I've been digging through my COBRA trying to find every doctor I've ever visited and everything I've ever been prescribed to apply for private health insurance. Of course, they don't tell you that, then it would be too easy.
I did find my benefit descriptions, with all the EOBs from all my doctors. Remember when they only paid my gyno $125? They paid the plain old doctor $60 when I had a bad cold. $60!!! What am I paying $1200/month for???
The only actual use of my health insurance was my trip to the ER with the initial bill at more than 12K. With that included, my lifetime benefits in the last three years on this plan are 8K. Without the ER, it would be pretty much nothing. That makes me want to puke. What am I (and previously my employer) paying $600/month for?
Why can't I just pay the $60 to go to the doctor and get insurance for cancer or a car accident or something like Morrison says in her comments? Heck, I'd even pay the 6K ER bill if I could self-insure it.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
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Your argument doesn't make any sense. We pay auto insurance and homeowners/renters insurance every year. Does that mean we want to have accidents or have our cars stolen every year? Of course, not. Does that mean we want fires/tornadoes/hurricanes to hit our homes every year? Of course, not.
Like all insurance, the premiums you and/or your employer pay for health insurance are pooled with those paid by/for other individuals. It's called a risk pool. Those without claims pay for those with claims. It's as simple as that.
I know you're smart enough to already know this, so your fake outrage seems more than a little disingenuos. In addition, any premium you pay will be higher because you are in the age group for women with the highest number of claims because you're in your "child bearing years" ages 25-35 per insurance companies). Yup, pregnancy and the complications for mother and child that can result are among the biggest medical expenses. As a former Administrative V.P., I had to select employee health insurance plans. Premiums were listed by employee and the amounts charged based on gendar and age were eye opening.
I don't envy your battle with this.
Perhaps look at high deductible plans again? There's lots of expensive conditions you could come down with that aren't catastrophic like an accident or cancer. This type of plan seems to bridge what you are looking for.
I would suggest you write your local congress person about your suggestions and troubles with COBRA. Maybe these issues can be addressed with that new health plan they are formulating up on capitol hill.
Hey Dog,
In todays NY Post, under Obama's health care plan, some New Yorkers will be hit with taxes up to 60%!!!! The Post is recommending business shut down and get the hell out of New York. Small businesses will be forced to lay off workers or get hit with the fines and penalties.
Brilliant.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07162009/news/regionalnews/dem_health_rx_a_poion_pill_in_ny_179525.htm
I do think that health inscurance is high but working at a hospital I see how easily you can rack up a bill.
Right... and it's not just a bad illness that can rack up a bill - Mr. 444 had to have an umbilical hernia repair. They had to open him back up, so two surgeries in a row, plus the surgical ICU due to some semi-complications, and a week in the hospital total comes to a lot of money. Even though he is literally better than new now.
Cost... I don't even want to know. We saw the huge bills but since all of them had "zero due" to us, because his employer's insurance is so good, we did not total them up. Other years he has not seen any doctor at all and many people also have few routine or zero medical visits per year. Then when something pricey comes along for one person, it gets paid for. Like Barb said above, I'm sure you understand it. When you have to pay for it yourself, it really does hit hard, though. When an employer subsidizes a lot of it, the cost is not as apparent.
While I sympathize with you about the expense of health insurance, I am a living (Thank God and Kaiser) example of why you need it--MY little trip to the doctor wound up costing Kaiser $47,000 and me $30. That's why you and I pay for it during all those months we DON'T need it--it only takes one bad month to make it all worthwhile.
Dog, you whine to much.
Not a recommendation, but if you want to self insure, then simply stop buying insurance.
Place cash every month ($1200?) in an interest bearing account and NEVER (that means NEVER) touch it. It will be used to pay all medical expenses.
When you reach medicare age, and if that's still a viable plan, then you can use the money saved - assuming you have not gone bankrupt by then.
Fake outrage? Puh-lease. This outrage is completely warranted.
The american healthcare system is broken. Your insurance costs of $1200 and the obscenely expensive costs charged by health care providers demonstrate that. It's even distorted the legal systems, forcing tort awards higher and higher. I'm not trying to say which came first -- that's a chicken and egg questions.
Just because everyone's in the same crappy mess doesn't mess that it isn't a crappy mess.
What's up with the anonymous meanies?
Geez, reading this post and the responses made me kind of grumpy. I can only imagine how you feel dog, since you're the one trying to deal with this.
My wife and my situation is a good example of why you need to have health insurance. I too hated paying that big chunk of money every month - until last year when my wife became seriously ill with a blood clot in her leg. 5 surgeries later and over 250,000 dollars in medical bills, we would have been in serious trouble without our health insurance. Health insurance sucks - until you need it. Then you'll be thanking your lucky stars you had it.
Of course if the Obama Universal Health Care passes getting private insurance won't be an option anymore. I shudder to think.
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