Let's talk about healthcare

Plainview

Plainview

I am a sinner.
Sep 11, 2013
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So, it's time to renew my health insurance. My company doesn't offer it, so I get it through the exchange. This year I've been paying $640 a month. That's just for me, nobody else is on my policy. I have discomfort in my elbow that hasn't gone away in a couple months and I want to get it looked at. Granted, I haven't been to the doctor all year. I'm pushing my physical until next year. So, after paying them nearly $8000 in premiums, I now have to pay out of pocket to see a "specialist," because specialists aren't covered until I reach my deductible, which is really low considering, $1500. To see the orthopedist, get X-Rays, and most likely a cortisone shot, will cost me $1200 out of pocket.

Rather than getting it looked at now, I pushed it until next year. The plan I chose for next year has a co-pay for orthopedists, $60. The monthly premium for the new plan is $670. For the year it will cost me $400 more, but will save me $800 since specialists are now included. I also am supposed to see a cardiologist every year, guess what, they're specialists. So, next year I'm gonna see EVERYBODY!

This is the biggest racket in the United States, the medical industry. From hospitals, to insurance companies, I'm excluding doctors because I have to believe they are truly for the patient. Sure, they like the money, but I believe they will pit patient over profit if freely allowed to.

When health became a for-profit industry, right around when Clinton was leaving office, that insurance was bangin', $150 and nearly everything covered, the healthcare industry became the scum that it is.
 
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Yeah, I could go on for a long ass time here, but it's a 🐂💩 industry
 
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I probably have a standard employee deal. About $75 deducted weekly from my paychecks going toward BlueCross/BlueShield and Guardian Dental/Vision.

$50 to $60 copay

$5000 deductible

It partially contributes to prescriptions but I forget exactly how it breaks down or it varies by medication.

Some of what I contribute to is Short Term Disability or a Critical Illness benefit which is a separate company benefit. It think it kicks in as emergency supplemental income up $20k or so. I haven't looked at it in a while and it probably depends on the illness or injury.



Unfortunately, I probably get this by working one of the all time unhealthiest jobs.
 
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I don't have any, so I can't discuss this matter any further.
 
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Plainview said:
When health became a for-profit industry, right around when Clinton was leaving office, that insurance was bangin', $150 and nearly everything covered, the healthcare industry became the scum that it is.
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We desperately need a cap on how much companies can charge if we can't get national health care.
Videodrome said:
I probably have a standard employee deal. About $75 deducted weekly from my paychecks going toward BlueCross/BlueShield and Guardian Dental/Vision.

$50 to $60 copay

$5000 deductible

It partially contributes to prescriptions but I forget exactly how it breaks down or it varies by medication.

Some of what I contribute to is Short Term Disability or a Critical Illness benefit which is a separate company benefit. It think it kicks in as emergency supplemental income up $20k or so. I haven't looked at it in a while and it probably depends on the illness or injury.



Unfortunately, I probably get this by working one of the all time unhealthiest jobs.
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I have something similar. It gets my basic needs done. Flu shot for instance. Blood test if I need it for a job will cost me money. Thankfully, I haven't had any nagging issues or medical emergencies. That can change in the blink of an eye and it worries me.
 
sharkboy1200 said:
We desperately need a cap on how much companies can charge if we can't get national health care.

I have something similar. It gets my basic needs done. Flu shot for instance. Blood test if I need it for a job will cost me money. Thankfully, I haven't had any nagging issues or medical emergencies. That can change in the blink of an eye and it worries me.
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Had a few things come up related to 2 small kidney stones. s*** I partly blame my job for sitting all day.

Feel fine now, but not sure how money I'll throw at the clinics.
 
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I work for the state technically so I'm on their health plan. About $120 per month for "COVA Care with Expanded Dental" plan. $25 copay for clinics (Patient First, etc), $40 for specialists. $1500 deductible.

I've been luck enough to have solid health insurance for a while now, but I don't get sick often so I tend not to use it as much as I should. I should start getting physicals and checkups done
 
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I had to change mine for next year. Giving High-Deductible with HSA a try. I'm 50 and my wife is a few years younger. We'll see if it's a mistake or not.
 
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Videodrome said:
Had a few things come up related to 2 small kidney stones. s*** I partly blame my job for sitting all day.

Feel fine now, but not sure how money I'll throw at the clinics.
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I sit down all day myself. 8:30 AM to around 5:30 PM. It sucks and I can't see myself doing it like that the rest of my life. Not where I can't at least get up here and there, walk around, do a bit of stretching.
 
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My first fulltime job was in a hospital in 1993, if you were fulltime your healthcare was "free" by the time I left that place 12 years later we were having $100 deducted from our checks to contribute to our benefits and our co-pays had risen dramatically. When I first started doctors visits were $5.00 and the ER was $25.00 but when I left doctors visits were $50 and the ER was $100 and that was with an HMO, now it's much worse for most people and if you have a PPO forget about it, those deductibles can be in the thousands.

The whole system is corrupt, it shouldn't be for profit and it shouldn't be tied to your job, we should have a national healthcare system where every citizen is covered and where people who are non citizens can be covered for a certain amount of time. That also leads to immigration reform and what to do about undocumented people who are here, we can't just say "he come on in and we'll take care of your healthcare" to people from north or south of the border (not that most Canadians even want to come here for healthcare) but we also have to cover people if we are going to keep turning our heads and letting them stay because they provide cheap labor.
 
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Videodrome said:
I probably have a standard employee deal. About $75 deducted weekly from my paychecks going toward BlueCross/BlueShield and Guardian Dental/Vision.

$50 to $60 copay

$5000 deductible

It partially contributes to prescriptions but I forget exactly how it breaks down or it varies by medication.

Some of what I contribute to is Short Term Disability or a Critical Illness benefit which is a separate company benefit. It think it kicks in as emergency supplemental income up $20k or so. I haven't looked at it in a while and it probably depends on the illness or injury.



Unfortunately, I probably get this by working one of the all time unhealthiest jobs.
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That deductible is terrible! I would never be able to pay it lol.
 
Well, I had Urologist visits, X-Rays, plus a 'Surgery' to sonic blast Kidney Stones and a follow up consultation to check things with an ultrasounds, get a shot, and more drugs to get over the painful nightmare of passing these mofos.

I'm on the hook for $5425.

I added the fees listed before insurance reductions and before Blue Cross / Blue Shield everything comes to: $14,638

I know I said I have a $5000 deductible, but the statements all have several itemized reductions for different individual services and there is to many to go through. In other words, it's bullsh;t and I'd probably have to get on the phone with an agent to explain it, but I just know it saved me about $10k.

Ironically, I can afford to pay it all, but that's thanks to an awful trucking job that probably contributed to getting the damn kidney stones. I'm not in the greatest financial shape I guess especially since I was out of work and switched jobs, but I can absorb this. After this plus Rent and all other normal bills, I'll have $4900.

My new job kind of sucks, but hopefully I can make it work to rebuild my savings and eventually leave s***ty Mobile, AL. The area I live in across the bay is a nice neighborhood, but the job market here sucks. Or maybe on this local job schedule I can find time for new skill training and get out of driving a truck.
 
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Videodrome said:
Well, I had Urologist visits, X-Rays, plus a 'Surgery' to sonic blast Kidney Stones and a follow up consultation to check things with an ultrasounds, get a shot, and more drugs to get over the painful nightmare of passing these mofos.

I'm on the hook for $5425.

I added the fees listed before insurance reductions and before Blue Cross / Blue Shield everything comes to: $14,638

I know I said I have a $5000 deductible, but the statements all have several itemized reductions for different individual services and there is to many to go through. In other words, it's bullsh;t and I'd probably have to get on the phone with an agent to explain it, but I just know it saved me about $10k.

Ironically, I can afford to pay it all, but that's thanks to an awful trucking job that probably contributed to getting the damn kidney stones. I'm not in the greatest financial shape I guess especially since I was out of work and switched jobs, but I can absorb this. After this plus Rent and all other normal bills, I'll have $4900.

My new job kind of sucks, but hopefully I can make it work to rebuild my savings and eventually leave s***ty Mobile, AL. The area I live in across the bay is a nice neighborhood, but the job market here sucks. Or maybe on this local job schedule I can find time for new skill training and get out of driving a truck.
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negotiate it. Medical bills are immensely inflated. For instance, if they are charging you more than $100 for each X-ray, they are ripping you off.
 
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Videodrome said:
Well, I had Urologist visits, X-Rays, plus a 'Surgery' to sonic blast Kidney Stones and a follow up consultation to check things with an ultrasounds, get a shot, and more drugs to get over the painful nightmare of passing these mofos.

I'm on the hook for $5425.

I added the fees listed before insurance reductions and before Blue Cross / Blue Shield everything comes to: $14,638

I know I said I have a $5000 deductible, but the statements all have several itemized reductions for different individual services and there is to many to go through. In other words, it's bullsh;t and I'd probably have to get on the phone with an agent to explain it, but I just know it saved me about $10k.

Ironically, I can afford to pay it all, but that's thanks to an awful trucking job that probably contributed to getting the damn kidney stones. I'm not in the greatest financial shape I guess especially since I was out of work and switched jobs, but I can absorb this. After this plus Rent and all other normal bills, I'll have $4900.

My new job kind of sucks, but hopefully I can make it work to rebuild my savings and eventually leave s***ty Mobile, AL. The area I live in across the bay is a nice neighborhood, but the job market here sucks. Or maybe on this local job schedule I can find time for new skill training and get out of driving a truck.
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Wtf Amerika?!
 
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So I switched jobs, which means I'll be in a time period of zero health insurance so I'm about to cancel a doctor appoint, because out healthcare system is so s***ty.

I guess at times like this, some kind of 'COBRA' health plan is made available, but I hear it's usually expensive. I might just delay my doctor appointment until the new company policy starts which is 90 days after my hire date.
 
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Videodrome said:
So I switched jobs, which means I'll be in a time period of zero health insurance so I'm about to cancel a doctor appoint, because out healthcare system is so s***ty.

I guess at times like this, some kind of 'COBRA' health plan is made available, but I hear it's usually expensive. I might just delay my doctor appointment until the new company policy starts which is 90 days after my hire date.
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Cobra should be 100% of your current premium. Insurance should stay the same.
 
Paid over $700 for 2 of my wife's RX! Such a racket. BTW, I signed up for the High Deductible Health Care, so I have to pay out of pocket for a little while. I also have an HSA debit card. This gets money from what gets taken out of my paycheck, tax-free. I get to set the limit. Also, employer contributes some at the beginning of the year.

Needless to say it was a sticker shock.

It does make me itemize my claims a bit more, now that I'm paying more out of pocket.
 
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Videodrome said:
I guess at times like this, some kind of 'COBRA' health plan is made available, but I hear it's usually expensive. I might just delay my doctor appointment until the new company policy starts which is 90 days after my hire date.
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COBRA is the same price as it was before your separation, just that the employer is no longer covering the majority of the charge. In other words, as expensive as you think insurance is for the s*** benefits you get, you're probably only paying a third or so of the actual premium.
 
Grimmy said:
Paid over $700 for 2 of my wife's RX! Such a racket. BTW, I signed up for the High Deductible Health Care, so I have to pay out of pocket for a little while. I also have an HSA debit card. This gets money from what gets taken out of my paycheck, tax-free. I get to set the limit. Also, employer contributes some at the beginning of the year.

Needless to say it was a sticker shock.

It does make me itemize my claims a bit more, now that I'm paying more out of pocket.
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I don't know if anyone knows, but the idea behind HDHP is that I pay a much lower premium. I then take tax-free money from my pay and put it into an HSA debit card. I can use this card to pay for medical things (RX, doctor visits, etc.). Whatever is left over at the end of the year, goes into next year and can accumulate. When I retire, whatever is left goes into retirement.

So, if I (knock on wood) stay relatively healthy and don't have to go on a ton of doctor visits or have too many prescriptions, this could save me money.

This is sort of a trial run this year to see how I like it.
 
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Videodrome said:
Well, I had Urologist visits, X-Rays, plus a 'Surgery' to sonic blast Kidney Stones and a follow up consultation to check things with an ultrasounds, get a shot, and more drugs to get over the painful nightmare of passing these mofos.

I'm on the hook for $5425.

I added the fees listed before insurance reductions and before Blue Cross / Blue Shield everything comes to: $14,638

I know I said I have a $5000 deductible, but the statements all have several itemized reductions for different individual services and there is to many to go through. In other words, it's bullsh;t and I'd probably have to get on the phone with an agent to explain it, but I just know it saved me about $10k.

Ironically, I can afford to pay it all, but that's thanks to an awful trucking job that probably contributed to getting the damn kidney stones. I'm not in the greatest financial shape I guess especially since I was out of work and switched jobs, but I can absorb this. After this plus Rent and all other normal bills, I'll have $4900.

My new job kind of sucks, but hopefully I can make it work to rebuild my savings and eventually leave s***ty Mobile, AL. The area I live in across the bay is a nice neighborhood, but the job market here sucks. Or maybe on this local job schedule I can find time for new skill training and get out of driving a truck.
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Wow that's a lot of money, yeah they saved you $10k but the bill was inflated because of how little insurance companies actually pay to begin with. Insurance really doesn't pay all that much, they contract with the provider, you meet your deductible before they pay anything and then the insurance pays at a highly reduced rate with many things just being written off completely.

I may have said this here before but when I worked at the hospital several of the insurance companies paid at max $300 for an ER visit, the rest (minus the co-pay) was written off. Insurance is a scam in many ways, a scam we need but if the country would just spend it's money in the right places we could still have high quality healthcare and possibly higher wages because employers wouldn't have to pay hundreds of dollars for each employees healthcare every month.
 
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