Health insurance

I have many years exp. paying for private insurance which have had many cycles of increasing rates and having to change carriers. When shopping many push the sign up now big increase coming. If their insurance is going up that much that quick I did not see a reason to sign up to begin with. Told them that and sent them down the road. Now I pay more than ever with the highest deductable ever but it includes things like maturnity. We can never need that but it is required by law. Have been looking at health care sharing programs. Looks like a viable alternative, anyone have experience with that?

 

To add to Rickyarosh's post, how I would describe an HSA is its like an IRA but you can withdraw funds tax free to pay for health care expenses.

Contribution limits and minimum deductibles are different for single and family plans.

 

I think that we should move directly into a single payer system.......

And as to what I can afford , I'll let that go........

Hope everything works out for your loved ones.

 

Military veterans can use the VA for health care.

May not be the best,

but meets obamacare regulations,

so no fine to pay.

 

That's called charity not socialism. They do that pretty much in every state. And likely a close look at his daughter's medical bills on that "$250,000" one would discover double and triple charges among other anamolies where probably only $100,000 of it is legit.

When you pay cash for medical services and you have several thousands in bills you have go over everything closely. You don't just pay those bills without going over every line item. Because they are so used to having medicare and insurance companies pay for nonsense without disputing it, as an ordinary consumer would, they get away with fraud every day. THAT is why health care costs are thru the roof.

Unnecessary layers of bureaucracy and government red tape have been placed between the consumer and their doctor. Would you pay $1,000 for a few ordinary ibuprofen pills? Of course not when you can buy a bottle of them at Wal Mart for $3. But if you're in a hospital and they give you ordinary ibuprofen that's probably what your insurance would get charged for it.

Everything is like that. Take away those layers of bureaucracy adding in ridiculous costs like that and you'd have people with pitch forks ready to lynch somebody over $1,000 ibuprofen. As it is no-one cares because they don't think they pay for that stuff.

 

I was in perfect health till about the age of 40. Then I took a physical and failed for high glucose. No insurance. Paid out of pocket for doctor I found in phone book. I took real Physical and diagnosed Type 2 diabetes, High blood pressure. Took a couple months to get numbers good enough to pass my DOT physical.
I now use a VA clinic. Those private doctors were running unnecessary test to charge my insurance.

 

VA is good it is just slow at getting appointments. Takes a couple months.

 

I ate the penalty last year. Company is $50 week med, dental, vision. Never go to the doctor, dentist and eye doctor yes. I look at it like paying $50 week not to get any major illness, cause if I didn't then I'd probably contract something where I need a brain transplant, or something similar.
Tell you what though, I got busted up pretty good snow mobiling, you wouldn't think broken bones would be so expensive, but the X rays, and doctor's visits add up, not to mention an orthopedic surgeon, operating room, etc. It's not bad to have in case of they WTF tragedy.

Can't you just get Highmark Blue Cross / Blue Shield fairly reasonable?

 

There is a similar law here in Arizona, and anyone can get state medical for nothing if they are on the down and out, no one is just going to let you die. I believe that's the correct thing to do anyway morally. It's funny the people from the most liberal states cry the loudest about healthcare for those that can't afford it lol.

My Dad's bill for dialysis is about $95K every month covered by medicare. If it wasn't for medicare, just think how many of you I'd have to have robbed at gun point to keep him alive.

 

True, so the government robs us at the point of a gun. That is the beauty of the system.... others can get government to do their bidding. Not saying it isn't necessary to some degree as your father and a cerebral palsy guy that lives near me need some type of care and it is cost prohibitive for the individual. But one has to wonder, what would the prices for this medical stuff be if they couldn't pry it out of insurance and medicare. I doubt it would be near as expensive as it would have to be more competitive if individuals were having to foot the bills.