nearly 16 million working-age adults were underinsured in 2003, meaning their out of pocket medical costs exceeded 5%-10% of their income, and they were almost as likely as the nation's 45 million uninsured to go without needed medical care, a new study finds. lower-income and sicker adults were most at risk of having inadequate coverage. the study indicates that without targeted protections, insurance policies that expose patients to costs that are high relative to income are likely to have a negative effect on access and adherence to recommended care, especially for low-income patients and those with chronic illnesses. "given the public policy push and market trends towards higher deductibles, it will be important to track coverage adequacy and care patterns over time," the authors write. the study, by researchers at the commonwealth fund, was published online in health affairs.
Insurance!? What's that? I know that I don't have any. I'm soon going to find out how much it is going to cost to have a gall bladder removed. This is very scary to me. Hopefully it can be removed laproscopically. I've had the gall stones for ten years because I couldn't afford to have it taken care of when they were first diagnosed. Somedays, Canada looks mighty good.
Fuzzy
I know, I'm in the same boat. I've actually decided to give up my spot for the BSN program so that I can work full-time and get benefits which will be effective Nov. 1st.
Fuzzy, I did however find some short-term insurance at a pretty reasonable rate. This is for emergency medical care. When I spoke with the agent, she told me that many people just roll over the insurance. It is going to cost @ $450 for 100 days. This is for a $1000 deductible and 20% co-insurance.
This way if it ever comes that you must remove it, i.e. emergency, you won't be set back as much as if you don't have insurance.
Why, these people are successful and so they get great health insurance. Maybe some wareful kings and queens could spend a day like those successful around them and they would get their rears off the couch and get an education.
Actually, I'm not on welfare and never have been. I could be and have been on disability for problems that I was born with and not aquired by lifestyle choices. I am no longer on disability and haven't been on it for over ten years. I'd rather be a tax payer than a tax taker. However I can sure see why people will stay on disability especially since a person cannot get any kind of affordable health insurance with pre-existing conditions. Believe me I'd like to be covered by medical insurance, but I also like to eat, have a place to sleep, pay for my medications that keep me working (out of pocket mind you), and have a fairly normal livestyle.
I don't work for a corperation but for a small business and have for nearly 15 years. This small business has tried numerous times to get us health insurance but since I would be part of the group well it was unaffordable for everone. I found out that the healthcare people in my area are underinsured. To me this is sad as they are in the health industry and the health industry is not taking care of their people. No wonder way it's hard to find people who want to work in this area. I am a CVT (certified veterinary technician) which means that I do have an education (BS). Sad but true, but my animals have better healthcare than I do. That is because they are covered under the hospital's employee pet plan. There are days that I would like to see the veterinarian instead of the MD for my health problems but I know that, that cannot be done.
Now I'm paying out of pocket for the lap chole that I had done last week. Thank goodness it didn't have to be done through an incision as than I would be off work for 6 weeks instead of 1 week. It'll probably take me 5-7 years to pay it off depending on how much it is, but I'll pay it off. There is only one income in this household and it is mine. Don't worry "Hoop_jumper" there are no childern in this household. If there were I would sure be eligible for some help from Medicaid.
All I'm saying is that I wish some of the people who make the laws would have to live like I do once in awhile. Rest assured if they did, some of the laws would change.
Where do you all live? In NYS there is no reason why a child should go uninsured. We have healthy new york...doesn't matter how much a parent makes, they can get it. There are also plans for small businesses and adults who need health insurance. I don't think a national health plan is the way to go, but I would like to see other states take on what we have here to help those that need it or make NYS programs nationwide.
Don't forget there are single young people that don't get health insurance - thinking they are young and don't need it. There are those that have money who use the visa plan. They pay as they go feeling that is costs less than premiums. There are others that just don't feel that health insurance is a priority and want to spend the money on other things. So we need to look at how many of the 16 million are actually those that fall through the cracks and fix that. There is probably no fix for the others until they see health insurance as a must.
My family has always had insurance..it hasn't been easy. While going to school I had to pay $900/month for insurance - and that was with cobra. It would have been $1500 without cobra. We live in a small house, drive used cars and do without some things, but we have never gone without health insurance, no matter the cost. I'm lucky that at this point I only pay $60/month now that I work as a nurse. But at Kodak, I was paying $400/mth. That's alot for a family of five.
We need to also look at why health care insurance is so expensive. One problem is all the lawsuits the health industry has to pay for. We also live in a high tech society with expense tests. We pay higher Rx costs to subsidize other countries. I could go on.
Although I don't think national health care insurance is the answer (Canada has its own problems with thier system), I think we do need to make sure everyone is covered. I think sliding scale is the best because you pay according to income. And we need to look at other problems with our current system. There are other solutions that have been proposed, but I'm not sure how those would work.
But I an wondering, where in this country are people who don't have insurance getting sick and dying? Who do you know of that goes without medical care? Ablility to pay does not mean you do not get medical help. Yes it might mean an overflowing ER, people with enormous bills or higher health insurance premiums for private payers...but no one is being turned away.
Finally, do you know there are programs with the Rx companies to give free medicines to those that need them? I went to school with a lady that was getting free meds for her MS directly from the Rx company. There are programs at hospitals to "forgive" medical bills or give some relief?
A very emotional and complicated subject...I think we can all agree on that.
Right here in Los Angeles people get sick and die because they don't hace insurance.
A neighbor just died of bladder cancer. He had had some blood in his urine that went away. He didn't have the recommended surgery because it was estimated to cost more than $10,000.00. He was hoping to wait until he was 65 and on Medicare.
Two years later he died after being rushed to the ER and spending a couple days in ICU. I think denial was part of it. He felt OK at the time. The VA told him it wasn't service connected so they couldn't help him.
He had retired on early Social Security because he was "Too tired" (with cancer)
He was 64 years old. He had worked full time from the age of 16. Spent four years in the Navy.
I know of many. He was the most recent death that I know of.
Befor that one of our nursing assistants was terminated from her job at my hospital because she had cancer. She paid Cobra untill it ran out. She died on the unit where she was loved. Her high school age kids had to sell the house to pay the bills. Now those kids she worked so hard for are trying to work, pay rent, and finish high school. I doubt if they have insurance since their Moms job provided their insurance.
Right here in Los Angeles people get sick and die because they don't hace insurance.
A neighbor just died of bladder cancer. He had had some blood in his urine that went away. He didn't have the recommended surgery because it was estimated to cost more than $10,000.00. He was hoping to wait until he was 65 and on Medicare.
Two years later he died after being rushed to the ER and spending a couple days in ICU. I think denial was part of it. He felt OK at the time. The VA told him it wasn't service connected so they couldn't help him.
He had retired on early Social Security because he was "Too tired" (with cancer)
He was 64 years old. He had worked full time from the age of 16. Spent four years in the Navy.
I know of many. He was the most recent death that I know of.
Befor that one of our nursing assistants was terminated from her job at my hospital because she had cancer. She paid Cobra untill it ran out. She died on the unit where she was loved. Her high school age kids had to sell the house to pay the bills. Now those kids she worked so hard for are trying to work, pay rent, and finish high school. I doubt if they have insurance since their Moms job provided their insurance.
Sounds like both were not just an issue of having no insurance...but I would need to know more. I wish I had more time to talk about both - but I have to go...I just wanted to say that the children should be covered by Social Security since they are under 18...I think it covers them longer if they go to college. They should be covered by medicaid. I'll be back!
What this means in real terms is that if you aren't smart enough or lucky enough to have a job that ensures you, then when you or your children get sick . . . die.
Yeah, this is more of the compassionate conservatism we need in this country -- where we pay more money per person for healthcare than the "universal coverage" countries do, but only cover about 60% of the population.
I guess the new "welfare cadillac queen" for this group is the "medicaid kidney recepient," but for me, it just doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
It has nothing to do with luck or smarts it has to do with ambition and wanting something more out of life. Most people today are just too damn lazy to better themselves and why should they when the tax payers will just come in and pick up the tab
This is for those who believe that the poor are poor by choice. And do not have health care insurance because of choice. And who believe that those on SSDI are there because of poor personal choices.
I started working when I was 14 years old. I started nursing school in 1964. I remember watching people avoid surgery because they couldn't pay for it. Or their children having to pay huge bills after their parent die. And I remember when Medicare and Medicaid came into being. And I remember my father earning less then other fathers because he thought serving his country was more important. And when I went for my A.S.S., I worked full time and went to school full time. And the same when I went for my BSN and MS. And my daughter lived with my parents and they had her on their insurance because i couldn't afford it, despite my wonderful income. And I worked hard, saved my money and provided for my daughter. An accident wiped out my comfortable lifestyle.
I know many people, who are under-insured, not because of poor life style choices, or not being smart enough. Or choicing to work at a job that doesn't provide health insurance. It is wonderful to have health insurance but there are many people who work for employers who
1. Don't offer it
2. It is so expensive they can't afford it
3. Or the employee, who is retired, works to have health insurance for a poor salary.
And, if one looks beyond, those who are under-insured, they generally do not qualify for Medicaid, their income is too much. And those on Medicare, they are haunted by the collection agencies. Or, like me, are struggling to go back to graduate school, in an attempt to improve my standard of living, after I repay my student loans.
SarasotaRN2b
1,164 Posts
I know, I'm in the same boat. I've actually decided to give up my spot for the BSN program so that I can work full-time and get benefits which will be effective Nov. 1st.
Fuzzy, I did however find some short-term insurance at a pretty reasonable rate. This is for emergency medical care. When I spoke with the agent, she told me that many people just roll over the insurance. It is going to cost @ $450 for 100 days. This is for a $1000 deductible and 20% co-insurance.
This way if it ever comes that you must remove it, i.e. emergency, you won't be set back as much as if you don't have insurance.