Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the USA.

Before anybody says it, yes I know that phrase isn't in the story, consider that my contribution to the story, just in headline form.

According to a new study by the Havard Law School, Havard Medical School and Ohio University:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090604/hl_nm/us_healthcare_bankruptcy

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

Hmm... so a bunch of people pushing for a Single Payer System prove that Insurance doesn't work...



Seriously though, more information is needed. Most proposals I've seen have dealt with the problems of the under insured and prior illness not being covered. How many of the people from the study fall into those two categories?

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

I don't have to:




Seriously though, I don't see the problem. BCBS of Alabama was never a problem and I had lots of shit done when I was younger.

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

The problem is the 50 little fiefdoms mentioned in the other thread.

BCBS in Alabama is not the same as BCBS in New York, which is not the same as BCBS in California, which is not the same as...

Hell, in California, your premiums vary from one *zip code* to the next...

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

CEO's get there wife's nose job covered by health insurance. I am thinking Les monves wife Chenbot.

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

the fact that most bankruptcy's arise from catastrophic health crises does NOT prove the assertion made in the title.

It is quite possible that the vast number of middle income people with health insurance get perfectly good coverage because they do NOT experience a catastrophic health crisis.

For those who don't, their insurance isn't useless.

One can say "health insurance is useless in the face of a catastophic health crisis" and be pretty much correct.

But to say it's useless for the entire middle class is not at all the same thing. At is is quite possible to have an otherwise expensive procedure which is covered and not have a catastrophic event.

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

I was really surprised when a coworker was telling me his story about insurance problems the other day. He has a bad back and has to see a back specialist. The best one in Texas is in Dallas and he has been seeing him for nearly 10 years now since he lived in Dallas. A year ago he moved to Houston because of a job transfer. Obviously his insurance remained the same. This is the same insurance that doctor has been taking for the last 5 years. The last time he visited the doctor in Dallas he got a bill from the insurance for using an out of network doctor.

What a fucking crime. The insurance company's claim is that because he is in Houston now he should have to use a local specialist rather then the same doctor who knows his history and has worked with him for 10 years now. He filed a complaint and hopes to get it resolved but I bet he gets screwed. Insurance companies are some of the biggest sharks out there and need serious overhaul.

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

The problems are't the 'little stuff' that happens to kids - nor even routine surgeries - appendix/tonsil removal - but, rather the long terms stuff - leukemia and other cancers, diabetes, any disability in which round the clock care is necessary.

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

Yep, they pull shit like that all the time. Any given insurer has more rules and exemptions and loopholes than the IRS, and when you multiply that by the number of insurers...sigh...

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

And try getting Insurance if you have adhd, Social anxiety and Depression. Yet i see welfare trash get health insurance.

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

How much are these "medical debtors" in debt before said emergency?

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

One bankruptcy attorney's anecdotal report. Make of it what you will:

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

So suddenly credit expansion is a bad thing?

Oh, I get it. It's only bad when someone other than the government (through the Fed) does it. Of course, you'd have to be willfully ignorant of the fact that it's the Fed that starts the credit expansion (the more honest call it printing money out of thin air) in the first place in order to maintain that position.

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

Is it possible for you to contemplate the real life implications of something you haven't personally experienced?

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

I have this one full timer who bitches how he can't find health insurance for his blind daugher. Simple stop doing the cigerattes and he probably has money for him an d his daughter. Oh, he has to smoke a pack a day.

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

I would like to get a hold of me one of those insurance company CEOs and give him a real country boy "reasonable and customary" ass whoopin'. The problem with them is that the insured must make the premiums, but there is not any requirement at all for them to pay.

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

Then why not charge insurance execs and drug companies with homicdie if they dont provide coverage they claim they are suppose to. Send them ot gitmo let former terrorist have some fun with them then hangt them.

Re: Medical Insurance "Virtually Worthless" for Middle Income and Lower Households in the

And believe it or not, you can buy that insurance at work, if you so choose to do so.