Copays and deductibles

[Highway61]

Needless to say, it was not a great weekend beginning with the purge on Saturday night (I never want to hear Sam Cook complain about his Saturday night again) and culminating in a rather surrealistic day yesterday (after effects of anesthesia), but I am grateful to have health insurance as the alternative would have been not to get the test done. Of course, now I wait for the copay and deductible bills to arrive and this after having my out of pocket "contribution" (love that word, makes it sound like I voluntarily contribute to the cost of my health care insurance) increase by 10.5% after getting a 3.5% raise from a multi-national corporation that had 26% + increase in profits last year. Somehow, I feel like I took it up the rear here and I am not talking about the colonoscopy!

Then I read stuff like this and know it could be much worse. That does not mean I accept the present "market" driven bull crap they throw at us because I also know it could be much better!



.....A new national survey found that an alarming 20 percent of the population, some 59 million people in all, either delayed or did without needed medical care last year, a huge increase from the 36 million people who delayed or did not seek care in 2003.

As expected, people who have no health insurance — there are some 47 million of them — were most likely to make that difficult choice. But insured people also chose to go without care in ever-larger numbers.

According to the survey, the main reason is soaring medical costs, which have outstripped the modest growth in wages in recent years. High costs are deterring not only the uninsured from seeking care, but also many insured people who are struggling with higher deductibles, co-payments and other out-of-pocket expenses as their employers or health plans shift more of the cost burden to them.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/opinion/30mon2.html

[RB TexLa]

1. I gladly delay and do without giving my money to them all the time

As much as I can and for as long as I can.

[Highway61]

4. I would as well

But a lousy family history doesn't allow me to. I am lucky but angered that so many go without. I actually care about those who have next to nothing and hanging on by their fingernails...ya know..."all people are created equal"...that sort of stuff :patriot:

[tavalon]

2. It became personal this year for us

My partner's company changed insurance and we had to make a $3000 deductable and a $6000 maximum out of pocket. Since our child has chronic health issues, we've met the maximun but there were some uncomfortable choices until that happened (it happened within the first four months - I'm lucky that I make a decent wage as an RN). My hubby waited until our childs needs were met before he got a very necessary sleep study done.

[NightWatcher]

3. I wish I had copays and deductibles.

[Highway61]

5. I am so sorry

n/t.

[Warpy]

6. Same here. It's been out of pocket for 20 years now

thanks to a lulu of an preexisting condition that I can't get private insurance for and which disqualified me from a full time, staff position as an RN.

However, I don't miss the stress of having to fight some well groomed bean counter for every test and treatment.

[Highway61]

9. Right on with that

I am a nurse myself and I can remember (right out of school) if ya didn't feel well or got really sick, you just went to the ER and that was that. Go to any doctor and you got "professional courtesy". Jeez, those days are LONG gone!....(and I am not that old!!)

[DotGone]

8. I feel your pain

as I share the same sentiments since my employer cut my insurance off.

[Uben]

7. My last colonoscopy.......

..........cost around $5K. I had an upper scope done too, and they removed a couple of pollups. Guess what? My deductible is.....$5K! Go figure.

[DailyGrind51]

10. Because of my cancer history, I know, that without my employer's

group coverage, I would not be able to obtain individual coverage because of my "pre-existing condition". If my employer's plan had to double my deductible, it would still be far better, for me, than having no health insurance at all. I don't get paid that much any more, however, when I go in for my yearly tumor marker tests, I am grateful for that BC/BS card.

[Highway61]

11. Reading what you just said

makes me sad. So may of us have to "settle"....and even then we are grateful. All the while the big guys at Blue Cross and Blue Shield are laughing all the way to the bank.

[Selatius]

12. This entire thread is a monument to how royally fucked up the US health care system is.

We would all be so lucky if we ever got France's health care system. They, of course, use single-payer health insurance run by one government entity, instead of a bunch of private insurance entities that want to make money by squeezing customers.

[SammyWinstonJack]

13. Or how about the greedy congresscritters allow us the same health care plan

they have, funded by the same people who can't afford health care insurance! And by those who are under insured too. At least give us that much.

[Highway61]

14. I like your signature line...n/t

[Highway61]

15. self delete

great computer service I have....not

[LWolf]

16. I pay my premium.

Then I pay my deductibles and copays.

I pay 3 times for medical services.

I put off routine maintenance for years because of this. I haven't had a mammogram or pap in 5 years, and I need to see a dermatologist to check some freckles that are turning into something else. It's not happening this year. I have to pay for the blood tests needed to monitor a different condition.

Is there anyone who doesn't understand why I'm not going to get behind Obama's health insurance plan, and will continue to support HR 676?

[BigDaddy44]

17. Question

Do you think there should be no copays at all? In other words, anytime you feel the need to see a doctor, you can go with no out of pocket cost to yourself at all?

[Highway61]

18. Quite frankly

It can be done....from our tax dollars. They are and have been used, abused and stolen by the wealthy and war mongers....

[madokie]

19. back in the eighties before I started to go to the VA

for my healthcare I would go to the doctor and it would cost 15 to 25 dollars per visit and now people with insurance is paying that or more as co-pay. We've been lied to by the insurance companies and our own congress critters. Nothing has changed for the most part except for our money going to the insurance companies and the doctors as well. My wife just had some spots burned off and she can hardly wait to see what that will cost even though she has insurance. Most things shes had to have done is still costing her and its more than it used to cost before she had insurance. Its all a scam and nothing more. imo

[L0oniX]

20. HEALTH CARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT !

How dare they demand payment for you to stay alive? Why do we allow people to profit from death? It's criminal and immoral!