How many of you don't have

[bfogg]

I can't figure out if I am more scared of the fact there are no well paying jobs or the fact that so many people do not have health insurance.

I am seeing it right in my room every day. Kids sitting here right now who are sick and should be home but parents have to work and no insurance to take them to Doctors.

And seeing as though my room is 7 x15 they are coughing and sneezing all over me.

I feel so bad for them and all the others who are in the same boat. A typical office visit starts at $60.00 and goes up.

I am so thankful to have insurance and worry about losing it everyday.

We seem to have plenty of money to help other countrys but none for the working people here.

I was in the grain store and a 3o something was in a wheel chair trying to work. He had fallen at his house and broke his ankle. He is now $55000.00 in debt with no way to pay it so they are taking his house.

He was in such pain I felt so sorry for him, no money for pain meds and working on it. Someone loaned him a wheel chair so he could set dwn

Heard about a logger who set his own broken leg,with some of his buddies with the aide of some liquor

It just seems to me that there is A LOT of people who don't have it or if they do have it the benefits are not very good.

And what can be done about the loss of jobs and insurance? The politicians are out because the senate is owned by big business and the insurance companies....

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed because there doesn't seem to be any answers to the problems that we are having today.I feel so bad for people who are trying to do things right, work everyday, care for their families and are just going further and further behind every day. Some one said most americans are one paycheck away from being homeless. That is terrible! A broken ankle should not cost 55,000.00 and cost you everything you have.

Bonnie

 

[Charlene]

don't even get me started! luckily, i am able to afford health insurance although it's a stretch. i recently had a premium increase that bumped me up to almost $500/month. i called my agent and he managed to find a similar plan for me that would include coverage on my artificial hips and would lower my premium to a little under $400/month. my deductible is $5,000.

gary was uninsured when he was diagnosed with cancer. since were were never legally married, even though we lived together for 11 years, he was not eligible to be covered under my plan. he applied for, and got, medicaid. i can't kick about how he was treated. every single procedure, doctor appointment, biopsy, chemo drug...you name it...was covered. he was treated with the utmost respect and we were never questioned by a single health care provider as to how the bills were going to be paid.

i have talked to several people over the past couple of years who had very sick children. many of them did have health insurance but the deductibles and co-pays ate them alive.

i don't want to start a war here but in my opinion, as great as this country is, it should be downright ashamed for the way it treats it's citizens as far as health care.

 

[Cedar Ridge Farm]

Bonnie,

I'm with you on this one... I have no insurance on myself right now. I found out last month that I have a brain tumor. Because of the size and location, it is not life threatening. It causes a constant headache and shooting pain. Because it is not life threatening, to have it removed now, would be considered an elective surgery. Which means, I would have to pay the hospital before I could have the surgery done. I am talking over $100,000 just for surgery!! Since my money tree is not growing out in the back yard, there is NOWAY that I can come up with that. In other countries, hospitals and doctors are paid by the government. We need some type of program in the US to help those of us that do not fall beneath the "poverty level" but can not afford medical care. Do any of our presidential candidates have a platform for health???

Peggy

 

[Ashley]

Nope dont have any. The last doctors appointment I had the bill was $173.

 

[heart k ranch]

I have health insurance.... Its 125 dollars a month..

 

[Jill]

I have it and thank goodness. Just my insulin pens and meds look like they'd be $600 or so a month w/o it, not to mention doctors visits, opthomologist vists / laser, and everything else that unfortunately has come along with the diagnosis of diabetes.

 

[Shari]

DS and I have health insurance but it is through the Miltary... Miltary retiree program. They pay worse than Medicare and there is only one Doc in a 1 1/2 hours drive that will take it.

We do not get good care because once the Hospital or what ever, figures out what our insurance pays.. they will do their best to ignore us or tell us that nothing is wrong...even if you have clearly broken bones and so on.

Lots of people do not have good health insurance or none.

Bush closed many of the VA hospitals... all of them full to the gills. To save money he said.. more like to give money to the war and not those that all ready served. Is wrong on so many levels.

My Dad has to go to the VA hospitals...now he has to drive near 3 hours each way to be able to see any Doc. Is stupid.

 

[Sandy S.]

Have insurance, but sometimes paying the deductibles and percentage is hard. I have heard as long as you make a payment even if small on medical bills they have to accept that you are paying and can't turn it over to collections, don't know if true or not. Even a $5 or $10 payment.

My son just broke his hand and probably 2 fingers but doesn't have insurance. Hasn't went to the doctor even yet because he has no way to pay. He is just making it on minimum wage. But he makes enough not to qualify for any help. There needs to be insurance for those in between.

 

[Lisa Strass]

My husband and I are fortunate to have insurance. The premiums are deducted straight from Mike's paycheck, and I can't remember how much they are, but they are somewhere in the neighborhood of $200/month for the family with reasonable deductibles and co-pays.

I worry about my dad though. He and his wife are self-employed and they do have insurance, but their premiums are about $1,000/mo with an $8,000 deductible! That is outrageous, but I'm glad they see the importance of staying covered because you just never know.

 

[bfogg]

Bonnie,

I'm with you on this one... I have no insurance on myself right now. I found out last month that I have a brain tumor. Because of the size and location, it is not life threatening. It causes a constant headache and shooting pain. Because it is not life threatening, to have it removed now, would be considered an elective surgery. Which means, I would have to pay the hospital before I could have the surgery done. I am talking over $100,000 just for surgery!! Since my money tree is not growing out in the back yard, there is NOWAY that I can come up with that. In other countries, hospitals and doctors are paid by the government. We need some type of program in the US to help those of us that do not fall beneath the "poverty level" but can not afford medical care. Do any of our presidential candidates have a platform for health???

Peggy

[/quote

Peggy,

I am so sorry! Oh my God i can't imagine what you must be going thru.

I think this is awful in a country who takes care of the world!

Hugs to you,

Bonnie

 

[JourneysEnd]

Self employed, can't afford it.

 

[mininik]

Self employed with no insurance, but working on applying for it through WA state.

 

[bfogg]

When you have tn of thousands of people in dire conditions like these I think it will probably take dire consequences to get a problem like this solved.

here is my suggestions.

We vote every single senator and congressman out! Start out fresh with people who have not been,how can I put it, contaminated yet? Now I am sure there are some good people in Washington. But seeing as tho they already have wonderful health care but of course different from what we are allowed to have. Well first of all they get what we get or put another way we get the same as they get.

They do not get separate retirement pensions either. We get what they get or they get the same as we get!

I would volunteer to head this up and see that we all end up on the same ...er ... page.

.

 

[mininik]

Well... I know there are plenty who don't have health insurance who "can't afford it" because they don't try to budget it in. How would one go about separating benefits between those who "can't afford it" because they'd rather have six kids, their hair and nails done, a big fancy home and new car vs. those who can't afford it because they truly can't?

 

[wildoak]

We do have health insurance, but it's private pay and our premiums are now over $1000 a month with a high deductible. I can't shop around because of pre-existing conditions, so I'm stuck with what I have and it keeps going up. I truly feel for those who don't have it though - it's basically catastrophic care ins now, doesn't cover regular drs office visits even.

Bonnie has hit on one of the biggest problems in my mind - our senators/representatives don't labor under the same conditions as the rest of us. They have excellent health care and retirement benefits (which they have thoughtfully voted in for themselves) - not a priority for them. Although I thought Hillary was going to "fix" the health care system years ago, gee wonder what happened there.

I don't know what the answer is, but I don't think government mandated insurance is the solution either. Canadians correct me if I'm wrong, but what I hear from people in countries with guaranteed healthcare is that it's fraught with problems too - long waits to see a doctor, lack of quality care, etc.

Jan

 

[h2t99]

We are self employed and had insurance until it went up to $1600 a month!!

So we dropped it, then we had coverage from the state for a year but we lost that because we made to much last year!! Even our kids can't get the insurance that is suppose to be guaranteed for all children!! I just paid a bill to the dr's for my daughter when she had strep and that was $150!! Not including medicine!! I buy my prescriptions in Canada and am saving $1000 every 3 months by doing it that way!! I went to the after hours clinic a couple months ago and it cost me $400, I had a migraine that would not go away!!

So health insurance is definately a big deal that needs to be taken care of!!!

 

[bfogg]

I ended up in the emergency room this summer for what turned out to be pneumonia. Waited almost 5 hours to see a Dr and then another 3 to get results.

It was bizarre because i had no symptoms of a cold no runny nose, no coughing, just uncontrollable shaking and a high fever that came on very suddenly. So it was not that i neglected to go when I first got sick.

Funny thing was 5 people (all young) died from the same thing.

I was so lucky or just plain a tough old bird.

But how many are dying in this country for lack of care period. Or from not being able to afford their meds.

My niece had a stroke at 47 we found out she had not been able to buy her diabetic medicines and had not said a word to anyone, she works from 6 o 5 in a daycare center then from 7-11 in convience store.

She is not a slacker.

But when gas and heating oil went out of sight she was in trouble.

I don't know what the answer is but there are lots of smart people on here who would have some answers i bet.

Bonnie

 

[Buckskin gal]

I think we have to ask ourselves just how much government we want in our lives. I can't speak for every state in the Narion but I can speak for what Montana has to offer in health care for those who don't earn enough to pay for health insurance. All kids from low income famiies have available to them, options of receiving services if they are really sick. [Coughs and the sniffles often don't need the services of a doctor and should be taken care of at home .] We have what I think is called CHIPS for children who need heath care. We have clinics for people who pay according to the persons income or no income. We have Medicad for people who can't [or won't work] and then there is Merdicare for those who may have disabilites .

We also have hospitals who will not turn away any person in need of their services......rates for the paying are made high enough to cover this. I do understand that health insurance is getting higer and higher ....we see it everytime we pay ours. I do think we have the responsibility to take care of our own needs. What troubles me is the people who complain about not being able to pay for their health needs but on the other hand they seem to always have money for the non essentials such as new cars, vacations, their expensive pets, etc. In many ways, I believe government has created the mess we are in. When people are led to believe the government should take care of them, many lose the incentative to take care of themselves, which can be very expensive for the rest of the people. I have no problem, what so ever, in helping those who truly need help but I see far too many people assuming the government or someone else should be providing for their needs. Many of us work hard to meet our needs but we also have to work hard to pay for many who believe their way should be paid by someone else. We have several politicians that are running for president who have some plans for health coverage. Everyone needs to look closely at these plans and think seriously about what is best for all the citizens. Having more affordable insurance would certainly be a plus for the hard working people who do want to pay their way. JMHO Mary

I can't figure out if I am more scared of the fact there are no well paying jobs or the fact that so many people do not have health insurance.

I am seeing it right in my room every day. Kids sitting here right now who are sick and should be home but parents have to work and no insurance to take them to Doctors.

And seeing as though my room is 7 x15 they are coughing and sneezing all over me.

I feel so bad for them and all the others who are in the same boat. A typical office visit starts at $60.00 and goes up.

I am so thankful to have insurance and worry about losing it everyday.

We seem to have plenty of money to help other countrys but none for the working people here.

I was in the grain store and a 3o something was in a wheel chair trying to work. He had fallen at his house and broke his ankle. He is now $55000.00 in debt with no way to pay it so they are taking his house.

He was in such pain I felt so sorry for him, no money for pain meds and working on it. Someone loaned him a wheel chair so he could set dwn

Heard about a logger who set his own broken leg,with some of his buddies with the aide of some liquor

It just seems to me that there is A LOT of people who don't have it or if they do have it the benefits are not very good.

And what can be done about the loss of jobs and insurance? The politicians are out because the senate is owned by big business and the insurance companies....

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed because there doesn't seem to be any answers to the problems that we are having today.I feel so bad for people who are trying to do things right, work everyday, care for their families and are just going further and further behind every day. Some one said most americans are one paycheck away from being homeless. That is terrible! A broken ankle should not cost 55,000.00 and cost you everything you have.

Bonnie

 

[wantminimore]

I haven't read through all of the replies yet but here's mine

. None of us (myself, my BF and our 2 kids don't have any insurance. Our son has ADHD and needs to see the Dr. every 3 months and instead of her charging $70 per visit she drops it to $60. He need medication every month and that costs $150.

We need to find some kind of insurance!!

Leslie

Self-employed here too.

 

[bfogg]

I ended up in the emergency room this summer for what turned out to be pneumonia. Waited almost 5 hours to see a Dr and then another 3 to get results.

It was bizarre because i had no symptoms of a cold no runny nose, no coughing, just uncontrollable shaking and a high fever that came on very suddenly. So it was not that i neglected to go when I first got sick.

Funny thing was 5 people (all young) died from the same thing.

I was so lucky or just plain a tough old bird.

But how many are dying in this country for lack of care period. Or from not being able to afford their meds.

My niece had a stroke at 47 we found out she had not been able to buy her diabetic medicines and had not said a word to anyone, she works from 6 o 5 in a daycare center then from 7-11 in convience store.

She is not a slacker.

But when gas and heating oil went out of sight she was in trouble.

I don't know what the answer is but there are lots of smart people on here who would have some answers i bet.

Bonnie