Is there really a need for new Medical Insurance

[BoredOutOfMyMind]

From the morning drone-

While they're cleaning up this mess at Walter Reed ... here's what you need to know. This treatment that was being delivered to our injured soldiers is the future of your health care. This is what you, if you're somewhat young, and most certainly your children have to deal with as the United States moves inexorably toward socialized medicine. Government health care.

A recent poll shows that three-fourths of all Americans want Universal Health Insurance. That's right .... the people conducting the poll actually capitalized Universal Health Insurance.

Let's dispel something right now. It's not insurance these people want, it's a medical payment plan. The purpose of insurance is to reimburse you for unexpected losses. The cost of regular health care, and this includes the normal costs associated with a pregnancy, are not unexpected. We should budget for these costs just as we would budget for the expenses of owning a home or a car.

No .. it's not health insurance the American people want. What they truly want is for someone else to step forward to foot the bill. Their goal is to pay about $500 out of their own pockets every year, and then have someone else, either their employer or the taxpayers, be responsible for everything else. Another recent survey revealed that young Americans would rather pay their cell phone bill than use that money to buy insurance. These young workers said that they will just wait to get health insurance until they get a job where it is included in a benefits package. In other words, they make a conscious decision not to get health insurance ... and then fully expect the taxpayers to step up and fill in the financial gaps if anything serious happens.

I see Medical Insurance as a hot topic now. In California, they have limited the market to where there are but two players, and the plans have changed to where they are very expensive and very limited.

Do you suffer from what Health Insurance costs you? Do you have limited coverage and have to wait for treatment?

Or are the JW's correct that all we need is more faith in God?

[Tina]

Originally Posted by BoredOutOfMyMind

Do you suffer from what Health Insurance costs you? Do you have limited coverage and have to wait for treatment?

Or are the JW's correct that all we need is more faith in God?

I think more faith in God would be a good thing.... look at what it did for my son and his asthma.

About the health insurance.. I don't even like to talk about it. It kind of depresses me. Our plan changed very drastically this year. We have NO prescription coverage at all. (As opposed to the plan last year where I just THOUGHT the copays were expensive!!) We've been blessed that most of the prescriptions we've needed have been on Walmart's generic list. The one that wasn't cost us $140+ for 60 pills. (One month supply) I've got a copy of Walmart's generic $4 drug list in my purse. When one of us visits the doctor's office... I pull out my list... and tell the doctor... if you can't prescribe something from this list.. or provide some samples-- we can't afford the prescription.

Not to mention that last year's copay was $10 for seeing a regular family doctor, and $20 for a specialist-- Now we have what is called a health reimbursement account... which has less than $200 left in it. After that money is gone... I have a big amount that will come out of my pocket before our policy will pay another penny. Guess where my income tax refund is? (Sitting in an account just in case it's needed to cover medical care)

[Ron]

Yes we need more faith in God and need to see more miracles.

I like the "Universality" of Canada's healthy insurance.
I take my B.C. Care Card and show it and can see any Doctor, Specialist, get any Surgery, all for $108 a month Canadian.
That is the Maximum amount for a family's coverage.
My employer pays that.

[ForeverBlessed]

I work for a health Network... you would think I would have good coverage. NOT!! My insurance changed last year like many companies have. We don't have copays or anything... but have a large deductible.

I have a $1,700 deductible, and my company gives me a VISA/HSA (health savings acct) with the first $500 towards meeting that deductible. I put in another $30 a pay period in that HSA to meet that deductible. That is in addition to the $1,300 y/r that I pay for that expensive little coverage plan to begin with.

I thank God I am healthy, on no medications and rarely see the doctor. However, with kids.. you just can't afford to be without health coverage and one accident could take my house... so.. what can you do?

[BoredOutOfMyMind]

Originally Posted by Ron

Yes we need more faith in God and need to see more miracles.

I like the "Universality" of Canada's healthy insurance.
I take my B.C. Care Card and show it and can see any Doctor, Specialist, get any Surgery, all for $108 a month Canadian.
That is the Maximum amount for a family's coverage.
My employer pays that.

Ron, Canadian Social Medicine is NOT the answer for the US.

[BoredOutOfMyMind]

Originally Posted by ForeverBlessed

I work for a health Network... you would think I would have good coverage. NOT!! My insurance changed last year like many companies have. We don't have copays or anything... but have a large deductible.

I have a $1,700 deductible, and my company gives me a VISA/HSA (health savings acct) with the first $500 towards meeting that deductible. I put in another $30 a pay period in that HSA to meet that deductible. That is in addition to the $1,300 y/r that I pay for that expensive little coverage plan to begin with.

I thank God I am healthy, on no medications and rarely see the doctor. However, with kids.. you just can't afford to be without health coverage and one accident could take my house... so.. what can you do?

How high is your Deductible? I moved to a $2400 deductible myself this year. Interesting now that I get the preferred price of $50 cash pay and the Dr writes off the $26. My daughter cannot afford the $6 much less $76 and her job has zero health insurance.

Thank God my wife had great insurance when she had the 9 eye surgeries a few years ago! They were up to $20,000 each.

[ForeverBlessed]

Originally Posted by BoredOutOfMyMind

How high is your Deductible? I moved to a $2400 deductible myself this year. Interesting now that I get the preferred price of $50 cash pay and the Dr writes off the $26. My daughter cannot afford the $6 much less $76 and her job has zero health insurance.

Thank God my wife had great insurance when she had the 9 eye surgeries a few years ago! They were up to $20,000 each.

My deductible is $1,700.. and for a single mom... too much. I just don't go to the doctor.. this year, I started paying into a HSA.

I had State Medicaid as a Secondary just as a safety net. Federal Govt states I can't have Medicaid on the kids with a HSA acct, but I have to have it for the deductible...especially since my employer pays $500 into it.

I had to make the decision to drop my major medical on the girls and make the states insurance for kids their primary. Their loss... in my opinion they could pay the kids part of the deductible or they can pay it all. No amount of arguing convinced them... it is better for me to have it as a secondary. It made my monthly premium go down to about $50 a pay... it was $90 a pay period for the family package.

My family deductible was $2,500 and now this year $1,700 because it is on a single.

[Ron]

Originally Posted by BoredOutOfMyMind

Ron, Canadian Social Medicine is NOT the answer for the US.

What do you have against it?

Do you believe that health care should be at a "for profit service?"

If your system is so good, why do I hear complaints about it from Americans?

Not getting on your case-just curious.

[berkeley]

Originally Posted by Ron

What do you have against it?

Do you believe that health care should be at a "for profit service?"

If your system is so good, why do I hear complaints about it from Americans?

Not getting on your case-just curious.

I'm not complaining. Right now all my coverage costs me not one dime!! (I payed taxes a few times.. so shaddup!!)

[Margies3]

Our deductible is $1000 per person, $2000 per family. We pay $10 co-pay for doctors' visits, $25 for specialist visits and $250 for ER visits.

Just for the 3 weeks Walt spent in ICU last year, the bill was OVER 1/2 million dollars. Out of that we'll end up paying $1000.

Most years we pay alot in for medical insurance and basically get nothing for it. But this one incident has made up for all other years combined.

I'm VERY, very thankful for good insurance. It hasn't been without it's pitfalls, but it's sure been better than nothing