So the U.S. healthcare system has some issues. Something needs to change. But what?
I’m pretty lucky as far as insurance and health issues go. I’ve always had great insurance policies through work or parents or husband, and I don’t have any major health issues.
The whole system seems crazy and crooked to an uninitiated person like me, though. For instance, a couple of months ago my insurance company sent me an explanation of benefits regarding my hospital stay around Ian’s birth. The hospital sent the insurance company a bill for $20,000 in “hospital incidentals.” That’s all the EOB said. Hospital incidentals. The insurance company agreed to pay $6,000, and apparently the hospital was satisfied with that.
Wait, what? The hospital took $14,000 less than what they requested? If someone didn’t have insurance, would they have had to pay the whole $20,000, since they wouldn’t have the bargaining power of the insurance company? Or did the hospital just inflate the numbers to make sure they got the money they wanted, in some sort of paperwork version of a flea market negotiation?
And then there’s the fact that so many of my friends have limited insurance options due to pre-existing conditions. A diagnosis of a chronic illness means that these people quake at the thought of a job loss, which would mean loss of insurance coverage or a COBRA policy that costs hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars.
If you want to have a baby? Don’t even think about it unless you have a nice, cozy group insurance policy. Well, you can eventually, as long as you sit out the year waiting period. They made it a year in case you decide to let the baby gestate longer JUST TO SWINDLE THE INSURANCE COMPANY.
Plus there’s the folks who don’t bother with insurance or can’t afford it and end up at the emergency room because a) it’s the only place that will treat them or b) they let a small problem go untreated and now it’s a big problem. I don’t care if it’s their fault and they should have had insurance and blah blah blah — as humans, they still deserve treatment, and taxpayers still pay for it.
So things need to be fixed. And I have no idea what needs to happen. Universal health care? Mandatory health care that we can choose, like car insurance? (Although the choice to live isn’t exactly like the choice to drive.) More competition among insurance companies? The libertarian Christian in me says the church should be providing health care to those who can’t afford it, but that’s not particularly realistic. The bleeding heart socialist in me says we should pay for everything for everybody!!!!111!!! (I’m a very confused girl.)
So what do you think? Do you know the solution? Leave me thoughts and links in the comments, but PLEASE play nice. I know this is an emotional topic for some of you.
Oh, and here’s thoughts from some other friends:
-Nancy at Life with Our Itty Bitty Baby Girl
-Kat at Just Another Pretty Farce — Kat has several posts on healthcare, so just browse her blog
-Sarah linked to this article on Facebook, so she gets included
You know an opinion exists in this household! But, just info this time. Most healthcare providers will charge reduced rates(sometimes 70% less) to “self-insured” or “self-pay” patients. And yes, hospitals, Drs. etc will charge a higher amt to the ins. co. just so they can get back what they want originally. Hubby just had bloodwork done and over $500 was “written off.”
Can’t do it. Can’t jump in. Must maintain sanity. Arg. Want to have opinions… (and also, want to talk with better grammar than Tarzan)
You’re exactly right. As someone with a chronic illness that is genetic, I live every single day in fear that I’m going to lose my job and therefore my health insurance. The vicious cycle there is that I work amazingly long days to ensure that I’m doing everything I can to keep my job, many times at the expense of my health, so that I can keep my insurance.
The past few months of people spewing so much hate about how opposed to the public government OPTION they were brought me to tears several times. Here is a huge faction of the country that is pretty much saying to me “We’re sorry that you have a disease you didn’t ask for, but actually, we don’t even want you to have the right to BUY INTO a government plan should you lose your job. Sorry sucker!!”
I’m not asking for a handout. I know I didn’t ask to be sick, but I’m not asking anyone else to pay for it either. I’m just asking for the OPTION to buy into some sort of government plan that I could afford should I need it. I can barely afford everything I need WITH insurance (just paid $1k out of pocket last week for a surgery), so to me going without insurance means going without everything I need to maintain my health, and could even kill me. Many thanks to all who spewed so much hate over my very survival.
/offsoapbox