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Thread: Health Insurance and National Health Care

  1. #101
    Jack-O-Lantern Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Yvonne View Post
    I am aware that Americans need to fund their own health insurance and this is expensive, however, my only experience of American healthcare is ER, which is not real life therefore, can someone tell me what happens when someone doesn't have health insurance and has an accident or something like a heart attack - how do they get treated?
    Generally a private hospital (i.e., most hospitals) will re-route uninsured (or indigent) patients to a "general" or "county" hospital...I can only speak for our local general hospital when saying that most people would rather be routed to the 7th level of hell than being sent to general...though any port in a storm, I guess.

  2. #102
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    It was a comforting feeling knowing when I was in England last year, that if I fell and broke a bone, I would have been treated for free...

  3. #103
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    Be prepared to PAY, but if you were to ever need it, it's a godsend!
    The most dangerous woman of all is the one who refuses to rely on your sword to save her because she carries her own.

    - R.H. Sin

  4. #104
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aries65 View Post
    I thought you were a police officer? How come you don't get benefits??
    Brad, you're a policeman?!
    The most dangerous woman of all is the one who refuses to rely on your sword to save her because she carries her own.

    - R.H. Sin

  5. #105
    endsleigh03 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Yvonne View Post
    I was on the "Gas" comparison site earlier, having a moan about Britain's petrol (Gas) being around $16 a gallon. I take the moan back.

    Most people in Britain don't need health insurance. If we have an illness we see our GP (doctor) and if necessary a referral is made to a hospital. Chronic illnesses are treated as appropriate, no matter how serious. If I needed emergency treatment (god forbid) I would just go to a hospital and be treated.

    In the area I live in we have some of the best services in the Country including Maternity/Cardio/Cancer Treatments which are based at different sites across the region.

    Our service is not perfect - there's lots of flaws - but if someone's needs treatment they get it for the most part. There are long waiting lists for some treatments - but if someone has a heart attack for instance, this would be treated immediately.

    The British system is called the NHS (National Health Service), which people pay for from their salaries. Even people who don't work have the service.

    I am aware that Americans need to fund their own health insurance and this is expensive, however, my only experience of American healthcare is ER, which is not real life therefore, can someone tell me what happens when someone doesn't have health insurance and has an accident or something like a heart attack - how do they get treated?
    Oh, you'll get treated all right, and just as likely shoved out the door before you should be. It's digusting.

  6. #106
    endsleigh03 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by mel306 View Post
    Long story short, they will get a huge bill. Some private hospitals can turn them away.

    If you really need medical help and have no money for insurance, you may be forced onto medicaid which is the government free health welfare system.
    I do not think it is easy at all to get medicaid, there are rules and rules and rules. And alot of people just fall right thru all those rules.

  7. #107
    endsleigh03 Guest
    Sorry Deathy, hijackin your thread for a second.

    Have a look at my "Throat Cut" thread that I posted last night.

    That girl did not have insurance and she was sliced to smithereens.

    The hospital sewed her up and got her stable...and made her leave the second they could.
    She was doped out on morphine and ended up having to cross seven lanes of traffic. She did not have someone to pick her up, she is kind of alone here.

    They did give her a bus pass

  8. #108
    FloridaDeathHag Guest
    If you don't have insurance, the hospital can sue you for the money owed and force you into bankruptcy, a payment plan, and/or wreck your credit.

    If you can in any way afford it, get it. Plus, like they're saying, you are treated better and get better medical attention if you have insurance. The hospitals will deny this, but it's a fact of life.

  9. #109
    mel306 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by endsleigh03 View Post
    I do not think it is easy at all to get medicaid, there are rules and rules and rules. And alot of people just fall right thru all those rules.
    The only rule is to have less than $2000 to your name. You have to spend down the rest if you have it including selling the house at times. Sometimes you can keep the house, but they get it when you die.

    I have to explain this all day also to people who think they can go without insurance after retirement and medicare will cover all.

    They do not understand medicaid and medicare are two different beasts.

  10. #110
    endsleigh03 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by mel306 View Post
    The only rule is to have less than $2000 to your name. You have to spend down the rest if you have it including selling the house at times. Sometimes you can keep the house, but they get it when you die.

    I have to explain this all day also to people who think they can go without insurance after retirement and medicare will cover all.

    They do not understand medicaid and medicare are two different beasts.
    I know there is a difference between the two.
    Let me ask this....let's say I am single, without dependents (not true but lets say I am) and I fall ill. Is it then easy for me to get medicare?
    Cause I have known people who have been in that exact situation and there was no medicare available to them. They were refused. These were people who did not have private health insurance. And were not old enough for medicaid.
    As`a matter of fact, I was in a situation way before my daughter was born, breast health issues, and I was turned down. Because I had no children, they said, or I would have quailified.
    So who qualifies?

  11. #111
    mel306 Guest
    Medicare is for seniors and disabled only basically. Medicaid is for the indigent. You can have both, but if you are young and not broke and not disabled, you are shit out of luck unless you want to by your own insurance.

    There are low income plans available but I am only familiar with NY on that stuff.

  12. #112
    Mrs. Watson Guest
    You might ask your insurance agent, who provides your car insurance or home/renters insurance, to recommend someone, as well. They are often hooked up.

    We had the state funded program when we were broke and had no jobs. It was great for my daughter, not so great for us. Very limited list of doctors who took it. Plus, you get treated like donkey dung by the staff.

    You gotta get it, Brad. If you break your arm, you could face financial issues for years.

    More and more employers, it seems aren't offering health insurance coverage. Having worked in business for many years, handling insurance, it's tremendously expensive to offer coverage to employees. When I worked at an excavation company, to offer our employees Blue Cross, about 20 employees, I wrote a check for $30,000 a month. That didn't include dental but it was pretty good Blue Cross coverage.

    We need a Universal Health Care system, where everyone can get affordable coverage and pay based on their income.

  13. #113
    lostsoul23 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by mel306 View Post
    The only rule is to have less than $2000 to your name. You have to spend down the rest if you have it including selling the house at times. Sometimes you can keep the house, but they get it when you die.

    I have to explain this all day also to people who think they can go without insurance after retirement and medicare will cover all.

    They do not understand medicaid and medicare are two different beasts.
    There are more rules than that, at least here in Ohio. I was diagnosed with cancer in April 2007. I went down and applied for help and was told in no uncertain terms that I was out of luck because a) I was not an illegal and b) I had no kids. So after a year of going through all their red tape, hearings, etc I finally got approved for a disability medical card after I do a spendown. Of course, this comes after I have had to beg, borrow & steal for money to pay places to keep from getting sued.

    If you don't have insurance, get it. Don't depend on the gov't to help with shit if you get sick. I will never be able to get my credit back, and this has been an expensive lesson. (I couldn't afford outside insurance either, I have asthma and a myriad of other problems.)

    Good luck.

  14. #114
    deathybrad Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Mrs. Watson View Post
    You might ask your insurance agent, who provides your car insurance or home/renters insurance, to recommend someone, as well. They are often hooked up.
    I had an High Deductible Health Plan (Health Savings Account) through American Family but it was as expensive as the most expensive HMO or PPO that I can get and it didn't cover any respiratory problems because of my history. That was all that American Family offered and they weren't doing me any favors because it wasn't an AmFam product.

    Quote Originally Posted by Aries65 View Post
    I thought you were a police officer? How come you don't get benefits??
    I am an armed officer contracted to the govenment and we don't get offered the government benefits but law makes them compensation us. However, I am trying to get a job at the county jail and they have a similar situation where the benefits suck and they can opt to get compensated instead of taking them.

  15. #115
    deathybrad Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by endsleigh03 View Post
    I know there is a difference between the two.
    Let me ask this....let's say I am single, without dependents (not true but lets say I am) and I fall ill. Is it then easy for me to get medicare?
    Cause I have known people who have been in that exact situation and there was no medicare available to them. They were refused. These were people who did not have private health insurance. And were not old enough for medicaid.
    As`a matter of fact, I was in a situation way before my daughter was born, breast health issues, and I was turned down. Because I had no children, they said, or I would have quailified.
    So who qualifies?
    You would eventually qualify for disability and then title 19 or something for you health needs.

  16. #116
    mel306 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by lostsoul23 View Post
    There are more rules than that, at least here in Ohio. I was diagnosed with cancer in April 2007. I went down and applied for help and was told in no uncertain terms that I was out of luck because a) I was not an illegal and b) I had no kids. So after a year of going through all their red tape, hearings, etc I finally got approved for a disability medical card after I do a spendown. Of course, this comes after I have had to beg, borrow & steal for money to pay places to keep from getting sued.

    If you don't have insurance, get it. Don't depend on the gov't to help with shit if you get sick. I will never be able to get my credit back, and this has been an expensive lesson. (I couldn't afford outside insurance either, I have asthma and a myriad of other problems.)

    Good luck.

    I have a relative that had a similar situation, no kids just could not support himself. Took 2 years+ but he got it. You have to fight them because they do not want to help people who could get jobs and help themselves. If you have kids they help right away, the rest have to fight and basically prove over time they are not just slackers looking for the hand out and the you get it.

    But officially the only rule is to have less than $2000. Some places $2500.

    My biggest problem with my job is that seniors go for medicare when the turn 65 and the government tells them this is all you need to know and basically they have told them nothing.

    Then I call from a list provided by the SAME damn government and the people think I am scamming them like a telemarketer.

    They have no idea there is help for them and I have this missing link information wise because the government lied to them. Then tells me to call.

    You cannot win with the government.

    I had an appointment with a lady on medicaid and medicare and I was going to put her on Aetna, for free and it has a help club membership. Plus no she would have an Aetna card rather than medicaid card and we all know you get the better treatment.

    She cancelled on me because she was told I could not possibly be able to help her and she is covered by the government. I want to bitch slap the government again!

    Too much bad information out there and no one wants to listen to the few of us who are here to teach them the differences and the tricks.

  17. #117
    Hag1 Guest
    I have been uninsured since 2000, when my Cobra from my ex husband's insurance ran out. I am self-employed, and simply cannot afford to get private health insurance. So far, I am paying out of pocket for doctors and dentists, but luckily I haven't had a major illness. I make too much money to qualify for any help. I am one of those people who fall through the cracks, and I know a lot of people in my same situation.

  18. #118
    endsleigh03 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Mrs. Watson View Post
    You might ask your insurance agent, who provides your car insurance or home/renters insurance, to recommend someone, as well. They are often hooked up.

    We had the state funded program when we were broke and had no jobs. It was great for my daughter, not so great for us. Very limited list of doctors who took it. Plus, you get treated like donkey dung by the staff.

    You gotta get it, Brad. If you break your arm, you could face financial issues for years.

    More and more employers, it seems aren't offering health insurance coverage. Having worked in business for many years, handling insurance, it's tremendously expensive to offer coverage to employees. When I worked at an excavation company, to offer our employees Blue Cross, about 20 employees, I wrote a check for $30,000 a month. That didn't include dental but it was pretty good Blue Cross coverage.

    We need a Universal Health Care system, where everyone can get affordable coverage and pay based on their income.
    Yes, we do need something like that.

  19. #119
    endsleigh03 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by deathybrad View Post
    You would eventually qualify for disability and then title 19 or something for you health needs.
    It would seem that if you had a serious illness, you could die in the waiting process.

  20. #120
    Patience54 Guest
    We certainly do need universal health care in the US.


    http://www.pnhp.org/

    This is a web site for a group of health care professionals who advocate for universal care. We waste so much money on an patch work system run by for profit insurance companies. Check out this web site. The money we waste on insurance companies could easily go toward universal care.

    WE need to lobby our congress and senators for a plan like pnhp.

  21. #121
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    Me again - even though our medical care is "free" - we pay in other ways - such as the tax on petrol (Gas) we're paying around $16.00 a gallon, 80% of which goes to the government. Cigarettes are £5 to £6 pack of 20 ($11.00 per pack). It's the same with alcohol. I've no idea was the income tax is like in America - but as a general rule I probably pay something like 22% of my total salary in tax and insurance, which is taken at source.

    At the moment, due to a change of funding, people are finding it impossible to get dental treatment unless they are prepared to pay private rates. Last year I paid £500 for two root canal treatments - a NHS Dentist would have charged no more that £150.

    No where is perfect I think!
    Last edited by Yvonne; 06-18-2008 at 09:24 AM.

  22. #122
    Patience54 Guest
    "In U.S. health care, no one is ultimately accountable for how the system works. No one takes full responsibility. Rationing in our system is carried out covertly through financial pressure, forcing millions of individuals to forego care or to be shunted away by caregivers from services they canâ??t pay for.
    The rationing that takes place in U.S. health care is unnecessary. A number of studies (notably a General Accounting Office report in 1991 and a Congressional Budget Office report in 1993) show that there is more than enough money in our health care system to serve everyone if it were spent wisely.

    Administrative costs are at 31% of U.S. health spending, far higher than in other countriesâ?? systems. These inflated costs are due to our failure to have a publicly financed, universal health care system. We spend about twice as much per person as Canada or most European nations, and still deny health care to many in need. A national health program could save enough on administration to assure access to care for all Americans, without rationing."

    www.pnhp.org

  23. #123
    warmbear Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Patience54 View Post
    "In U.S. health care, no one is ultimately accountable for how the system works. No one takes full responsibility. Rationing in our system is carried out covertly through financial pressure, forcing millions of individuals to forego care or to be shunted away by caregivers from services they canâ??t pay for.
    The rationing that takes place in U.S. health care is unnecessary. A number of studies (notably a General Accounting Office report in 1991 and a Congressional Budget Office report in 1993) show that there is more than enough money in our health care system to serve everyone if it were spent wisely.

    Administrative costs are at 31% of U.S. health spending, far higher than in other countriesâ?? systems. These inflated costs are due to our failure to have a publicly financed, universal health care system. We spend about twice as much per person as Canada or most European nations, and still deny health care to many in need. A national health program could save enough on administration to assure access to care for all Americans, without rationing."

    www.pnhp.org
    Sorry, but HOGWASH. Canada's system does not work, England's does not work... Look closely at our medicare system, it is a farce.. The US government cannot even operate & administer THAT system properly.

    Socialized medicine is not the answer... Yes, we need to overhaul healthcare in the US, but not by getting into the same mess that has been shown to not work elsewhere. Canadians are still coming across the border into the US to buy healthcare out of their pockets if they can possibly afford it, because of the extreme lack of healthcare in their own system, the costs of which continue to spiral out of control.

    I am a nurse diametrically opposed to socialized, grossly inadequate healthcare in the US.

  24. #124
    endsleigh03 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by warmbear View Post
    Sorry, but HOGWASH. Canada's system does not work, England's does not work... Look closely at our medicare system, it is a farce.. The US government cannot even operate & administer THAT system properly.

    Socialized medicine is not the answer... Yes, we need to overhaul healthcare in the US, but not by getting into the same mess that has been shown to not work elsewhere. Canadians are still coming across the border into the US to buy healthcare out of their pockets if they can possibly afford it, because of the extreme lack of healthcare in their own system, the costs of which continue to spiral out of control.

    I am a nurse diametrically opposed to socialized, grossly inadequate healthcare in the US.
    There is no healthcare more inadequate than not having any at all.
    What is the answer?

  25. #125
    Patience54 Guest
    I have good friends in Canada and France. Three of whom were successfully treated for cancer, two in Canada, one in France. They much prefer their own system to ours.

  26. #126
    MorbidMolly Guest
    Being without insurance today, is like playing Russian Roulette.....for the majority of the time I was raising my daughter, I had no health care, or dental, but managed to always have her medical & dental needs ( with the braces & fillings, 2 teeth knocked out to the tune of almost 2,000, I figured I paid about 8 to 9 thousand alone in dental ) taken care of.....of course we`re talking the 80`s for the vast majority, when most dentists and peds let you make payments without a huge down payment.......when my husband had kidney stones, a man came in with chest pains, and they didn`t even admit him........just hauled him off to a county hospital........I was shocked, coming from Kansas and all........I`d never seen such a thing........I was like, " Can`t they sue the hospital if he dies en route "..........nope, you can`t........and all the years I didn`t have insurance, I was treated like shit, even though I wasn`t on Welfare, and was never late with my payments ( more than I can say about people with plenty of insurance ).......I`ve had insurance for many years now, and yes, you are treated different........I don`t know the answers, but for a country such as ours, to refuse medical treatment to a potentinally dying person, is beyond fucked up........if I had to live on cat food, I`d make sure I had medical, with a reputable company ( which isn`t saying much in itself, now-a-days )

  27. #127
    endsleigh03 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Patience54 View Post
    I have good friends in Canada and France. Three of whom were successfully treated for cancer, two in Canada, one in France. They much prefer their own system to ours.
    I am sure they do, and I don't blame them there.

  28. #128
    mel306 Guest
    No bodies system is perfect and none will ever be. People like theirs better because they are used to it.

    Our system allows doctors to really make a buck and special in great things. There has got to be something to this since half the world comes here for so many specialties.

    And just think about how many procedures started here. Our way of doing things allowed that progression.

  29. #129
    Patience54 Guest
    Mel,
    So true in many ways. But presently our system is not working in the best interest of a large percentage of Americans who are unable to afford health insurance because our system is set up to benefit for profit insurance companies instead of doctors and patients.

  30. #130
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    Quote Originally Posted by deathybrad View Post
    I am an armed officer contracted to the govenment and we don't get offered the government benefits but law makes them compensation us. However, I am trying to get a job at the county jail and they have a similar situation where the benefits suck and they can opt to get compensated instead of taking them.
    That just doesn't make any sense to me. I know government jobs have great benefits and pensions. Unless the security guard company you work for just isn't offering benefits? I know a lot of them don't.

  31. #131
    deathybrad Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by endsleigh03 View Post
    It would seem that if you had a serious illness, you could die in the waiting process.
    Bingo.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hag1 View Post
    I have been uninsured since 2000, when my Cobra from my ex husband's insurance ran out. I am self-employed, and simply cannot afford to get private health insurance. So far, I am paying out of pocket for doctors and dentists, but luckily I haven't had a major illness. I make too much money to qualify for any help. I am one of those people who fall through the cracks, and I know a lot of people in my same situation.
    Bingo.

    Quote Originally Posted by Patience54 View Post
    We certainly do need universal health care in the US.
    Or at least the government needs to hold the insurance companies accountable. Insurance companies don't need to be playing craps with our money and then denying us benefits when we need it because they want to keep playing craps.

    Quote Originally Posted by Aries65 View Post
    That just doesn't make any sense to me. I know government jobs have great benefits and pensions. Unless the security guard company you work for just isn't offering benefits? I know a lot of them don't.
    Under the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act if they cannot provide benefits at least at the level comparable to what we would get if we were actually gov't employees then their only option is to compensate us for it. I shouldn't complain, it's $6400 a year that I need but I shouldn't have that option. The law was a compromise, any contract employee of the government should receive government benefits, but the fact that we don't have any benefits is the only reason why we are contract employees.

  32. #132
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    Quote Originally Posted by MbalmR View Post
    I can relate to your frustration. My husband pays, out of his salary, all the health insurance for his kids, which I understand (it's the right thing to do,) but to add me to his policy would put us in the hole every month. His ex-sea hag, who has a degree in Finance (top of her class, I might add,) refuses to work, so she doesn't provide any insurance for her kids at all.

    I'm 44, with no health issues of which I'm aware, but if I try to sign up for and pay for health insurance out of pocket, I won't be able to afford a stick of gum once a month!

    So what does SHE do for HER OWN insurance??

  33. #133
    endsleigh03 Guest
    I forgot about this thread. Yee-haw.

  34. #134
    Forever-27 Guest
    I odnt have any health coverage. I havent had to see a doctor since the 1970s. Except for the eye doctor I need to see to get my drivers license evry 5 years.

    I dont have any kids and no wofe so Ive never taken the health care any job has ever offered

  35. #135
    lovemymonkey Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by MIZIZVOGUE View Post
    My husband and I do. However, last year, our 22 year old son that works full-time at LOWE'S, came home from work emergently, with severe abdominal pain. He did not have health insurance, didn't sign up for it at work because he didn't think he needed it. My husband and I took him to our local ER. He told them he worked full-time but didn't have insurance. They MUST treat you anyway. They took him back, started an IV, gave him pain medication, did an X-ray and did a CT scan. Diagnosis? He had a right kidney stone! They released him after a few hours, gave him oral pain medication and told him that he would most likely pass the stone within 24 hours. He did. His hospital bill alone was $3,468. The doctor that read his x-ray and CT scan charged $299. The ER doc's bill was $120. Moral of this story: GET HEALTH INSURANCE!!
    OUCH!! We have full coverage through the military, my daughter got kicked in the chest a couple years ago by a horse, spent 9 days in ICU, and holy hell if we wouldnt have had coverage, we'd be looking at a 750K bill!!

  36. #136
    AFoolandHisMonkey Guest

    The guy I bought my house from

    OK, so this isn't on the same level as the rest of these posts (sorry if it's in the wrong section) but I find it troubling.

    I bought my condo last year from this really nice couple who moved to California. Just found out from my neighbor that one of the guys, who was self-employed and didn't have health insurance, died of pneumonia--he thought it was a cold, but it got worse and by the time he finally got to the hospital, it was too late. Kind of like Jim Henson, I suppose. This guy was just a year younger than I am (33). He was such a nice guy to deal with and I've always thought my condo had good vibes because of it. His partner is an artist and left some really nice decorating touches behind when they moved.

    Too sad -- and another reason we all need health insurance.

  37. #137
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    Sorry to hear about that.

    Yeah, even tho you have health insurance, not all of them have good coverage and you could end up paying out the ass with premiums and for doctor visits.

    But I guess a little is better than none...

  38. #138
    GAdeathhag Guest
    I have shitty insurance and pay through the nose on copays-- but the alternative would be more pricey for sure--
    glad you have great vibes on your place-- gotta love an artist

  39. #139
    **Jenna** Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by GAdeathhag View Post
    I have shitty insurance and pay through the nose on copays-- but the alternative would be more pricey for sure--
    glad you have great vibes on your place-- gotta love an artist
    We have shitty insurance too,but the copay is only$20,but yeah it is better to have some insurance than none.

  40. #140
    AFoolandHisMonkey Guest
    I have gone without insurance before, but I was in my early 20s then... didn't seem like a big deal. My boyfriend was out of work for almost a year and a half recently, with no coverage. Thank god he didn't get sick.

    I currently have amazing insurance (and only work part-time) -- my employer is a university and treats its employees great. That's so rare these days. I feel really lucky.

  41. #141
    ceege Guest
    My oldest daughter just started her first job and she does not get health insurance because even though she works full time, the job is classified as "per diem". No benefits.

    Best part. She's working as a social worker for one of the hospitals in town.

  42. #142
    endsleigh03 Guest
    It sounds like he waited because of no insurance? That happens all too often, and I think it costs alot of lives here each year. They need to get some actual statistics on how many.

  43. #143
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    Sorry to hear about that.

    It really sucks that someone that young died needlessly for lack of insurance, to save some bucks.

    I'm lucky enough to have good insurance and great benefits.

    The company that I work for is owned by a Native American Tribe, they actually subsidize insurance premiums to make it more affordable...and we have a MATCHING 401K.

  44. #144
    FannyB1923 Guest
    Another thing that happens to people without insurance is they don't get their "preventive maintenance" like cholesterol checks, etc. Then they're rushed to the emergency room having heart attacks!

    Plus the hospitals and drug companies are charging way too much for everything. I was taking one drug for a while that cost over $200 a month. The insurance company took to writing my doctor saying it cost too much and telling him to put me on something cheaper! (no generic for it available then) I just love the idea that some accountant is telling the doctor how to treat his patients.

    I just heard that tamoxifen, the chemo drug that many women to breast cancer take- made the Wal-Mart $5 generic list. That's fantastic!

  45. #145
    AFoolandHisMonkey Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by endsleigh03 View Post
    It sounds like he waited because of no insurance? That happens all too often, and I think it costs alot of lives here each year. They need to get some actual statistics on how many.
    Yes, that's what I was told. He just thought it was a bad cold and didn't want to go to the dr for it without insurance. A friend of my boyfriend died the same way several years ago. He had insurance, but the pneumonia was so strong that he died even with medical care. He was only in his earliy 30s also.

  46. #146
    endsleigh03 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by FannyB1923 View Post
    Another thing that happens to people without insurance is they don't get their "preventive maintenance" like cholesterol checks, etc. Then they're rushed to the emergency room having heart attacks!

    Plus the hospitals and drug companies are charging way too much for everything. I was taking one drug for a while that cost over $200 a month. The insurance company took to writing my doctor saying it cost too much and telling him to put me on something cheaper! (no generic for it available then) I just love the idea that some accountant is telling the doctor how to treat his patients.

    I just heard that tamoxifen, the chemo drug that many women to breast cancer take- made the Wal-Mart $5 generic list. That's fantastic!
    Wow! Good on Wal-Mart. That is really excellent news. WM has alot of detractors, but who cares when they are giving a bit of a punch to the over-pricing of medication, and that in turn has caused other places to have to lower prices on some medicine.
    Thanks for sharing that, Fanny.

  47. #147
    Jenny Mulhenny Guest
    Public emergency rooms have to treat you even without insurance. You just have to fill out the financial aid packet. I mean, not that I enjoy not having insurance, but when I had a blood clot in my leg I sure as hell went to the ER.

  48. #148
    Vamp Guest
    The guy we bought our house from died of a heart attack at the age of 50. He was a drinker and smoker but I still felt shocked by his death. His mother and children were so sweet. What a lose at a young age.

  49. #149
    lisalouver Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Jenny Mulhenny View Post
    Public emergency rooms have to treat you even without insurance. You just have to fill out the financial aid packet. I mean, not that I enjoy not having insurance, but when I had a blood clot in my leg I sure as hell went to the ER.
    Yes, they do.

    There is no excuse for a person that young to die of pneumonia. I have had it three times and believe me, it's not like you don't know you are sick.

    The cure is an antibiotic. That's pretty much it folks. A bottle of penicillin would have cost under 20 bucks (cash price).

    Was he an alcoholic? We pick up a lot of alcoholics that die young of pneumonia because they would rather drink than go to the doctor.

  50. #150
    AFoolandHisMonkey Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by lisalouver View Post
    Was he an alcoholic? We pick up a lot of alcoholics that die young of pneumonia because they would rather drink than go to the doctor.
    No, not that I know of. My boyfriend's friend who also died young of pneumonia definitely wasn't one. My understanding (about the first guy) is that it was viral pneumonia... antibiotics aren't going to do much then.

    Semi-related: I have a friend who almost died of sepsis. She was perfectly healthy, suddenly felt sick, went to the ER on her dr's advice, and within just a few hours she was at death's door. Antibiotics saved her life. And the drs *still* don't know how she got it. Freaky.

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