Health insurance. Do you have it?

Contributor: True Pleasures True Pleasures
We finally got insurance a few months into the beginning of this year. It took quite a while for my husband to become a full-time employee and get benefits.
10/14/2011
Contributor: carenautilus carenautilus
Quote:
Originally posted by Bignuf
Listen up folks. My dad gave me GREAT advice in college. He said EVEN IF YOU CANNOT afford to eat, you cannot afford to be without medical insurance even more. If you must decide between bread and bologna, and just bread and an insurance ... more
Yikes! I'm glad you're okay now! I certainly agree that insurance is a good idea, but there are people who have good reasons not to have it. Some people just don't have the money. Especially these days, with rates so high. Some people can't afford both rent and insurance. Who are we to judge their choices?
10/14/2011
Contributor: domsub1993 domsub1993
I have insurance, but there is a very high deductible. My cancer surgeries last year cost us $7,500 out-of-pocket.
10/14/2011
Contributor: Princess-Kayla ♥ Princess-Kayla ♥
I don't have any kind of health insurance. And because of college, I can only get a part-time job, soooo that means I probably won't get insurance for a while. Unless my boyfriend gets hired on full time, and we get married, which was discussed.
10/14/2011
Contributor: Ivy Wilde Ivy Wilde
Hubby and I have insurance through the company he works for, but it is not very good. We basically have a $3000 deductible before the insurance will cover anything.
10/14/2011
Contributor: butterflygirlxo butterflygirlxo
I'm thankful that I have an insurance that covers most of my medical bills.
10/14/2011
Contributor: Sekhmet Sekhmet
Military insurance.
10/15/2011
Contributor: acessorie acessorie
I do have coverage but tend to forget to go to the drs as much as I should.
10/15/2011
Contributor: Pink Jewel Pink Jewel
No insurance
10/15/2011
Contributor: SexyTabby SexyTabby
The Hubby and I don't have insurance but our children do. I go very rarely to a doc more so the dentist but still only when a tooth chips or pain. Hubby goes even less then I do.
11/02/2011
Contributor: The Curious Couple The Curious Couple
I have very simple health insurance, but I haven't had to use it yet.
11/02/2011
Contributor: onehotmomma onehotmomma
Ugh. I don't have and need to. It's frustrating. I was working full time, and had health insurance, and after I had my son planned on working the minimum to keep my health insurance, since my baby daddy and I aren't married. We both worked for the same place, a LARGE company, who changed their insurance policy a month before I had my son. To our understanding and their LACK of writing it in black and white on their insurance policy, a couple who resides together and shares an income can be on the same insurance policy with a note from an approved counselor. They changed this when everyone was rooting for gay rights. Which is great. I quit my job to be a stay at home mom. We did our counseling session, once a week, for a month and the lady faxed the paper back to our insurance company saying we were a "commited couple" and yada yada..to hear back 2 days later that it only applies to same sex couples . It's 3 years later and I can't afford it still.
11/02/2011
Contributor: bayosgirl bayosgirl
I don't have any kind of health insurance. With such high deductibles and so many restrictions-what is and isn't covered, what doctors you can see, and even mandatory vaccinations-oh hell no-to me it's not worth it. Hospitals are required to treat everyone who walks in their door, regardless of coverage. Normally I am not one to take welfare except in the most dire circumstances, but I believe health care is a basic human right, not a privilege, and I am not being irresponsible to decline coverage that would cost me $200-300+ a month and might not even cover me in certain cases! I work way too hard as a restaurant server to give my hard-earned money to the greedy insurance companies. My brand of "insurance" is eating well, exercising, getting plenty of rest and managing my stress. It's served me well so far! Oh and I never take advice from anyone who receives kickbacks, and that includes most Drs.
01/31/2012
Contributor: ksparkles16 ksparkles16
I have dental and health
01/31/2012
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by Dawn (Lilac Distraction)
These days, a lot of people are without jobs or suitable insurance. Because of this, a lot of people are going without the health care that they need. Where do you fit in?
I went through a couple of really rought illnesses with no insurance for years. I didn't even have insurance until this month! I finally got it since I needed dental work which I'm going in for tomorrow! I haven't seen a Dr. as much as I've needed with my other health stuffs and not at all for dental until recently. Now that I do have insurance though, I'll go if I HAVE to. Not if it isn't necessary though. I'm pretty darn relieved to be covered with dental now because since September, I've shelled out A LOT of wasted $. $50 just to be seen by a maxillofacial surgeon in November who did nothing at all except tell me to come back when I have $500 just to pull TWO TEETH! So that $50 was wasted. Thankfully, I have insurance now and my local dentist was super helpful and cut me a HUGE deal before I had insurance or I'd be in a mess right now!
01/31/2012
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by wrecklesswords
I honestly don't know if I have any medical issues, but a lot of signs and the fact that a lot of family have it makes me think I do. My mom thinks I'm anemic, and my girlfriend thinks so, too. I show all the signs very often. ... more
I'm anemic and a couple of years ago was SEVERELY anemic. Eat lots of greens and anything with iron. Green beans are your BFF right now! They've helped me a lot. I eat things like that often to help with anemia and it makes a huge difference.
01/31/2012
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by chicken12
I no longer have any type of insurance. I was dropped when I turned 21. The biggest problem is that I have ADHD (ADD) and adderall costs over 200 dollars a month - but it's something that really helps me. I'm a college student in my fourth ... more
I feel ya on the Adderall! Almost EVERY ADD patient I know resorted to buying it off the street the past few years.
01/31/2012
Contributor: Gyrator Gyrator
I live in the UK and my wife and one of my daughters are doctors so the whole health care thing is close to my heart. There is much that is wrong with our NHS but I have no doubt that the core principle is right. So, although it is possible to take out additional health insurance, most of us are happy that the critical things are covered by the system. I'm sure that there are many in our financial services sector that wish it were otherwise.
01/31/2012
Contributor: inmytoybox inmytoybox
I no longer have insurance. Because i am self employed insurance is way too much. If I am that sick, I usually just go to a care station and bite the bullet. Other then that I am healthy.
01/31/2012
Contributor: samanthalynn samanthalynn
none
01/31/2012
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by bayosgirl
I don't have any kind of health insurance. With such high deductibles and so many restrictions-what is and isn't covered, what doctors you can see, and even mandatory vaccinations-oh hell no-to me it's not worth it. Hospitals are required ... more
I agree that health care is a basic human right, hospitals do not have to treat everyone who walks through the door. They only have to treat life threatening emergencies and women in labor. The whole, "Just go to the ER, they have to treat you" idea is false (having worked in hospitals, I have seen people turned away for minor aliments, drug seeking, chronic diseases and no insurance)

One of the problems with the "just go to the ER" is that ER are not equipped to, nor will they treat the most common things; Chronic Illnesses. Most health care dollars in the USA are spent on treating Chronic Illnesses like Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancers, Headaches etc. NO Emergency room will cover your month's supply of insulin, (although they have to treat you if you come in in Sugar Shock or Insulin shock) You HAVE TO go to a regular doctor or clinic for treatment of Chronic Diseases, and in our society, this is what most people end up with. Yes, good diet and exercise is good for you, but there is NO guarantee that you won't develop a Chronic Disease and finding health care insurance after you are diagnosed with one is nearly impossible.

When I was 22, I didn't think I'd end up with 1)pregnancy problems (I assumed as most women do, that my pregnancies would go perfectly. As it turned out, if we had not had health insurance we would have lost our house paying for my FIRST high risk pregnancy, not to mention the two miscarriages and the next two high risk pregnancies which went to term) 2)Two Chronic Pain conditions. NO ER will properly treat either Fibromyalgia nor properly treat Chronic Migraine. There is NOTHING an ER can do for a Fibro flare up, and they will most likely turn you away at the door as a drug seeker, the same with migraine. That or they'll give you a shot of Triptans (which only work well for 40% of migraine patients) and send you on your way. Both these illnesses need to be treated by a doctor who can see you every 3 to 4 months and is willing to prescribe every month.

No ER has to take you because your cholesterol is high. It isn't an emergent condition, it has to be treated by a regular practitioner, same with high blood pressure, diabetes, most minor or non-life threatening psychiatric disorders and a thousand other things.

ERs are not doctor's offices. They are to be used for emergency or emergent health conditions and not ongoing chronic or even minor, but possibly dangerous situations like pneumonia, bronchitis, influenza, etc. Yet, these illnesses often do need to be treated.... in a doctors' office, along usually with pharmacological treatment, which insurance helps with as well.

I know it's hard to get insurance, one of my own children doesn't have it at the moment, and I worry EVERY DAY that something will happen, anything from a pregnancy to a to an other bout with severe sinusitis, where she will need medical care, to heaven knows what and there will no way she can pay for it.

But, no one can predict the future. One's 20s are usually fairly healthy, but anything can happen at any time. My middle daughter's freind has a brain tumor. You CANNOT get a brain tumor treated in an emergency room. He was given an MRI when he was brought in in Status Epilipticus, (a seizure that won't stop) but since his diagnosis (which was not even done in the ER) he has needed a Neurologist, a Pharmacologist, an Oncologist, hospital stays and ongoing surgeries and cancer treatment and symptom treatment. Who would think a 23 year old boy would suddenly, with no warning and no family history, develop a brain tumor? No one. But these things happen and if he didn't have insurance, I have no doubt that he'd be dead by now.

It's like playing Russian Roulette with your life. Like them or hate them, there will come a time when you will need a physician, and it's best to be prepared, even if you don't use the services until you really need them.

I worry about people without insurance, I've seen a friend who thought "We pay more for our insurance and our co-pays than we use services." and let her insurance lapse... then develop an unexpected health condition that has forced her to re-mortgage her house to pay for (she applied for Disability and was rejected) at least she had a house to mortgage, most people don't. That was four years ago, her mortgage payments are double what they were before the health condition, and she is still in debt from the treatment she needed to stay alive.

Please be careful and rethink not caring for yourselves.
02/01/2012
Contributor: karay123 karay123
We just got dental with my husband's new job! Squeee!
02/01/2012
Contributor: Kitka Kitka
We only have health insurance for major medical like ER visits, etc. We don't have dental, vision or prescription coverage but at the moment we don't have any medical conditions that we need insurance for.
02/01/2012
Contributor: TheSlyFox TheSlyFox
I have it, but i'm losing it soon.
02/01/2012
Contributor: BlooJay BlooJay
I have it.
02/01/2012
Contributor: P'Gell P'Gell
Quote:
Originally posted by karay123
We just got dental with my husband's new job! Squeee!
Congrats! I'm glad.
02/04/2012
Contributor: LAndJ LAndJ
Still in college, living on my own, but covered by my father's insurance - health, dental, vision.
02/04/2012