General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Congestive heart failure. Insurance got me over the hump and now lets me die slowly. [View all]dawg
(10,622 posts)Both my children have pre-existing conditions, one of which (autism spectrum disorder) was often not covered anyway due to it being "mental" or the treatments being considered "therapy". After losing a job and facing a horrible period of not being able to get them covered at all, I finally got Blue Cross to take them with a $10,000 a year deductible (and exclusions for the conditions, of course).
Medical expenses have burdened my family without mercy for the last fifteen years. I don't make *all* that much, but it hasn't been unusual for me to have $10,000 or more in out-of-pocket expenses in a given year.
That places a huge limit on how much money is available for other things. I had to be really miserly about lots of things that I would rather have said yes to. It may even have contributed some to the breakup of my marriage. I don't know. (I don't know what was going through her head, really).
But I'm one of the lucky ones. I found a way to afford it all.
The problem, IMHO, is that a majority of the people who still have good insurance (or just good health) do not give a shit about anyone else. They aren't willing to accept that their premiums or taxes might have to go up - even just a little bit - to help someone else. They say stupid things like, "Why don't you just get a job that has good insurance?" And after they say this, I try really hard not to puch them in the face. I mostly succeed.
No American should be put in the situation you have been placed in.
Not one.