Lainey

Just out of curiosity, I looked on line at the insurance plans available to folks who can't get it from work, are unemployed or self employed and need insurance,or just don't qualify for free insurance.

Take a look. Do a little shopping. These plans are almost as expensive as the one I have at work. They have all kinds of limitations, deductibles, out of pocket expenses 35% co-insurance AFTER deductible on some, and the price pushes $450.00/month for a single plan for someone of Vintage age.

And they wonder why people go without insurance?

Makes your group plan look real good, doesn't it?

Check it out!

RedY2KS2k

I'm really interested in hearing how the "crowning achievement" of Mitt Romney's governorship turned out. The more I can hear from the citizens of "Taxachusetts", the better. The MA experiment may hold lessons for the rest of us.

Lainey

There are supposedly fewer uninsured people thanks to his plan.

But with large deductibles and a $400.00+/ month premium, some folks will still opt to pay the "monthly penalty" for not being insured, vs. dishing out the cash for a policy where you will still have to dish out the $.

I'm not saying it is what I'd do, as I realize one heart attack can land someone not only in the hospital, but in bankruptcy court, if you have no insurance. However, I bet many folks out there would rather take a chance and roll the dice, than buy one of these plans.

paivag

I did for the first 24years of my life, no insurance that is. I also haven't seen a doctor beside a few physicals over the past 10 years either.

ajlafleche

George, be glad you're still young!

The other side of the coin, costs of a mrelatively minor medical emergency:

Gall bladder attack: several hundred dollars for the ambulance and about $1200 for the ER. Subsequent surgery, upwards of $6000 for removal and no overnight. Pre-op and post op visits $?

With a decent policy: $75 for the ambulance, $100 for the ER and $100 for the operation, $25 for each pre/post specialist visit.

My insulin retails for over $400 a month, and the total of my 5 meds is in the $800 range. My out of pocket is about $70.

boltonblue

George, my ACL replacement was ~ $23k.
My visit to the ER for a kidney stone two weeks before was almost $5k.

God only knows what barb over nighter at umass trauma center costs, my guess is somewhere north of $50K maybe as much as 100K.

fortunately we never see most of those bills.
medical costs can be staggering.

NH_s2k_Guy

If you have insurance, get a yearly physical no matter how old you are!

It's the only way that a doctor can detect something that, if left untreated,
could become much more serious.

You hear about people that don't get physicals, go to the doctor only when
they feel some pain only to find out that they have some irreversable
disease or condition that could have been prevented.

daktruckie99

My aunt had emergency open heart surgery maybe 6 years ago. Middle of the night ambulance trip to the hospital and emergency surgery + recovery was like $150k+.

She paid a $50 copay. State health insurance worked for her.

Lainey

Rick had three shoulder surgeries in six months several years ago. Each hospital bill was over 11K and he never spent an overnight in the hospital. The Boston hospital kept him on a 23 hour observation, which was the way they got around the insurance company paying for an overnight stay. Those charges do not include doctor fees, PT, MRI's and the rest of the "stuff."

I think we paid less than $500.00 total, to the hospitals and surgeons. Policies now generally have bigger deductibles or co-pays, but if you get sick/hurt, you'll be darn glad you have insurance, it's just a shame that it has gotten so darn expensive and unaffordable for many.

RedY2KS2k

Lainey,

Think about how many Americans, just barely getting by anyway, would face bankruptcy court if presented with over $30k in medical bills in a short time. That happens to the uninsured every day...

I don't have any answers, but I do recognize that we have a problem.