annewandering Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 Eowyn, I agree things need to change. Honestly I think its going to get worse not better. If we were more Christlike I have no doubt the issues would be non issues fast. If I had $600 to spend on healthcare insurance I wouldnt. I would 'credit union' it for a rainy day. As for what to to about cancer expenses? The way it is now, die. Even insurance wont pay if they can wiggle out of it. My father got cancer. He had insurance, medicare and still had to pay for many of his costs till he found another way. Fortunately for him he was a veteran so he went to the VA. He still died but he did have care. I worry about my mom. Her family dies of cancer. If she had it she would die, treatable or not. So would I. Thats just the way it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennarator Posted December 13, 2011 Report Share Posted December 13, 2011 Okay, let me ask you guys then...Please don't take this as a snarky or insulting or whatever comment. This is truly a puzzle that I'm trying to roll around in my head. Because, I'm not a rich person. But, $600 is worth every penny to me to save up for my family's healthcare. I have a 4 bedroom house, 2 paid-off 8-year-old cars, $150/week of groceries, living holistically as healthy as we can possibly make it.If $600/month is too outrageous for... if I just limit to all the responders here on this forum, then it's all of you... then how do y'all figure out who gets to pay if you get into a situation like me where my father has cancer and everytime he gets a chemo treatment we pay $10,000? That's $10,000 per month for at least 6 months and then $2,000 or so per month for maintenance, for life. Do y'all just... die?Or do y'all figure somebody else will have to pay it?And if so... who do you think should pay it?Do y'all then approve of universal healthcare where the government re-distributes resources so that those who can afford cable TV and then some gets to pay for those who can't scratch 2 pennies together to pay for healthcare?Seriously. I'm super curious how y'all think it should work out.My dear, that is the whole dilema.....right now my kids are covered but only for a few more weeeks. I am covered just until I have this baby. Other than that I pray nothing happens to my hubby or me. I just don't know what to do when my kids loose theirs. My son needs surgery. But what do I do? If there is no money, there is no momey. Period. As much as I would like to get him insured, I just can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 Anatess i haven't seen anyone here say it wouldn't be worth it. But for someone like me that lives on one income, $600 a month just isn't feasible. In fact it's impossible. I suppose I could go back to working 3 jobs again to afford it.I understand what you're saying Pam. My question is not whether x amount of dollars is worth it. My question is... What do you plan to do if you get sick?It's kinda like the guy in Tennessee who can't afford $75/yr of fire services... Do you just then let the house burn down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 Coming up with $75 for one year is a great deal different from hundreds of dollars per month. If you don't have it, what are you supposed to do? Maybe you could scramble to come up with several hundred dollars once, but every month? I'm sure everyone would prefer to have it, but you can't squeeze blood from a turnip, and food, shelter, and necessary transportation and utilities are higher on the list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sister_in_faith Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 I go to the hospital/doctor when I need to. Nope, I don't have nearly as much money in the bank as I need to cover the costs. And I feel bad, because these last few months I've spent money that I shouldn't have on things I really didn't need (that's another story), but basically this is how it has worked for me and my family. My mother had cancer. She went in. Got diagnosed, and had surgery. She applied for financial assistance through the hospital. They covered her bills 100%. I have applied for financial assistance through the hospitals and have been forgiven thousands and thousands of dollars. Is it fair for others to pay for my medical care, no, probably not. Am I worth it? No. Do I feel guilty that I am a burden to others? Absolutely. Would I take a handful of pills right now, so that I could assure that no one else would be burdened by me again? Yep, without heistation. That is the only solution I can see. If I stop getting medical treatment, I will end up locked up some where because I am a danger to myself, and forced to get medical treatment anyway. That is how society works right now. So it is a lot cheaper to just continue on course with the treatment I get, then to let it spirial out of control and have me end up in a 24-7 facility. I really shouldn't post at 3:35 am when I am not in a good mood. Sorry guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 (edited) I understand what you're saying Pam. My question is not whether x amount of dollars is worth it. My question is... What do you plan to do if you get sick?It's kinda like the guy in Tennessee who can't afford $75/yr of fire services... Do you just then let the house burn down? I've been sick for 2 years. I now have some insurance. The only option my company has. But it's so limited that it only pays $1500 a year. That includes any office visits. One of the tests I need is over $4000. So I go without. Edited December 14, 2011 by pam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennarator Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 I understand what you're saying Pam. My question is not whether x amount of dollars is worth it. My question is... What do you plan to do if you get sick?It's kinda like the guy in Tennessee who can't afford $75/yr of fire services... Do you just then let the house burn down?The difference here is that if you have a major emergency, the hospitals have to take you. Then you owe, and that is a mess and hard to pay, and imposible, but you won't be turned down. Unlike the fire where they let the house burn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applepansy Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 Okay, let me ask you guys then...Please don't take this as a snarky or insulting or whatever comment. This is truly a puzzle that I'm trying to roll around in my head. Because, I'm not a rich person. But, $600 is worth every penny to me to save up for my family's healthcare. I have a 4 bedroom house, 2 paid-off 8-year-old cars, $150/week of groceries, living holistically as healthy as we can possibly make it.If $600/month is too outrageous for... if I just limit to all the responders here on this forum, then it's all of you... then how do y'all figure out who gets to pay if you get into a situation like me where my father has cancer and everytime he gets a chemo treatment we pay $10,000? That's $10,000 per month for at least 6 months and then $2,000 or so per month for maintenance, for life. Do y'all just... die?Or do y'all figure somebody else will have to pay it?And if so... who do you think should pay it?Do y'all then approve of universal healthcare where the government re-distributes resources so that those who can afford cable TV and then some gets to pay for those who can't scratch 2 pennies together to pay for healthcare?Seriously. I'm super curious how y'all think it should work out.In our case...yes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennarator Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 I don't think the universal healthcare is the answer. To be honest, I don't like insurence is good at all. I think that's why the cost keeps going up is the hospitals and doctors' admiistration raises costs, the insurence goes up and all. But if everyone was expected to pay on thier own, like when a car breaks down. Costs wouldn't skyrocket so much. I think the system is so broken, nobody has a clue how to fix it. All I know is I don't have all of there "extra" things like cable, ot texting, or whatever. I buy most of my clothes at DI. And I still can't afford heathcare. I know I am not the only one. My husband posted his frusterations on FB and I wish I could post the responses, but I don't have FB access at work. One person said he pays 600 a month for healthcare, his deductable is $5,000 per person, and since the deductable is so high, he currently owes over 11 grand!! That is with health insurence, and expensive health insurence at that!! The syatem is completely messed up!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 The current "obamacare" uses the mandatory insurance coverage answer to healthcare which is not the answer because of all you pointed out about the problems with insurance, Jenn. But, universal healthcare is not insurance. Universal healthcare like the one proposed by Bill Clinton in the 90's and the Canadian/British models do not go by insurance. It goes by something like the VA... or a better analogy would be like Public Education. Where the delivery of healthcare, including dental, is brought under the umbrella of government. Personally, I don't like government delivered healthcare as I don't want the government to over-regulate how people stay healthy and treat illnesses. But, I see America and I see a lot of unhealthy people without any resources for healthcare and I start to wonder maybe y'all would be better off with a Canadian-style healthcare delivery system. We're already paying out our noses for medical care because of the people who has to be treated that can't pay. There wouldn't be much of a difference then... maybe over-regulation is a small price to pay to give y'all some recourse instead of just accepting that y'all have no other choice but to just... die.... when care becomes unaffordable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 I think it might help to find a way to allow doctors to get their educations without having to go into so much debt for it, and to make it harder to sue so that their malpractice insurance didn't have to be so ridiculously expensive. Again, I don't know how to accomplish that, but it seems like those are 2 parts of the problem. But there are a lot of parts. So many problems, so many facets, so little money. . . now I'm depressed about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennarator Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 I think it might help to find a way to allow doctors to get their educations without having to go into so much debt for it, and to make it harder to sue so that their malpractice insurance didn't have to be so ridiculously expensive. Again, I don't know how to accomplish that, but it seems like those are 2 parts of the problem. But there are a lot of parts. So many problems, so many facets, so little money. . . now I'm depressed about it.I am depressed, too. I am stuck in a catch 22. Don't know what I am going to do...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 . . . now I'm depressed about it.Oh no...Hope that makes you feel better!Yes, malpractice suits definitely needs to be address. But the problem is very complex because of the unique position of America being the leader in innovations. All the cancer research, diabetes research, etc. etc. cost money. But without them, diseases will remain uncurable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 I am depressed, too. I am stuck in a catch 22. Don't know what I am going to do......You are in a tough place. I'm sorry. It stresses me out to not have coverage for my kids right now (and not qualify for public aid), but I don't have outside pressure pressing on me. I'm sorry you do. I hope you find a workable solution soon. Could you appeal to the court for some kind of forbearance, or would that just cost more money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john doe Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 Let's try to keep this thread on topic. If you want to discuss the pros and cons of insurance, then I suggest we start a new topic. I doubt Iggy meant for her thread to degenerate to this.Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? Testing, 1,2,3...... testing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vort Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? Testing, 1,2,3...... testing....did you hear something?...Me either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john doe Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 Maybe everybody wised up and put me on "Ignore". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annewandering Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 I've been sick for 2 years. I now have some insurance. The only option my company has. But it's so limited that it only pays $1500 a year. That includes any office visits. One of the tests I need is over $4000. So I go without.I just dont understand a culture that has so little humanity that it allows this to go on. The money is there. Its just more important to people who have the money to pay for their own pleasures than to help their fellow man. Yes they did work for it since by the grace of God, He gave them to ability to do it. We are commanded to love our fellow man but that ends at the bank account. It is a love of self that is responsible for this mess not a love of God. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? Testing, 1,2,3...... testing. Perhaps you keep your speakers on mute like Dravin does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 The conversation has stayed friendly, so I don't understand the problem? annewandering, I do look forward to living the law of consecration. Of course by that time, we won't have a need for healthcare, will we? But we'll not have to worry about having everything we need. Hopefully people will want piano lessons and computer programming, so hubby and I can contribute. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john doe Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 Perhaps you keep your speakers on mute like Dravin does.I don't get speakers at work. Maybe that's the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annewandering Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 The conversation has stayed friendly, so I don't understand the problem?annewandering, I do look forward to living the law of consecration. Of course by that time, we won't have a need for healthcare, will we? But we'll not have to worry about having everything we need. Hopefully people will want piano lessons and computer programming, so hubby and I can contribute. :)I so much agree with you! I am willing to contribute in any way I am able as well. The thing I keep thinking is we need to work toward that world now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmarklin Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 No one here is getting any sympathy from me. Just got a $17,000 bill from my dentist, which is the last third of the $50,000 worth of work my wife needs. My insurance paid $1,500. Had to hit the 401k plan to pay for it. Retirement postponed.................................. I don't get the whining of not being able to afford health insurance. That's the one thing that I looked for in every job I ever took: being able to get coverage for my family. And if the coverage was not good enough or affordable, I tried other options or other jobs. This really should be a priority in anyone's life, and I consider it a major lack of personal responsibility not to do this for oneself or loved ones. BTW my health insurance costs $2,452 per month. Anyone who thinks that the "obamacare" here in the US will be cheaper or "better" than what is happening now is deluding themselves. Many taxes etc. are being raised to pay for this plan. Even tanning booths are being taxed 10% to pay for it! I personally know several doctors that will not practice if this system survives the court challenges. When one thinks about it there's something fundamentally wrong with compelling everyone to buy something "for their own good". Sounds like another plan that was proposed millenia ago.......................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 I so much agree with you! I am willing to contribute in any way I am able as well. The thing I keep thinking is we need to work toward that world now.This is encapsulated by missionary work. Unfortunately, our missionary accomplishments is not at the point where most everybody believe in God yet, let alone His law of consecration that it can support an entire nation. So, in the meantime, we have to figure out an alternative solution. It is a big puzzle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 . . . and if there are no jobs with a livable wage that offer healthcare, then what, mmarklin? It's not like jobs are in free supply, and many are offering little to no benefit package. My husband's only option has been to take work as an hourly-waged contractor with no benefits. Next month we'll finally be able to afford catastrophe insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts