Example of ER bills for an uninsured

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you or your spouse get a corporate job so that you have group health insurance?

I know it sucks having to work for the man and not follow your dreams; I’ve been doing it for 20 years because I need health insurance. But sometimes we need to put our dreams aside and make responsible choices.

Sure, I'd get any corporate job that pays. What about preschool children? Where do I find 4,000 a month to pay for their daycare? Do you think the corporate job will even bring me 4,000 a month?

If you do not currently work, you get a job at Target on nights and weekends to qualify for their insurance. It’s unconscionable that you do not have health insurance for your children. Your spouse could prioritize getting a job with insurance.

He is trying and it takes him weeknights and weekends to get training and apply for a better job. Thank you for caring. He could probably get a much lower paying job with insurance faster, but what's the point?

The point is getting health insurance so when your kids get sick or injured they can be treated. I'm a mom to 2, and I was in the ER multiple times a year when the kids were under 5. DC need an ear surgery without which he would have had permanent hearing loss and deep difficulty developing language due to hearing loss. I lost track of how many times I've taken one or the other of the kids to the hospital over the years - broken limbs, serious concussions, etc. I'd be terrified not to have health insurance for the kids.

Also, this is the lowest employment rate in decades. An entry level job with a college degree pays upwards of $50K. If you have any experience, then you can make more money. There are also a plethora of gig jobs like Uber, tutoring, DoorDash, etc. for extra $$ that can be worked at night when one parent is home.

So, although the lack of childcare in this country is another f'd up thing, yes, you get a low level job with healthcare even if if means you spend everything on childcare. If your kids are 3 or older, you try to find free PK3 programs (like in DC). At the end of the day, you will be better off financially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s shocking that medical facilities don’t need to publish their schedule of fees in a public place. Then at least everyone could know what they are in for and shop around.

They do. It's just useless. Sibley hospital's price-list is 450,000 rows:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/patient-care/patients-visitors/billing-insurance/pay-bill/charges-fees

Try and figure out what you'll pay.

[Anonymous]

Were you insured when your young children were born? What changed?

[Anonymous]

Two things:

1. VOTE FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.

2. Right now, OP, you really should be on the ACA. It might be more expensive, but if ever you need your life saved, and much more expensive treatment than a pregnancy test and X-ray... it will come through for you. Instead of thinking that you came out ahead of having an ACA premium bill every month for, supposedly, nothing, think about the fact that people like you die for lack of affordable care when they're uninsured. I am on the ACA, with Kaiser, and it's affordable for my budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What state are you in that the ACA plans are 1k per month for an 18k deductible for a single person?

Family of 4

What do you know about premium subsidies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Two things:

1. VOTE FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.

2. Right now, OP, you really should be on the ACA. It might be more expensive, but if ever you need your life saved, and much more expensive treatment than a pregnancy test and X-ray... it will come through for you. Instead of thinking that you came out ahead of having an ACA premium bill every month for, supposedly, nothing, think about the fact that people like you die for lack of affordable care when they're uninsured. I am on the ACA, with Kaiser, and it's affordable for my budget.

What do you envision universal health care looking like? We have a form of it via the military and it sucks. We pay a lot out of pocket to just be seen and many things are denied or not covered. Getting a primary care appointment takes weeks to months and you rarely see your doctor or the doctor you scheduled with. Specialists are months out or you are referred out and the doctor can have really bad ratings or could be an hour or two drive away (a problem if you don't drive much with health issues). They are quick to blow off concerns rather than test and put effort into treating it. I wish we had private insurance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Two things:

1. VOTE FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.

2. Right now, OP, you really should be on the ACA. It might be more expensive, but if ever you need your life saved, and much more expensive treatment than a pregnancy test and X-ray... it will come through for you. Instead of thinking that you came out ahead of having an ACA premium bill every month for, supposedly, nothing, think about the fact that people like you die for lack of affordable care when they're uninsured. I am on the ACA, with Kaiser, and it's affordable for my budget.

What do you envision universal health care looking like? We have a form of it via the military and it sucks. We pay a lot out of pocket to just be seen and many things are denied or not covered. Getting a primary care appointment takes weeks to months and you rarely see your doctor or the doctor you scheduled with. Specialists are months out or you are referred out and the doctor can have really bad ratings or could be an hour or two drive away (a problem if you don't drive much with health issues). They are quick to blow off concerns rather than test and put effort into treating it. I wish we had private insurance.

Because those things never happen with private insurance...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What state are you in that the ACA plans are 1k per month for an 18k deductible for a single person?

Family of 4

you're leaving your entire family of 4 uninsured and then you're surprised that a visit to the hospital is expensive? thank god it was a minor visit and not a serious car crash/cancer/etc.

and generally the ppo plans are better deals than the high deductible plans- i used the carefirst gold ppo for years and had great coverage

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s shocking that medical facilities don’t need to publish their schedule of fees in a public place. Then at least everyone could know what they are in for and shop around.

that would be nice but every single insurance plan has different negotiated rates- each employer's care first plan pays a different amount, same for united, kaiser, etc...

[Anonymous]

Well, it's true that urgent cares are cheaper than ER, and it's good to know which ones are open latest and earliest in your area and which symptoms mean you really need the ER.

But, I don't know why you're complaining about the uninsured price. You didn't pay any health premiums, which you said were $1000 a month. According to my math your $2350 is basically 1.5 months of premium you didn't pay this year. It's December - you would have paid 18,000 in premiums but instead you paid 2350 in medical expenses. That's the trade off of being uninsured - you accept your prices will be higher because you didn't buy into the insurance network that has lower negotiated prices and you gamble that you won't get sick or have an accident that means you have to pay for a lot of medical care at that higher rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Two things:

1. VOTE FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.

2. Right now, OP, you really should be on the ACA. It might be more expensive, but if ever you need your life saved, and much more expensive treatment than a pregnancy test and X-ray... it will come through for you. Instead of thinking that you came out ahead of having an ACA premium bill every month for, supposedly, nothing, think about the fact that people like you die for lack of affordable care when they're uninsured. I am on the ACA, with Kaiser, and it's affordable for my budget.

Soviet style healthcare, zero innovation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People here will be horrified but don't pay it. Don't pay a dime. Don't call to negotiate. Just don't pay.

If they were billing your health insurance the cost would be a third or less of what they're charging you. Frankly, they don't expect you to pay. Most people with insurance don't.

It won't go on your credit. You can check because the law varies from state to state, but in quite a few of them there's very little collectors can do to get medical debt.

"Most people with insurance don't..." Pay? what exactly are you saying PP. That most people with insurance don't pay their medical bills?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not America’s fault you chose to live without health insurance. Most people that choose not to have insurance also put money back each month in case of an emergency. If you can’t afford to do that then apply for state assistance. Going around blaming an entire country for your mistake seems silly.

It is America's fault. Every other developed country has health care for all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Two things:

1. VOTE FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.

2. Right now, OP, you really should be on the ACA. It might be more expensive, but if ever you need your life saved, and much more expensive treatment than a pregnancy test and X-ray... it will come through for you. Instead of thinking that you came out ahead of having an ACA premium bill every month for, supposedly, nothing, think about the fact that people like you die for lack of affordable care when they're uninsured. I am on the ACA, with Kaiser, and it's affordable for my budget.

What do you envision universal health care looking like? We have a form of it via the military and it sucks. We pay a lot out of pocket to just be seen and many things are denied or not covered. Getting a primary care appointment takes weeks to months and you rarely see your doctor or the doctor you scheduled with. Specialists are months out or you are referred out and the doctor can have really bad ratings or could be an hour or two drive away (a problem if you don't drive much with health issues). They are quick to blow off concerns rather than test and put effort into treating it. I wish we had private insurance.

PP you replied to. The issues you describe exist everywhere, all over the developed world, except in concierge medicine for the wealthy. My friend with excellent private insurance is struggling to get appointments for her cancer treatment at Sibley!

You're not understanding the point of universal healthcare. The point is not to increase quality of care. That's a different problem. The point is to ensure that healthcare does not become an exorbitant financial burden for individuals who will then be denied access to it because they cannot afford it. Healthcare should not be the reason why families cannot hoist themselves into better socio-economic tracks.

Healthcare should be a basic human right. In my European country of origin, that's how it's considered. Everyone has access to affordable care and affordable medicines. If you choose to not treat yourself, it's not because it's too expensive. There are issues just like here, with availability of care, and rural deserts (except the deserts are much smaller, given the size of the country )... but it's a vast improvement on healthcare here in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Two things:

1. VOTE FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE.

2. Right now, OP, you really should be on the ACA. It might be more expensive, but if ever you need your life saved, and much more expensive treatment than a pregnancy test and X-ray... it will come through for you. Instead of thinking that you came out ahead of having an ACA premium bill every month for, supposedly, nothing, think about the fact that people like you die for lack of affordable care when they're uninsured. I am on the ACA, with Kaiser, and it's affordable for my budget.

What do you envision universal health care looking like? We have a form of it via the military and it sucks. We pay a lot out of pocket to just be seen and many things are denied or not covered. Getting a primary care appointment takes weeks to months and you rarely see your doctor or the doctor you scheduled with. Specialists are months out or you are referred out and the doctor can have really bad ratings or could be an hour or two drive away (a problem if you don't drive much with health issues). They are quick to blow off concerns rather than test and put effort into treating it. I wish we had private insurance.

I'm sorry, but you don't have "universal healthcare" , which is by definition something that's applied to all residents of a nation. You have the military healthcare, which is not great - but not worse than some others, believe me!