Health Insurance

[Rowland]

Anyone here besides myself uninsured? I lost my eligibility for the insurance I shared with my mother about a year and a half ago, after which I've been surviving without any. Events in my life have recently occurred however that have me questioning the wisdom of this decision, even considering my shaky financial circumstances. Does anyone here have advice to impart for someone who is relatively clueless in these matters? Any response is welcome and encouraged.

[Sycophant]

I'm uninsured!

[Skitch]

I feel like giving my boss a hug. :)

[D_Davis]

Before I had a job that provided, I was at an HMO - Kaiser. It was affordable, and despite the bad rep HMOs often get, I never had a problem. I even had a semi-major surgery, and all I had to pay was a very low co-pay.

[number8]

I was uninsured for years before yesterday.

[Winston*]

The government pays for me when I get sick.

[Sycophant]

The government pays for me when I get sick.
I'm more than a bit jealous of that.

If I get sick now, it could very well cause complete financial ruin.

Though I may actually be able to afford it soon, finally. I haven't seen a doctor in six years.

[Dukefrukem]

In MA its a law to be insured or we have to pay a huge sum of money when we file our tax return...

[Lucky]

Before I accepted my new position which provides me health insurance, I had Blue Cross Blue Shield when I was waiting tables out of college. I thought it was completely affordable and worth it. I have my own apartment and still managed to afford my bills on my server pay. It would make me very nervous going day to day without health insurance.

[soitgoes...]

In MA its a law to be insured or we have to pay a huge sum of money when we file our tax return...For reals?? Jesus. Not only does the government not help the under-privileged when they get sick or whatnot, but they penalize them too. The whole concept of insurance is mindboggling to me.

[Scar]

Sorry, can't help. Been insured my whole life.

[Kurosawa Fan]

No insurance here, but my kids are insured. My wife and I let ours lapse unintentionally back in March. Ironically even with insurance our medical bills got so high that we couldn't afford the monthly payment for the insurance. My wife is... well... sickly, to put it kindly. If that's kind.

We were actually just looking at insurance again today, so our problems may not last for too long.

[Sven]

My wife is... well... sickly, to put it kindly. If that's kind.

Oh jeez. Nothing too serious, I hope. This isn't a euphemism for preggers, is it?

[megladon8]

I'm in a similar bind, Rowland.

I was insured all my life under my dad's plan, but now that I'm 21 and out of school I am no longer covered.

So I am currently shopping around for health insurance, so I don't need to pay $200 every month for my medications.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Oh jeez. Nothing too serious, I hope. This isn't a euphemism for preggers, is it?

No, not at all. And luckily, her afflictions are always fairly mild. She's had kidney stones three times (once a stone was large enough that it had to be surgically removed, she fell while rollerblading and broke her tailbone, of course there were the pregnancies and their minor complications (hers were very hard on her, she couldn't keep food down for 5 months to the point where both times they threatened to keep her at the hospital and feed her through an IV), etc.

My son fell off the couch and split his head open on the coffee table a couple years ago and had to get stitches. It's just been one thing after another, and health insurance isn't as helpful as most people think. Sure, it's better than nothing, but with the monthly costs for a family of four, it's almost financially wiser to just take the hospital bills when they come and not waste money each month on the insurance.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

I was on my parents until I turned 24 last April. None right now. I've always been pretty healthy but i won't risk going too long without it.

[D_Davis]

The whole concept of insurance is mindboggling to me.

Yeah - talk about job security. I'd love to have a business that the government forces people to use, but one that no one ever wants to use (because if they do it means they need help), and then once they do I could charge them more for it.

Sounds awesome.

[monolith94]

For reals?? Jesus. Not only does the government not help the under-privileged when they get sick or whatnot, but they penalize them too. The whole concept of insurance is mindboggling to me.
As a citizen of Massachusetts, I qualified for state-run healthcare, do to my low income. So, basically, MA has given me healthcare for free.

edit: it's this (http://www.mahealthconnector.org/portal/site/connector/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.3ef8fb03b7fa1ae4a7ca7 738e6468a0c/?javax.portlet.tpst=2fdfb14090 4d489c8781176033468a0c_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_2fdfb140904d 489c8781176033468a0c_viewID=co ntent&javax.portlet.prp_2fdfb140904d 489c8781176033468a0c_docName=C ommCareOverview&javax.portlet.prp_2fdfb140904d 489c8781176033468a0c_folderPat h=/About%20Us/CommonwealthCare/)

[MadMan]

For now I'm going to college so I'm still covered under my parents' plan. That will end when I graduate, and hopefully I will be able to get health insurance that I can afford.

Man KF, it sounds like you've had quite a lengthy string of bad luck.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

do to my low income.


I hope you're not a teacher :)

[Duncan]

Yeah, the American health insurance industry just seems fucked to me. I had a standard student package when I lived in New York that was $1000/yr. But I swear every single medication I needed wasn't covered, or only a small percentage of the cost was.

Now I have OHIP (Ontario health insurance plan), and my company provides highly comprehensive coverage beyond that.

[Benny Profane]

I sincerely hope that health care in this country never becomes nationalized. I deal with the government on a daily basis as we sell a bunch of products for local, city, and even federal contracts. Talk about inefficiency and stupidity. If they ever take over health care what a clusterfuck it will be. Ugh.

[Duncan]

I sincerely hope that health care in this country never becomes nationalized. I deal with the government on a daily basis as we sell a bunch of products for local, city, and even federal contracts. Talk about inefficiency and stupidity. If they ever take over health care what a clusterfuck it will be. Ugh.

I'd rather deal with inefficiency than deal with a system that seems, from my experience, to be specifically designed almost through collusion to take advantage of its customers.

edt: sp.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I'd rather deal with inefficiency than deal with a system that seems, from my experience, to be specifally designed almost through collusion to take advantage of its customers.

Absolutely. I mean, we had health insurance, but couldn't pay for it because of our huge medical bills. That's so fucked up there was nothing to do but laugh about it.

[monolith94]

I hope you're not a teacher :)
Hahaha I just finished the classes for my M.Ed program to become an English teacher.

[monolith94]

I sincerely hope that health care in this country never becomes nationalized. I deal with the government on a daily basis as we sell a bunch of products for local, city, and even federal contracts. Talk about inefficiency and stupidity. If they ever take over health care what a clusterfuck it will be. Ugh.
State-run health care has served me well so far. I've gotten a free check-up, and my next step is to look for an eye doctor that takes my insurance (network health).

[Ezee E]

Insurance through work for me. Relatively low price too. I rock.