Are you insured?

[NorthShoreBuck]

I have been trying to work my way through Clinton's book. Health care was big deal remember?
I read the article today in Parade magazine about health care.
Health care will be a big issue in the upcoming election.

So I ask, do you have health insurance?
How and how much does it cost you?

I'll start.

I have health, dental and vision insurance through work. The company pays for the employee and the employee pays for the family's share with the cost increasing as the family size increases.

I am am part of management and the company pays for my family's share. If they didn't it would be $300 a month for my wife and two kids.

Our co-pay has risen constantly and our choices and benefits are restricted each year.

I have mentioned the circumstances under which my daughter was born. She spent the first week in NICU.

I believe the standard cost for her stay was in excess of $25,000 with our insurance rate around $10,000. Our co-pay at the time was $10.

From the day I graduated from college until today I have always been employed and paid for insurance. I never used it at all until I was married.

 

[osugrad21]

I'm a state employee so I am covered in medical, dental, and vision

 

[wadc45]

As someone who works in health insurance, I can say that there are a variety of ways that employers handle benefits. As above, some offer to pay the employee's share and then the employee can purchase coverage for their family. Other employers will pay for a high deductible options, and give the employee the option to "buy-up" to a richer plan by paying the difference. Some employers still pay 100% for their employees and employees' families. Others pay varying percentages, based on what they can afford.

I feel for those who do not have group health insurance and must purchase an individual policy or, worse yet, go without.

Unfortunately, the second most requested benefit after medical is dental. It should be disability. Employees want dental insurance but rarely use it effectively (i.e. going and getting their routine cleanings which are typically covered at 100% twice a year). I think most of us on a group insurance plan could weather the storm if we had a major dental claim. But what if you fell and broke a hip and were going to miss 6-9 months of work? What income protection do you have? Some employers have large sick/vacation day accumulation policies that act as mini-STD policies, but many do not. Employers need to realize the importance of disability insurance and how inexpensive it is.

My firm offers a group plan which I participate in. I have medical, dental, and vision. We have a high deductible with a flexible spending account available. We also offer voluntary products to all employees such as cancer and accident insurance through AFLAC, voluntary life insurance, voluntary disability, and voluntary long-term care insurance.

 

[jlb1705]

Nope.

 

[Ex-Wolverine]

I had health insurance during the school year last year, and I will have it this fall. Other than that, I haven't had health insurance since I was 21 (long time ago).

Makes me feel good though that I can go to the hospital in an ambulance without insurance, and rack up thousands of dollars in medical bills, again without insurance, and they will bill me and put it on my credit report when I don't have their money.

Meanwhile, if an illegal alien comes up here and comes to our hospital, uninsured, he gets treated and goes back home, never paying a cent.

What a warm and fuzzy feeling that is. Even warmer when I realize that if not for a financial aid officer risking her job to get me loan money to attend class last semester, I would have had to drop out of school. Meanwhile, my tax dollars are paying for illegal immigrants to attend school here. I LOVE AMERICA!!!

 

[BuckBackHome]

Another government employee here who has medical, dental and limited vision. Our prescription co-pays have gone up the past few years, but nothing too dramatic. I am very fortunate to have and greatly appreciate fully paid health insurance. Our renewal rates have gone up double digits every year for the past four years. It began with a nearly 50% increase a few years ago. It will be sooner than later that employees will be paying a portion of the monthly premiums, but we will still be covered.

 

[wadc45]

If I am not mistaken the trend (average renewal percentage) for medical insurance if somewhere around 13-17%.

 

[CrabMan]

I had health insurance during the school year last year, and I will have it this fall. Other than that, I haven't had health insurance since I was 21 (long time ago).

Makes me feel good though that I can go to the hospital in an ambulance without insurance, and rack up thousands of dollars in medical bills, again without insurance, and they will bill me and put it on my credit report when I don't have their money.

Meanwhile, if an illegal alien comes up here and comes to our hospital, uninsured, he gets treated and goes back home, never paying a cent.

What a warm and fuzzy feeling that is. Even warmer when I realize that if not for a financial aid officer risking her job to get me loan money to attend class last semester, I would have had to drop out of school. Meanwhile, my tax dollars are paying for illegal immigrants to attend school here. I LOVE AMERICA!!!

Actually, almost anyone can get free or discounted hospital care. If your income is below the federal poverty guidelines there's a federal program called HCAP that will forgive 100% of your hospital bill. And most, if not all, hospitals offer some kind of charity program that will enable you to receive a 25%-100% discount even if your income is up to 400% of the federal poverty guidelines. Hospitals would much rather write-off your bill to HCAP or charity as opposed to writing your account off to bad debt.

 

[Oh8ch]

Actually, almost anyone can get free or discounted hospital care. If your income is below the federal poverty guidelines there's a federal program called HCAP that will forgive 100% of your hospital bill. And most, if not all, hospitals offer some kind of charity program that will enable you to receive a 25%-100% discount even if your income is up to 400% of the federal poverty guidelines. Hospitals would much rather write-off your bill to HCAP or charity as opposed to writing your account off to bad debt.

I have a 'family member' who works 'under the table' and does reasonably well - but is well below the poverty levels officially. He has zero medical coverage and after running up several thousand dollars in 'chest-pain' related medical expenses had them all paid for via the above programs. What tickles me is that he is a die-hard anti-tax republican. I guess he thinks this particular program is funded by direct charitable donations.

As for myself, my coverage has gone up moderately the past few years but my co-pays and in particular prescription medication copay has gone up dramatically.

 

[stxbuck]

My health insurance is kick-ass, but my dental and eye insurance are only so-so. Cleaning and checkups are the only things covered by my dental. I don't have kids, so I have no clue about braces. When I got a tooth implant, paid for most of it myself.

 

[DEBuckeye]

I work for a very large company, where the insurance is good, but gets kind of expensive if you want to cover a whole family. My wife works for a hospital/health care organization, and we use her insurance, which kicks ass and is almost free ($25/month for both of us). All we pay is $10-20 copays- they cover everything else.

 

[gbearbuck]

just dumped my health insurance, and went to my wifes plan... we are new to her plan (both were on my plan), and haven't had any issues to see if they are as good as advertised or if we "missed a couple of things" in the fine print...

IMO, disability insurance is under used... lots of folks like to load up on the life insurance side (some to the point of over insured)... however if they are in an a bad accident and don't die, they become an added expense to the family (wouldn't be an expense if they had passed), and cannot provide income... double trouble...

Going without health insurance is a huge risk... those that have access to it and don't use it are asking for trouble. A lady in our office went through this with her kid (who just finished college). The child didn't have a job after graduation, and didn't want to pay COBRA (he couldn't participate in the parents plan after graduation)... he was young, healthy, and didn't want the expense... well guess what, after having some problems and seeing a couple of doctors (don't know if he had to have surgery or not), he learned his lesson... too big a risk not to have....

 

[coxew]

I'm paying $11/week for my wife and I. The company was paying everything but after another huge rate increase this year, we came up with a two tier system. I could have stayed on one plan and had no additional cost, but the deductibles would have been significantly higher. If I were still single I probably would have done so but didn't want to take any chances with a female on the plan.