How many of you nurses do NOT have health insurance

rn4ever? · Oct 28, 2010

Sad reality of life in America…..some nurses who work their bu**s off don’t have insurance…..but the illegals get to deliver babies all for free…..courtesy of Uncle Sam…..not only that, they also get checks and assistance!

I am insured. But it feels like I don’t really get a good benefit from being insured. There is still co-payment. And if your insurance says they will only cover $700 out of your $1000 diagnostic test, then you will still have to cough up 300 bucks! And what if you don’t have $30 to spare for co-payment? Then you can’t go to the doc even if you have insurance right?

cabanaboy · Oct 28, 2010

Many of us don't. My agency wanted me to pay 150 a week for a family of 4. I was working full time per diem hours(40 hours a week). I was taking home about 700 a week after taxes,so I can't afford it.
What I didn't like when I had no health insurance was the cocky attitude of the office staff and some nurses. I had just applied for this job and I asked about benefits. One job I had applied to became mad at me just for asking and literally threw the ppaper with weekly deductions at me. Another job said"you don't have Medicaid or other state aid? Try state aid. I didn't ask about state aid and if I'm working what made her think I had medicaid(I was a nurse making 21 dollars an hr) too rich for state aid,too poor to afford insurance and too smart for that job because I left.
Obviuosly they didn't value me as an employee. That agency was Psa,known for crappy,if any,benefits.
Still another nursing supervisor said"most people get it from their husbands" when I asked about health insurance.another co worker ithat i was training,after I told her the company doesn't offer any bennies said with a air of superiority"I don't need that,I get it from my husbands job". But she must have felt real stupid when I said"they don't have sick or vacation days either."

I too believe insurance is becoming too expensive and the whole system needs to be fixed. However, this is part of the problem. People who really can afford it choose not too. That makes it more expensive for everyone.

Based on what you wrote you make around 50k a year and your insurance is about 650 a month. If you have that taken out before your paycheck is taxed, your real cost is probably 500 or less a month, for 4 people. If you have one unexpected health issue, this is a bargain. And, if one of the 4 is a spouse earning income, this certainly is affordable

I don't mean to pick on you specifically. Maybe there are other factors in your situation that make it impossible to afford that plan. But I know many people who can afford it who choose not to. They don't think of hc coverage as a necessity. Instead they think expensive cars, cell phones with data plans, plasma tv's, premium hd cable, etc. are all more important then having healthcare coverage.

Schmoo1022 · Oct 28, 2010

I don't have health insurance. I have always worked part-time amd husbnd picked up health insurance for the family. That changed last year when his car dealership closed down. We were paying about 160.00 a week with a 3000 deductable, plus co-pays. That is a huge chunk out of our pay. We have none now, make two much for public assistance, and don't have any other options at this time. I have two young children under 7 and I am worried sick

dreamon · Oct 28, 2010

OP, call a lawyer or research online to see if what your husband did is allowed. I went through the divorce process myself and there are laws forbidding spouses from remov.ing each other before any divorce papers are signed

Orange Tree · Oct 28, 2010

I too believe insurance is becoming too expensive and the whole system needs to be fixed. However, this is part of the problem. People who really can afford it choose not too. That makes it more expensive for everyone.
Based on what you wrote you make around 50k a year and your insurance is about 650 a month. If you have that taken out before your paycheck is taxed, your real cost is probably 500 or less a month, for 4 people. If you have one unexpected health issue, this is a bargain. And, if one of the 4 is a spouse earning income, this certainly is affordable
I don't mean to pick on you specifically. Maybe there are other factors in your situation that make it impossible to afford that plan. But I know many people who can afford it who choose not to. They don't think of hc coverage as a necessity. Instead they think expensive cars, cell phones with data plans, plasma tv's, premium hd cable, etc. are all more important then having healthcare coverage.

I agree. And having been without health insurance for years, finding employment that offered health insurance after graduation was a top priority for me! But sometimes I wonder....

My husband (when we were uninsured) had a significant medical problem, and because we had no insurance we qualified for a county program. Although the cost of the services received must have been astronomical, we were only responsible for $3000 to $4000 of the total bill- and that was able to be paid in $75 a month payments. My INSURED friend also had a medical problem- serious, but not as extensive as my husband's. While her insurance covered much of the cost, she was stuck with a bill of over $7000 (to be paid within 30 days) along with the monthly charge for her insurance. She would have been better off with no coverage at all.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Oct 29, 2010

I am diabetic so needed to work full time while attending school in order to keep health insurance. Went thru ADN, BSN and MSN program while working full time. The stress was awful sometimes, but I also had to buy insulin, etc.

As for "never needing it before", my sister has not been insured in years. She fell and broke her arm and nose 3 weeks ago. She incurred an ER visit, then went to charity hospital for care. Took 2 1/2 weeks to get x-ray, MRI scheduled in 3 more weeks and appt with surgeon in January. Meanwhile she is in pain and her blood sugars are high. She cannot afford private care. Now she regrets not getting some kind of catastrophic coverage, at the least

GaGal777 · Oct 29, 2010

The only reason why I have insurance is because of my hubby.He is on disability benefits ,if it weren't for the disability insurance we probably wouldn't have insurance at all!

May I ask how you (yourself) is getting health insurance due to your hubby being on disability?

I may have misunderstood your post. :lol2:

GaGal777 · Oct 29, 2010

I live in Tennessee and I am not sure if it is just in Tennessee or the United States but someone is trying make it mandatory for everyone to have health insurance. I understand the problems with not having health insurance but HOW IN THE WORLD CAN ANYONE AFFORD HEALTH INSURANCE?

red2003xlt, LPN · Oct 29, 2010

I get insurance thru my wifes work. Since she works for the State of florida the bennies are cheap and coverage execellent.

Her pay on the overhand absolutely sucks. No raise or bonus in 3 years.

lkwashington · Oct 29, 2010

I get insurance thru my wifes work. Since she works for the State of florida the bennies are cheap and coverage execellent.
Her pay on the overhand absolutely sucks. No raise or bonus in 3 years.

There are certain benefits working for the state or gov. No weekend or holidays and working an 8 to 5. This is a dream job for most people. Its is mostly the pay people have problems with overall.

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Oct 29, 2010

So we as nurses can't afford to have health care. How messed up is that?

We have teachers that are on strike now because they want more money and don't want to have to pay more for benes. Right now they are getting more than our local average and this in a good school district. Starting out at 45k a year and many are up around the 92K per year range with the average at 60, ooo per year. now they are paying 0.5% a year up to .95% a year for a family on their benefits. Rumor is that they want to increas it to 4% a year for a family.

In this day and age...I just can't wrap my head around this. So many teachers in our area are begging for jobs too.

I get benefits thru my hubby since I only work PT. The CNAs and LPNs don't have benefits at our place and they are in the union. That I don't understand.

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Oct 29, 2010

I know some people aren't offered the option, but to voluntarily turn it down is irresponsible.