Health Insurance In U.S. How Do You Handle It?

[Boonestoons]

Does your company offer health insurance or do you get group via another outlet?

It would be major cool if we pornmeisters had group. There are enough companies with enough admin smarts to set one up easy.

The best part of group is that pre-existing conditions can't be denied.

I knwo some sponsors offer group but you have to sell a billion $ worth of signups first.

[sunfunbill]

I've never had health insurance in my whole life, and the only thing I've ever paid is a couple hundred for dental work.

The best way to have health insurance is to keep yourself,,,, healthy!

[Boonestoons]

Sunfun, if the world were perfect and bunny rabbits could talk I'd agree with you but in this world nothing is guaranteed.

With the rise of pathogens brought in by illegal immigrants alone everyone in my neighborhood in Hollywood ends up in the hospital. No insurance and you end up with a $50k bill.

Add to that the high rents and mortgages and gad if you're paying student loans or have a wife and kids.

You're fucked six ways walking.

Spend the extra $100 + a month and get coverage!

[sunfunbill]

Well yes, of course I was over simplifying everything. Lots of people are born with defects that make health bills a fact.

I guess what I meant was, I see so many people treat their body like crap, then seem surprised when they need medical health.

You get what you put in, don't do the tune ups on your car and it breaks down. Same with people. Treat yourself good, work out and cut out the crap and MOST will never need to see a doctor. Hell in days of old you HAD no doctor.

But for those that get sick through no fault of their own, yes having no coverage is quite a pain.

[odysseus]

Originally posted by Boonestoons


Spend the extra $100 + a month and get coverage!

Unfortunately, it's not always that cheap. Right now I spend more than that for medical for me (a shitty high deductible plan) and dental for me and the family. Having a good plan for the whole family would take a very large chunk of my paycheck. It really depends on the company and the plan. I've worked for places where you get your prescriptions brought out to you on a silver platter and a free gym membership for under 10 dollars a week for a single dude, and I've worked for people where medical and dental deductions would have been 95% of the paycheck.

I have to agree with Bill, keep yourself healthy. That said, I don't believe obese people and smokers should qualify for medicare, (or food stamps either) but don't get me on that soap box.

Many self employed people I know take a percentage of their income and put it in an interest bearing account and only use it for medical stuff, and just pay cash. But that doesn't quite cut it for terminal illness or some dumbass t-boning you and breaking your neck on the way to work.

It's a conundrum, and one of the issues that needs to be addressed in this country for sure.l

[mynameisjim]

Health insurance just makes it so if you get really sick, you can get treatment but you will still be bankrupt afterwards.

So yes, get private health insurance, but don't expect it to pay for the everyday problems you have.

I pay for my own insurance, Blue Cross/Blue Shield which is the biggest in my state. Every time I get any treatment it's a huge fight to get them to pay. Most the times I just give up since I don't have to time to find copies, fax and certified mail this or that. I got an MRI on my knee and they refused to pay because I had broken that leg two years earlier and called the knee issue a pre-existing condition. So I got stuck with a $1300 bill.

National healthcare is really the only way. Proper care and a running a profitable business are polar opposites.

[phuckbunny]

This reminds me of a t-shirt I saw 20 years ago with a crudely drawn image of a smiling whale blowing out of his blowhole, and the caption read "The Environment? It Sucks!"

The Health Care system in the US is a joke. Sure it offers probably better quality care than most countries but it's also 100% driven by greed and profit. I'm really on the fence because I like a lot of the small government ideas of the Libertarians but I think complete Adam Smith free-for-all is about the same idealistic dream claptrap as Marxist utopianism.

On my end, I can't get health insurance on my own, period, because I have a pre-existing condition - Type 1 diabetes - the one with the syringe in the stomach or ass 3-5 times a day. I could get insurance from an employer after a looong waiting period and even then there are limitations because I'm too high risk. What does that mean? It means that since I'm prone to have an injury or need of treatment of some sorts, they'll actually have to shell out some dough to pay for my expenses and it's all about profit.

I'm sticking to freelancing and so is my husband and we're not going for any more crap corporate jobs so I'm SOL. I've actually called insurance companies to see theoretically how much it would cost me to buy my own plan if I suddenly came into some money.

No way. 9 out of 10 said they don't take diabetic clients, period and the one that did quoted me something along the lines of $2500 a month. What a load of rubbish.



So, yeah some kind of universal coverage would be nice at leats in terms of emergency care, but as long as it's money money money we aren't likely to see it anytime soon. The only way I can get something from the government is if they have to cut off my leg and I go on disability (ouch!)

BTW, Greg, I have been coughing and wheezing up a storm for the past two months. I knew it was partly from smoking, but I had no idea it was from the pathogens brought in by the Mexicans and Salvadoreans. Are you sure it isn't partly from the assholes driving Hummers in the most polluted city in the country?

[crockett]

Used to have expensive as hell health insurance with the company I used to work for. Now that I'm a webmaster I just don't get sick. Was part of the reason I kept my other job as long as I did.



One of the things I hate the most about this country is how shitty the health insurance system is set up. You pay $100 to $150 a week ransom or you get fucked. Either way you get fucked so I choose to not pay for the fucking.

[phuckbunny]

Either way you get fucked reminds me of an old Yiddisch joke I've known for years which goes something like this.

A young lady goes to the Rabbi for advice.

"Rabbi, Rabbi, I'm getting married tomorrow and I don't know what to do. I've never been with a man before and it's our wedding night, so when we go to bed together, should I keep my nightie on or not?"

Just then a guy runs in and says

"Rabbi, I need some advice should I invest my money or keep it in the bank?"

The Rabbi tells the girl to hold on and tells the fellow,

"My son, whether you put it in the bank or invest it, the result will be the same."

Then Rabbi turns to the girl and says

"By the way the same applies to you too"

All kind of insurance is a big joke!
It's easier to win a lotto lottery than use your insurace.

[balls_deep]

Originally posted by cinkciarz
All kind of insurance is a big joke!
It's easier to win a lotto lottery than use your insurace.

I concur

[Chang]

Insurance (ALL insurance) is the biggest scam around! Think about it... How is it possible for an insurance company to make any money unless they're screwing someone?

I'm also convinced that insurance is largely reponsible for the high cost of things. If there were no insurance, doctors could not charge as much and wouldn't have to because they wouldn't be paying thousands in malpractice insurance. If they didn't have insurance, lawyers wouldn't spend time suing them. It's classic snowball effect.

We need affordable medical care (gov't subsidized?). Providing everyone with insurance just makes insurance companies richer.

[crockett]

Originally posted by Chang
Insurance (ALL insurance) is the biggest scam around! Think about it... How is it possible for an insurance company to make any money unless they're screwing someone?

I'm also convinced that insurance is largely reponsible for the high cost of things. If there were no insurance, doctors could not charge as much and wouldn't have to because they wouldn't be paying thousands in malpractice insurance. If they didn't have insurance, lawyers wouldn't spend time suing them. It's classic snowball effect.

We need affordable medical care (gov't subsidized?). Providing everyone with insurance just makes insurance companies richer.

It's why it makes no sense to not have govt provided health care. It for the most part is impossible under our current system for a insurance company to make a profit, if they paid out on all their claims. The only way they can stay in business is to pay out less than they take in.

So this puts them into a situation which is a conflict of interest. That alone should make our current system illegal. If you worked in the stock market and had that same kind of conflict of interest it would be not be aloud.

[Hyballs]

Hi folks, I am amazed by the fact that the American people continue to accept this medical insurance situation. In my country we have a universal safety net called Medicare that provides every citizen basic coverage for 1.5% of your salary. It's not perfect and for some surgery procedures there are waiting lists, but anyone needing emergency room attention or help for a life threatening problem gets in ASAP.

Obviously it's time for the American people to revolt. So, load up the muskets and head for Washington!

[artwilliams]

Check with your Chamber Of Commerce. Some offer it to their members.

[Boonestoons]

Originally posted by Hyballs
Hi folks, I am amazed by the fact that the American people continue to accept this medical insurance situation. In my country we have a universal safety net called Medicare that provides every citizen basic coverage for 1.5% of your salary. It's not perfect and for some surgery procedures there are waiting lists, but anyone needing emergency room attention or help for a life threatening problem gets in ASAP.

Obviously it's time for the American people to revolt. So, load up the muskets and head for Washington!

The sad truth of the matter is the quality of the American people has dwindled to a 50% of us are greedy fuckover criminal shits.

There was a time when Americans stood up but soon as everyone started getting old and those pension funds got fat from petroleum, pharmaceuticals, armaments, and insurance stock dividends, no one wants to fight big oil, big pharma, big arms, and of course big insurance.

It's just that simple. Years ago when I first got into this biz lots of webmasters were keeling over from heart attacks. They had been sitting in front of the computers 24/7. We checked for insurance coverage as in group and found out if all the pornmeisters had teamed up co pays would be piss and premiums like under $120 a month. Nowadays with the new laws enacted it could be that good or better.

Group covers for pre-existing conditions so you can't be turned down. Insurance companies and brokers are some greedy fucks and it's a huge business in the U.S. and no politician is going to tackle the problem because of the money angle.

So we're fucked here in the U.S.. Get sick and you go into catastrophic debt which is where they want you. Can't file for bankruptcy either cause Pres. Bush changed the laws on that!

College bills, home bills, insurance, car, no matter which way you turn you end up slave to the state.

So remember, when looking at America from now on just remember this and this thing only:

George W. Bush got elected TWICE.

Doesn't get any more complicated than that as to what the agenda of the American people is.

[Boonestoons]

In addition, and I'd never thought I'd ever say this, but for the frst time ever I'm considering moving myself and family out of the United States.

That's coming from a guy who's family founded the United States and were living here before there was a United States.

Why? Because the population of the U.S. has turned into asshat greedy fucks who shit where they eat and look for every opportunity to fuck over their fellow human being. The family structure is shit and the necessary community conduct for social infrastructure is crap.

We've allowed so many criminals to flourish in the U.S. everyone is involved in criminal activity support. It's a fucking shame.

I'd hate to have to expatriate but more and more friends and relatives are doing it.

[balls_deep]

Originally posted by Boonestoons
In addition, and I'd never thought I'd ever say this, but for the frst time ever I'm considering moving myself and family out of the United States.

That's coming from a guy who's family founded the United States and were living here before there was a United States.

Why? Because the population of the U.S. has turned into asshat greedy fucks who shit where they eat and look for every opportunity to fuck over their fellow human being. The family structure is shit and the necessary community conduct for social infrastructure is crap.

We've allowed so many criminals to flourish in the U.S. everyone is involved in criminal activity support. It's a fucking shame.

I'd hate to have to expatriate but more and more friends and relatives are doing it.

I hate to see someone getting upset at the best system on the planet.

As flawed as it is, I love this country and our freedoms.

we can get away with more here than anywhere else on earth.

[Boonestoons]

Originally posted by balls_deep
I hate to see someone getting upset at the best system on the planet.

As flawed as it is, I love this country and our freedoms.

we can get away with more here than anywhere else on earth.

It's a matter of survival not philosophy.

[jonnydoe]

If you can qualify for individual health insurance you should get a high deductible plan with a health savings account on the side. You will not meet the deductible unless you have something pretty bad happen to you but it will protect your assets if you have any to protect. You will have a preferred provider organization that will give you discounts on services and what you spend can be passed through the health savings account and be tax deductible. If you don't have any assets then there is always medicaid that will cover you.

Universal healthcare sounds great but someone has to pay for it. Someone from Canada should chime in and tell us how much they like their "free universal" healthcare...