DnPresident

Have no idea how old some of you full time domainers are or if you have families to support but I'll be 38 next year and have a family.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/518126-full-time-domainers-do-you-have.html

I'm a U.S citizen and my family currently does not have health insurance but have dental. Luckily we've had no serious illnesses or injuries and not needed it. From what I've seen it looks like good health insurance for a family of 4, "wife, daughter, son & myself" will run between $500 for questionable maybe not so good insurance to around $700.00 for good insurance at a recognized company.

At $700 per month or $8,400 per year it's far more than we spent last year at the doctors office, around $8,200 more in fact. Only if something far more serious than a common cold or the flu happens will it pay for it's self, which certainly can happen. It really concerns me not having it but haven't taken the plunge yet. My daughter is 8 and my son is turning 18 next month but is already in college so I think I can get him on the insurance as well since he's in school.

So my question is to you other full timers. Do you have family health insurance and if so @ what kind of rates and company?

Dave C

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Spade

Dave,

Im single and 27. I pay around $100 per month for a good PPO from Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I do have a $1,000 deductible, but other then that, the plan is really flexible, and works everywhere I go. I have been looking into adding my girlfriend onto my plan, because she is currently without insurance, but even still, it doesnt look like it should be too expensive.

Good luck. On a side note, we watched Grey's Anatomy last night, and one issue durring the show was a family who's insurance had lapsed. Scary stuff if something major were to happen. Im not sure worth the risk of not having insurance.

Justin

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Yofie

My wife carries our insurance, but if she was not offered insurance I forsure would purchase it.

My wife had to have back sugery and that cost Six Figures! If something were to happen to anybody in your family like that and you have no insurance, that $8,400 will look like NOTHING.

Protect your family. Maybe even look into a part-time job that offer's insurance if you can not afford the $8,400 a year.

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cityforums.com

Interesting that Americans have socialized high school but private medicine ...

and you claim to have the greatest country on Earth ? In Canada

even the unemployed are covered

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Jingles

Talk to a few average, working American families. Not everyone in America is driving around in a super huge SUV, shoving McDonalds into their mouth and claiming to be #1.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=518126

Hubby carries our insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield. It's a good plan and his employer pays for his premium, but they don't pay for mine, and even though we don't have ANY kids, we still get socked with the "family" premium..$125/week....the same amount the people with a family of 3, 4, 5, etc. pay

mis_chiff

I can't believe how expensive the health care is in the US (I'm in Canada)
Having the cost of family coverage is like renting an apt
Families/individuals who have no coverage probably don't get
checked out early enough and they could have a serious illness
- that's not right!

I watched that last night as well, and I still don't quite understand
that part of it
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=518126

Does the fact you have no/or it has lapsed - health care - mean they can
refuse to treat you? or do they do the minimum? or do they give you
guys the same treatment you'd get if you had coverage?

Mike

Being European myself (but living in the USA), the American healthcare system is beyond appalling.
While one cannot be refused treatment, the hospitals or single physicians are still going to come after you to recoup their costs. If all fails, they hit you where it hurts the most: Collections, Credit Report Damage, etc.
It's not uncommon that people file for bankruptcy because of medical bills.

In the USA it's been taken way out of bounds and the big insurers such as Blue Cross Blue Shield (Noridian) are laughing all the way to the bank.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=518126

To the OP: You do not want to be caught with your pants down when having to go to the hospital.
Worst case scenario: Traffic accident, you're getting hit by an uninsured driver and have to be treated in a hospital.
The hospital comes after you for payment, you'll have to recoup from the uninsured driver. In most cases, you'll hear a "Good luck" from your attorney and/or insurance company.
Get yourself and your family insured or, if you have the opportunity, get at least the kids on a state medical program. Or, if you're not making much money at all, get government health insurance (medical card).
Whatever it is you're doing - cover your rear!

M.

sags

We have it better in Canada for general health care. The problem is we don't have the facilities or medical equipment available in the US, so there are long waiting lists for elective surgery. Emergencies are always taken care of as they come along, but it pushes the line back each time.

One thing we don't have is dental and that is expensive.

People on welfare are covered. Native people are covered. Working people aren't covered.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=518126

My son, who is 21 no longer falls under our coverage. He just started a full time job and won't have coverage for another 3 months. He needs his wisdom teeth extracted. It has already cost him 400 dollars just for the evaluation. It will cost another 1500-2000 for the surgery. He doesn't have it, so we will end up paying.

Seems strange that countries, Canada included, can have handouts for the corporations, but nothing for the ones paying the taxes.

They protect their own.

useless

i am from india... and by no means is indian health care as good as the ones in canad a....but still all indian citizen have free health care including dental in any government hospital and u only have to pay for some medicines and even if u want a private health insurance ...which no 1 in india cares about ... its about $500 a year ... from the best companies ..which most of them are american and this plan is mostly for ppl who don like public health system and want to be treated in a private hospital....and ofcourse all medicines are 50 to 70 times cheaper and of same quality ...
i dont mean to say that america cannot have a simillar system ...i think the government is not trying to implement it ...they only tell u the harsh side ..like u have to see only one doctor and u will be under government scrutiny all the time ... but its far from the truth.... we have a perfectly good free market for doctors whr they can practice as they please and at the same time commit some hours to the public system (usualy 10 hrs per week) and in return are are paid salaries for doin so .... and all fresh doctors are to work in a public hospital for 2 years full time before they graduate , thn they r free and they don complain coz most of medical studies students pay almost lil fees in india all is paid by goverment in a government medical colleges...so that is easy on the government , on the ppl and on the doctors

Spade

I believe it means that hospitals can treat you for life-threatening disease, but beyond that, you need to go to a clinic. Correct me if Im wrong? Our healthcare system is just plane scary.

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DnPresident

I don't know what the tax rate is in Canada but here in the U.S I think most honest people are paying Somewhere between 27-35% of every earned $ on taxes. I do not know where that figure stands compared to other countries like Canada & France that provide health care.

To try to answer your question: Can they refuse to treat you?

I believe hospitals can refuse to treat you on certain things but not sure exactly what those things are.

For most any illnesses an emergency room will accept you including flu, broke bones, x-rays or what ever. You just have to pay the full price and they charge you for the er visit it's self which is usually around $125 then anything they do or prescribe you is additional. I just read somewhere: (January 2006) shows average expenses for a visit to the Emergency Room were $560 in 2003 and if over 45 years old it was around $850.00. These are in and outs, God forbid you have to stay over night in a room since then youre going to be well over a $1,000 - $1,500 for just staying and any aid is extra.

Doctors on the other hand can refuse to treat you unless it's an immediate life threatening situation. A growing number of doctors will not take patients that do not have insurance, even if you have cash.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=518126

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Yofie

Can they refuse to treat you? Yes, but it depends on the Hospital. Each are run differently.

Most hospitals Are A Business and provide a service. To get a service, paying is part of it.

You could try a Free Clinic if needed, but it is a clinic and not an ER.

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useless

wouldn't the doctor loose his license if he refuses to treat somebody ...on financial grounds???

GF

If Canada's health system is so great, why are my Mom and her colleagues (family practice physicians) getting asked WEEKLY to travel to Canada and treat people who can't get seen in their hospitals?
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=518126

I thought this was a question on family health insurance, not socialism.

To answer your question, I pay about $800/mo for me, my wife, and my son. There are definitely lower-cost ones available, but with higher copays.

FYI - the United States takes care of their own AND others. Illegal immigrants arrive at emergency rooms all over the United States, get world-class treatment, and most of the time cannot afford the bill, so the US taxpayers get to pay.

What a country! I think next time I get a gunshot wound, I'll go to a Canadian emergency room, then will skip out on the bill and will ask Canadian citizens to pay for me to get patched up.

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Jingles

I used to work in medical claims for a general and vascular surgeon. Neither surgeon, or ANY doctor I ever worked for would have turned anyone away. In those cases I worked with the patient as best I could to set them up on a payment plan they could handle each month, and also contacted the hospitals to see what percent they could shave off their own expenses to help the patient. We only have 2 hospitals in our area, so there was a close relationship there and it worked out well.

Unfortunately, there are just some people who refuse to pay no matter how much you try and help, those were the ones who I ended up having to send to collections, but I always tried numerous calls and certified letters warning them what would happen before I actually did it...Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

I also spent a big portion of my day arguing with insurance companies to pay for procedures that they refused to pay, it's amazing some of the excuses these companies come up for not paying and it's unbelievable how LONG it takes them to finally pay up.

Another quick story, years ago my youngest sister lived with me and although I wasn't her legal guardian, everyone in our one horse town knew I paid for her and took care of her. I was really struggling at the time just to make ends meet and I had an outstanding bill for HER which I was paying off in tiny increments, I went to the same dentist one day with a KILLER toothache and was told I would not be treated until I paid off the balance in FULL (even though I myself had fantastic coverage)...I was furious! I scraped together the money, which was OTHER bill money I had saved, paid of the balance and told them to go to hell............I found a great new dentist that same day

GF

There's no place I'd rather live. I am very proud of my country!

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Jingles

Fantastic post! You said what I was afraid to. Reminds me of the time someone from another country showed up at our office for a gallbladder removal. He knew all he had to do was show up in the U.S. and everything would be paid lock, stock and barrel for him...he knew this because he had a previous surgery before paid for by the American people! I lied in my earlier post when I said we never turned anyone away, there actually was one person we turned away, and this was the guy! Almost forgot about him.

Seabass

You can at least get what I believe is called Catastrophic Health Insurance, which just covers the big stuff like car wrecks, etc..... but not colds, cuts, etc.....

Maybe just get that until you can afford a more comprehensive family health insurance plan.

mis_chiff

It's not that our system is so great, (it's not, by far)
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=518126
but it covers those who need it the most! Without penalty.

What reason are they not being able to be seen in the hospitals?
We do have a doctor shortage, especially family practice professionals.
Long waits etc

We'd never turn you away

Mike

9/11, as many other employed workers in the USA i lost my job in the wake of the economic downturn.
The day after the lay off, i had surgery. Even though i was firmly assured that I am efficiently covered, someone was more than just "full of it".
A few weeks later, i get a set of bills from different entities. The hospital, the physicians billing service, the insurance carrier (informing me that coverage has been denied) ....
I'm reasonably sure that i didn't deal with just idiots, so someone must have known about the repercussions of being laid off, i surely asked enough questions.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=518126
There was no talk, not even for a split second, that the tax payers, which i am one of them, will pay the bill, that some emergency fund will spare me from emptying out my pockets. It was squarely my own responsibility to pay - in cash.

From a personal perspective as well as from a professional, whoever thinks that it's all "socially taken care of" in the USA, look around "the next corner"....i can assure you, it's not.

M.

cdboard

did you extend your employers coverage? if so, did you get the same coverage as you would have before the layoff?

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Mike

Nope. I didn't take the Cobra option. Hence my extensive questions regarding coverage, and my surprise that i've been lied to by several, separate parties as i was assured that the coverage would be through the pay period and not stop immediately. Be that as it may, it's way in the past

I guess what's to be taken from this thread, though; Don't go without coverage unless there's absolutely no other way.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=518126

M.

GF

Awww

I've always loved Canada. If I ever become a fugitive in the United States, you can tell them I'm hiding in the cellar at mis_chiff's home.

Can we all agree that medical insurance companies are snakes?

How about we all never get sick or hurt, that way we could eliminate this discussion. How's that?

- GF

Ugh. A month doesn't go by where I don't hear of a horror story like this.

"Yes, sir - your medical bills are $350,000. No, that's not a joke, the hospital did charge $8 for a single tablet of asprin... No, no payment plan - we need the money now."

Um, OK... Let's me go to bankruptcy court first, then let's talk.

I'm sorry to hear about that, Mike. I hope that after 7 years things are better.

- GF

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has2hands

Dave,

I am 45 years old and have always reasonably healthy, no major health problems but when I started turning 40.....it seems like a whole lot of stuff happens to you and your body. Those aches last days longer, bones a little more brittle, eyes going downhill faster and your sex life...well, thats another forum
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=518126

You're not in your glorious 20s anymore and you made it thru your 30s but 40 is a turning point in your life.

So, get insurance (easy for me to saw) and protect yourself and your family.
Don't let the 40s get you. And my wife had to go to the emergency room one day and we received her bill, which was covered thru our insurance, but the cat scans, mri, etc, cost over 8 grand.

My two cents.

Paul

Mike

Yeah, it was all taken care of...in cash. For that i paid my arse off each paycheck, that surely wasn't what i had envisioned.

^^^ Point in case ^^^

M.