Mary Lloyd's husband was lying in the intensive care unit of an Arizona hospital when she got a good look at their new health insurance card for the first time.
Then she got the shock of her life. The card read: "This is NOT an insurance card."
For the retired couple from East Bethel, it was the beginning of a financial nightmare that left them with at least $50,000 in unpaid medical bills. They discovered that the new "health plan," they signed up for in January, for $499 a month, wouldn't pay for any of his medical care.
Yeah, and what I call criminal is paying $440 a month for health insurance through my employer that pays....for......NOTHING!!!:angryfire
That's right. I have had this insurance for a year, paid thousands of dollars into it.........and they are refusing to cover any of the expenses for my hyperparathyroidism, which have already topped a thousand bucks and continue to mount. We haven't even gotten to the DEXA scan and the renal U/S I just had a couple of weeks ago, let alone the surgery I'm going to need. Why? Well, according to them it's a "pre-existing condition", even though I have never been officially diagnosed with the condition until now.
Somebody please, tell me how in the name of all that is reasonable can an insurance company get away with ripping off consumers, month after month after month, and NOT having to provide the services we are paying for??!! And how is that moral, or right, or even good business?? My husband and I are already in so deep from having so many medical expenses over the past year for our REAL pre-existing conditions that I don't see us ever getting out from under the crushing debt load..........of course the hospitals and doctor's offices never bill us for everything all at once so we never really know just how much we owe them, but I know it's in the tens of thousands and probably will reach six figures before this particular episode of my life is over.
I feel like I'm shoveling (insert vulgar term for 'feces' here) against the tide when I pay my co-pays at the time of service and then open up the bills two months afterwards to find that my insurance company has denied yet another claim. :angryfire This is what has convinced me---a political conservative in almost every other way---that single-payer health care is the ONLY way for middle- and lower-income people to survive financially, at least if they're past 35 and have a few medical issues.
I think you all know I work hard and play by the rules; I'm not lazy, looking for handouts, or trying to cheat the system. So how is it that some folks evidently think it's perfectly OK for an insurance company to cheat ME??!!
Just venting.........I am really, really ANGRY about this and it mystifies me that anyone can possibly justify the continuation of this evil non-system in light of the fact that it's not just "the poor and lazy" who are going bankrupt here.:devil:
while i do believe that most of these bankrupties are r/t to medical crisis, i believe there are also some who refuse to pay their medical bills, knowing that this type of unpaid debt, will not affect your credit rating.
i've heard folks say this time and time again.
however, i did find viking's post about other countries w/zero bankruptcy, fascinating...
and find it worthy of further research.
if true, it is very telling about our coverage, or lack of.
leslie
Medical bills won't affect their credit? When did that happen? These bankruptcies aren't SOLELY medical. Medical bills are part of them but not all.
what's your deductible? I bet when you meet it they will pay.
Yeah, and what I call criminal is paying $440 a month for health insurance through my employer that pays....for......NOTHING!!!:angryfire
That's right. I have had this insurance for a year, paid thousands of dollars into it.........and they are refusing to cover any of the expenses for my hyperparathyroidism, which have already topped a thousand bucks and continue to mount. We haven't even gotten to the DEXA scan and the renal U/S I just had a couple of weeks ago, let alone the surgery I'm going to need. Why? Well, according to them it's a "pre-existing condition", even though I have never been officially diagnosed with the condition until now.
Somebody please, tell me how in the name of all that is reasonable can an insurance company get away with ripping off consumers, month after month after month, and NOT having to provide the services we are paying for??!! And how is that moral, or right, or even good business?? My husband and I are already in so deep from having so many medical expenses over the past year for our REAL pre-existing conditions that I don't see us ever getting out from under the crushing debt load..........of course the hospitals and doctor's offices never bill us for everything all at once so we never really know just how much we owe them, but I know it's in the tens of thousands and probably will reach six figures before this particular episode of my life is over.
I feel like I'm shoveling (insert vulgar term for 'feces' here) against the tide when I pay my co-pays at the time of service and then open up the bills two months afterwards to find that my insurance company has denied yet another claim. :angryfire This is what has convinced me---a political conservative in almost every other way---that single-payer health care is the ONLY way for middle- and lower-income people to survive financially, at least if they're past 35 and have a few medical issues.
I think you all know I work hard and play by the rules; I'm not lazy, looking for handouts, or trying to cheat the system. So how is it that some folks evidently think it's perfectly OK for an insurance company to cheat ME??!!
Just venting.........I am really, really ANGRY about this and it mystifies me that anyone can possibly justify the continuation of this evil non-system in light of the fact that it's not just "the poor and lazy" who are going bankrupt here.:devil:
I don't think the timelines support that comment....The larger issue was that this couple was a victim of fraud....
So was a government plan to the tune of $60 BILLION. That government program goes by the name of MEDICARE. Mostly because they are trying to save us money by not having enough claim representatives to process claims.
But Britain itself is Bankrupt because of the "free" healthcare.
Many private citizens are bankrupt in Japan but it's such a dishonor to file that they don't. For anything. Not to mention that the Japanese are some of the highest savers in the world. Maybe Americans ought to follow that lead and then they could pay for the stuff they buy and not have to file bankruptcy. What a novel idea eh?
ESRD patients tend to run high phosphorus levels. Phosphorus is inversely proportional to calcium levels in the blood. FACTS. When a patient's calcium level is low the parathyroid gland over secretes parathyroid hormone. And the body goes looking for calcium in the bones. Imagine that. Therefore, ESRD patient's get a disease called renal osteodystrophy. In previous years patient's have had to have parathyroidectomies. But BIG PHARMA developed a new drug called Sensipar. Saving $$$$$ for people and the risks of surgery for patients. Imagine BIG PHARMA and the insurance companies thinking of a patient. TIC. It keeps the parathyroid from secreting so much hormone. EVERY freaking time we file a script for Sensipar MEDICARE denies it. We have to fill out a pre-authorization for the script. Every time they need it renewed MEDICARE denies it.
If a patient is on tums to rise the calcium level and lower the phosphorus level MEDICARE requires a script to fill those TUMS. They pay $8 a bottle for a $3 bottle of TUMS. The patient's love it because they save $3 and we, the taxpayers, spend $5. Seems fair to me.
No but we do need a transparent "plain language" insurance marketplace. If nothing else health care reform and the exchanges will improve transparency of the products.
Taxpayers will end up eating the 50K if the couple goes into bankruptcy.
She did do her homework,,,,,(From the source...)
They were "bait and switched..."
This might fit your transparent need. Compare the insured and the uninsured. Interesting reading. I'll have to poke around and see if other states have a similar website.
Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
Yeah, and what I call criminal is paying $440 a month for health insurance through my employer that pays....for......NOTHING!!!:angryfire
That's right. I have had this insurance for a year, paid thousands of dollars into it.........and they are refusing to cover any of the expenses for my hyperparathyroidism, which have already topped a thousand bucks and continue to mount. We haven't even gotten to the DEXA scan and the renal U/S I just had a couple of weeks ago, let alone the surgery I'm going to need. Why? Well, according to them it's a "pre-existing condition", even though I have never been officially diagnosed with the condition until now.
Somebody please, tell me how in the name of all that is reasonable can an insurance company get away with ripping off consumers, month after month after month, and NOT having to provide the services we are paying for??!! And how is that moral, or right, or even good business?? My husband and I are already in so deep from having so many medical expenses over the past year for our REAL pre-existing conditions that I don't see us ever getting out from under the crushing debt load..........of course the hospitals and doctor's offices never bill us for everything all at once so we never really know just how much we owe them, but I know it's in the tens of thousands and probably will reach six figures before this particular episode of my life is over.
I feel like I'm shoveling (insert vulgar term for 'feces' here) against the tide when I pay my co-pays at the time of service and then open up the bills two months afterwards to find that my insurance company has denied yet another claim. :angryfire This is what has convinced me---a political conservative in almost every other way---that single-payer health care is the ONLY way for middle- and lower-income people to survive financially, at least if they're past 35 and have a few medical issues.
I think you all know I work hard and play by the rules; I'm not lazy, looking for handouts, or trying to cheat the system. So how is it that some folks evidently think it's perfectly OK for an insurance company to cheat ME??!!
Just venting.........I am really, really ANGRY about this and it mystifies me that anyone can possibly justify the continuation of this evil non-system in light of the fact that it's not just "the poor and lazy" who are going bankrupt here.:devil:
I am angry that this is happening to you. It is NOT fair. We need to have healthcare for everyone. But insurance does not = guaranteed healthcare.
:angryfire
Onekidneynurse
475 Posts
The government currently denies care.