"Out of sight, out of mind" crowd on healthcare.

I'm watching This Week on ABC with Stepanopoulis. They're talking about healthcare.

And I've had enough.

Enough of people that want to tell me there's nothing wrong with healthcare....simply because they have healthcare.

My Fiance pays 35$ a month for healthcare through her employer. Pretty good right? Better than what most have to pay. But, if she wants to add me (even once we get married in March)....$400 A MONTH!!!! And I'm healthy. I've gotten use to not going to the doctor. 400$ a month to cover my ass in case I get cancer...or have a heart attack (to which they'd quintuple the rates anyway).

I work in Production and have for years. There is zero healthcare for people in my industry. And then I have to hear from my Republic Father whose retired military and has healtcare for life...and the BIGGEST "out of sight, out of mind" person I know...telling me "that's your choice"...and listen to him for hours about how I need to quit the industry I'm in and get a 9-5 job.

FOR WHAT POPS? SO I CAN TOIL FOR 30-40 YEARS FOR A PENSION THAT I MOST LIKELY WON'T EVEN RECEIVE? TO LIVE IN A CUBE FOR DECADES? AND STILL PAY SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH FOR HEALTHCARE?

Back to my Fiance's policy. She was having some health issues. She gets a phone call from the insurance company. In short, they tell her if she wants to actually USE her policy...they're going to raise her rates.

Back to my colleagues in my industry. Of the one's I'm used to working with...NOT ONE HAS HEALTH INSURANCE! And that statement is 100% accurate.

Last week one of my acquaintances who has fallen on hard times, who had to leave for a period of time to take care of an ailing parent, gets an abscessed tooth. Goes to Denver General. They pull it for 80$. Didn't really have the extra money at the time...but hey...his tooth is infected...what else can he do.

Within a few days his face swells up like a balloon. He's getting sick. Throwing up. Can't even walk without the help of his girlfriend. Goes back to Denver General. They tell him he needs a root canal. They can do it for 76$. Since he had no money when he came back (after several months looking after ailing mother), and hadn't been able to work since he got home (he himself being very ill) says, "I don't have any money."

THOSE SOB'S TELL HIM HE HAS TO LEAVE!!!! I had to loan him money so THAT HE WOULDN'T DIE OF AN INFECTION.

My Mother is a psychoanalyst. She has her own business and sees client out of her house. She's a diabetic. THEY CHARGE HER 900$+ A MONTH FOR HER HEALTHCARE! THAT IS BORDERING ON CRIMINAL! 900$ AND MORE! AND EVERY YEAR THEY RAISE HER PREMIUMS! EVERY YEAR!


I myself have had health insurance a total of 3 years out of the 10 years since I've left College.


And to rub it in, we have these friggin' idiots with health insurance, that live these corporate rat lives that think, "Well I have health insurance, everybody must have health insurance. If they CHOOSE not to have health insurance, that's on them."


Enough is enough. None of us choose not to have healthcare. Do you think we haven't looked into the alternatives?

The "out of sight, out of mind" crowd makes me so angry. If I have to hear one more time their smug fucking attitudes about the healthcare THEY TAKE FOR GRANTED...I'm just going to shake the shit out of one of them and tell them, "HEY ASSHOLE, IF I COULD GET AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE...THAT I COULD ACTUALLY USE WITHOUT BEING PENALIZED OUT THE WAZOO...DON'T YOU THINK I'D HAVE IT?"




To which I'm sure they'd respond, "That's your choice."

And the insurance companies STILL have the right not to insure whom they choose.

my 60 year old Mother is just waiting for that day.

We've had the talk. She jokes that we just need to put her down because she won't be able to afford insulin. Some joke.

The Social Darwinist are rampant in the Republican and Libertarian ranks.

I'm sorry about your mother. There are a lot of us waiting for the day. It's all we can afford to do.

But we do not.
It is something that makes me wish our organization would unionize and secure our benefits. This is Texas...it won't happen.
I pay $600 a month for two policies.
Your fiance's company is par for the course...right or wrong that is how it is.
When you get married, they anticipate starting families, etc. and they want to get the jump on the high premiums.

She was a high school teacher with a strong union. Our insurance, and Hubby's an internist, sucks in comparison. We have no dental now, no vision, and we have a $40 co-pay for prescriptions and $30 co-pay per doctor visit. Our deductibles are high, and we just have to suck it up and pay them.

If doctors and nurses have crappy insurance . . .

Walmart workers (full-time) have better insurance than we do.

*sigh* Darn bean counters. They always think it's best to cut staffing levels and benefits and pay more in malpractice insurance. It's wrong, wrong, wrong.

Of course rich politicians in Washington have health care for life.

it doesn't matter to them.

It makes me want to go postal.

I have decent health insurance but with a 20% deductible, a serious illness can get pricey.

March 1st to raise money for the April 14th event in Chico, CA for SB840 (single payer, universal healthcare for ALL Californians) which Arnold vetoed. The bill will be reintroduced in Feb and hopefully will pass this time.

We rented our local Woman's Club and now just have to work out the minor details like a band and food...we just need confirmation for those.

though I lived for a couple of years in California.

You guys are usually at the fore-front. Though I have no idea how you re-elected the Kalee-fornee-yator!

They have affordable health care plans here, and the state picks up the bill for the very poor.

As for your retired military father, his health care is not free. Yes, he gets a better deal than the average slob, but the promises (and they were promises) made to him and others were BROKEN. "Free health care for LIFE" isn't free anymore--the payment is either deducted from the retirement pay, or is paid to the provider, depending on the plan you use, and if you want cheaper dental care, you pay for that, too. If he's on TRICARE Prime, he's paying a fee every month. The odds are even that Congress will RAISE those fees this Spring, seeing as it is an off-year, in an effort to cut military spending. The ones hurt hardest? The more junior ranks. If he's on Tricare STANDARD (you don't have to participate in an HMO style system and can choose your own doctors), unless he's old enough for Medicare to kick in (and he has paid, and does pay, through SS deduction, for that) he's paying 40 to 60 percent of many of his bills, and a whole load of diagnostic tests are not covered. It seems I always manage to spend just slightly below the allowable tax deduction on medical care every year....funny how that works.

Your larger point, though, is not ignored. We need affordable health care for EVERYONE, from young to old. That, and education, should be our first priorities--not going to war.

I owe tens of thousands of dollars. Thanks for reminding me why I can't afford healthcare.

;)

If universities want to swap students between states, they should let them (for example, the University of Massachusetts system swaps out X number of already accepted students with California, Michigan, whatever, in order to provide a nationally diverse student body). If people want to go to the school and can't get in that way, then they can pay tuition. I think many private universities are sadly overrated, and even more so at these tuition prices nowadays--looking at "Yale Boy, the Haaavid Bizniz Punk" in the White House, I have to say that if you're a legacy student at any private school, you can't trust the sheepskin to get a sense of the way the brain was taught to think...he's ruined the reputation of every privte school from coast to coast.

I feel your pain. Even back in the dark ages, with a partial scholarship and three backbreaking and low paying jobs, when tuitions were less than you'd pay for a very old used car nowadays, I paid back school loans until I was in my thirties.

I live in MA. I think that if your employer offers health insurance you can't get on one of those affordable plans. That is even if you don't make enough to afford to buy into your employers plan. Unless they changed something.

It said: I work in Production and have for years. There is zero healthcare for people in my industry.

those of us who don't and are adamant about universal care, I say this. Use your insurance and see what happens. Chances are you only have coverage up to 2 million dollars. Chances are the insurance company will only pay 80%. Chances are, your insurance company has lists and lists of ailments and procedures that are excluded. Use your insurance for a serious illness and you'll be standing in line at the bankrupcy court holding onto your six figure bill. I saw this segment on Stephanopoulos and I'm furious.

in their lowest moment and in the most condescending voice I can muster...tell them, "WELL THAT'S YOUR CHOICE!".

where the bottom line has become, well, the bottom line. I'm fortunate enough to have a relatively decent policy for myself and family, yet it's far from ideal. Every year my 'contribution' jumps enough to suck up the meager salary increases my company reluctantly hands out - their way of negating the raise, I guess. Right now we're fighting the insurer over $1080 in physical therapy charges for my wife last year even though we had already met our deductible. But thats nothing compared to what others, who through their choice of work while contributiing their fair share to economic progress and productivity find health care obscenely unaffordable, are up against. It's despicable that in this, the words most productive and welathiest nation, health care is becoming too much a privilege, and those who have ignorantly and selfishly take a 'if it ain't broke don't fix it and mine works fine' piece of shit attitude.
In the word's wealthiest nation, health care should be a right, not a financial burden. But that would put the 'industries fat-cat profits on the line now wouldn't it, and the CEOs might have to wait a bit longer to upgrade their yachts. It'll be one hell of a fight, but we have to take the obscene profits out of health care to make it accessible for all Americans.

It's called mandatory health insurance. Isn't that a nice solution. They are forcing people to buy health insurance. This issue has me so steamed I can't stand it, and I have health insurance. It's time we put an end to this madness.

till then, they'll just believe in the myth that it's 'socialism' or some such bullshit.

Thank you for posting this.

My husband and I are and always have been working class. Jobs available to us these days don't offer health care (carpenter and self employed visual artist). My husband pulled his own bad tooth a week and a half ago, we had no choice. Fortunately he healed up fine. At 53 and 50 years of age with no health insurance, unless we are lucky, we don't expect to live long lives.

Although those of us forced to make these kinds of decisions are invisible we are a growing in number. We are also a mirror for what will happen to more and more of the "lucky" ones unless something is done to provide health care to all. I wish I could say I have hope that this will happen but I have concluded, after over 30 years of listening to promises from politicians, our and many others horrible lack of any medical care is no accident or unintended consequence.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

I had dinner Friday night with an old friend, who is a life long republican. She talked most of the evening about not having medical insurance. She is single, self employed, and has two daughters. None of them are sick at the moment but she is very worried. One serious illness could completely wipe out her savings and her future.

What surprised me was she was saying things like: "everyone in the industrialized world, except Americans, have universal health care". I thought only Democrats knew this. It all sounded so different than her usual opinions of the world.

The only thing that is going to work is to open up Medicare to everyone. It isn't perfect, and it needs a lot of improvements, but it is better than we have now. Insurance companies can go out of business or insure people for the 20% that Medicare does not pay. Then the government needs to tell the medical profession and the hospitals what they are going to pay for everything, like Canada does. In the end, this is what will happen. It would be better for the doctors, the employers, the public and everyone involved except insurance companies and HMOs who are getting rich off other peoples misery.

Health care is a basic human right.

about it today. Big pharma is on the same gravy train as the insurance companies. They want everyone on a statin drug, all women scheduling their osteoporosis pills with Sally Field and if you don't have a disease with initials (ADD, RLS, BPH), you're just not with it. All of these drugs require lots of testing before you take them, periodic testing while being taken and, of course, many appointments with the doctor (have you heard of the perks the doctors and their staffs get from drug companies??). To make the pot even bigger, the drug and insurance companies fund "studies" that result in numbers being lowered to make more people "at risk" and in need of their drugs. Cholesterol levels have been lowered to foolish levels, blood sugar levels have turned glucose intolerance into full blown diabetes - if there's a level to be lowered which will cause more prescriptions to be written, a "study" will be funded and more money will go down the insurance/big pharma rathole. Funny, isn't it, that we're so low on the life expectancy chart??https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html

Yes, that's right. Bosnia is ahead of us.

The "majority" of people who are "anybody", HAS coverage right now (even though we complain about its cost)...until we ALL lose it and take to the streets, it will always be piecemeal and expensive as hell.

Imagine the guy making $100K with a wife and a few kids, a house in burbs, and a couple of killer car-payments.. NOW imagine him with NO healthcare for his kids..

THAT'S when it all changes in everyone's favor..

Until that happens, we all just get lipservice.

Once that happens, the employers will no longer have a stranglehold on their employees, and will no longer hold the power of life and death over their heads. They will have to start paying REAL wages. They SAY you benefits package is worth (let's say) $4. Well once the "freebie" insurance cost is taken from them, then let them GIVE you the extra $4hr pay.

Let the "market decide". Without the "benefits" carrot, employers would finally have to offer a fair wage for a job done. No more "hold" over employees for things they may or may not do in their private lives. and employees could work ANYWHERE.. they might even be able to afford to open their OWN businesses.

It's really just the same philospohy that made the smoking bans TOTAL AND ABSOLUTE. Had they gone with "choice", some businesses may have had an "advantage", so they made it across the board banned for all businesses.

This is what has to happen for health insurance, before there is truly a universal plan.

The insurors who are bleeding us all dry like it the way it is.. Insurance for the "chosen few", and the county hospital for everyone else..

I don't like pills. Just don't. Never did.

I go to the doctor, get the blood test, and son of a gun, I have HIGH cholesterol. This is very odd because usually I have LOW cholesterol...very low. This is because we don't eat much meat--not for any "Bambi" reasons, we just like a lot of vegetarian food, and too much meat makes us all feel logey.

So, the doctor wants to put me on a cholesterol drug. I argue, and say "There's something wrong with this test, either that, or that shrimp I had the day before after a funeral affected the results." Blah blah blah, back and forth, I refuse to take the pills and insist upon a retest. Well, a retest put me back below the norm, with "enviable" cholesterol.

A little poking around revealed to me that one's blood tests can be affected if an idiot takes your blood and leaves the tourniquet on too long--which is what happened to me. But had I not argued, I'd be swallowing a pill every day. And paying for it, when I didn't need it.
http://www.thehealthpages.com/articles/ar-chole.html

Getting an Accurate Reading
Getting an accurate cholesterol reading can be tricky. The tests themselves--particularly those done outside a doctor's office, laboratory, or other medical setting--may be imprecise. But even with the best testing equipment, blood sample results can vary nearly 20 percent depending on the time of day, what you've eaten, and whether you've exercised recently. Here's how to maximize the chance of getting accurate readings:
Ask if the laboratory processing your blood conforms to standards set by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). If it doesn't, try to use a different lab.

Remind your doctor about any medications you're taking. Many drugs, such as blood-pressure medications and birth-control pills, can affect cholesterol levels.

Sit calmly for ten minutes before your blood is drawn. Your posture and any abrupt changes in position can affect the results.

If you're having blood drawn from your arm, make sure the tourniquet stays on for no more than one minute. Any longer may boost cholesterol readings by as much as 15 percent.

In the 12 hours prior to your test consume only water. Avoid strenuous exercise for 24 hours before testing.

Confirm any abnormal or borderline readings by taking a second test and averaging the findings. If the lower reading of total cholesterol is more than 14 percent below the higher reading, have a third test and average the results of all three. Do the same if the lower reading for HDL, LDL or triglycerides is more than 24 percent below the higher reading. Tests should be done at least one week apart, but within two months.

Sorry, the danged thing wouldn't post until I put spaces in the URL, so you will have to take them out to get there.

This is an organization in Colorado working for Universal Single Payer. Yes, there are many horrible stories about health care and the lack thereof. There are many awful tragedies.

But, until/unless we stop just talking and start DOING, we aren't going to change anything.

Do you know that Colorado has a Universal Single Payer bill now???? It was written by Dr. Rocky White in Alamosa. Put some energy into that. HCAC has drs who will come to groups you belong to and speak on fixing our pathetic health care--call them and start arranging for some speaking gigs!

Get their info and educate all your friends.

If we all put energy into this, we can make it a reality.

I hope to hear back that you've done some of this.

:hi:

I especially noted the Healthcare Day of Action at the Capital on the 19th.

It's a good start.

Are you a member?

:thumbsup:

Isn't that great?

If we could just get the word around to Coloradans, and get support for his bill!

That's why I want the OP to get some speakers invited to some of his groups. We need to educate, educate, educate!

Thanks for looking it up, and reading! :thumbsup:

can use when they need health care and drugs with little or no copays or deductibles. Everyone regardless of economic status is covered and they are able to deliver health care at a round figure of $3,000 per year per person, half of what it costs Americans for health care per person with a byzantine system of deductibles, copays and selective coverage and no coverage.