Tired Of Health Inusrance Companies

[nanookadenord]

I have asthma. Pretty bad asthma especially with the extended summer we have had here in Florida. I have had to use my rescue inhalers more times than I should as I ran out of my maintenance inhaler. My mom was giving me hers for the past couple of years because she has COPD, but hasn't really needed them. Now, her COPD has gotten worse and the doctor is taking her off of the one that I use and putting her on one that she absolutely needs.

So I went to urgent care on Saturday because I thought I had found a way to get my inhaler through the medication manufacturer for free. However, when I got to the pharmacy I found out that's not the case. Because my health insurance won't pay for any part of this inhaler the program won't cover the rest to make it free. They take $100 off leaving me with $241.00 to pay. I cannot afford that each month. I cannot afford that at all. That is just for the maintenance inhaler. My health insurance will not pay for any inhalers at all. They only pay for pills, which I already do take and nebulizer treatments. I cannot bring a nebulizer with me on an ambulance and if I am having an asthma attack I cannot do a nebulizer treatment in front of a patient or while I'm driving and some of our transports are upwards of two hours or more.

I pay $600 a month and it is likely going up to $700 or more next month because not enough people take advantage of the insurance and they have to spread the risk across who does have it. I am required to have it because of my kids in NY and the state of NY wanting me to pay for health insurance for them. To pay for the health insurance and child support $800 comes out each month, which is more than one full paycheck of take home pay for me with 4 1/2 hours of overtime on that paycheck. So, next month my monthly payment will be from $900 to $1000 and would put me at over $300 to $400 more than I get paid in one paycheck with 4 1/2 hours of overtime. If I didn't have to have the insurance I could literally pay for three years of these inhalers by not paying one year of the health insurance. I figured that out yesterday.

I am just so frustrated that these insurance companies don't care whether I can breathe or not. I almost cried in front of the pharmacist. He felt so bad that he couldn't do anything to help me.

 

[Light of the East]

This is our so-called "Christian Nation," which has never, since the beginning, been Christian in any way, shape, or form.

In a nation run by Christian principles, you would never have to worry about such things.

Wendell Potter is a former CEO of SIGNA and has written a book on the dishonest and cold-hearted way that company is run. And they are just one of many who do the same things.

https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Spin-Insurance-Corporate-Deceiving/dp/B00A16M7HC

It's all about profits. That's the god of this country and don't let anyone tell you differently.

 

[SeventyOne]

I'd suggest try starting a GoFundMe page or see if people in your church are willing to help a bit.

Medical Fundraising - Start a Free Fundraiser

 

[nanookadenord]

I'd suggest try starting a GoFundMe page or see if people in your church are willing to help a bit.

Medical Fundraising - Start a Free Fundraiser

GoFundMe pages don't work. I watched my ex-wife try twice with no success. I have watched others try as well and they didn't have success either.

I have asked my church and I had one couple say they would do it for a month only. Beyond that there was no help.

Thank you for the suggestions.

 

[JackRT]

Universal single payer health insurance was first introduced to Canada when I was 20. In my entire adult life I have never had to pay a doctor or a hospital a penny and I am now 75. What needs to be done is to remove the private for-profit insurance companies from the picture. The Canadian system is not perfect and needs regular tweaking but it works well.

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.

 

[Light of the East]

Universal single payer health insurance was first introduced to Canada when I was 20. In my entire adult life I have never had to pay a doctor or a hospital a penny and I am now 75. What needs to be done is to remove the private for-profit insurance companies from the picture. The Canadian system is not perfect and needs regular tweaking but it works well.

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.

Good chart.

Of course, if you listen to the fine "Christian" Conservatives who blatther on and on about such things, you would get the idea that in Canada people die in the waiting rooms by the scores.

 

[mina]

Are you on a family plan in NY state? If you don't get insurance through work (or if you do even- check into that), you can qualify for state child insurance for the kids only (Child Health Plus). Even the full premium w/o assistance is quite low, and the income level to qualify is quite high. I wish things were better in our country.

 

[SeventyOne]

GoFundMe pages don't work. I watched my ex-wife try twice with no success. I have watched others try as well and they didn't have success either.

I have asked my church and I had one couple say they would do it for a month only. Beyond that there was no help.

Thank you for the suggestions.

I think a main problem is that there are so many that they get lost in the crowd and go unseen. It's almost required they be shared across social media. People get a lot of money from that site, but only if their story gains traction. It does work, but only for a very small percentage.

Any chance your church could hold a special one-time offering? You never know until you ask.

Another, very unpopular option for most, is a change of diet. I know people control their asthma through a vegan diet as suppresses the triggers of the attacks. Here's a random article about people who did just that.

How 2 people cured their asthma… by going VEGAN | Daily Mail Online

As for my experience, I don't have asthma, but I was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure in April of this year. Instead of submitting to a lifetime of medication, I changed to a vegan diet that very day. Four months later I had a checkup. Not only am I no longer diabetic, but I'm also below the pre-diabetic range, my blood pressure is well within the normal range, and all the neuropathic symptoms I was having have disappeared.

Virtually halting or minimizing the attacks would go a long way towards alleviating your predicament.

 

[nanookadenord]

I think a main problem is that there are so many that they get lost in the crowd and go unseen. It's almost required they be shared across social media. People get a lot of money from that site, but only if their story gains traction. It does work, but only for a very small percentage.

Any chance your church could hold a special one-time offering? You never know until you ask.

Another, very unpopular option for most, is a change of diet. I know people control their asthma through a vegan diet as suppresses the triggers of the attacks. Here's a random article about people who did just that.

How 2 people cured their asthma… by going VEGAN | Daily Mail Online

As for my experience, I don't have asthma, but I was diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure in April of this year. Instead of submitting to a lifetime of medication, I changed to a vegan diet that very day. Four months later I had a checkup. Not only am I no longer diabetic, but I'm also below the pre-diabetic range, my blood pressure is well within the normal range, and all the neuropathic symptoms I was having have disappeared.

Virtually halting or minimizing the attacks would go a long way towards alleviating your predicament.

Thanks for the suggestion, but that is a hard pass on going vegan. As it is I do not eat fruits and I eat some vegetables because I have an issue with the taste and especially the textures of these fruits and vegetables.

Again, thanks for the suggestion.

 

[nanookadenord]

Are you on a family plan in NY state? If you don't get insurance through work (or if you do even- check into that), you can qualify for state child insurance for the kids only (Child Health Plus). Even the full premium w/o assistance is quite low, and the income level to qualify is quite high. I wish things were better in our country.

I don't live in NY. I'm in Florida. New York Child Support makes me go through my employer only.

 

[SeventyOne]

Thanks for the suggestion, but that is a hard pass on going vegan. As it is I do not eat fruits and I eat some vegetables because I have an issue with the taste and especially the textures of these fruits and vegetables.

Again, thanks for the suggestion.

No problem. Just FYI, it's not just fruits and vegetables, it's also a lot of grains (oats, rice, pasta, etc) and beans. Plus, the cravings do change over time to where it 'forgets' meat and dairy. It's actually a really easy diet, unless you want to go to a restaurant. most aren't vegan friendly.

 

[nanookadenord]

No problem. Just FYI, it's not just fruits and vegetables, it's also a lot of grains (oats, rice, pasta, etc) and beans. Plus, the cravings do change over time to where it 'forgets' meat and dairy. It's actually a really easy diet, unless you want to go to a restaurant. most aren't vegan friendly.

I don't eat oats or beans. Rice I can do and definitely pasta as I am Italian. However, I have growing children in the home and the limited diet I would be on would not be good for them. I would have to have two different grocery lists and that would be too expensive.

I am still looking for other options. So far there has been none.

 

[mkgal1]

I don't understand why your insurance won't pay for your inhalers. You may ask your doctor to help you appeal that. Another option may be to seek out a integrative medicine doctor - they may be able to help you find alternative ways to treat your asthma and strengthen your respiratory system. Maybe this article can be helpful?

What to Do If You Can't Afford Your Asthma Medicines

 

[nanookadenord]

I don't understand why your insurance won't pay for your inhalers. You may ask your doctor to help you appeal that. Another option may be to seek out a integrative medicine doctor - they may be able to help you find alternative ways to treat your asthma and strengthen your respiratory system. Maybe this article can be helpful?

What to Do If You Can't Afford Your Asthma Medicines

What I pay for is the generic medication plan and as far as I can tell there are no maintenance inhalers. The doctor cannot help me appeal something they just don't cover with the plan that I pay for.

I talked to the insurance broker that our company uses and to go up another tier that covers brand name medications will cost me over $1000.

 

[Kit Sigmon]

Perhaps this can be of helps to you... Christian Healthcare Ministries: Home

 

[nanookadenord]

Perhaps this can be of helps to you... Christian Healthcare Ministries: Home

New York Child Support will not allow that type of plan. It has to be commercial.

Edit: the units were different then what I thought.

 

[Kit Sigmon]

I was wondering if it be possible for you to have a second type of
insurance for yourself.
Like my husband and myself have health coverage from an insurance
company and a secondary one to pick up what the other one don't cover...
the secondary one cost us around $150.00 dollars each month...my husband
be older than myself, so that bumped upped the price a little more.

 

[nanookadenord]

I was wondering if it be possible for you to have a second type of
insurance for yourself.
Like my husband and myself have health coverage from an insurance
company and a secondary one to pick up what the other one don't cover...
the secondary one cost us around $150.00 dollars each month...my husband
be older than myself, so that bumped upped the price a little more.

Just that extra $150 for just myself is too much. If the insurance goes up like I till be going to do, I will be paying up to an extra $200 as it is. So that will be up to $800 just for the insurance I am already paying. Add in child support and that's $1000 a month. Then add in this, that's $1150 a month.

To give you an idea of what I make per month take home, it's a little over $1000 because of the health insurance and child support. I am barely surviving as it is with what I pay out now.

My only option I can see is hope that if I petition New York they'll allow me to drop the coverage. I can go from the angle that the cost of this plan is making it so that I cannot keep myself healthy because I am unable to pay for my inhalers. So, if I am unable to pay for my inhalers I will end up out of work.

 

[1am3laine]

I have asthma. Pretty bad asthma especially with the extended summer we have had here in Florida. I have had to use my rescue inhalers more times than I should as I ran out of my maintenance inhaler. My mom was giving me hers for the past couple of years because she has COPD, but hasn't really needed them. Now, her COPD has gotten worse and the doctor is taking her off of the one that I use and putting her on one that she absolutely needs.

So I went to urgent care on Saturday because I thought I had found a way to get my inhaler through the medication manufacturer for free. However, when I got to the pharmacy I found out that's not the case. Because my health insurance won't pay for any part of this inhaler the program won't cover the rest to make it free. They take $100 off leaving me with $241.00 to pay. I cannot afford that each month. I cannot afford that at all. That is just for the maintenance inhaler. My health insurance will not pay for any inhalers at all. They only pay for pills, which I already do take and nebulizer treatments. I cannot bring a nebulizer with me on an ambulance and if I am having an asthma attack I cannot do a nebulizer treatment in front of a patient or while I'm driving and some of our transports are upwards of two hours or more.

I pay $600 a month and it is likely going up to $700 or more next month because not enough people take advantage of the insurance and they have to spread the risk across who does have it. I am required to have it because of my kids in NY and the state of NY wanting me to pay for health insurance for them. To pay for the health insurance and child support $800 comes out each month, which is more than one full paycheck of take home pay for me with 4 1/2 hours of overtime on that paycheck. So, next month my monthly payment will be from $900 to $1000 and would put me at over $300 to $400 more than I get paid in one paycheck with 4 1/2 hours of overtime. If I didn't have to have the insurance I could literally pay for three years of these inhalers by not paying one year of the health insurance. I figured that out yesterday.

I am just so frustrated that these insurance companies don't care whether I can breathe or not. I almost cried in front of the pharmacist. He felt so bad that he couldn't do anything to help me.

I also need prayer in this area too since I'll need health insurance soon and the prices have gone up so high. Right now I'm on a fixed income and these prices I'm seeing are too high for me to afford.

Please pray for me as I pray for you.

 

[mkgal1]

What I pay for is the generic medication plan and as far as I can tell there are no maintenance inhalers. The doctor cannot help me appeal something they just don't cover with the plan that I pay for.

I talked to the insurance broker that our company uses and to go up another tier that covers brand name medications will cost me over $1000.

There were a few resources on that page I shared earlier, one was this non-profit. I hope there's change soon with our national health care. This is horrible that, even though you're paying a LOT out each month, you aren't able to afford the meds you need:



When health insurance is not enough.®
501(c)(3) independent non-profit organization providing financial assistance to adults and children to cover the cost of prescription drug coinsurance, copayments, deductibles, health insurance premiums and other selected out-of-pocket health care costs. ~ About HealthWell Foundation and the underinsured