I already have inexpensive insurance

[curiouskay]

I already have inexpensive insurance


It is what all persons in the USA have


I know.,.,.,.,..,.,., I got it too​

Out of the blue I fell off of my second-floor balcony.

Next thing I can remember is.,,,,.,/

Police Officers and medics taking me by ambulance

to the nearest hospital;; where I was healed.

Either way, I’m still here

Because here in the USA .,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

We care for each other



How about you

-

 

[SkyWriting]

I've never fallen farther than my bicycle seat to the ground.
Were you on a bicycle at the time?
That would help explain your fall.

 

[381465]

Are you sure you're OK?

 

[samir]

If you don't have a health insurance policy, you can look forward to that hospital sending you a bill for $50,000 or 5 to 10 times whatever they would accept as full payment from a wealthier person's insurance company. If you can't afford to pay, you can look forward to the hospital sending ruthless bill collectors to constantly hassle and threaten you if you don't pay the bill plus interest and penalties for late payment.

In the USA, the corporations are in control and the wealthy take advantage of the poor. I wouldn't expect much compassion from your neighbors. They'll likely chastise you for being poor, unrighteously judging you as being lazy, and demand you pay up to protect the hospital's bottom line telling you it's part of personal responsibility.

 

[SPF]

Samaritan Ministries

 

[RedPonyDriver]

If the insurance scam in the US is so great why are over 60% of bankruptcies due to medical bills? A pastor friend of mine had to sell his car to pay off medical bills. There's something WRONG with this system. And, don't tell me about churches stepping in, there isn't a single one who would be able to pay my husband's monthly prescription costs! A free clinic? Yeah...no.

It's time for universal health care and putting these insurance companies out of business.

 

[samir]

If the insurance scam in the US is so great why are over 60% of bankruptcies due to medical bills? A pastor friend of mine had to sell his car to pay off medical bills. There's something WRONG with this system. And, don't tell me about churches stepping in, there isn't a single one who would be able to pay my husband's monthly prescription costs! A free clinic? Yeah...no.

It's time for universal health care and putting these insurance companies out of business.

Despite what many think, insurance company profits are very low (around 2% or 3% of premiums). The reason insurance is so expensive is because US hospitals, doctors, and drug companies charge more the double or triple what they do in other countries. The primary reason single payer costs less in other countries is because the government only pays doctors half as much as what US doctors get paid. That's why single payer has powerful opposition. They have political power and don't want their massive salaries and profits reduced. Many patients don't want to accuse their doctors or the hospital that saved their life of greed so we'll continue to pay outrageous amounts for healthcare while they get insanely rich treating our symptoms.

 

[RedPonyDriver]

Despite what many think, insurance company profits are very low (around 2% or 3% of premiums). The reason insurance is so expensive is because US hospitals, doctors, and drug companies charge more the double or triple what they do in other countries. The primary reason single payer costs less in other countries is because the government only pays doctors half as much as what US doctors get paid. That's why single payer has powerful opposition. They have political power and don't want their massive salaries and profits reduced. Many patients don't want to accuse their doctors or the hospital that saved their life of greed so we'll continue to pay outrageous amounts for healthcare while they get insanely rich treating our symptoms.

"Profits are low"...right...uh huh...yup...
The government forbade the VA and Medicare from negotiating with drug companies on prices. Regarding reimbursement...I can tell you that insurance companies do NOT reimburse hospitals at 100% of their rates. Most insurance companies reimburse at roughly Medicare/Medicaid levels or at other negotiated levels that are not 100% of what was billed. I'll accuse anybody of greed if I think they're trying to get over on me...but I haven't paid full price for anything in probably close to 30 years.
Health insurance industry rakes in billions while blaming Obamacare for losses
Profits are booming at health insurance companies


So...it's ok with you for people to lose their homes, cars, future income just to pay medical bills? Can YOU come up with the deductible plus 20% co-insurance if you get seriously ill?

 

[samir]

"Profits are low"...right...uh huh...yup...

Health insurance industry rakes in billions while blaming Obamacare for losses
Profits are booming at health insurance companies

The links you posted show their profits were only 3% just like I stated. Thanks for confirming it.

The first article didn't even know the difference between revenue and profit then went off in an irrelevant tangent about CEO pay which was miniscule.

"In July 2016, UnitedHealth celebrated revenues that quarter totalling $46.5 billion"
The second article shows $1.6 billion in profit for Q1 in 2016

$1.6 billion profit on $46.5 billion in revenue is only 3% profit. That's very low compared to other industries and nothing to complain about.

I'll accuse anybody of greed if I think they're trying to get over on me

You'll be sinning every time you ignorantly and falsely accuse others of greed although I realize you may not have a problem with that.

So...it's ok with you for people to lose their homes, cars, future income just to pay medical bills? Can YOU come up with the deductible plus 20% co-insurance if you get seriously ill?

Insurance companies only earn about $15/month in profit per policy. I doubt that's enough to bankrupt anyone.

 

[SPF]

My wife and I are part of a health co-op, Samaritan Ministries, which has been really awesome for us. This past week, my wife "stubbed" her toe. We went to the hospital, it was broken, needed stitches, it was terrible looking. But here's the relevant part which made me laugh....

The financial counselor came into our room and we told her we were self-pay. Well, of course she immediately judged us as irresponsible, poor, (glad she didn't see my car!), etc... (quite sad actually, though we've grown used to this). The thing that made me chuckle though, was that she goes, "Well, since your self pay, the hospital will immediately give you a 75% discount, and then we can setup a payment plan or find something that works"

Yes, you read that correctly - 75% off, right off the bat! Having done this before, when we get our bill for like $2,000 probably for this visit, I will call the financial office and they will ask me how I plan to pay for it. I'll say something like, "If I was able to come up with $750 now, could we close this out?" To which they will say... Yes~

I think hospitals tend to over charge....

 

[RedPonyDriver]

@samir Do you know how many people go bankrupt over medical bills every year? We live in the "richest country in the world" yet people have to have fundraisers to pay for medical treatment. Why? I have friends who have mortgaged their houses, sold their cars, sold their houses all to pay for medical treatment. We had a medical bill for ONE surgery and hospitalization (12 days) that was close to one half million dollars. Fortunately we had double insurance at the time and it was covered 100% (2 different employers, 2 different policies), but tell me...how do people come up with $100,000 to cover the 20% co-insurance?

Universal healthcare is the only way to go. It contains costs and keeps people from losing their shirts from one medical issue.

 

[samir]

My wife and I are part of a health co-op, Samaritan Ministries, which has been really awesome for us. This past week, my wife "stubbed" her toe. We went to the hospital, it was broken, needed stitches, it was terrible looking. But here's the relevant part which made me laugh....

The financial counselor came into our room and we told her we were self-pay. Well, of course she immediately judged us as irresponsible, poor, (glad she didn't see my car!), etc... (quite sad actually, though we've grown used to this). The thing that made me chuckle though, was that she goes, "Well, since your self pay, the hospital will immediately give you a 75% discount, and then we can setup a payment plan or find something that works"

Yes, you read that correctly - 75% off, right off the bat! Having done this before, when we get our bill for like $2,000 probably for this visit, I will call the financial office and they will ask me how I plan to pay for it. I'll say something like, "If I was able to come up with $750 now, could we close this out?" To which they will say... Yes~

I think hospitals tend to over charge....

75% sounds like a large amount but some hospitals give large insurance companies 90% discounts so they may still be overcharging you. That $2,000 may only cover the use of the facility and not any of the doctors who saw her because many hospitals hire doctors as independent contractors instead of employees so each doctor can bill separately for his services. An ER doc may bill over $1000 for a 10 minute consultation on top of what you pay the hospital to use their facility.

 

[samir]

@samir Do you know how many people go bankrupt over medical bills every year?

Yes. It's around 50% of all bankruptcies but they go bankrupt due to paying providers not because of any insurance companies.

We live in the "richest country in the world" yet people have to have fundraisers to pay for medical treatment. Why? I have friends who have mortgaged their houses, sold their cars, sold their houses all to pay for medical treatment. We had a medical bill for ONE surgery and hospitalization (12 days) that was close to one half million dollars.

I see. The hospital and surgeon charged around $500,000. Thanks for confirming my point that it is medical providers, not insurance companies, that are the problem.

Fortunately we had double insurance at the time and it was covered 100% (2 different employers, 2 different policies), but tell me...how do people come up with $100,000 to cover the 20% co-insurance?

The co-insurance goes to pay the hospital and surgeon. The insurance company doesn't get any of it.

Thankfully, every American citizen and many legal residents can buy an insurance policy on healthcare.gov and every plan has a maximum out-of-pocket limit of $7,350/year for in-network services (many employer policies are now subject to the same limit thanks to the ACA). Open enrollment is Nov 1st to Dec 15th this year and policies are effective Jan 1st.

Universal healthcare is the only way to go. It contains costs and keeps people from losing their shirts from one medical issue.

Single payer contains costs by forcing doctors to work for half their current pay. If they pay every doctor the same amount, then everyone will want to see the best doctors which will lead to very long waiting times to see them.

It prevents medical bankruptcy by forcing other people to pay for your medical bills. That can be done by forcing those with higher incomes to buy generous health insurance policies with low out-of-pocket limits for those with lower incomes (like the ACA does now - the limit is capped at $500/year in some policies for those with the lowest incomes).

 

[curiouskay]

I've never fallen farther than my bicycle seat to the ground.
Were you on a bicycle at the time?
That would help explain your fall.

I jumped thinking it would kill me. It didn't

 

[curiouskay]

If you don't have a health insurance policy, you can look forward to that hospital sending you a bill for $50,000 or 5 to 10 times ..,.,.,.

My bill was $9,000

 

[JackRT]

A few years ago a friend was vacationing in Florida. He likes to bicycle but he took a bad fall and had his wife drive him to a hospital ER. He was there a couple of hours and recieved prompt and professional care. They gave him an x-ray, a tetanus shot, a half dozen stitches and cleaned up his road rash. The bill was $1800.00 !!! They returned to Canada and he went in to his own doctor to have the stitches removed. The doctor commented that if an American recieved the identical treatment in a Canadian hospital ER he would have been charged about $200.00

Comparative outcomes -------- Canada / US :


per capita medical spending --- $4500 / $8500

percent of GDP ---------------------11.2 / 17.7

public share –---------------------- 70% / 48%,

doctors per 1000 -------------------- 2.4 / 2.5

nurses per 1000 ----------------------9.3 / 11.1

life expectancy ----------------------- 81 / 79

smoking rate --------------------- 15.7% / 14.8%

obesity rate -----------------------25.4% / 36.5%.

As you can readily see, Canada achieves comparable or superior outcomes at close to half the expense and every citizen regardless of status or income has equal access.

 

[samir]

A few years ago a friend was vacationing in Florida. He likes to bicycle but he took a bad fall and had his wife drive him to a hospital ER. He was there a couple of hours and recieved prompt and professional care. They gave him an x-ray, a tetanus shot, a half dozen stitches and cleaned up his road rash. The bill was $1800.00 !!! They returned to Canada and he went in to his own doctor to have the stitches removed. The doctor commented that if an American recieved the identical treatment in a Canadian hospital ER he would have been charged about $200.00

The reason the Canadian ER only charges patients $200 is because the government forces other Canadians to pay the rest of the bill through higher taxes. You can always save money by stealing what you don't want to pay from someone else.

Comparative outcomes -------- Canada / US :


per capita medical spending --- $4500 / $8500

percent of GDP ---------------------11.2 / 17.7

public share –---------------------- 70% / 48%,

doctors per 1000 -------------------- 2.4 / 2.5

nurses per 1000 ----------------------9.3 / 11.1

life expectancy ----------------------- 81 / 79

smoking rate --------------------- 15.7% / 14.8%

obesity rate -----------------------25.4% / 36.5%.

As you can readily see, Canada achieves comparable or superior outcomes at close to half the expense and every citizen regardless of status or income has equal access.

They achieve those outcomes by paying doctors and hospitals less money. Doctors who weren't happy with the pay cut retired early and less people chose to become a doctor after the government lowered their pay. That's why Canadians have to wait months to see a doctor and several more months to get treated. It's also cheaper because they provide less medical care due to patients dying while they are waiting for treatment.

The smoking and obesity rate is due to lifestyle choices. If less Americans chose to commit the sins of gluttony (overeating) and sloth (laziness/refusing to exercise) then medical costs in the US would be less. Ironically, it's government healthcare (Medicaid) as well as welfare (SNAP/food stamps) that encourages many to choose to be slothful gluttons.

 

[JackRT]

The reason the Canadian ER only charges patients $200 is because the government forces other Canadians to pay the rest of the bill through higher taxes. You can always save money by stealing what you don't want to pay from someone else.

Those insane Canadians trying to take care of each other in a fair and equitable way. Shocking!

They achieve those outcomes by paying doctors and hospitals less money. Doctors who weren't happy with the pay cut retired early and less people chose to become a doctor after the government lowered their pay. That's why Canadians have to wait months to see a doctor and several more months to get treated. It's also cheaper because they provide less medical care due to patients dying while they are waiting for treatment.

In my entire adult life I have never paid a cent for medical treatment. I have had seven operations including three long hospital stays and more tests and procedures than I care to count. These have all been delivered professionally and without undue wait times. We have a triage system in place to ensure that those who need treatment get it even if there is less needy rich person in the queue ahead. If that rich person should so choose they can go to the USA and get prompt treatment while paying through the nose. Those Americans who can't afford their own system can take a medical vacation in India or China.

The smoking and obesity rate is due to lifestyle choices. If less Americans chose to commit the sins of gluttony (overeating) and sloth (laziness/refusing to exercise) then medical costs in the US would be less.

Agree.

Ironically, it's government healthcare (Medicaid) as well as welfare (SNAP/food stamps) that encourages many to choose to be slothful gluttons.

That is quite a claim. I don't buy it for a moment.

 

[RedPonyDriver]

Yes. It's around 50% of all bankruptcies but they go bankrupt due to paying providers not because of any insurance companies.

WHERE did you come up with this??? They go bankrupt BECAUSE of the insurance companies not picking up more of the bill. What would you tell a pastor-friend of mine who had to sell his car and mortgage his house to pay a bill? What would you tell another friend who will be paying off the bills from her son who died from cancer for the rest of her life? Is it really necessary for people to hold fundraisers?

It's pathetic, it's wrong. Read Matthew 25:31-46 again...read it until you understand that it's NOT about how much money YOU get to keep in YOUR pocket. Remember how Jesus answered the rich young ruler.

 

[samir]

WHERE did you come up with this???

Government statistics.

They go bankrupt BECAUSE of the insurance companies not picking up more of the bill.

No. A person without insurance must pay the entire bill. Insurance covers based on whatever plan that person chose to buy. Blaming an insurance company because they didn't pay more for more coverage than you purchased sounds like you're being greedy or just ignorant. According to your logic, people should blame car insurance companies for not paying the full cost of a new car if they chose to buy collision coverage with a $5,000 deductible.

What would you tell a pastor-friend of mine who had to sell his car and mortgage his house to pay a bill? What would you tell another friend who will be paying off the bills from her son who died from cancer for the rest of her life? Is it really necessary for people to hold fundraisers?

I'd tell them their insurance company paid exactly what they should have paid based on the coverage they (or their employer) purchased and that demanding insurance pay more is being greedy.

It's pathetic, it's wrong. Read Matthew 25:31-46 again...read it until you understand that it's NOT about how much money YOU get to keep in YOUR pocket. Remember how Jesus answered the rich young ruler.

It's neither pathetic nor wrong. I recommend educating yourself before spouting such nonsense.