[TheForge] Re: Health insurance

Thu Dec 20 15:39:01 2001

I didn't mean to get people arguing about health insurance, I just didn't understand how your system works, I guess it is different from state to state. We always hear how good your medical system is and there is some talk that we will have to follow your model because of free trade. Well if it is better I have no problem. We pay for our medical, out of our taxes, I think it is fair and if you can believe it or not, it is the one tax that I don't mind paying.  The way I figure it, I do my part now and pay, sure I might not be getting much out of it now, but in the future it is there if I need it. I also know that my neighbor is being looked after no matter what their individual circumstance may be, everyone is treated as equal. After reading your thoughts I think that I would rather keep our present system, I have enough worries being self empolyed. 

The seasons best! and stay healthy

Daryl

Margaret Green <[email protected]> wrote:

>  I kind of disagree that the statistics are skewed. Absolutely
>anyone who doesn't have a job where health insurance is a paid
>benefit will find it almost impossible to find any health
>insurance that's affordable and that's if they aren't turned down
>for pre-existing conditions. My brother is complaining about what
>he has to pay for his health benefit that his employer gives but
>doesn't pay for. Anyone part time, seasonal jobs (example
>construction), self employed, etc., etc., has a big problem. It's
>either none or very expensive, if they can even get it.
>  We're in a small group of 3 or 4 people and pay $640 each per
>month. We can't afford to pay it but we can't afford to drop it.
>It could wipe us out financially if we got sick. (I'm not sure of
>figures but a guess on a one week hospital stay for something
>simple like pneumonia is maybe around $15,000 or so, no surgery or
>involved treatment.) The hospitals and doctors will hound you for
>payment. I tried a couple of years ago to find something cheaper
>without much success. Anything cheaper won't cover much medical
>care. BTW the boss of our small group has been trying to find
>something cheaper each year for a while. At least one company
>won't take us because it's a small group and they won't take small
>groups. Any company that will take us is just as expensive.
>  What's really scary is, also, how much they'll cover. Someone I
>know had a heart attack a few years ago. He was treated in a local
>hospital and transferred to a hospital that specialized in cardiac
>problems for testing to see what was going on and more treatment.
>The transfer for more care was because "a bed opened up and *his
>health insurance checked out,"* the nurse's words. In other words
>if he had no insurance or it wasn't covered by the insurance he
>had, the first hospital would have just patched him up and sent
>him home - with probably, by the way, you owe us $x for your
>treatment here.
>  A lot changed when health insurance, and the whole medical field
>went from non-profit to let's make as much money as we can.
>Marge Green
>
>
>>         What's never mentioned in that stat is that two of the four
>> are on gov't assistance programs (medicaid and medicare aren't
>> counted as "insurance" for the stat), and that another 1.8 of the
>> four *CHOOSE* not to pay for health insurance - they're the 18-30
>> year old crowd with good jobs and no kids.
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