General Discussion

Bonobo

(29,257 posts)

49. Much the same here.

Sun Dec 9, 2012, 10:46 PM

Dec 2012

Self-employed, family of 5. I realized the cost of insurance was breaking us.

3 years ago, Massachusetts.

$900 per month for a $5,000 deductible with $25 copays, probably $1,100 for a $1,500 with $15 copays.

No dental insurance except available that isn't a ripoff fraud.

Got a hernia. Boom $5,000.
Injure a knee in karate. Choose not to get x-rays that would cost hundreds.
Dental cleanings for 3 kids. Cavities once in a while. Root canals or god forbid crowns become VERY expensive. Health costs exceeding mortgage costs regularly. Who could maintain such costs?

THAT is America.

Now in Japan, I pay perhaps $600 for the family and it covers almost everything. Doctors visits cost very little and all dental is a matter of a few dollars. Hell, I sliced my finger and got 5 stitches and wound up EARNING $65 dollars for suffering.

THAT is a country interested in maintaining a strong healthy population.

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If you’re younger than 50 and entirely self insured you’re in for a nightmare.. [View all] busterbrown Dec 2012 OP

Here's a possible solution Xipe Totec Dec 2012 #1

Assume you are speaking of health insurance. Fortunately, Obamacare has some provisions that Hoyt Dec 2012 #2

The way I understand it... WinstonSmith4740 Dec 2012 #10

It still would not have passed karynnj Dec 2012 #24

Lieberman is a snake. (n/t) LAGC Dec 2012 #41

Lieberman SHOULD have been given an offer he couldn't refuse. bvar22 Dec 2012 #80

Why would we have to give up choice of doctors, etc.? subterranean Dec 2012 #11

Except, you are free to go to any doctor, take almost any medicine available, etc. Hoyt Dec 2012 #81

Giving up choice of doctor and hospital? Utter horseshit eridani Dec 2012 #19

If all else fails move to a country that has social medicine. southernyankeebelle Dec 2012 #3

I guess you haven't looked at their immigration laws davekriss Dec 2012 #53

Yes I understand and agree with you.. Just an option I hope my fellow americans don't have to take. southernyankeebelle Dec 2012 #72

well at least the welfare parasite military will still be getting tons of $$ nt msongs Dec 2012 #4

Oh no rainin Dec 2012 #5

We live in a F'en insane country. Yep, I know it's not the worse, but the US is a RKP5637 Dec 2012 #6

"Not the worse" isn't really good enough, is it? nt Curmudgeoness Dec 2012 #29

No, it really isn't, it's always used too much, I think, to gage our ineptness as acceptable. n/t RKP5637 Dec 2012 #32

Sadly, too many people still think we are number one. Curmudgeoness Dec 2012 #35

No, it certainly is not, not at all. I had a republican tell me the other day, well, you RKP5637 Dec 2012 #38

Whenever someone pulls the "love it or leave it" bullshit on me Curmudgeoness Dec 2012 #45

Yep, same here! n/t RKP5637 Dec 2012 #46

My God... PopeOxycontinI Dec 2012 #7

if you have a middle class home and salary,You’ll have to protect your home and assets busterbrown Dec 2012 #8

I'm 64 and I ran into that leftyladyfrommo Dec 2012 #9

Less scary than before. Starting next year, they won't be able to charge more pnwmom Dec 2012 #16

Yup, age is such a trivial factor. eridani Dec 2012 #20

For a 60 year old to pay 3 times as much as a 20 year old sounds like a pretty good deal to me. pnwmom Dec 2012 #23

Your problem is that you have gotten too used to living in a barbaric society eridani Dec 2012 #39

You'd rather starve than have half a loaf. I wouldn't. pnwmom Dec 2012 #42

Not for those age 55-64 eridani Dec 2012 #44

Even people in that age group will be better off. pnwmom Dec 2012 #48

The subsidies won't be enough, and they are in the form of tax credits eridani Dec 2012 #56

That's what you say. I don't think we'll know if the subsidies will be enough pnwmom Dec 2012 #62

What we know about MA is-- eridani Dec 2012 #65

Why do you think young people, who are in general healthier and make less money, pnwmom Dec 2012 #66

Because actuarial risk adjustment is both viciously amoral and twice as expensive to boot eridani Dec 2012 #67

That's not why the costs are lower there. It's because hospital and doctor charges are regulated pnwmom Dec 2012 #70

It is certainly one of the reasons eridani Dec 2012 #71

There will be a donut hole where people make too much for aid but too little for good insurance. Selatius Dec 2012 #61

I agree. The ACA is basically a floor -- and now we need to build on that floor. nt pnwmom Dec 2012 #63

Pray tell... How old are you. I had blue cross in Cali. and paid 350 with a huge deductible. busterbrown Dec 2012 #27

Obamacare will limit such increases. subterranean Dec 2012 #12

Isn't that wonderful! Young people pay $300 or more a month Curmudgeoness Dec 2012 #33

They limit the increases without approval to 9.9% per year eridani Dec 2012 #68

Are we forgetting? MJJP21 Dec 2012 #13

Which basically means "Affordable" haealth care progressoid Dec 2012 #47

Well, 20% JoeyT Dec 2012 #64

Death Panels: blkmusclmachine Dec 2012 #14

Is this based on info you have about Obamacare or are you basing this on past history? pnwmom Dec 2012 #15

I’m talking about my situation only. Middle class job with assets probably in the upper middle busterbrown Dec 2012 #25

a lot of people do not get that part Skittles Dec 2012 #31

Do you have some authority for these projections? WheelWalker Dec 2012 #17

Just my own experience with Blue Cross. Just got Medicare! busterbrown Dec 2012 #26

Malarkey. I'm in my 64th year. My BC-BS self-pay premium is $550. Deductible is $1,500 and, WheelWalker Dec 2012 #30

What is your out of pocket expense if you have another hospital stay.. busterbrown Dec 2012 #60

"Self-insured" means you pay for ALL your med expenses. You mean "individual insurance policy" Honeycombe8 Dec 2012 #18

Sorry.... Individual Insurance Policy is what I am referring to. Self insured, I thought I buy my ow busterbrown Dec 2012 #22

Don't forget that people lose their jobs late in life thru no fault of their own... Honeycombe8 Dec 2012 #21

Or, you could live like I do, crim son Dec 2012 #28

Watch out for that "uncontrollable GERD". Curmudgeoness Dec 2012 #34

Don't forget the magnesium with that Vit D/Calcium theinquisitivechad Dec 2012 #55

I thought that was what the Vit D was for. Curmudgeoness Dec 2012 #76

Daily salad helps me a lot. Mixed greens, not just iceberg lettuce. nt patrice Dec 2012 #78

In Canada a hospital has around three employees doing claims and similar size hospital Thinkingabout Dec 2012 #36

True. truebluegreen Dec 2012 #37

Much the same here. Bonobo Dec 2012 #49

Yes. It is clear to me that our own government doesn't consider us citizens truebluegreen Dec 2012 #57

Why are they able to discriminate against Politicalboi Dec 2012 #40

Healthcare costs drlindaphd Dec 2012 #43

If you're under fifty and self insured customerserviceguy Dec 2012 #50

I'm 47 and in good health and switched over to a high deductible (5K) with an HSA Lex Dec 2012 #51

Good for you customerserviceguy Dec 2012 #52

Thanks for helping to bankrupt and kill the 15% sick minority by withdrawing money from the system eridani Dec 2012 #69

How is he withdrawing money from the system? Lex Dec 2012 #73

Health savings accounts are useful only to those affluent enough to pay income tax eridani Dec 2012 #74

Wrong, HSA don't pay for aspirin and bandaids. Lex Dec 2012 #75

I signed up for this account the year I bought hearing aids eridani Dec 2012 #82

I'm just taking advantage of a legal choice I have customerserviceguy Dec 2012 #83

Systems that cover almost everything are the exact opposite of wasteful eridani Dec 2012 #84

When we get such a system, fine customerserviceguy Dec 2012 #85

Health insurance that covers most things for everyone is cheaper, period eridani Dec 2012 #86

Do those other countries have doctors that practice defensive medicine? customerserviceguy Dec 2012 #87

Care to take a guess at what the average monthly GP malpractice premium is-- eridani Dec 2012 #88

I'd like to see Federal malpractice insurance customerserviceguy Dec 2012 #89

I don't agree that it's part of the problem. The problem is lack of guaranteed-- eridani Dec 2012 #91

For a bunch of people who claim to understand business, Republicans just don't get this... Hippo_Tron Dec 2012 #54

Hmm. One would think that they don't care about the risk to the people, truebluegreen Dec 2012 #58

I'd like to know exactly where you are getting your numbers from. MoonchildCA Dec 2012 #59

What is this thing you call insurance? n/t gkhouston Dec 2012 #77

Things will be better Turbineguy Dec 2012 #79

I do not think that "Obamacare" is going to affect me much. littlewolf Dec 2012 #90