Health care reform has been one of the biggest hot-button topic for quite some time and it looks to only get hotter as both sides make their arguments on the White House’s plan for national health care. Leaving the pros and cons of the plan to the side for the moment, we just want to know how our readers are fixed for health insurance.
Are you one of the lucky ones whose employer foots the entire bill for your insurance? Or maybe you’ve recently lost your job and you’re paying for coverage through a COBRA plan. Perhaps you’re on the Medicaid or Medicare rolls. And maybe you just don’t have insurance at all.
Go ahead and let us know in the poll below, and then vent away in the comments.
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We’re under COBRA right now. Without the govt subsidy we would be trying to pay over 800 out of pocket. With the subsidy its almost 300.
Nope. I’m a poor student. Late 20′s going to college for the first time; no job anymore, school full-time. Can’t afford independent insurance – too many pre-existing conditions inherited directly from my folks (thanks guys), diabetes (type 2, thankfully. diet and exercise are moderately controlling it) being only one. I miss my former job’s fully-paid health plan, but I don’t miss the PTSD-inducing environment. I’m kind of screwed, though – anything shy of “actively dying, go the ER” and I’m in for weeks of waiting and paying cash to see someone, plus cash for prescriptions. VISA is the worst health care money can buy.
Yep, my employer being my parents.
None for me. I’ve been unemployed for over four months now. Purchasing my own isn’t even an option since I would be denied, no doubt. There is a free clinic in town, so I can go there for minor things. And, if things get bad, well, I guess I can go back to Massachusetts and try to get back on their free health insurance.
We have excellent health care provided by our former employer (retired). Very low cost of co pays for doctor’s visits and meds, One tiny catch not all current or retired personnel receive the same benefit. As a health care/ pharmaceutical, they do require you maintain their health standard. Routine yearly exams are always forwarded to the company. No poor eating habits, no smoking, and we are pretty well set Unless there is a buyout and the new owner isn’t as generous.
31, freelancer and bartender, no insurance.
I had insurance in college, that was nice.
As a single person with no employer to foot the bill the rates are astronomical and cover virtually nothing beyond major catastrophes.
At this point, I’m forced to gamble without and pay for things like dental, vision etc out of my pocket.
My friend on BlueCross PPO needed an emergency appendectomy – 2 nights in the hospital (not including the actual surgery/anesthesia/etc) JUST the hospital stay and they billed his insurance $44,000.00 – no, seriously. It is just a total scam to move costs around instead of actually addressing the problem.
Yes I do its free and covers everything, and no co-pay.
/ I am in Canada
Both my parents work for a large healthcare provider and have ridiculously great coverage under their employer. So when I turned 25 and became ineligible to be covered, I had two choices: take my employer subsidized, high deductible, low coverage health insurance or suck it up and elect COBRA. I picked the latter and although it sucks to write that check each month….there is peace of mind knowing if anything were to happen in the next 21 months left of my COBRA coverage medical-wise, I won’t be drowning in medical bills. Unless I lose my job and can’t pay my monthly COBRA bill.
I just graduated in May and am scheduled to lose the coverage I had through school at the end of July. I haven’t been able to find a job so I am not sure what I am going to do… probably get some kind of individual plan with a really high deductible and don’t go to the doctor unless I feel like I am at death’s door.
I have medication that I can get a savings card for through the drug manufacturer.
Anyone have suggestions for plans with low premiums but good coverage after the deductible? (in case I do get very ill/need hospitalization)
We own a duplex in California. One of the tenants has incurable liver cancer. The only hope he has to survive is a liver transplant. The price tag is $800,000.00. He and his wife are in their mid-20s. They have a baby. They both need to work and have full time jobs. They have no insurance because it is not available through their employers. Because they both work they make to much money for the husband to be ineligible for Medi-Cal. Tell them American doesn’t need the public option.
Hey, it’s OK if some people die who could have been saved, as long as they don’t raise taxes, right? We must avoid being socialist at any cost, right? right?
We own a duplex in California. One of the tenants has incurable liver cancer. The only hope he has to survive is a liver transplant. The price tag is $800,000.00. He and his wife are in their mid-20s. They have a baby. They both need to work and have full time jobs. They have no insurance because it is not available through their employers. Because they both work they make to much money for the husband to be ineligible for Medi-Cal. Tell them American doesn’t need the public option.
I pay for it out of my own pocket. My work offers a type of insurance, i don’t think it’s exactly qualified as insurance, only seems to cover things like checkups and not surgeries? For aboout half of what I pay for real coverage.
That said, I do pay over 200/mo for insurance, and every aprril they raise my rates (starting with the april some 6 weeks after i signed up, when my first ticket was more than i was quoted in the first place). This infuriates me because i have less coverage than my husband does, *and* no maternity coverage (i realise they’re still required to pay for maternity emergencies, but they cover nothing routine), and i still pay some 50 more per month than he does.
My husband got fired a week ago today after 6 years with his company and our benefits ended that day, so this is a timely question. For all the bitching my husband did when they signed the Universal Healthcare bill and my pointing out that he would be thankful for it if we lost our coverage, you can bet your sweet patootie I neener-ed an “I told ya so” at him.
Granted, hopefully one of us will get a job and coverage again before we’ll be able to take advantage of the Universal Healthcare but still.
I had insurance until I graduated college AND turned 24 in the same month. Dad’s insurance kicks kids off at that latter of those two instances. Now I’m counting down the days to the fall, when I can get back on his insurance until I’m 26.
I turn 26 in the fall.
Proof there is no God.
Even if you have health insurance it doesn’t mean your set for anything. Just ask me and my bankruptcy attorney $100,000 later. I guess it’s better than the $500,000 I would have had to pay had I not had insurance. But then again, I should have had a $100,000 emergency fund just in case. Dummy me.
Don’t Socialize Healthcare! Capitalise it!
It costs an average of $5,864/year to insure a family of 4.
The Solution? TAX EMPLOYERS $11,600/year for every employee they don’t provide FULL Coverage for.
The Result? Hospitals will not have to “Pad The Bill” to insurers, Insurance companies will save money in the long run. Employers will not have to pay as much for coverage. Employees will not be making each other sick at work, increasing productivity. Everybody Wins!
Or, is this just another “Unknown Ideal”?
I’m in Norway, so I chose the 3rd option since it’s government-run. That said, the second option would also apply because 7.5% of my paycheck goes towards health care. Of course, my employer also provides special insurance in case of any workplace accident, so even option 1 is somewhat true.
For me, the health care I can receive is more or less equivalent to the standard insurance employers usually cover in the US, minus dental and vision coverage. I pay a copay for visiting the doctor and getting a prescription, but if I’m admitted to the hospital, I don’t pay for anything. There is also a limit where if you’ve paid however much in co-pays, you don’t have to pay anything further for the year.
It’s worked well for me so far, although I’ve only had to visit the doctor once in the two years I’ve been here.
My wife and I are under military insurance. She is active duty and I am the broken one. While there are more hoops to jump through, the military insurance is excellent. A lot of people that are currently using it tell me how much they hate it and cannot wait to get out and have “better” insurance. These people are 18 years old and never had a full-time job with benefits. We have tried to tell them that right now, this insurance is the best there is. They do not want to listen. They will find out the hard way.
Full Disclosure: I am an almost 30 year old male who just found out he has extensive spinal injuries and is trying to get them fixed. I have worked as a professional auto mechanic for about 10 years (kinda where I got the said injuries). My wife came into the military late in her life (late, by the armed forces standards). We spent 13 years working full time and shopping the insurance field for a while.
I’m a stay-at-home mom, the kids and I are covered by my husbands health insurance from his work.
I think another good poll question would be “How many work a job they really don’t like for the insurance?”
My fiance and I have been freelancers and contractors pretty much since we graduated college. Being male, he didn’t care about insurance. I got a plan as soon as I wasn’t covered under my parents. I had a full time job with decent insurance but of course it was a real estate company and I got laid off. COBRA is insanely expensive, and I can’t understand why anyone would want it (unless they have a condition). Luckily, I was only 26 at the time and had no problem going back on my own insurance. I contracted after that, and now I recently accepted a fulltime. I was excited to finally have insurance, but I still find it completely worthless.
I go to the doctor 1-2x a yr. I will never meet my deductible for my plan or the employer plan. I pay $90/ mo now, but with the employer plan I’d have to pay $300/mo?! I may as well save that money in case I get injured. And to add a spouse it’s 2x as much? How is a benefit of marriage insurance?! It’ll be cheaper if we both got our own and one of us covers our future kids. The whole thing is a sham, and I’d almost rather take my chances.
I am a retired teacher with my health insurance partially subsidized. However, my retirement has not gone up a penny in over eight years while my part of the health insurance has gone up over 300%, my copay has gone up 500%, and coverage has decreased as other fees and payments have gone up in the same range. My sister, also a retired teacher, went to the ER in the middle of the night for a few hours with what turned out to be a kidney stone. That is costing her — with insurance — over $1500 so far and counting. And we are considered to have “good” medical coverage.
I am a retired teacher with my health insurance partially subsidized. However, my retirement has not gone up a penny in over eight years while my part of the health insurance has gone up over 300%, my copay has gone up 500%, and coverage has decreased as other fees and payments have gone up in the same range. My sister, also a retired teacher, went to the ER in the middle of the night for a few hours with what turned out to be a kidney stone. That is costing her — with insurance — over $1500 so far and counting. And we are considered to have “good” medical coverage.
I am a retired teacher with my health insurance partially subsidized. However, my retirement has not gone up a penny in over eight years while my part of the health insurance has gone up over 300%, my copay has gone up 500%, and coverage has decreased as other fees and payments have gone up in the same range. My sister, also a retired teacher, went to the ER in the middle of the night for a few hours with what turned out to be a kidney stone. That is costing her — with insurance — over $1500 so far and counting. And we are considered to have “good” medical coverage.
Yes, I live in a civilized country. Called “Canada”
Insurance would double my already high medical bills without actually covering anything. It’s already 1.5 times my rent, no, I can’t get insurance. Yey preexisting mental health condition. Apparently I’m not poor enough for food stamps etc. because I decided to go back to school so I COULD get a job with insurance and didn’t have a kid way too young.
I don’t know what I’ll do in an emergency. I assume I leave the taxpayer the bill. I’ve got no compunction with this, personally. Fix the system so I CAN pay or shut up. Once preexisting condition crap is gone, I can afford it.
I have health insurance thanks to my wife’s job, but I have had to use it twice in the last year. Before I had insurance, I was perfectly healthy. Just a coincidence I’m sure.
i have incredible health insurance…thanks mom!
caveat: i cannot afford to use it – 3K deductible/no max OOP. it’s only there in case i don’t die if run over in traffic
ok we are facing a strange dilemma with health insurance renewal at my husbands employment. My hubby is going to be 61 in November, I will be 60 in October. I have a question for anyone with knowledge concerning rights. This year we are required to go to an independent agency who is working for my hubby’s employer. We are required to have the following range in order to keep our insurance premiums from increasing: Waist circumference: F/35 M/40, Blood Pressure; F & M – 130/85; HDL Cholesterol: F/55 M/45; LDL Cholesterol; F & M – 130, Glucose; F & M – 100. This is not aged based so we are being evaluated on the same bases of 21 year old. My husband has worked here for over 20 years. If you fail more than one out of 5 you have to attend all kind of health seminars, aerobics, etc. What is your thoughts on this? Should this be legal?