Do you have private health insurance...??

[carole]

Yes well not every medication is subsidised by the government, i have to take some medicine that i have to pay for as well,luckily it is still cheap compared to the prices you are quoting,this is what the article was saying also that the USA are paying double the price anywhere else is, that is terrible.

The normal price you pay for a prescription on a government funded medication is $15 per item, so is a big saving for me.

I am getting even more thankful for the system we have in place here in NZ as i read your posts, i would not be able to survive paying what you people pay, i have to have one particular medicine otherwise i would be unable to eat, so if i had to pay those outrageous prices i guess i would truly be down under.

[pomtzu]

luckily it is still cheap compared to the prices you are quoting,this is what the article was saying also that the USA are paying double the price anywhere else is, that is terrible.

And this is exactly why so many people (mostly seniors), choose to buy thru Canadian pharmacies!

[Freedom]

Dad still has really great insurance coverage, through his prior employer, under his pension plan. That kicks in after Medicare, and with all his health issues, thank goodness!

For 15+ years when I was working I had health insurance through my employers. Then I stopped working to care for Dad. There is only one company in this state which even offers private pay health insurance, and only one plan, so you have no choices. It costs me over $700 per month. It is going up again in April. I have high deductibles, and high co pays. I don't qualify for any group plans. I often wonder if it is worth it.

[wolf_Q]

I have insurance through my work. I think it's about $80 every paycheck (every 2 weeks, so about $160 per month). If I ever quit, try to be self-employed, or work for a company that doesn't offer insurance I'm in trouble. I tried to get insurance through private companies because the work insurance isn't that great...yeah none of them will insure me - because I have poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, which is fairly common (I've worked with 3 other people that have had the same thing), and for the past several years I haven't even had any symptoms. It's a pretty ridiculous thing to be turned down insurance for but I was by two different companies.

I went several months without insurance because I was dropped from my parents for being too old and I couldn't sign up for the work insurance until open enrollment. Luckily nothing happened to me during that time but I worried about it.

[Marigold2]

I have health insurance through my husband. With my medical issues it would be impossible to buy private insurance. Sad but true. Perhaps our new pres can change that given time.

[Edwina's Secretary]

This new thread http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=151245

really makes the point!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Luckily we have insurance through my husband's job...I am not sure what we would do without it! I'm not sure how much his employer pays, but we have BCBS and we pay $240/month for the family.

Since our plan paid for nearly all of my prenatal visits, I never saw a bill except for a few odd times when I had to pay extra. One of those times was an ultrasound I had. It was a routine screening, and the scheduled visit was only about 25 minutes. I was looked at by an ultrasound technician- not a doctor- (though the tech did show the doctor the images) and the charges before insurance negotiated were $1,000! The insurance negotiated it down to 300 some dollars (and luckily I only had to pay about $50)...but without insurance, I would have been stuck with that whole bill- $1,000. I'm not sure why an insurance company is entitled to pay so much less than an individual.

Clearly there is something really really wrong with our healthcare system! I like president Obama, but drug and health insurance companies are so powerful I am skeptical that anything much can be done.

[Puckstop31]

I understand the need for "better" government sponsored health plans. Just don't make it UNIVERSAL. (I.e. don't FORCE me into it.) I've worked inside the PA Medicade system for a few years. A bunch of 5th graders would have been more efficient.

I guess I am "lucky". I work 70+ hours a week to provide the life I do for my family. Don't force me into substandard healthcare because others are not in the same situation. Because no matter what you think or say... Government provide care will not be the same as my private plan. Worse the government then has a reason to control your life. You think they won't once we are all "equal"?

We are guaranteed our freedoms, but NOT equal results. It never ceases to amaze me how many people are willing to simply give up what liberty we have left.

Just stop and think for a minute what it means to give government control of your healthcare. You don't think it will turn into them FORCING you into lifestyle changes? Imagine the taxes they could/will impose.

Think with your BRAIN for a second please. I understand that a lot of you ladies are very compassionate and that is good. But balance it with some common sense!

Free people are never equal and equal people are never free.

[carole]

Well in NZ you still have the choice, you can opt to rely on the public system and waiting lists or go private, even though it is an enormous struggle for us we have private, i like the security of knowing if i need an operation or have something serious, i can use my health insurance and be seen to quickly and get the best care possible.

I guess this is what you mean puckstop is it?, to still have the freedom of choice, the best of both worlds.

The way it is now, if i have something less serious, i can choose public and wait, and have it seen to without claiming on my insurance, which of course will put my premiums up,so far i have been lucky enough not to do either, and have not used my insurance,as i only have surgery cover i have covered the cost of the specialists visit personally myself, as luckily we did not need surgery.

[IRescue452]

No insurance here, unfortunately.

In WI you only qualify for any assistance if you are pregnant, elderly, disabled, or under the poverty level that hasn't been updated since 1960. The biggest group hit is single people between 19 and 35 with no families. I fall into that range. I have a full-time job but can't get on insurance until next January, if I can afford it. Wisconsin's healthcare definately perpetuates the truth that you don't get help unless you drop out of high school and have 5 kids by the time you are 18.

[Nomilynn]

Since I lost my job, I do not have any extended health insurance. However, since in Canada it is the law for everyone to have government supplemented health insurance, I am still able to see a doctor, go to the hospital, etc without having to pay. I pay a premium every month that gets me these services. If I was unable to pay this premium, I would still get the services, and they would arrange a payment plan with me for when I was earning income again.

I am also a type 1 diabetic. So, without my medication and doctors, I would die. Thankfully, I don't have to worry about that since I know I'm covered.

There are private clinics in BC that people have the option of using, but they still have to pay into the governement plan. I pray that my province/ country would NEVER convert to a plan like what is in the states, because I'm pretty sure that I would be far worse off than how I am now.