US Health Insurance is Bullshit

[Moonface]

Looking at my bank account in the past half hour to see if I have enough money to pay for classes has once again left me feeling somewhat bitter about health insurance in the US, and I feel the need to rant about it and see where everyone else stands on it.

Basically, I have an insurance plan that costs me $500 or so a month. $6000 a year. That is just for health insurance. No vision, no dental. If I want those I'd have to pay separately, but luckily I get to have that at an actual reasonable rate on Shira's insurance she gets from her employer.

So far I've spent $5000 this year and I have yet to need to see a doctor. I doubt I will see one before 2020 rolls up, leaving me $6000 out of pocket for basically nothing but a security blanket I never used in the event I got carted to a hospital. However, this is America, and I'm sure despite my insurance I'd still end up with some ludicrous amount of money to pay the hospital that could potentially be more money than I've earned in my lifetime. Better yet, next year if I were to renew my insurance, I don't get anything for not used it this year. No bonus, no cut on my rate, just another contract for another $6000 that is just glorified bankruptcy insurance that might not even bail you out of an overinflated bill anyway.

Then there's the out of pocket shit, the prescriptions that will still top $300 depending on what you need and aren't covered in an insurance plan that doesn't top a five digit total, and whatever other bollocks that likes to live in the American healthcare system. Meanwhile no prescription cost me more than $10 in the UK and all health visits were free at time of use, with only about $40 of a $1200 paycheck going towards the NHS every month. Oh, and that covers vision and dental, we don't split out shit into some three course meal to strangle your bank account.

I just don't get how the actual fuck America is OK with this bullshit. How can anyone justify having that over something far more affordable that plenty of other countries have and make work? Seriously, I just don't get it.

[queenzelda]

Because health care in America is all about the all mighty dollar. It's been that way since I can remember. Get used to it, its only going to get far worse before it might [maybe] get better.

As for me? I'm covered through my husband's health care he gets from work. We get spending money on a credit card to use only for insurince crap. If I go in for a check up once a year its free, any other time I'm paying $30. We have to pay for dental out of pocket but are reimbursed afterwards. But the eyes & glasses are covered: by certain places you see. It's nice, but not every place is covered for the eye stuff, its crazy.

[King Atem]

[Moonface]

I understand the reason is because of money. Money = America after all. I just can't believe that America doesn't seem to be unified on it being wrong or at least too much.

Another thing I found silly was you can apparently only purchase health insurance at the end of the year for the following year, and not at any time of the year. When I came to the US it was July, but I wasn't allowed to get health insurance and was forced to pay out of pocket for anything I needed. Granted, it was still cheaper than what insurance would've been, but had it been more expensive I had no option available to me. If someone had insurance through an employer and lost it, they're basically fucked for the rest of the year and it isn't even their fault.

[queenzelda]

Yup. For a time we had people like Berny Sanders fighting the good fight for better health care; but the battle for better health care as of late has been buried under neath all of the bull crap of the Republicans wanting to oust Pres Trump because he wasn't the agreed upon candidate to win who they had a deal with Hillary Clinton to win. But she LOST & Trump won. They want him out so bad that they're willing to make up their own laws & regulations in order to do so. Only problem is that there's so much more that could be done, then ousting him. Give him his last year & then everyone in the US can just vote him out if the voters will it to be so.

Still, the health care in the US has been broken for a very long time. Our mentality is that we have to take care of our own bills ourselves & not ask for any help. When maybe we should be demanding more. I suppose it's all in how you look at it.

[Moonface]

Our mentality is that we have to take care of our own bills ourselves & not ask for any help. When maybe we should be demanding more. I suppose it's all in how you look at it.

I can see it. The US has given me a very clear impression of being a place where most people run by a "I've got mine" mentality. People seem to be concerned more about whether they have something over whether there's a better way of having it that benefits more than just themselves.

[Karo]

I think most people would agree that healthcare is too expensive and there need to be change, the problem is politicians that are being paid off by the health care and insurance industry every single industry in America is basically monopolized. It is sad, but true and I don't really believe in the we should just take care of ourselves policy myself.

I don't mind taxes going to pay for health care and I would honestly welcome it, but I also feel like frankly the government has to step in to do it cause these industries aren't going to stop ripping people off something has to literally scare them away....but with our government being corrupt it ain't going to happen.

I feel like Bernie Sanders would try to do something if he got in, but the Democrats are just so in love with their current system they aren't willing to put a new person in so we are most likely getting Joe Biden against Trump....and frankly it just the same old shit....its honestly depressing.

TLDR: Industries are unchecked capitalism combined with paid off politicians resulting in a government that doesn't serve it people and just maintain the status quo. My opinion is basically a government should serve its people not unchecked capitalism.

[QueenBee]

I don't understand why you dont have an NHS like we do. I have had three major surgeries in my life...all on the  NHS. 

You can buy private health insurance if you want too..but personally I have never seen the point.

[Moonface]

I don't understand why you dont have an NHS like we do. I have had three major surgeries in my life...all on the  NHS. 

You can buy private health insurance if you want too..but personally I have never seen the point.

Because the health insurance companies make too much money and pay off politicians to keep things the way they are.

Apparently it came about when after the war companies needed to offer benefits to make up for low wages, and health coverage was one of those. Not sure if that's truly the reason but I'm sure something would have created the circumstances present today.

[ShiraNoMai]

Apparently it came about when after the war companies needed to offer benefits to make up for low wages, and health coverage was one of those. Not sure if that's truly the reason but I'm sure something would have created the circumstances present today.

 

Yeah it definitely all started once employers began offering insurance through them as added benefits. I suppose from there, if your job didn't offer the insurance, you were shit out of luck; same as if you were just unemployed, though there are government-based programs in those cases in the form of Medicaid that would help that.
It's been needing a reform for so long now that our own culture surrounding the need for healthcare has permanently damaged our basic needs, at this point. It's really sad.

I'm torn between the idea of Medicare for All and the European method of "Public, but private if you want it", mostly because I really don't trust the capitalistic system of healthcare, ESPECIALLY in the US, to really work out anymore. Perhaps if this idea came up way back when, but when making money is more of a priority than anything else, it becomes hard to vouch for that idea anymore

[QueenBee]

Public but private if you want it is the best way to go..in my humble opinion. Private just means you get to choose a specialist hospital of your choice..have a tv in your room, that kind of thing,,.BUT...when I had my last two surgeries, we have something called choose and book..I picked a private hospital near me and went there..paid for by the NHS. i got treated no differently to private patients.

[Moonface]

I'm sure a few of you have come across this video by now, but if not, this is a good watch on the reactions people have about US healthcare costs.

[Dragon Lord]

On the subject of US Healthcare being bullshit, I've been looking for new insurance since the one I had got dropped, and I'm having a really fun time looking at all the "Pay $100 a month for our insurance, but we don't start covering you until you spend $6,000 on medical bills."

Bruh, I'm not paying you $1200+ a year just to start covering me after I've already bled $6000 worth of bills. That makes the true cost of that insurance $7200+ a year (not including having to pay the co-pay for any appointments and also paying for what the insurance wouldn't cover to begin with).

I think that's the biggest bullshit about our Healthcare. I wouldn't mind paying $5,000 a year for insurance if it mean I was actually, you know, insured. But when I have to spend almost 10 grand a year just to start getting the benefits of the insurance I'm paying $150-$200+ a month for, shit is stupid. I wouldn't be able to meet that requirement a year anyways because I don't go to the doctor often enough. I'd have to be involved in a pretty bad accident that required surgery (or multiple surgeries) to be able to reach that.

Worst part is a lot of these plans won't cover prescriptions either, which is probably the biggest use of insurance. What are you actually good for at that point?

[ShiraNoMai]

YEP. Don't you LOVE it?

I've never been more thankful that my company started offering health insurance last year. Not only did it cut my payments from $400/mo to $140/biweekly, but now I have a $250 deductible (BLESS) and I don't have to pay "50% after deductible" on my medicines, just flat rates. It was seriously costing me $376 a month for one of my medicines, which was nearly the cost of the damn insurance! I also had a $6500 deductible.

I can't wait for this bullshit era of "corporate-owned healthcare" is over and we can move on to better services like other developed countries have

[Moonface]

I'd have to be involved in a pretty bad accident that required surgery (or multiple surgeries) to be able to reach that.

This is why unless you suffer from a lot of medical issues, I see health insurance for a person who doesn't need medical treatment often as nothing more than bankruptcy insurance in the event you end up in some freak accident that probably wouldn't be your fault anyway. Honestly if I had something like diabetes that required me to take insulin, I'm either getting a very good health plan to avoid the bullshit price that insulin costs or I'd be leaving the country. No way would I spend my years here until I die forking over hundreds of dollars to keep my blood sugar at levels that won't cause me to end up at the hospital where I can pay even more money that I don't have because otherwise I'd have paid for insulin in the first place.

How on earth people try to defend the current system and act like what Europe has is worse in comparison is beyond me. Especially those who think they'll lose most of their wages to taxes. Fuck off, I made $1200+ a month in the UK and still took home $1000+ of it after NHS and government taxes were deducted. I paid more in regular taxes than I did to the NHS, yet somehow paying towards an NHS style system is more outrageous a cost than what normal taxes are.