I HAVE health insurance and I still can’t afford the Co-pays and co-insurance that goes with major medical events.
Example – I tore my quadricep muscle on 4th of July 2011.
1 ER visit $100
3 Specialist Visits $60
1 MRI $400
8 weeks of PT 2x’s a week = $320
As a single working mom, these costs send my tight budget into a tail spin. So I decided to forego the PT and pay on the other bills. What is the point of having insurnace if i still end up broke and broken?
A good number of the uninsured think Obama will provide them with “free” healthcare and therefore why bother with getting coverage. This is called redistribution of wealth and taking from the haves and giving to the have nots. Most hospitals work out a reduced charge to the uninsured if they can pay something. You would be shocked at how much lower it is than if the service was covered by insurance.
Agent. I have never read an article, seen a news report on TV, or heard one on radio where anyone in this country ever said they will now do without because Obama is giving out “free” healthcare. The anecdotal evidence you site here is coming from your own mind. “A good number of uninsured…?” Really? How many have you interviewed?
Where have you been D? We have a President who has stated over and over again that his plan will “provide” coverage to an additional 30 million in this country. If you were one of the entitlement people drawing food stamps, paying no taxes, getting welfare, Social Security Disability, would you think that you would have to pay for Health Care or get it free from the Federal Government stash?
Agent. The President never said it would be free nor have you
interviewed anyone who has elected to go without healthcare
in hopes of a handout. Many of the 30 million you speak of
cannot afford it anyone so how can those who can’t get coverage
not bother to get coverage? There are many Americans with jobs
not one welfare, foodstamps, SS disability, etc. who STILL
can’t get coverage. How do you know how the uninsured think
anyway? If you have a system that provides coverage to 30
million currently uninsured, there will be less and less of
those icky “entitlement people” that you seem to know so much
about in ERs with no coverage. You want to continue
with that system? You are paying for that too.
May 11, 2011 at 8:08 am
NotOpinionatedJustRight says:
Like or Dislike:
0
0
At least those who receive SSD paid into the system at somepoint in their life.
October 18, 2013 at 2:17 pm
Tehya says:
Like or Dislike:
0
0
How many people do you know who doesn’t care about their medical care? Now how many do you know don’t have insurance? why do you think you know how these people think or what they care about?
Yes Nancy, I am quite sure that a lot of them do. Speak to someone that doesn’t have health insurance – even though they work – but who has a family. Hopefully you will gain some insight.
Even those with insurance can’t always pay the coinsurance and out of pocket amounts.
I had an appendectomy last fall, and still have close to $3,000 in medical bills I’m trying to pay off. And that’s AFTER my group medical insurance from my employer. And my household income is decent, just not enough $ to go around for the unplanned expense.
Why is this a headline? why are people surprised that those that don’t have health insurance can’t afford to pay the bills? DUH! Perhaps if we did not do this study we could take the savings and pay for some poeples health care bills.
TX grandma, you hit the nail right on the head. I was in the ER last year. You would not believe to costs for cheap stuff like syringes, 1 pain reliver, tape, crutches etc. $19,000 for the entire 2 hour stay. But, when it was all said and done, the Insurance Co. paid a “negotiated” bill of $549.00. All I paid eas a $20 co-pay. No complaints there. But, if I was uninsured, I would have been stuck with the whole $19,000. THAT is what the uninsured funds in various states must pay for. What is wrong with this lousy system??? I just gave an example.
Good example ‘D’! My wife was in the hospital with pnoumonia for 10 days. The bill was $63,500, the adjusted amount was $4,600 and I paid $75.
The hospitals would do themselves a favor by extending the discounts given to health plans to the uninsured; their collection rates would go up because people could realistically see paying off 6 or 7 thousand dollars but not a 60 or 70 thousand dollar charge.
Yes, most hospitals are practicing FRAUD while most of the insurance companies are practicing fraud and ANTI-Constitutionalism when they ask NOSY questions that are a violation of PRIVACY! Screw’em! There AIN’T no Christians in insurance!
Please take the time to think for youself and not the marketing strategies of right-wing “Christian” groups. The hypocrisy is nauseating. You have a mind, use it.
No that’s not it granny what it is is that insurance is only thinking about the $$$ profits, period the end! Now maybe if the 1% paid their taxes instead of hiding their $$$ in illegal off shore accounts it could help with some of these things instead of it being on the backs of hard working Americans!!! I could never understand why people are so upset with the working poor then they are at those who have millions even billions yet don’t pay taxes on their billions!!!!
Well, this certainly shouldn’t come as any surprise. Even people with health insurance are having problems paying their medical bills, with the higher deductibles and co-insurance we’re all faced with these days. I was just in the hospital for one night recently for a relatively simple medical procedure. The hospital bill was almost 18K. My share after deductible and co-insurance … almost 5K. And I pay over $1,200/month for my family’s health insurance and I’m only 53 years old. Can’t wait to see what my health insurance will cost in 5 years. Think there might be a problem here? I predict that there will be a lot more uninsured people in the future if something isn’t done about this situation.
And expect health insurance to keep going up. Actually the rate of increases have slowed down since 2009. the rates they have increased was higher before 2009… go figure!
We are talking about the high prices at the hospital for the uninsured. What’s the difference under Obamacare? They have insurance via a subsidy from the government? Then the government pays their over-priced hosptital bill. Currently those people without insurance limit their trips to the doctor. Once they have free insurance, they’ll frequent the hospital more than McDonalds and the government will pay those $250 aspirin bills! People with insurance will be paying higher premium and those making $89,000 per year and can’t afford insurance, will be buying insurance or paying a fine. Even though people believed that there would be no new taxes on those making less than $250k per year. The concept is to reduce your expenses and pay your bills. Ultimately when this does not happen, we go broke with the country. This is the self defeating reality of the nanny state, also known as socialism.
Maybe instead of National Health and Obamacare that will push this country into receivership, we need learn to live within our means.
John: Go to an ER in the inner city. Ask everyone in the waiting room if they have insurance. Most will not. So, those peopel you speak of are already there (McDonalds?) in large numbers without insurance. Guess what? You are paying for it. Where have you read that the newly insured will think of the Doctor as McDonalds? By saying that you prove the point that our current system stinks and those currently without quality care will actually have the means to get the care they have lacked most of their lives. Your last sentence is unrealistic and will never happen.
D, I think John does have a point about people going more frequently to the doctor when they have some type of medical insurance. I have an HRA and when the funding that my husband’s employer puts in the account runs out, I am more likely to hold off seeing a doctor and instead pray for the best. We have a $4,000 deductible, so unless we have a major medical type claim (emergency surgery) it doesn’t make good financial sense to run to the doctor everytime we get a cold or flu-like symptoms.
I worked in an ER and there are MANY MANY people who come in without health insurance because a hosp can not turn away anyone because of their inability to pay! How much is a Dr office bill compared to an ER visit?!?!?!
Your so right D! Maybe if those who make the big bucks pay their taxes and these Corps start paying people a living wage they could then have the means to LIVE BY! When you have people working more then one job yet they still can not make ends meet it means there is something very wrong with this country! How come many other countries can afford to cover all their citizens health care needs yet we can’t? And not these are not communism countries so don;t be pulling that outta your hat! Here the government spends way more on health care per person than do most countries with free, universal health care. Something is very wrong in this country! http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/heres-a-map-of-the-countries-that-provide-universal-health-care-americas-still-not-on-it/259153/
Boy do you have it wrong! There are people without insurance who do not care and go to the ER for things like a cold or a stubbed toe. They cost the taxpayers $$$ because ER visits are so expensive but these people just don;t care or don’t understand what it is costing the taxpayers. Then there are those who do understand so they wait and wait even though they are very sick. What could have been taken care of with a Dr visit and some meds now is life threatening and the person ends up needing much more care including a hospital stay…. So they, thinking it better to NOT go to the ER are now costing major $$$ to get well and who pays? Again the taxpayer…. Remember these can be people working 40 hours or more yet still unable to afford even the basics!!! Don’t judge others especially by what you “think” or have been told by God know who!!!
It would appear our tax payer money was once again well spent understanding that reaching conclusion. I’m sure more folks would be better served if we could address and understand the components driving the cost of care? At what point will we recognize that no insurance plan, governmental, private carrier, or self-funded can possibly keep pace with the current cost metrics. America asked for Healthcare reform, yet our elected politicos (read all parties) did not address the fundamental contributing factors constantly driving our costs of Healthcare. In addition to cost factors, we as consumers can not continue to expect Healthcare services to be delivered in which the cost of the service is often unknown/unavailable to us at the time of service delivery. Is there any other product or service we purchase that we are so clueless and yet expect so much until after the fact? Join in: Health Care Reform! HCR, HCR, HCR!
Politicians are our worst nightmare. They have been arguing for 75 years and Progressives have determined that we should disregard the Constitution and claim it is a right to have Healthcare. The current crop had the opportunity to address the underlying cost issues and do some common sense things like selling insurance across state lines to create competition and to do Tort Reform to reign in litigation costs and instead they passed their 2,700 page monstrocity establishing government control of Healthcare. What a travesty.
The way I see it we have two options. Either we have a country where if you cannot afford medical care you go without or we have a country where within reason we afford treatment to those with medical needs.
I think very few would advocate for the first option. The question remains then how to set up a workable system. I have disdain for both major political parties, but it amuses me to watch the conservatives clamor against proposals which mostly originated in their own party.
I think opting everyone into a system that does nothing to curb skyrocketing costs is folly and any real debate about health care must begin with a discussion about our health… but then again nobody is really listening and I’m sure I’ll just be called some sort of Hitler/Stalin hybrid by the addled minds of EIB Network listeners…
Oh by the way I listened to Rush at lunch… he suggested birth control and radical feminism are to blame for the male unemployment rate… oh also and traces of birth control pills in municipal water supplies created “metrosexuals.” I switched over to NPR and was brainwashed by an absolutely Marxist Socialist Communist story about poetry.
That’s true in the case of a life-threatening car accident, but if you get cancer, you aren’t getting chemotherapy. Medicaid certainly doesn’t pay for that.
My mother needed surgery on her knee, the doctor made her pay before he would do the surgery. I recently had a hysterectomy, and had to pay the hospital before the procedure. We both have insurance. Therefore, I do feel that people without insurance are probably going without medical care.
They can and do get medical care at any county hospital. In fact, they often get treated before people with insurance since they know how to scream the loudest. I have personal experience in Emergency rooms where my wife wasn’t seen for 2+ hours even though she was in excruciating pain and they kept taking the uninsured through the doors because they were wailing loudly. I guess I should have told my wife to wail and she would be treated.
Hospital ER’s triage people by who needs to be seen 1st. That means those who are the sickest see the Dr 1st. It has nothing to do with those who “scream the loudest!” How do you know whether or not those people see before your wife did not have insurance? By the way they looked? Your wife may have been in pain but she was not sicker then those who were seen before her! How said there are people like you putting down others because your blindly believe things you don’t know anything about!
May 31, 2011 at 1:29 pm
D says:
Like or Dislike:
0
0
oh yes they do and have. my son and i were sent away and told to go to another hospital where they will take you if you don’t have insurance., my son was having an appendicitis attack.
matt, I agree that health care costs and ambulance chasing lawyers are out of control. However, the fact is that if we don’t budget for the unexpected and plan for the future, we are all at risk. These are tough choices and not buying the latest style each week is critical on a limited budget.
I challenge the extreme comment on those without health care go without. No they are selective and do not go to the doctor for every sneeze. When they do go, they still receive care and it is written off. It is ultimately paid by those with insurance and the government. At least it is for a legitimate issue.
Healthcare is not a right afforded us in the constitution like freedom of speech or the right to bear arms. It is a luxury that has to be paid for. We need to realize that the focus of this government is not to save the poor, although it sounds good. The focus of this government is to change America in an attempt for a much greater goal. If all those rich people like Obama, that say we need to be taxed paid more taxes on their own, then I’d believe it. However they hide money in tax shelters to pay less to the government or lie on their income taxes, if they filed them.
John, I agree that the focus of this government is the redistribution of wealth in this country. The basic problem of this position is that it will make everyone equally poor. Countries that tax heavily to support entitlement programs are mostly flat broke just like we will be in a few years if the trend continues. We have 43 million on food stamps, over half the population pay no Federal Income tax and we have several hundred entitlement programs that simply do not work and are draining the budget. The answer is cutting spending drastically at all levels of government from Federal down to State & Local government. We then need to rid ourselves of this massive Healthcare Law and install common sense solutions as it was proposed two years ago and disregarded by the Democratic Congress. The country is broke.
I agree, get rid of the EPA, DEA, INS, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and anything else that provides value to our citizens. Who needs this stuff anyway? None of this was written into the constitution, right?????
DEA and INS ARE in the Constitution as they “Provide for the public defense”. EPA, medicare, medicaid, and SSI, I’m up for debate on.
I would much rather keep what the government is currently taking out of my income for SSI and then put that money into my own 401(K). I am FORCED to pay into SSI, if I want to or not.
May 11, 2011 at 3:29 pm
agent says:
Like or Dislike:
0
0
The EPA can go immediately since they are just enforcing Cap & Trade by executive order and running jobs off of business. INS hasn’t been doing their job for many years against the overwhelming influx of aliens from many nationalities. They are even not deporting dangerous criminals who have been caught. Medicare, Medicaid & Social Security needs to have major reforms and a serious effort to get rid of fraud and waste. It is estimated we lose 50 Bil to 100 Bil per year just due to waste and fraud. We need to raise the retirement age on the 45-50 crowd and change the benefit structure on higher salaried employees. That is just some of the ways to get a handle on the problem. Of course, the Progressive crowd wants to do nothing and let the country go bankrupt in a few years.
One of the problems with broad-brushed pronouncements like this article reports is they contain just enough grains of truth to be believable in whole. Readers should not lose sight of the fact the HHS report was assembled, at least in part, to support the government’s argument in cases challenging PPACA. That argument suggests there are now four certainties in life: birth, death, taxes and health care.
At the risk of oversimplifying, let’s presume there are two groups of people, those with insurance and the uninsured. Within each of those, there are also two groups. Among the insured, there are (a) those who can comfortably afford the premium and the shifted costs associated with co-payments, deductibles, coinsurance and uninsured expenses, and (b) those who can afford the premium and most expenses as long as there is no catastrophic event that causes expenses to come due all at once. Among the uninsured, there are similarly two groups, (a) those who cannot afford insurance and (b) those with sufficient wealth to afford even catastrophic medical expenses out of pocket.
The government argument is that there is no difference between these groups, which it wants to prove by demonstratng the impact of the uninsured who cannot afford insurance at any cost. The reality is that they are quite different, but the Fed cannot make the argument without intentionally ignoring this simple fact.
The financial catastrophe the government points to is illusory in part while being admittedly accurate in another. The challenge is separating the wheat from the chaff, or in this case separating the “real” charge from the billed and paid amounts. Since others here have pointed out the hospital cost example, I’ll offer a different one.
A family member has a prescription that must be filled monthly. During a recent job transition, we got a look at the costs from several viewpoints. While insured under Plan A, we paid a $35 co-pay. While uninsured for a brief period, we paid a cash price at the pharmacy of $405. We checked out a discount prescription card that had the price at $773. We then moved temporarily to insurance Plan B, where the cost to us was $434 with the insurance discount (We used the cash price instead.). After moving to insurance Plan C, we now pay $60. Obviously, the insurer is paying some of the difference, but there is no transparency in what that differential is.
Now, what’s the real consumer cost? Am I paying more or less with insurance than I was before, or more accurately what reimbursement is my pharmacy receiving? It’s a mess.
I agree with most of your points David. I might point out that there is a pretty large group out there, primarily young people who think they are invulnerable to disease or health conditions who can afford health insurance, but choose not to buy it. They would rather buy electronics, cars etc. They know that under Obamacare, they can get it when they get sick since they cannot be refused for pre-existing conditions. They would prefer to pay a fine rather than get it until they need it. The problem with adding 30 million to the rolls is that you will be adding a bunch of sick people. There aren’t enough physicians to handle it and they are refusing to treat Medicaid since they can’t get re-imbursed adequately for their services and have to deal with the bureaucracy on the paperwork. How is this going to be cost effective in the long run? The short answer is that it won’t and costs will continue to escalate and rationing will be common.
I don’t know what school you attended She, but you should try to write properly before blogging on this site. You are a good example of the dumbed down society that this country has now.
Which is a bigger problem – the cost of healthcare or the statistic that half of all families making 4x the poverty limit have less than $4,100 in TOTAL ASSETS (not just liquid cash, according to this article)?
We have 43 million getting food stamps, over 50% pay no Federal Income tax and foreclosures on home loans set a record every month. We have a government which is spending 1.6 Trillion more than it takes in and millions are in way over their head, maxing out credit cards etc. What is wrong with this picture? People seem to think the government should be their own private bailout. Enough is enough. Reality has set in and the country is broke.
Do you know how many of those receiving food stamps are senior citizens and veterans or are single parents working full time? I doubt you do or you would not have written what you did…
To fully understand this Chicago BULLY in OUR White House, you need to read the new book Gangster Government.
This guy details what our thief in chief has done SO FAR! Giving majority of equity in GM and Chrysler to Unions due to Owing them from the elections is criminal and fraudulent. It could change 200 years of contract LAW. How can a president get involved and DIRECT where the equity goes? SECURED creditors were told to “go along with Barry” or get ruined period!
That sounds just like Chicago politics. I can not believe this country has so many idiots to vote for this thug. He will wipe you out with legal fees, bad publicity for a company or just sic the IRS on your butt.
How can so many people think anything would change or he could create any hope with so many people to pay back so much of OUR money. He has directed billions to his friends and keeps going everyday.
Re-distributing wealth will KEEP this economy in a depressed state until we can throw this bum out.
The 11/2010 elections are a sign of things to come.
Get rid of obama NOW
You forgot the directive that asks for bidders to government contractors reveal which party they support and where their donations go to. This is corruption at the highest level and fits the definition of “High Crimes & Misdemeanors” in my opinion. What chance do you think a Republican leaning contractor would have to get a government contract under this administration? I say 0 chance. Geightner has now said he would have to tap Government Pensions to fund the government. Can private pensions be far behind? These people need to be out of office. They are a joke and the joke is on us.
How about that Obamacare? We are up to 1,372 Waivers now between business, unions and now the State of Nevada. A good portion of the newest waivers are from Nancy Pelosi’s district. We had to pass this to see what was in it and now she is helping her constituents get waivers from compliance. Dirty Harry’s state said they couldn’t afford it so they are getting a waiver. What happened to Equal Protection under the Constitution? The other 49 should apply immediately or sue HHS if they don’t grant it. Sebelius is a joke anyway and needs to resign.
We poor can’t even afford the expensive prescriptions they give us…might as well go there and get validated what’s hurting so bad it’s gonna kill you or not and if so, have a little time to say goodbye to your children.
I would like to say I worked allmost 40 years, Most of it in the defence jobs, Me & my wife just barley lived in the middle income bracket, We had grope ins throuh the companys I worked for & the employer picked a good part of it when I started in 1979, I got sick with cancer in 2008 & was treated for it, The employer laid me off June 30 2010, I have other heath problums to, Dibeates artheritis, high blood prusser & live with so much pain everday, As the years went by health ins just keep going up & up employers started passing the cost of it more & more to there employes, The red flag was up back then & nobody did anything about it, Me & my wife are both uninsured now, I have been on dissabilty sense Sept 210 & not expected tobe able to work anymore, I thank our home is paid for because she is disabled as well but unabe to get medicade, It took all my doctors & laywers 1 year to get me dissabity, All my 401k was gone, I belive it’s in the best intrest of this country for everyone to have ins, When I was working I felt the same way about people wanting a free ride, To some degree I still feel that way, Every one should half to pay something, We have all said @ one time are another a little is better tha noting @ all, If the gov wants to help all of us regulate the doctors laywers hospitas ins co, & drug makers as well, My wie ran up doctors bills around $12.000 just for June alone, Belive me it’s hard out here and I know it, It’s time for somethig to happen infavor for americans, I dont know if Oboma is the right one for us but something has to happen good for all of us, It’s way out of controll.
That one day in the hospital will bankrupt 85% of the household in A says:
Like or Dislike:
0
0
Hi my name is Jay I paid health insurance since I was 22 years old until I was 57 it was up to about $700 a month and never had any health issues paying the premium was tough so I let my insurance lapse and was planning on finding a cheaper policy but I just didn’t get around to it so year and a half went by and I woke up the other night not feeling well felt like pains in my chest it scared me so I went to the emergency room on a Sunday morning at about 6 AM after being up all night they look me over took my blood pressure and blood etc. and gave me some I think for indigestion I was in the hospital Sunday and Sunday night and Monday until about seven at night they checked me out pretty good and I went home feeling fine not really Not really knowing what happened how I knew it would cost some money I figured 3000 to 5000 which I could pay but I just got a bill for $55,600 for a day and a half I can’t pay that and I’m not going to pay them so I guess my perfect credit will get ruined the amount these hospitals charge and the doctors charge is ridiculous it’s beyond total robbery I see the doctors in there Ferraris and all the people that work at the hospital is making OK paychecks I guess but no system no person nobody can pay these absolutely insulting and ridiculous prices I’m a total independent politically and if there’s anything we should agree on in this country it is that we have to have national healthcare and regulated pricing it’s the biggest scam in the world That one day in the hospital will bankrupt 85% of the household in America
Do you really think the uninsured worry about their medical care? I don’t.
Do you really think that people WITH insurance care about their medical care?
For both of these questions, I have to say “Yes”
I HAVE health insurance and I still can’t afford the Co-pays and co-insurance that goes with major medical events.
Example – I tore my quadricep muscle on 4th of July 2011.
1 ER visit $100
3 Specialist Visits $60
1 MRI $400
8 weeks of PT 2x’s a week = $320
As a single working mom, these costs send my tight budget into a tail spin. So I decided to forego the PT and pay on the other bills. What is the point of having insurnace if i still end up broke and broken?
I think most of them do or else it would not be such a big issue.
I’m a little taken aback that you would ask such an insensitive question. Being uninsured doesn’t just happen to deadbeats.
I AM NOT A DEAD BEAT / I HAVE PROBABLY WORKED MORE YEARS THAN YOU HAVE BEEN ALIVE/ GOD GIVES/ GOD TAKES/ SEEEEEEEEEEEEEYA
A good number of the uninsured think Obama will provide them with “free” healthcare and therefore why bother with getting coverage. This is called redistribution of wealth and taking from the haves and giving to the have nots. Most hospitals work out a reduced charge to the uninsured if they can pay something. You would be shocked at how much lower it is than if the service was covered by insurance.
Agent. I have never read an article, seen a news report on TV, or heard one on radio where anyone in this country ever said they will now do without because Obama is giving out “free” healthcare. The anecdotal evidence you site here is coming from your own mind. “A good number of uninsured…?” Really? How many have you interviewed?
Where have you been D? We have a President who has stated over and over again that his plan will “provide” coverage to an additional 30 million in this country. If you were one of the entitlement people drawing food stamps, paying no taxes, getting welfare, Social Security Disability, would you think that you would have to pay for Health Care or get it free from the Federal Government stash?
Agent. The President never said it would be free nor have you
interviewed anyone who has elected to go without healthcare
in hopes of a handout. Many of the 30 million you speak of
cannot afford it anyone so how can those who can’t get coverage
not bother to get coverage? There are many Americans with jobs
not one welfare, foodstamps, SS disability, etc. who STILL
can’t get coverage. How do you know how the uninsured think
anyway? If you have a system that provides coverage to 30
million currently uninsured, there will be less and less of
those icky “entitlement people” that you seem to know so much
about in ERs with no coverage. You want to continue
with that system? You are paying for that too.
At least those who receive SSD paid into the system at somepoint in their life.
How many people do you know who doesn’t care about their medical care? Now how many do you know don’t have insurance? why do you think you know how these people think or what they care about?
Yes Nancy, I am quite sure that a lot of them do. Speak to someone that doesn’t have health insurance – even though they work – but who has a family. Hopefully you will gain some insight.
Even those with insurance can’t always pay the coinsurance and out of pocket amounts.
I had an appendectomy last fall, and still have close to $3,000 in medical bills I’m trying to pay off. And that’s AFTER my group medical insurance from my employer. And my household income is decent, just not enough $ to go around for the unplanned expense.
Why is this a headline? why are people surprised that those that don’t have health insurance can’t afford to pay the bills? DUH! Perhaps if we did not do this study we could take the savings and pay for some poeples health care bills.
That is why when you have health insurance it costs you $250 for an asprin. you have to pay for the ones that do not pay for theirs too.
TX grandma, you hit the nail right on the head. I was in the ER last year. You would not believe to costs for cheap stuff like syringes, 1 pain reliver, tape, crutches etc. $19,000 for the entire 2 hour stay. But, when it was all said and done, the Insurance Co. paid a “negotiated” bill of $549.00. All I paid eas a $20 co-pay. No complaints there. But, if I was uninsured, I would have been stuck with the whole $19,000. THAT is what the uninsured funds in various states must pay for. What is wrong with this lousy system??? I just gave an example.
Good example ‘D’! My wife was in the hospital with pnoumonia for 10 days. The bill was $63,500, the adjusted amount was $4,600 and I paid $75.
The hospitals would do themselves a favor by extending the discounts given to health plans to the uninsured; their collection rates would go up because people could realistically see paying off 6 or 7 thousand dollars but not a 60 or 70 thousand dollar charge.
Yes, most hospitals are practicing FRAUD while most of the insurance companies are practicing fraud and ANTI-Constitutionalism when they ask NOSY questions that are a violation of PRIVACY! Screw’em! There AIN’T no Christians in insurance!
Dear She,
Please take the time to think for youself and not the marketing strategies of right-wing “Christian” groups. The hypocrisy is nauseating. You have a mind, use it.
No that’s not it granny what it is is that insurance is only thinking about the $$$ profits, period the end! Now maybe if the 1% paid their taxes instead of hiding their $$$ in illegal off shore accounts it could help with some of these things instead of it being on the backs of hard working Americans!!! I could never understand why people are so upset with the working poor then they are at those who have millions even billions yet don’t pay taxes on their billions!!!!
That is why when you are in hospital you pay $250 for an asprin, so you can pay for the people who do not pay for theirs.
Well, this certainly shouldn’t come as any surprise. Even people with health insurance are having problems paying their medical bills, with the higher deductibles and co-insurance we’re all faced with these days. I was just in the hospital for one night recently for a relatively simple medical procedure. The hospital bill was almost 18K. My share after deductible and co-insurance … almost 5K. And I pay over $1,200/month for my family’s health insurance and I’m only 53 years old. Can’t wait to see what my health insurance will cost in 5 years. Think there might be a problem here? I predict that there will be a lot more uninsured people in the future if something isn’t done about this situation.
And expect health insurance to keep going up. Actually the rate of increases have slowed down since 2009. the rates they have increased was higher before 2009… go figure!
We are talking about the high prices at the hospital for the uninsured. What’s the difference under Obamacare? They have insurance via a subsidy from the government? Then the government pays their over-priced hosptital bill. Currently those people without insurance limit their trips to the doctor. Once they have free insurance, they’ll frequent the hospital more than McDonalds and the government will pay those $250 aspirin bills! People with insurance will be paying higher premium and those making $89,000 per year and can’t afford insurance, will be buying insurance or paying a fine. Even though people believed that there would be no new taxes on those making less than $250k per year. The concept is to reduce your expenses and pay your bills. Ultimately when this does not happen, we go broke with the country. This is the self defeating reality of the nanny state, also known as socialism.
Maybe instead of National Health and Obamacare that will push this country into receivership, we need learn to live within our means.
John: Go to an ER in the inner city. Ask everyone in the waiting room if they have insurance. Most will not. So, those peopel you speak of are already there (McDonalds?) in large numbers without insurance. Guess what? You are paying for it. Where have you read that the newly insured will think of the Doctor as McDonalds? By saying that you prove the point that our current system stinks and those currently without quality care will actually have the means to get the care they have lacked most of their lives. Your last sentence is unrealistic and will never happen.
D, I think John does have a point about people going more frequently to the doctor when they have some type of medical insurance. I have an HRA and when the funding that my husband’s employer puts in the account runs out, I am more likely to hold off seeing a doctor and instead pray for the best. We have a $4,000 deductible, so unless we have a major medical type claim (emergency surgery) it doesn’t make good financial sense to run to the doctor everytime we get a cold or flu-like symptoms.
I worked in an ER and there are MANY MANY people who come in without health insurance because a hosp can not turn away anyone because of their inability to pay! How much is a Dr office bill compared to an ER visit?!?!?!
Your so right D! Maybe if those who make the big bucks pay their taxes and these Corps start paying people a living wage they could then have the means to LIVE BY! When you have people working more then one job yet they still can not make ends meet it means there is something very wrong with this country! How come many other countries can afford to cover all their citizens health care needs yet we can’t? And not these are not communism countries so don;t be pulling that outta your hat! Here the government spends way more on health care per person than do most countries with free, universal health care. Something is very wrong in this country!
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/06/heres-a-map-of-the-countries-that-provide-universal-health-care-americas-still-not-on-it/259153/
Boy do you have it wrong! There are people without insurance who do not care and go to the ER for things like a cold or a stubbed toe. They cost the taxpayers $$$ because ER visits are so expensive but these people just don;t care or don’t understand what it is costing the taxpayers. Then there are those who do understand so they wait and wait even though they are very sick. What could have been taken care of with a Dr visit and some meds now is life threatening and the person ends up needing much more care including a hospital stay…. So they, thinking it better to NOT go to the ER are now costing major $$$ to get well and who pays? Again the taxpayer…. Remember these can be people working 40 hours or more yet still unable to afford even the basics!!! Don’t judge others especially by what you “think” or have been told by God know who!!!
It would appear our tax payer money was once again well spent understanding that reaching conclusion. I’m sure more folks would be better served if we could address and understand the components driving the cost of care? At what point will we recognize that no insurance plan, governmental, private carrier, or self-funded can possibly keep pace with the current cost metrics. America asked for Healthcare reform, yet our elected politicos (read all parties) did not address the fundamental contributing factors constantly driving our costs of Healthcare. In addition to cost factors, we as consumers can not continue to expect Healthcare services to be delivered in which the cost of the service is often unknown/unavailable to us at the time of service delivery. Is there any other product or service we purchase that we are so clueless and yet expect so much until after the fact? Join in: Health Care Reform! HCR, HCR, HCR!
Politicians are our worst nightmare. They have been arguing for 75 years and Progressives have determined that we should disregard the Constitution and claim it is a right to have Healthcare. The current crop had the opportunity to address the underlying cost issues and do some common sense things like selling insurance across state lines to create competition and to do Tort Reform to reign in litigation costs and instead they passed their 2,700 page monstrocity establishing government control of Healthcare. What a travesty.
It’s Constitutional due to the Interstate Commerce Clause. You’ll see when this whole thing shakes out.
Are you dumb as a box of rocks or are you committing FRAUD and don’t want to be CAUGHT! I hope you are!!
The way I see it we have two options. Either we have a country where if you cannot afford medical care you go without or we have a country where within reason we afford treatment to those with medical needs.
I think very few would advocate for the first option. The question remains then how to set up a workable system. I have disdain for both major political parties, but it amuses me to watch the conservatives clamor against proposals which mostly originated in their own party.
I think opting everyone into a system that does nothing to curb skyrocketing costs is folly and any real debate about health care must begin with a discussion about our health… but then again nobody is really listening and I’m sure I’ll just be called some sort of Hitler/Stalin hybrid by the addled minds of EIB Network listeners…
Oh by the way I listened to Rush at lunch… he suggested birth control and radical feminism are to blame for the male unemployment rate… oh also and traces of birth control pills in municipal water supplies created “metrosexuals.” I switched over to NPR and was brainwashed by an absolutely Marxist Socialist Communist story about poetry.
Nobody has ever suggested that the uninsured are going without medical care. No doctor or hospital would deny care because of ability to pay.
That’s true in the case of a life-threatening car accident, but if you get cancer, you aren’t getting chemotherapy. Medicaid certainly doesn’t pay for that.
My mother needed surgery on her knee, the doctor made her pay before he would do the surgery. I recently had a hysterectomy, and had to pay the hospital before the procedure. We both have insurance. Therefore, I do feel that people without insurance are probably going without medical care.
They can and do get medical care at any county hospital. In fact, they often get treated before people with insurance since they know how to scream the loudest. I have personal experience in Emergency rooms where my wife wasn’t seen for 2+ hours even though she was in excruciating pain and they kept taking the uninsured through the doors because they were wailing loudly. I guess I should have told my wife to wail and she would be treated.
Hospital ER’s triage people by who needs to be seen 1st. That means those who are the sickest see the Dr 1st. It has nothing to do with those who “scream the loudest!” How do you know whether or not those people see before your wife did not have insurance? By the way they looked? Your wife may have been in pain but she was not sicker then those who were seen before her! How said there are people like you putting down others because your blindly believe things you don’t know anything about!
oh yes they do and have. my son and i were sent away and told to go to another hospital where they will take you if you don’t have insurance., my son was having an appendicitis attack.
matt, I agree that health care costs and ambulance chasing lawyers are out of control. However, the fact is that if we don’t budget for the unexpected and plan for the future, we are all at risk. These are tough choices and not buying the latest style each week is critical on a limited budget.
I challenge the extreme comment on those without health care go without. No they are selective and do not go to the doctor for every sneeze. When they do go, they still receive care and it is written off. It is ultimately paid by those with insurance and the government. At least it is for a legitimate issue.
Healthcare is not a right afforded us in the constitution like freedom of speech or the right to bear arms. It is a luxury that has to be paid for. We need to realize that the focus of this government is not to save the poor, although it sounds good. The focus of this government is to change America in an attempt for a much greater goal. If all those rich people like Obama, that say we need to be taxed paid more taxes on their own, then I’d believe it. However they hide money in tax shelters to pay less to the government or lie on their income taxes, if they filed them.
John, I agree that the focus of this government is the redistribution of wealth in this country. The basic problem of this position is that it will make everyone equally poor. Countries that tax heavily to support entitlement programs are mostly flat broke just like we will be in a few years if the trend continues. We have 43 million on food stamps, over half the population pay no Federal Income tax and we have several hundred entitlement programs that simply do not work and are draining the budget. The answer is cutting spending drastically at all levels of government from Federal down to State & Local government. We then need to rid ourselves of this massive Healthcare Law and install common sense solutions as it was proposed two years ago and disregarded by the Democratic Congress. The country is broke.
I agree, get rid of the EPA, DEA, INS, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and anything else that provides value to our citizens. Who needs this stuff anyway? None of this was written into the constitution, right?????
DEA and INS ARE in the Constitution as they “Provide for the public defense”. EPA, medicare, medicaid, and SSI, I’m up for debate on.
I would much rather keep what the government is currently taking out of my income for SSI and then put that money into my own 401(K). I am FORCED to pay into SSI, if I want to or not.
The EPA can go immediately since they are just enforcing Cap & Trade by executive order and running jobs off of business. INS hasn’t been doing their job for many years against the overwhelming influx of aliens from many nationalities. They are even not deporting dangerous criminals who have been caught. Medicare, Medicaid & Social Security needs to have major reforms and a serious effort to get rid of fraud and waste. It is estimated we lose 50 Bil to 100 Bil per year just due to waste and fraud. We need to raise the retirement age on the 45-50 crowd and change the benefit structure on higher salaried employees. That is just some of the ways to get a handle on the problem. Of course, the Progressive crowd wants to do nothing and let the country go bankrupt in a few years.
One of the problems with broad-brushed pronouncements like this article reports is they contain just enough grains of truth to be believable in whole. Readers should not lose sight of the fact the HHS report was assembled, at least in part, to support the government’s argument in cases challenging PPACA. That argument suggests there are now four certainties in life: birth, death, taxes and health care.
At the risk of oversimplifying, let’s presume there are two groups of people, those with insurance and the uninsured. Within each of those, there are also two groups. Among the insured, there are (a) those who can comfortably afford the premium and the shifted costs associated with co-payments, deductibles, coinsurance and uninsured expenses, and (b) those who can afford the premium and most expenses as long as there is no catastrophic event that causes expenses to come due all at once. Among the uninsured, there are similarly two groups, (a) those who cannot afford insurance and (b) those with sufficient wealth to afford even catastrophic medical expenses out of pocket.
The government argument is that there is no difference between these groups, which it wants to prove by demonstratng the impact of the uninsured who cannot afford insurance at any cost. The reality is that they are quite different, but the Fed cannot make the argument without intentionally ignoring this simple fact.
The financial catastrophe the government points to is illusory in part while being admittedly accurate in another. The challenge is separating the wheat from the chaff, or in this case separating the “real” charge from the billed and paid amounts. Since others here have pointed out the hospital cost example, I’ll offer a different one.
A family member has a prescription that must be filled monthly. During a recent job transition, we got a look at the costs from several viewpoints. While insured under Plan A, we paid a $35 co-pay. While uninsured for a brief period, we paid a cash price at the pharmacy of $405. We checked out a discount prescription card that had the price at $773. We then moved temporarily to insurance Plan B, where the cost to us was $434 with the insurance discount (We used the cash price instead.). After moving to insurance Plan C, we now pay $60. Obviously, the insurer is paying some of the difference, but there is no transparency in what that differential is.
Now, what’s the real consumer cost? Am I paying more or less with insurance than I was before, or more accurately what reimbursement is my pharmacy receiving? It’s a mess.
I agree with most of your points David. I might point out that there is a pretty large group out there, primarily young people who think they are invulnerable to disease or health conditions who can afford health insurance, but choose not to buy it. They would rather buy electronics, cars etc. They know that under Obamacare, they can get it when they get sick since they cannot be refused for pre-existing conditions. They would prefer to pay a fine rather than get it until they need it. The problem with adding 30 million to the rolls is that you will be adding a bunch of sick people. There aren’t enough physicians to handle it and they are refusing to treat Medicaid since they can’t get re-imbursed adequately for their services and have to deal with the bureaucracy on the paperwork. How is this going to be cost effective in the long run? The short answer is that it won’t and costs will continue to escalate and rationing will be common.
Told you insurance companies don’t have no Christians. Look at the evil greedie butts you got in here.
I don’t know what school you attended She, but you should try to write properly before blogging on this site. You are a good example of the dumbed down society that this country has now.
Which is a bigger problem – the cost of healthcare or the statistic that half of all families making 4x the poverty limit have less than $4,100 in TOTAL ASSETS (not just liquid cash, according to this article)?
We have 43 million getting food stamps, over 50% pay no Federal Income tax and foreclosures on home loans set a record every month. We have a government which is spending 1.6 Trillion more than it takes in and millions are in way over their head, maxing out credit cards etc. What is wrong with this picture? People seem to think the government should be their own private bailout. Enough is enough. Reality has set in and the country is broke.
Do you know how many of those receiving food stamps are senior citizens and veterans or are single parents working full time? I doubt you do or you would not have written what you did…
Uninsured rarely pay bills? Shocking!
To fully understand this Chicago BULLY in OUR White House, you need to read the new book Gangster Government.
This guy details what our thief in chief has done SO FAR! Giving majority of equity in GM and Chrysler to Unions due to Owing them from the elections is criminal and fraudulent. It could change 200 years of contract LAW. How can a president get involved and DIRECT where the equity goes? SECURED creditors were told to “go along with Barry” or get ruined period!
That sounds just like Chicago politics. I can not believe this country has so many idiots to vote for this thug. He will wipe you out with legal fees, bad publicity for a company or just sic the IRS on your butt.
How can so many people think anything would change or he could create any hope with so many people to pay back so much of OUR money. He has directed billions to his friends and keeps going everyday.
Re-distributing wealth will KEEP this economy in a depressed state until we can throw this bum out.
The 11/2010 elections are a sign of things to come.
Get rid of obama NOW
You forgot the directive that asks for bidders to government contractors reveal which party they support and where their donations go to. This is corruption at the highest level and fits the definition of “High Crimes & Misdemeanors” in my opinion. What chance do you think a Republican leaning contractor would have to get a government contract under this administration? I say 0 chance. Geightner has now said he would have to tap Government Pensions to fund the government. Can private pensions be far behind? These people need to be out of office. They are a joke and the joke is on us.
How about that Obamacare? We are up to 1,372 Waivers now between business, unions and now the State of Nevada. A good portion of the newest waivers are from Nancy Pelosi’s district. We had to pass this to see what was in it and now she is helping her constituents get waivers from compliance. Dirty Harry’s state said they couldn’t afford it so they are getting a waiver. What happened to Equal Protection under the Constitution? The other 49 should apply immediately or sue HHS if they don’t grant it. Sebelius is a joke anyway and needs to resign.
We poor can’t even afford the expensive prescriptions they give us…might as well go there and get validated what’s hurting so bad it’s gonna kill you or not and if so, have a little time to say goodbye to your children.
I would like to say I worked allmost 40 years, Most of it in the defence jobs, Me & my wife just barley lived in the middle income bracket, We had grope ins throuh the companys I worked for & the employer picked a good part of it when I started in 1979, I got sick with cancer in 2008 & was treated for it, The employer laid me off June 30 2010, I have other heath problums to, Dibeates artheritis, high blood prusser & live with so much pain everday, As the years went by health ins just keep going up & up employers started passing the cost of it more & more to there employes, The red flag was up back then & nobody did anything about it, Me & my wife are both uninsured now, I have been on dissabilty sense Sept 210 & not expected tobe able to work anymore, I thank our home is paid for because she is disabled as well but unabe to get medicade, It took all my doctors & laywers 1 year to get me dissabity, All my 401k was gone, I belive it’s in the best intrest of this country for everyone to have ins, When I was working I felt the same way about people wanting a free ride, To some degree I still feel that way, Every one should half to pay something, We have all said @ one time are another a little is better tha noting @ all, If the gov wants to help all of us regulate the doctors laywers hospitas ins co, & drug makers as well, My wie ran up doctors bills around $12.000 just for June alone, Belive me it’s hard out here and I know it, It’s time for somethig to happen infavor for americans, I dont know if Oboma is the right one for us but something has to happen good for all of us, It’s way out of controll.
I live in bradentonflalegalameicanwnnttoblakehospitalinbradento fo a brokenfoot. therewereillegalsinthere/iambeingdoggedto paythisbill/ iamssdi/help
Hi my name is Jay I paid health insurance since I was 22 years old until I was 57 it was up to about $700 a month and never had any health issues paying the premium was tough so I let my insurance lapse and was planning on finding a cheaper policy but I just didn’t get around to it so year and a half went by and I woke up the other night not feeling well felt like pains in my chest it scared me so I went to the emergency room on a Sunday morning at about 6 AM after being up all night they look me over took my blood pressure and blood etc. and gave me some I think for indigestion I was in the hospital Sunday and Sunday night and Monday until about seven at night they checked me out pretty good and I went home feeling fine not really Not really knowing what happened how I knew it would cost some money I figured 3000 to 5000 which I could pay but I just got a bill for $55,600 for a day and a half I can’t pay that and I’m not going to pay them so I guess my perfect credit will get ruined the amount these hospitals charge and the doctors charge is ridiculous it’s beyond total robbery I see the doctors in there Ferraris and all the people that work at the hospital is making OK paychecks I guess but no system no person nobody can pay these absolutely insulting and ridiculous prices I’m a total independent politically and if there’s anything we should agree on in this country it is that we have to have national healthcare and regulated pricing it’s the biggest scam in the world That one day in the hospital will bankrupt 85% of the household in America