You have two choices: DON'T GET SICK or DIE. This isn't INSURANCE.

[vaberella]

Let me paraphrase by saying...it's been a while. I haven't been here in AGES. Ages are more like a decade...maybe more, maybe a little less. It's been a while. It hasn't changed much, except me.

I'm forever a New Yorker however, now I'm an NYC public school teacher. Which leads to a few other things. I came to find out about 9yrs ago...all those times when I was having those horrible migraines that had me miss school days for weeks & hurling my guts - people thought I was just bulimic & suffered from depression. When I complained about "lost time". <- All those symptoms was epilepsy.

I ended up having 2 pre-existing conditions PCOS & Epilepsy. So as a teacher I needed good health insurance. I couldn't get CIGNA plan b/c I couldn't afford the $700 a month payment a month. GHI just wasn't giving me all the services I needed as an epileptic. Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield won. A little pricey about $150...but it was a tolerable sacrifice; since I was basically in & out of the doctors.

Three years prior I literally lived in the hospital so w/o my health insurance I don't know where I'd be. I had to have surgery...I had 5-6 EEGs. One year I had 12 Grand Mal's at work. It was bad. This doesn't even count my myclonic/absence/ or the blood poisoning I had from poor medication dosage. <---my health went to shit.

I was also hit by a car.

Anyway, back on topic. So in November, I was told that my Empire BCBS won't work independently any more & I'd have to choose another plan. They never explained how it worked, when I called it was very vague. It just didn't make sense. I felt my hand was twisted so I went to GHI b/c they had an Empire BCBS line within their system.

Yeah, well here is the shit.

EMPIRE BCBS - ONLY
OFFICE VISIT CO-PAY: $15
ER CO-PAY: $ 35
URGENT CARE CO-PAY: $15
AMBULANCE: $0
HOSPITAL: $0

MY WORLD UNDER NEW INSURANCE GHI- EMPIRE BCBS

OFFICE VISIT CO-PAY: ISN'T CLEAR IF IT'S $0 OR $15
ER CO-PAY: $150
URGENT CARE CO-PAY: $50
AMBULANCE: They don't say and I don't want to know.
HOSPITAL CO-PAY: $300

I went from:
ER CO-pay $35 to $150? Why? I've had a few random epileptic seizures.
Urgent Care Co-pay $15 to $50? Quick doctors note for anyone and everyone. I've had plenty of times I needed to go to urgent care.
As I said I don't want to think about Ambulance.
Hospital co-pay: I never paid it...now, now $300? What?

There's a bunch of other co-pays I never had to pay for, these are just a few...

Has anyone had these weird changes in their health insurance "benefits" program?

[area51]

1. We desperately need Medicare for All.

Unfortunately a public option won't be able to lower prices.

Medicare for All info.

[shanti]

2. My son

has a job with the Feds, but is only able to afford health coverage for his son - my grandson - and none for himself. I think this is crazy. He is literally not covered medically, and he is the employee.

#MEDICAREFORALL