could go to Canada for health care for the rest of our lives?

Terry

 

[slowrev]

I have health insurance thru my employer. It still costs me over $700 per month for me and my wife. Plus co-pays and such.

Ben

 

[BigAl]

Are you ready for this ?? When I was building our home in the Republic of Panama in 2003 , I ended up in the the hospital emergency room because of my stupidity . I was in the emergency room for 4 hours . A nurse never left my side the entire time. My eyes were flushed out twice . I was given an IV and a sedative to calm me down and restore my breathing . A Doctor, who spoke 4 languages and trained in the U.S. treated me . The service was as good or better than any hospital in the States . When was the last time a pretty nurse held your hand for 4 hours ??? The total bill ??? It was $1.25 total !!! A hospital room is charged out at $12 a day !!!
What is wrong with our Goverment when they can allow the fleecing of the general population by the medical field and insurance company's ??? The goverment wonders why people are leaving the "Land of the free and Home of the Brave" ? Good Grief!! Its because they are being priced out !
A family of 4 can aquire full medical insurance in Panama for $37.50 a month . What's wrong with this picture !
Al

 

[Dargo]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I was watching T.V the other day and they said there is over 44 million people without health insurance in this country.)</font>

I sold group health insurance for several years and am still licensed to do so. The statistics (about 10 years ago) were that about 40% of those without health insurance would not pay for it if available; they have it free anyway. Every hospital in this country is obligated to treat any patient that comes into their emergency room. That fact is very well known and discussed around the low income, jobless, homeless, and illegal immigrant communities. Many of the illegals look at our health care system as you perhaps view Canada; free health care. There are several temporary migrant farm workers in my area and the local hospitals know them and their families well. That is where they go for all their health care, and they never intend to pay a dime.

Unfortunately, it is abuse such as that which makes those of us who pay for health insurance plans pay so much. Those hospitals make up that lost money on those who will pay, and those who have insurance. Back when I sold the coverages, each paying person was paying a 1.4. That was one for themselves, and the .4 for people who don't pay; whether it is because they won't, because their insurance won't cover all their expenses, or whatever the reason. Each paying person paying for nearly a half of someone who is getting free coverage makes rates pretty steep. I actually had people who could pay simply decide that they would just go with free care instead. Sure they would have collection agencies call them, but they didn't care. At worse, they would set up a "payment plan" with the hospital and pay $10 a month or something. It still worked out to be tremendously less expensive than actually paying for the health care or the insurance and deductibles.

It's a pretty tough deal with no easy solution. The hospitals blame the insurance companies. The insurance companies blame the hospitals. They both blame the attorneys, and the attorneys blame everyone (who has any money). The worker, whether self employed or working for someone else, ends up footing the bill for everyone. All of the talk about government sponsored health care is only a normal progression of that worker, who is funding everything, getting a bit tired of carrying the entire load. At some point, this "system" is going to kill (figuratively speaking) the worker who is funding the whole shooting match, and then what?!

 

[Bird]

2005 was my first year covered by Medicare, and my wife is covered by a PPO plan; $1,000 deductible and 80/20 after that. Premiums for the year: $9779.28!