I'm not sure what some people call healthcare, but I know that I wouldn't exactly call the insurance that I have "CARE".
I'll begin by saying that Oda Mae and I cannot afford to be on Oda Momma's insurance plan because it would cost us nearly $500.00 a month. Oda Momma actually has pretty good insurance, but her employer pays for it. Oda Mae and I are on a plan that I found through some some references.
In order to afford health insurance for myself and Oda Mae we have to have a very high deductible. Now, if something really bad were to happen and one of us ended up with thousands of dollars of medical bills, we'd be able to pay the $1500.00 deductible and the insurance company would pay the rest. That's fine, BUT what about our normal health care? I end up paying for all of Oda Mae's doctor visits which turns out to be at least $100.00 or more per visit. Fine. This week when Oda Mae was diagnosed with eczema, the doctor prescribed two different creams to take care of her. I take care of my kid, so I went to get her prescriptions filled as soon as I had a chance. Now, again, in order to make monthly insurance payments, our prescription deductible is $500.00. Take a guess at what the cost of those two tubes of cream were going to cost me. We're talking about tubes that are about the size of a travel toothpaste tube. Come on guess.....
$50.00
No way....
$100.00
Nope.....
They were going to charge me almost $265.00 for both tubes!!!!!!!!!!
You talk about a racket! Now, my Oda Mae is worth it, believe me, but $265.00 for a couple tubes of cream that will keep her from itching too bad? Come on. I ended up getting a portion of the prescription filled for a considerably less amount of money.
I'll get to my point now. The average "self-employed" person can't get any kind of health insurance that is worth a flying flip. My premiums are going up 18% in May in order "to reflect the rising cost of medical treatment". What medical treatment!!!!!! I can't get medical treatment because I can't afford my deductibles. I can't afford to lower my deductibles because then I couldn't afford the monthly premiums. So what do I do. I take care of my kid as best I can and hope that I don't fall off the roof in October when I'm putting up my Christmas lights!
All I'm saying is that maybe the system here in the US isn't as good as it could be.
I'll begin by saying that Oda Mae and I cannot afford to be on Oda Momma's insurance plan because it would cost us nearly $500.00 a month. Oda Momma actually has pretty good insurance, but her employer pays for it. Oda Mae and I are on a plan that I found through some some references.
In order to afford health insurance for myself and Oda Mae we have to have a very high deductible. Now, if something really bad were to happen and one of us ended up with thousands of dollars of medical bills, we'd be able to pay the $1500.00 deductible and the insurance company would pay the rest. That's fine, BUT what about our normal health care? I end up paying for all of Oda Mae's doctor visits which turns out to be at least $100.00 or more per visit. Fine. This week when Oda Mae was diagnosed with eczema, the doctor prescribed two different creams to take care of her. I take care of my kid, so I went to get her prescriptions filled as soon as I had a chance. Now, again, in order to make monthly insurance payments, our prescription deductible is $500.00. Take a guess at what the cost of those two tubes of cream were going to cost me. We're talking about tubes that are about the size of a travel toothpaste tube. Come on guess.....
$50.00
No way....
$100.00
Nope.....
They were going to charge me almost $265.00 for both tubes!!!!!!!!!!
You talk about a racket! Now, my Oda Mae is worth it, believe me, but $265.00 for a couple tubes of cream that will keep her from itching too bad? Come on. I ended up getting a portion of the prescription filled for a considerably less amount of money.
I'll get to my point now. The average "self-employed" person can't get any kind of health insurance that is worth a flying flip. My premiums are going up 18% in May in order "to reflect the rising cost of medical treatment". What medical treatment!!!!!! I can't get medical treatment because I can't afford my deductibles. I can't afford to lower my deductibles because then I couldn't afford the monthly premiums. So what do I do. I take care of my kid as best I can and hope that I don't fall off the roof in October when I'm putting up my Christmas lights!
All I'm saying is that maybe the system here in the US isn't as good as it could be.
"I need better healthcare!!!!" "and insurance!!!!"
-OD
5 comments:
Man, you said a mouthful and that picture needs to be forwarded to the White House...'cept I doubt that they care at all. After all, we don't play golf. ~gm~
I've been saying for years that we do not have a healthcare crisis in this country - we have an insurance crisis. Healthcare is spectacular. Insurance to pay for it is a racket. And the deck is stacked against the consumer.
Why is everything so high? Because there's LOTS of money involved. And wherever there's lots of money, you'll find lawyers waiting in the wings for their cut - either legitimately or notso...
I guarantee that in addition to R&D (not to be confused with A&D ointment), pharmaceutical companies have factored in lawsuit costs, because in the event that someone uses the cream and breaks out into hives, bring on the Pain & $uffering!
And the pharmaceutical company passes those costs on to us, thankyouvermuch - because if they don't, they'll be out of business.
That was the big unreported stink last year with the shortage of flu vaccine. Much press and buzz was reported over shortages, but little was said as to WHY American pharmaceutical companies were no longer manufacturing flu vaccines. The fact is, they had been sued so many times, they simply said "Screw it - find your own vaccines. Good luck!"
Short of tort reform (which I have no power to implement), I don't have any solutions other than being well-read on alternative/holistic treatments. You might press the doc for extra samples as well. Most caring professionals will be quick to give samples or recommend alternate or generic (if available) drugs if they're available.
I'm not so sure that it isn't Healthcare and Insurance. When I was a student, I had great insurance. I started going to the dentist to get some things fixed. They scheduled me for appointments every 3 months for about a year then 6 months after that. When they found out that I would be paying the bill myself and that I didn't have insurance anymore, they dropped me like a fly and didn't want to schedule anything! I paid my bills just fine. They wanted the money they could get from insurance.
Unfortunately, the doctor didn’t have samples of the prescription he gave Oda Mae, and there are no generics (I asked).
-OD
I understand completely about the insurance. I am in desperate need of zyrtec and phonase for the up coming allergy season. To purchase the 2 prescriptions it will cost me almost $200 ridiculous!!! Who do I yell at about this???!!!
Doctors who know you're paying cash can be persuaded to give a discount since they don't have to file paperwork, etc. As for the creams, you have to tell the doctor that you can't afford any brand-name stuff unless there's nothing else available. These guys are so used to thinking you have a copay and insurance covers the rest... you have to educate them it ain't always so.
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