Vent about health insurance and how screwed up it is

[rennigade]

Explaining to them that it's minor, and how to tell the difference when it's not, is part of a doctor's job. The patient did not go to medical school.

I dont have any form of mechanic training but I regularly change the oil in my car, rotate the tires, even recently changed my brakes/rotors (which is really really easy for those that have never done it.) Should I no longer work on my vehicle since im not properly trained?

There's a lot of resources out there. Sure self diagnosis is generally not a good idea...but ive had family members who have received professional medical attention and the doctor completely got it wrong. As a result they didnt die but they were still wrong.

Even the pros get it wrong sometimes. I dont see anything wrong with doing your own research and going from there.

[Gailete]

I grew up in a home where there was barely food at times, much less money for health insurance or going to the doctor, so we learned to self-diagnosis with the help of reading and studying legitimate articles on the subject (I wouldn't read 'True Confessions for how to treat a cold while Good Housekeeping has researched articles on health care). I've known since I was a kid that a cold lasts those 7 days or a week. Going to nursing school didn't change a thing about how I treat a cold.

As to health insurance, I'm amazed at the people that expect everyone to be able to afford health insurance, even a high deductible one. My husband has been self-employed most of his adult life. He had health insurance at one point until they raised the premiums three times in a year and he simply couldn't afford it anymore. Currently due to his chronic health problems we spend at least $200 a month for meds for him, plus several hundred a year for doctor visits, etc. So to purchase a high deductible insurance policy (it wouldn't kick in until $5000 has been spent) that would cost several hundred dollars a month on top of those other costs, where does the money come from? He would literally be paying more than double for 'health care' by having insurance. We can't afford it period. We are finally getting into a place of having a bit more than enough to get by, but plunking down a monthly health insurance premium would send us over the edge financially. We don't go without a policy for him to annoy people, which posts about why everyone SHOULD have insurance seem to imply. For many it just isn't possible or affordable. We would LOVE to have a policy for him and I hope to in the near future assuming this Obamacare thing works out.

[Gailete]

An interesting factoid I read yesterday in the AARP magazine I believe it was. Close to 20% of people that go to the doctor never fill their prescriptions, and around 20% more fill it but never take it (who can afford that?), and then throw in those that fill it and take part of it or not correctly. Then they are back at Dr. Steve's saying that back ache, cold, headache just won't go away and Dr. Steve says did you use the heat, ice, prescription like I told you? How many will say yes or make excuses. If they aren't going to do what they are told why waste everyone's time, insurance money, etc.?

[moneybags]

As to health insurance, I'm amazed at the people that expect everyone to be able to afford health insurance, even a high deductible one. My husband has been self-employed most of his adult life. He had health insurance at one point until they raised the premiums three times in a year and he simply couldn't afford it anymore. Currently due to his chronic health problems we spend at least $200 a month for meds for him, plus several hundred a year for doctor visits, etc. So to purchase a high deductible insurance policy (it wouldn't kick in until $5000 has been spent) that would cost several hundred dollars a month on top of those other costs, where does the money come from?

We have a high deductible plan (the only option at work). I hate it. I'm not sure how people that don't have money or are poor managers of their money get by on this plan. Every year since we've had it, we've run into some high cost event (visit to the ER, allergy testing, etc.). that costs us $1,000+. That's a big hit to take at once.

[disneysteve]

We don't go without a policy for him to annoy people, which posts about why everyone SHOULD have insurance seem to imply. For many it just isn't possible or affordable.

Absolutely. I know many, many people who can't afford coverage. That's the whole problem.

Personally, I would love to have a high deductible plan. The problem is here in the insurance hell of NJ, the high deductible/HSA plans aren't any cheaper than the regular plans which totally defeats the purpose. I'm hoping that changes at some point but I'm not holding my breath.

[kv968]

I rarely seem to time my doctor's visits "right".

I'm good for getting my annual check-ups and "routine maintenance" done, but I'm not one to go to the doctor for every ache, pain or sniffle but instead tend to let things run their course the best I can. However when I do go for something specific it seems like I usually get either the "Why are you here?" look or the "Oh my God, you should have been here a week ago!" reaction

[Gailete]

the high deductible/HSA plans aren't any cheaper than the regular plans which totally defeats the purpose

I remember back when I was a charge nurse and we had a new plan that we all had to sign up for, none of the other nurses understood it, so I went home and was up till 3AM running numbers and scenarios only to find out the plan with the lowest deductible was actually cheaper in the long run than the high deductible (so called cheap plan)!

You really have to spend time to figure these things out. One of the reasons when I get phone calls from plans gearing up for Obamacare I won't even listen to them. Either send me the information or have a good amount of info on their website so I can study it and make an educated decision

[Nika]

Disneysteve, don't always judge so fast. You might see a woman in your waiting room with 99 degree temperature and slightly irritated throat and think she must be an idiot for wasting your time and not even taking an aspirin.

What you may not know, is that she got that cold from her 13 month old, who has 105.5 fever and is very sick, as his immune system is not as strong as hers yet. And her employer will give her unlimited sick days for when SHE is sick, but not so for the baby.

She cannot take a baby that sick to daycare, and even if she could, she would not. She needs to take care of him and watch him closely, not trust a stranger when baby is lethargic and throws up everything he has eaten for 2 days and now not eating at all.

She has taken the baby to the pediatrician for the actual care. But her employer does not care to get a note for the child, only employee sickness qualified.

I am lucky enough to get more than average time off, and I get 7 sick days a year without a note, which I can use for family members. But believe it or not, a toddler that goes to daycare is sick for more than 7 days per year.

So I was that woman with a minor illness on one occasion, anxious in the waiting room, because I needed to get back to my baby. I did not feel I had a choice but go and see a doctor for "no good reason". I felt it was a very compelling reason.

[Gailete]

I felt it was a very compelling reason.

I'm quite sure any doctor would consider that a compelling reason if it was explained to them from the get go.

[bigdaddybus]

i work for an employer of over 25K people and I have used the high deductible option ever since it was first offered about 7 years ago. I LOVE IT!!!

Two of those 7 years we have had to pay the full deducible due to unplanned hospital visits, but we have still come out way ahead vs the more expensive plans. It blows my mind that the majority of my coworkers choose to pay $450 per month for a low copay plan vs $170 for plans for employee + all dependants where they give you $2000 in a HSA account and 5K deductible.

We keep 3K in a medical account to cover the deductible if needed.

[Gailete]

I wish the rule about HSA plans would include self-employed people. As I have read about those high deductible/HSA plans they seem like a good idea, but alas not available to us. I don't understand why whether a person has a high deductible plan or not that they can't have a
HSA. We know we have a certain amount we will be paying each year and it would be great to put in a little extra to 'save' up for more major problems.