Yosser

Ok, I know we have discussed Dental insurance and received a mixed review, what about medical insurance here in the states?

Is it vastly different from state to state?

Not alot of people know this but usually when you come to the U.S and start work for a company there is usually 60 to 90 day waiting period before it actually kicks in, what do people do if you get sick, break a leg etc?

There is a movie called John Q (denzel washington) were his son gets sick and needs a heart transplant but because he was forced into part time work, the company changed him from a PPO to a HMO coverage, it was cheaper BUT it would not pay for his sons heart transplant, WHAT would you do in his circumstance?
How do people pay $250,000 for major surgies?

My wife took our son to the doctor yesterday and was diagnosed with asthma and was given a prescription for anti-biotics for his cough etc etc, anyways it cost us $150 for the medication WITH insurance

Message here is, do your homework and pray to god you never get seriously sick!

Whats your view?

Pimpbot

Whats the point in having medical insurance, that you still have to end up paying for some of your medicine? My wifes is just the same.

Yosser

I know, its really frustrating sometimes, we pay $400 a month for our family for medical insurance but still pay stupid amounts for medication etc. 1 in 4 familys do not have ANY med insurance in Texas! the only thing I guess they do is go to the hospital get treated but don't pay the bill, but that hikes everyones insurance costs up......Its like catch 22

Pulaski

Same as motor and home insurance "excess" amount. Insurances rarely, if ever, pay for all of a loss or expense.

Steff

Insurance is way too expensive! I didn't realize this until I got married and was kicked off my parents' plan. My husband was working but then he got laid off. Sooo now we have no insurance because its too expensive. We got on a waiting list for some government insurance thing but havent heard a word since March. Not good but what can I do! It's ridiculous

Duncs

This will only change when sufficent people make it a make or break issue for politicians. If you have a vote use it and make sure your representative has a good policy on health care.

Hopefully a Democrat of some kind will win the election next year, scrap Bushes tax giveaway and try to reform the system to some degree. I just hope that the Republicans in congress and the senate dont let the Insurance companies buy them and listen to the voters this time round.

Thats what you can do though make sure your congressman understands you give a damn how he votes on heath care reform and if he gets it wrong vote him out.

regards,

Duncan

Taffyles

We've just had notification of our policy changes effective Jan. It costs the company over $800 a month for medical coverage for hubby and me..thank goodness we don't have to pay it, but our co-pays are bumping up again this year. It was a $10 charge for each item on prescriptions and doctors visits for years but the last few years its jumped up- it went up to $15 then $20 and this year its gone up to $30. the dental coverage is a joke, we basically get $1000 per year for treatment- one root canal will wipe that out, and the vision is just as bad- it pays approx half of costs except for a free eye test.

Musn't grumble though- there are millions of people who have no coverage. However a few things really make me mad ... even when medicare kicks in for retirees- they still have to take out a supplemental health insurance (approx $1500 a year plus long term health care insurance and that can be really expensive depending on the age you first take it out) and that's after contributing to medicare all their working lives! Prescriptions aren't covered for OAPs and many can't afford the drugs they need to live- as if that's not bad enough- some States are actively blocking the sale of Candian drugs here ( which are a whole lot cheaper) to protect the pharmaceutical companies here...grrrr so there are people who are literally dying cos they can't afford the drugs they need.

John Q is a really good film actually- over the years we've heard some terrible stories.

Yosser

You made some very valid points there.
I have medical and dental insurance through my wifes company, but a few months ago it was bumped up a extra $75 a month the co-payments to see the quack is $25 a pop, add on the rising costs of medication, it talleys upto quite alot.

The dental insurance is a joke (I'm not trying to wind up the situation again)...but some insurance companys require you to pay insurance for 6 months even before you have any kind of treatment, then they cap off anywhere between $1000 to $1500 max for that year, thats equal to 1 root canal and a crown if your lucky.

It seems that all the americans I talk to about it have a "**** you jack I'm on board" attitude....meaning I have insurance I don't care if my neighbor doesn't!.

Right thats it...I'm off to run as govenor....watch out for me.

YOSSER FOR GOVENOR :lecture:

Patrick

This is not true, you're effect cover should start the moment you take up the insurance cover - any pre-existing conditions are not covered by the new insurance for the first 60-90 days the old insurance company is responsible for those. If you come from the UK you have no previous insurance company and this 60-90 day can be waived.

Patrick

NC Penguin

Apparently, those without medical insurance will only get treated for free if it's an emergency medical situation...



NC Penguin

Yosser

What if you move from one U.S company to another? If I remember correctly the H/R manager told me it would be 90 days for the medical insurance to kick in and the company that I was leaving said all medical insurances ceased on the last day of the month!. It was my impression that I was in limbo for 3 months.

Then when the insurance did "kick in" there was disagreements with Tom Thumb pharamacy and my wifes carrier, in the meanwhile I was practically having a asthma attack at the counter and all they could say was "well, if you pay for the inhaler now - $145 we can rebate you when we clear this matter up'...well yeah ok, but I didn't have my check book on me at the time, so they said "tough shit"...come back later.

ladyofthelake

I would have thought that the insurance company couldn't care less if you came from the UK and therefore didn't have previous insurance. Surely they would still state that pre-existing conditions were not covered by the policy for the time limit they set?
Our insurance has a lifetime limit of $500 for audiology treatment for the whole family. My son is hard of hearing and that $500 was used up after a couple of hearing tests, then we were told he needed hearing aids and had to pay $3500 for them. Everything to do with his hearing comes out of our pockets now, how crap is that?

NC Penguin

I think your question relates to COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. See DOL's page on this act below-

http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/health-plans/cobra.htm

Forearmed is forewarned (could lead to information overload of the grey matter though)



NC Penguin

markwplatt

I work for a large "charity" hospital in Louisiana we treat everyone and worry about money later. The state picks up the tab for the uninsured, this is not true, however, for many states.
We also have a med scholl so have excellent physicians.

Lion in Winter

Hey, I'll vote for you. But why stop at Govenor (any idiot can be govenor, just look at California), we need some national policy changes.