National Healthcare is a joke...?

stevebakh · Post by **stevebakh** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:50 pm

I just came across this story - is this really how the whole system works in the US? I'm genuinly curious - I've only heard stories about how bad it can be if you can't afford health insurance, but I had no idea you could even be blacklisted after an illness!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/ ... irstylists

Thoughts?

Faust · Post by **Faust** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:04 pm

although i cannot attest to the situations portrayed in the article, i can say this...... not at all out the bounds of realistic.

you can be deemed uninsurable by insurance companies. also, insurance companies put a large amount of effort into finding way to deny claims. there are people whose sole purpose as an employee of an insurance company is to look for deniability. in fact, there have been cases where an insurance company would AUTOMATICALLY send a letter of denail of coverage upon reciept of a claim (regardless if their policy covers the illness or procedure), knowing full well that a lot of people will not have the knowledge or how to persue an appeal or the resources to file a lawsuit.

broken, broken, broken.

have money? sure, no problem. you will be catered to. no money? youre on your own, and any cries for help will be looked at as whining due to your own lack of effort in life.

RoundEye · Post by **RoundEye** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:30 pm

stevebakh wrote:...but I had no idea you could even be blacklisted after an illness!...

Yep, it’s called pre-existing illness or injury. I’ve dealt with it in the past due to accidents and major trauma and now I’m dealing with it due to my recent MS diagnosis.

Healthcare in this country is great, so long as you are healthy and don’t need it. Get sick with some chronic illness and you are screwed. Bend over, you’re getting it dry and with force. Get sick with a chronic illness in a small company and you’ll cause their insurance premiums to skyrocket. You better walk on egg shells after that, they will be looking for any reason to let you go. In some states they don’t even need a reason, “You’re fired!” and it’s right out the door. Then you have to pay the crazy COBRA insurance rates out of pocket, then its quite possible you may not be able to get insurance with your new company because it’s a pre-existing illness. I think by law they have to insure you but the premiums skyrocket. So your new company finds a reason to let you go. It’s a really vicious circle once you get sick here in the U.S.

This country is faced with a major challenge with healthcare. We’re much larger then France and we have 50 different “jurisdictions” to contend with. There is no way to make everyone happy. I also have the feeling healthcare is going to go through many different revisions before we find something that makes the majority of people happy.

The problem with that is a majority of people are healthy. They don’t see it from the other side of being sick and by that time it is too late for effective change.

* I still haven’t read the entire article. *

RoundEye · Post by **RoundEye** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:51 pm

Faust wrote:...have money? sure, no problem. you will be catered to. no money? youre on your own,.....

Nothing could be truer but you won’t have money for long if you are deemed chronic.

Faust wrote:...any cries for help will be looked at as whining due to your own lack of effort in life…

I would have to say most people understand my plight. My fault is not maintaining insurance when I was fired from Harley for being “too slow”. Even if I had private insurance I'm sure they would’ve found a way to weasel out of covering me. I’ve seen that already with the one MS meeting I’ve been to so far.

I don’t have the money to buck the system and I’ve grown tired of it already. I’m about to throw my hands up and say “screw it”. That’s just how it is and I’m unable to fight it. They’ve broken my spirit in just a couple of months.

Debbie · Post by **Debbie** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 3:12 pm

stevebakh wrote:I just came across this story - is this really how the whole system works in the US? I'm genuinly curious - I've only heard stories about how bad it can be if you can't afford health insurance, but I had no idea you could even be blacklisted after an illness!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/ ... irstylists

Thoughts?

I know some people who have been through it. It is disgusting to say the least.

RoundEye · Post by **RoundEye** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 3:33 pm

Here’s another insurance nightmare story for you. I just found out about it while my wife was home at lunch.

A woman my wife works with, her husband is very sick. He needs a liver transplant. He was unable to find a donor liver in time. He was admitted to the hospital and slipped into a coma. The insurance will pay for him to go in long term care. The problem is they will only pay for long term care for up to thirty days, after that they will be responsible for all the bills and his care.

He’s in a coma and at a long term care facility. Problem is after thirty days he has to leave and she has no idea where he will go or how to care for him.

What’s so long term about a month? This lady is flipping out because she has no idea where she’ll turn next for his care or how she’ll pay for it. A lot of good it did paying for his health insurance all these years. In a month they are screwed.