r/HealthInsurance • u/pandapower63 • Apr 14 '24

Plan Choice Suggestions What can regular Americans who are fed up with their health insurance do about it?

I’ve written my elected officials in government. What else can we do? It’s depressing and it’s wrong. That people can’t get healthcare easily and affordably. People are dying early because they don’t get the care they need.

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75

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

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13

u/Jaded-Moose983 Apr 14 '24

To build on the vote theme, work to educate others as to the benefits of voting.

Find and support those who would take action towards resolving the problems with healthcare. It becomes imperative to build a coalition of those similarly effected and getting them to vote to overcome the efforts of those who benefit from the broken system.

2

u/TrekJaneway Apr 15 '24

You the only party that balanced the budget were the Democrats, right?

Seriously, go look it up. Biggest debt wracked up by Republicans.

2

u/reincarnateme Apr 14 '24

PROTEST. Why did we accept it and let it go?! PROTEST. Design a bill to be moved through congress. PROTEST!

-10

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

Neither side has the answer.

National healthcare is just a government version of what we already have.

We don't need insurance. We need lower prices.

16

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

I urge you to learn more about national healthcare and what it looks like around the world.

It is far from one size fits all.

Frankly, we have government t healthcare right now if you look at the preponderance of coverage. We just give 1/3 of the money spent to insurance companies that do nothing but push paper. They serve no purpose.

We would need to replace the jobs, taxes and place in the stock market that insurers have right now. That is a bigger challenge than making healthcare delivery paid for by a national model.

I think there are a number of ways to that, but we dp need to address it.

Health insurance companies are parasites.

-2

u/TrekJaneway Apr 14 '24

lol….i probably know more about it than you do. Perhaps you should take your own advice.

Source: lived in Australia and the United States. Also quite familiar with Ireland and British systems…along with other European ones as well.

Do your homework…

2

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

Feel free to enlighten us

2

u/MrsB6 Apr 14 '24

I'm also an Australian living in the US. Last year my dad was sick so I flew back to Australia for 2 months. In that time he had two separate hospital visits for about a week each time. Had great treatment, 3 meals a day and snacks and didn't pay ONE. SINGLE. CENT. Sadly at the end of that time he died. After returning home, I was admitted to hospital late November when I developed a pulmonary embolism. Spent two nights in hospital. Cost? Over $40,000!!! AFTER insurance, I was left with a $7,000 bill, not to mention the $6,000 I owed the IRS after discovering that because of all the double shifts I pulled last year after a staff member quit, I earned just above the threshold for the govt rebate on Obamacare. F&*^# that for a joke!!!! In Australia, my contribution to "Medicare" was just over $2,000 AUD on a $110k AUD salary PER YEAR! If you earn less than the minimum wage you don't contribute anything but you still get free healthcare! Husband's job just got healthcare and now we are paying around $4000 USD per year on a$65k salary, with an $8,000 deductible! This is just downright outrageous. Give me the universal model funded by taxpayers anyday! How can anyone seriously say that they would be worse off with universal healthcare? If they do, they obviously don't understand how it works!

2

u/GroinFlutter Apr 14 '24

I agree with you, but I just want to clarify that the billed amount - the $40,000 - is an arbitrary number. It doesn’t matter. They could be a billion dollars if they felt so inclined.

It’s the insurance contracted rate that matters. The rest is adjusted off. I assure you that your insurance doesn’t pay that full amount either.

The whole thing is a mess. We all pay towards Medicare (coverage for 65+ and those with specific conditions) anyway through payroll taxes. And then Americans have to pay premiums AND deductibles/coinsurance/copays on top of that.

I don’t understand how there’s people that think that less government regulation is the answer. What we have now is still a result of no regulation!! And it’s NOT going to change until there’s more intervention from somewhere. It’s not sustainable.

But I guess that’s a bridge we’ll cross when it starts collapsing and it’s deemed ‘too big to fail’. The same people who don’t want government intervention will be the ones with their hands out when they need bailing.

4

u/TrekJaneway Apr 14 '24

My ex spent 10 days in an Australian hospital and walked away with a bill of $6.82….which he appealed because it was for aspirin and should have been free.

I spent 4 days in ICU in the United States and paid $500…WITH insurance. The bill for them was $32,000.

Never had to worry about getting diabetes supplies or insulin in Oz, worry about it constantly here. Can’t afford retail (it’s $5000/month for everything in the USA). Over there? Easily affordable without incomes. In any other country, you’re talking about a cost of hundreds AT WORST, not thousands….and in most cases, free.

Seriously…do. Your. Homework. Stop listening to the fear mongering because that’s all it is. Literally every first world country figured this out…except the United States.

5

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

Uh...please re-read.

I am in favor of national healthcare

5

u/lucioboopsyou Apr 14 '24

Yeah I don’t think he realized you guys are arguing for the same thing

11

u/TrekJaneway Apr 14 '24

And this sort of attitude is exactly why healthcare still sucks.

20

u/Postcrapitalism Apr 14 '24 edited Apr 14 '24

we need...lower prices

Right. And the most well demonstrated way to lower prices is....NATIONAL HEALTHCARE.

I swear to God, if the wheel had been invented by socialists, you people would be trying to convince us that triangles roll.

4

u/southernNJ-123 Apr 14 '24

lol. Nope. We have zero. Your insurance should never be tied to employment. We need something for ALL.

-13

u/MikemjrNew Apr 14 '24

No, we need less government regulation. 50 different states regulating a product is the issue. All insurance is plagued by this problem.

9

u/GroinFlutter Apr 14 '24

Yes, let’s take the government out of it.

It was much better before when insurance companies could deny you care for pre-existing conditions. It was way better when there was a limit they would pay for. It was great being stuck in a job you hated for the health insurance.

-2

u/MikemjrNew Apr 14 '24

Glad you agree.

3

u/GroinFlutter Apr 14 '24

Sorry, forgot to add the /s. I thought it was very obvious.

-13

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

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8

u/1701anonymous1701 Apr 14 '24

Wait lines… I live in the US, and have had to see a few specialists throughout the year. Just in my first hand experience, the average wait time for a new patient appointment is around the 5-6 month mark, with some that I had to wait 18 months for. At least if we had a public option, I wouldn’t risk getting a massive medical bill the way I do now whenever emergencies pop up. No one should have to file for bankruptcy just for having a heart attack

3

u/lolyer1 Apr 14 '24

You do wait in the US for dr appts and specialties no matter the insurance whether it’s through Medicare or Private.

If you don’t have a couple million dollars in your portfolio, you are going to wait no matter what.

7

u/hhhnnnnnggggggg Apr 14 '24

We could use euthanasia here. There's too many incurable diseases. I have one and I need a way to check out when its time.

5

u/actuallyrose Apr 14 '24

Just because a country has universal healthcare, doesn’t mean they won’t run it poorly. It’s interesting how people always choose the one or two countries who run their systems poorly and not the dozens that do a great job. 

And by the way, even with all its problems, Canada achieves far better health outcomes than the US.

-1

u/PossibleBig2562 Apr 14 '24

Name ONE thing American government has done well. Besides fuck shit up. Then you'll have your answer for why America doesn't need more universal care. Which we already have under Medicare and Medicaid.

3

u/supern8ural Apr 14 '24

Well if morons would stop voting for Republicans, maybe our government wouldn't be populated by idiots and corporate shills.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

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1

u/HealthInsurance-ModTeam Apr 15 '24

Simple rule, please no politics in this subreddit.

1

u/supern8ural Apr 14 '24

So? Does not negate my point at all. Democrats also have better policy than Republicans. Not that it's hard - the Republicans are made up of people who are either fucking morons, evil, or both.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

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3

u/supern8ural Apr 14 '24

Get diagnosed with an expensive to treat illness and then say that, freedom boy.

If I were more of an asshole I'd say you deserved to be impoverished due to a medical condition to teach you just what an asshole you sound like. But I'm not. But I'm sure a lot of people reading your posts are thinking it.

-1

u/saysee23 Apr 14 '24

Exactly! Every argument overlooks Medicare/Medicaid - gov insurance IS in effect.

The gas can is the perfect example of what happens when the government gets involved!

-4

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

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0

u/PossibleBig2562 Apr 14 '24

It doesn't work. Period.

-4

u/pilgrim103 Apr 14 '24

Because the sick ones die waiting for a test.

3

u/actuallyrose Apr 14 '24

Lol no. Then they’d have higher mortality rates. We’re the ones whose life expectancy is dropping vs every other developed country.

-1

u/pilgrim103 Apr 14 '24

Sure.....

3

u/actuallyrose Apr 15 '24

I’d tell you to read the data but you don’t seem like someone who believes data.

0

u/pilgrim103 Apr 15 '24

If you say so it must be true.

9

u/TrekJaneway Apr 14 '24

Someone bought the propaganda….

I HAVE looked at Canada. Perhaps you should look a little farther than the Texas border.

1

u/PossibleBig2562 Apr 14 '24

Why? Do facts scare you?

2

u/TrekJaneway Apr 14 '24

Myths certainly seem to scare you.

But no, I’m not afraid of facts. What you stated is NOT fact; it’s myth.

3

u/autumn55femme Apr 14 '24

The CBO has already determined the total cost to be less than your current tax bill plus your premiums, co- pays, and OOP max in the system we have now, so, an overall savings. plus the cost for prescriptions should go down because of negotiated prices. Euthanasia is not necessarily a bad thing, if no treatment is available for a condition, and the patient no longer can continue with their current quality of life.

4

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

There’s waits now. This is the weakest argument against single payer. Try to get a colonoscopy less than 6 weeks out. Insurance or self pay, it doesn’t matter. You can’t do it.

And if you can’t afford healthcare wait times don’t matter bc you just don’t go.

3

u/No_Panda_9171 Apr 14 '24

Exactly!

At least with single payer, I won’t have to pay a shit ton of high copays, premiums and deductibles let alone argue with insurance over denied claims and confusing in/out of network providers that changes constantly. I will gladly pay higher in taxes than deal with this bullshit.

0

u/PossibleBig2562 Apr 14 '24

And THIS is why the government needs to be removed from private business

2

u/ketoatl Apr 14 '24

Actually no

1

u/PossibleBig2562 Apr 14 '24

Actually, YES. It's a basic requirement of government care. Paid for by all. It's done through increased taxes.

3

u/MrsB6 Apr 14 '24

Technically they're not "increased" and you'd have more money in the hand. Only 2.5% of the taxes paid by Australians goes towards medicare and that's only those who earn above a certain amount. $2500 per year on a $100,000 salary for FREE healthcare is a whole lot better than paying in excess of $400 a month as WELL as the deductible on a $60,000 USD salary. Explain how you'd be worse off on that model.

1

u/PossibleBig2562 Apr 15 '24

I'm not AU. it doesn't matter to me. 2.5%, sounds nice. But that's not all you pay. That's 2.5% on top of what else you pay. Wanna try again? Because it's not free. By any measure.

2

u/MrsB6 Apr 15 '24

It is free if you end up in hospital. You don't pay a cent. If you need prescription meds, that is subsidized. A drug I needed to take was $30 AUD a month. Here in the US, same drug is $700 as it's not covered by insurance. Other Aussies can attest to this. Medical treatment is designed to save lives, not send people broke. You used to be able to see a doctor for free, but they've started charging nominal fees, but $25 is certainly not going to break the bank.

2

u/lolyer1 Apr 14 '24

Death panels

0

u/lolyer1 Apr 14 '24

Edit

Don’t forget the death panels and the migrant caravans

3

u/supern8ural Apr 14 '24

Seems like Canada -and every other country with "socialized" medicine - is doing a fuck of a lot better than we are.

0

u/PossibleBig2562 Apr 14 '24

Yup, with less freedom than we have too.

6

u/supern8ural Apr 14 '24

What freedom do we have now? We're broke, unhappy, and can't afford to get sick. People in "socialist" countries at least are happy (not my opinion, there are studies) and have health care.

0

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

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5

u/supern8ural Apr 14 '24

Oh yeah look at all the Canadians and Swedes and even Brits lining up at the border.

2

u/southmshavoc Apr 14 '24

People think Canadian health care is great. In comparison to what U.S. citizens have, it may or may not be better. There are pros and cons to both.

Yes, there are people in Canada that come to the U.S. for treatment to skip the wait. I also know a family member that was in Canada for a business trip and had a kidney stone. He was encouraged by every Canadian he worked with to go to the for pay clinic.

-1

u/Bexiloula Apr 14 '24

I have a German family member who moved here recently. When I had to take someone in for care and explained what all we had done, this relative was shocked. They told me that in Germany this would have taken MONTHS to get an appointment for (for reference, the dr visits were for a possible fracture for a young child).

-1

u/Ektaliptka Apr 15 '24

Yeah vote for 100 trillion in debt. Last thing you will care about is healthcare

-9

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '24

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12

u/TrekJaneway Apr 14 '24

And yet….none of those countries are saying “you know what? We should get rid of national healthcare!”

Weird.

3

u/MrsB6 Apr 14 '24

It scares the bejeesus out of me every time I start to feel unwell about having to end up in hospital. Once was enough (and $7,000 later after the deductible) and I only ended up there as an absolute last resort when I realised I was close to dying. Had there not have been the threat of a massive cost I would have gone to emergency a lot earlier and probably not have ended up spending two nights in ICU. It's totally ridiculous.

-1

u/BoobLovRman Apr 14 '24

You may have swerved into a truth. Once you scrap the best system in the world for DMV level care, run entirely by the government, you really can’t go back can you?

9

u/shimon Apr 14 '24

Have you ever spoken to someone living in any of these countries? In my experience they have some minor complaints about things like wait times, and all prefer their own system to the US one. 

4

u/TrekJaneway Apr 14 '24

Yep. The annoyances they have are trivial compared to what happens in the United States. Waiting times? Guess what, folks…those exist in the USA too.

What doesn’t exist is stupid high costs and the possibility of insurance being ripped out from underneath you at any moment. As a T1 diabetic, I personally would like to know that my insulin, pump supplies, and glucose monitor will be available regardless of employment status. It is in every country besides the United States.

Here? If I didn’t build a stockpile of supplies I would have been dead shortly after every layoff I’ve been affected by.

8

u/Psychdoctx Apr 14 '24

I work in the medical profession and my Canadian colleagues say they have a way better system. When we have had visitors to my hospital from other countries they are horrified at our healthcare system.

2

u/BoobLovRman Apr 14 '24

Yes, I have. I have been a credentialed provider for a number of years. It boils down to this: people who advocate for government control want to nationalize. People who don’t trust the government, want to keep it privatized. I do not trust them.

6

u/misskinky Apr 14 '24

There’s a big difference between “access to some care” and “access to literally no care”