Nurses working without health insurance

sarafina · Jan 23, 2011

off topic,,,

but what time zone are these posts tagged by?

Admins?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jan 23, 2011

Although I work 60 hours per week, I am uninsured.

I have a part-time job that does not qualify me for benefits because my status is not full-time (my 24 hours per week falls short of the 30 hours that would make me a full-time employee). I also have a PRN/per diem job where I consistently work 36 hours per week, but they do not want to bring me on board as full-time because the benefits would cost this company an additional $10,000 annually.

I recently paid $1,200 in cash to have a root canal performed at the endodontist's office, and will need to pay another $600 for a core buildup and a crown for the same tooth. I also paid cash for a deep cleaning and some fillings. In addition, I pay cash for doctor's visits and prescriptions. I make sure that each medication is on WalMart's $4 prescription list.

I had excellent health insurance when I was a factory worker years ago. Now that I am a healthcare worker, I cannot even afford an inpatient stay at any of the places that currently employ me. The irony escapes me...

roser13, ASN, RN · Jan 23, 2011

Well, I do have health insurance. I pay $250 every 2 weeks for me and my infant son. My deductable??? 10,000. That means before I can even come close to benefiting from all the money I put into my 'insurance'. I have to pay $10,000 out of pocket!!! How ridiculous is that?? Recently, I fell in the snow and sprained my ankle and ended up paying close to a thousand dollars out of pocket for the office visit, xrays and brace and pain meds. Lucky me,,,,I caught the flu from work and went to the doctor. Cost me another almost $300 for the visit and meds.
Every time I take a bite out of my saving account for health related expenses, I wonder why I am paying $500 a month (sometimes more if its a 3 paycheck month).
Everytime I say I will cancel it. And I would in an instant, but there is the baby to worry about so I keep paying. I should really research if it's possible to have coverage just for him. Am sure it would be much cheaper.

Sarafina, that is an astronomical premium amount to pay for a policy that carries a $10,000 deductible. Is this policy through your employer? If so, do they offer any other option such as HMO?

roser13, ASN, RN · Jan 23, 2011

"If people purchased ins at age 18-19-20 when they are healthy, they would have coverage later when they are not so healthy. "

I don't believe that this is a true statement. I believe you are thinking of life insurance premiums, not health insurance premiums.

coastalcattery · Jan 23, 2011

To Sarafina - if you do happen to pay that $10,000 deductible this year then the new year will roll in and you'll have to start over! Useless health insurance - I can't believe it's come to this!

Junebugfairy · Jan 23, 2011

Yes, it is true.

I went into renal failure back in 2007. 290,000$ worth of medical bills, when all was said and done.

My OOP max is 6500$ Everything was pre certified, I paid my ded and coinsurance. For 290k worth of services I paid 6500$.

If I had waited until I was sick to buy coverage, I would have been screwed. Thankfully, I already had coverage in place. I was able to get the care I needed.

If people purchased insurance before they need it, it will offer coverage when they do. I was 18 when I purchased my plan, my mother kicked me off of her plan to save money. I had these health problems at age 25, almost 26. That protection was there when I needed it. Also, since I already had that policy in force, they did not raise my rates.

Anne36, LPN · Jan 23, 2011

IM only a student Nurse, but this is an issue for my family as well. We are hoping that when I graduate and get a job I can get my family of 6 some decent health ins.

We are paying 800/mo oop for our "employer sponsered" health ins plan throught my husbands work. As it is, our deductibels are about $250 per person and I cannot even afford to use it because we are too broke after paying premiums. I have several medical bills in collection right now that were from the very few times we were seen last year. It is Useless! We would drop it , but healthcare is unaffordable period. If someone breaks a bone or needs their appendix out we would be in for major expenses, forget a serious illness.

jenin · Jan 23, 2011

I cannot believe the US insurance system :eek: . I am Australian and insurers cannot refuse to cover anybody. When you join, or upgrade cover, the most you will need to wait for cover, or upgraded cover, is 12 months for pre-existing conditions. I have just upgraded my insurance. I pay $150/month and after relevant waiting periods, where I am still entitled to my previous level of cover, I will be 100% covered for IP treatment in participating private hospitals or as an IP in public hospital. Specialists sometimes charge more than what is covered so there may be some out of pocket expenses, but nothing to what you guys pay. I have also upgraded my *extras* cover (included in the $150/month) so have better optical, dental etc cover. People who don't have insurance can get public treatment but may have to wait for elective stuff. Urgent and life-threatening stuff usually is treated in a public hospital.

So I consider myself v lucky!

HDHRN · Jan 23, 2011

I work 2 jobs and neither one offers insurance. I work part-time at a LTC facility on assisted living. My other job is at an agency. I do CNA work and I really am not fond of it. I am really hoping to get a full time LPN job with good benefits soon. My husband did have health insurance through his job, but it never paid for anything and he wound up quitting that job b/c he barely got 15 hours a week. His new job wont offer insurance til after 1 year, we've been looking into private, but no luck so far.

anon695 · Jan 23, 2011

I'm don't graduate and take NCLEX until June, but I don't have any health insurance. I had COBRA but it was very expensive and the company denied all my (seldom) claims anyway. I discovered that if you need anything done that isn't an emergency, medical or dental, that it is much cheaper to fly to Costa Rica pay cash or credit for it. Somebody here mentioned a $40K hip replacement - that procedure is a fraction of the price in San Jose. If my husband doesn't land a job with decent insurance soon, I may fly back down there for some dental work. It can be kind of a pain to get to the airport, fly down and make sure you can get a room that isn't in a hooker hotel (Costa Rica's biggest tourism draws are medical/dental and legal prostitution) there rather than have the procedure done at home, but the savings can be worth it.

netglow, ASN, RN · Jan 23, 2011

Junebug,

An advisement to you.

Should you try and change insurance carriers you would most likely be denied access to insurance. Insurance for anyone who has had a significant hx is pretty much not gonna happen.

Should you have fallen and fx your leg in the past, but rehabed with no further counseling/tx for that injury you might be OK, etc. But if you have had something that might recur, or have the potential of causing complications/or predestin you to other problems in your future, even if years in the future, you can expect to have no access to comprehensive individual market health insurance with a reasonable deductible and OOP limit.

Also the longer you remain on a specific carrier's plan the more you will pay. Plan on soon getting notification of rising premiums Q6months as you age with the plan the carrier's risk is higher.

If you have filed a claim with any carrier at any time, Big Brother is aware of it. Should you attempt to enter a plan, having neglected to inform the co. of a condition/tx you've had in the past, get accepted to this new plan, and then try to get a claim paid for tx of said condition, you will be denied coverage (total cost is yours). You also will be accused of fraud and your policy will be cancelled. So, they might let you in on what you've said, but they will do an easy data search off your ss, and see all of your history and claims paid when the claim your doctor submits is reviewed for payment. It's all available to them.

Short term catastrophic insurance (can enroll for 6 months max, and reapply twice only, consecutively) covers almost nothing, but if you end up in a major MVA it might help. You will never have pre-existing condition coverage with it. If you use this short term insurance during your first 6 month term, you cannot be covered the second time you take it for anything dx during your first term. Also you might, due to your new hx, be denied as uninsurable.

Best to know these things. Nothing you can do about it.

October97 · Jan 23, 2011

I pay $850 per month for my "employer-sponsored" health insurance. This is for me and my family of 5. Our deductible is $1200 for family, $600 individual. Copays for regular dr. visits $20 and specialist $40. I can't afford it because by the time they take the $850 from my pay there isn't enough left after regular living expenses to cover the copays. Then there is always a bill that comes later and that winds up going to collections because if I can only afford the insurance, barely the copays, how in the world am I going to pay a bill also? It is ridiculous. I work in NC. I used to work in NY at a unionized hospital. Had to come to NC for personal reasons, but NY was way better, only about $60 per month for family coverage and free, yes free medical care for employees and their families if treated at the hospital where we worked. I had my kids there, all for free, received one anesthesia bill and that was it.

This country is in a sad state of affairs where healthcare is concerned. I am going to work taking care of the children of people who don't work (I am a pediatric nurse). They get medicaid, therefore their healthcare is free. I can't even hardly live for trying to pay all of our medical bills and I am working. *** man.