Dont Want Insurance, dont offer insurance? Get Fined!

[joycenalex]

blue, how will you manage if you get hurt in an accident or have an illness? i am curious. thank you joyce

[pomtzu]

Personally I feel that anyone that doesn't carry at least some health insurance, is putting themselves in a very bad position. If you do have a job that offers insurance at some cost to you and you choose not to get it, that little extra that you pocket every month is small potatoes compared to what you would put out if you needed even some minimal hospital treatment, or an MRI, or a cast for a broken bone, x-rays, and I could go on and on with small stuff that costs big bucks.

However, I don't feel that it should be mandatory to have it. It's your choice. And should it become mandatory, I'm positive that there will be those who still won't get it. Sure - car insurance is mandatory, but look at all that break the law and drive without it anyway. Healthcare insurance will be no different.

And so in the end, the people that do carry motor vehicle and health insurance, are the ones that pay for those who don't - in the form of higher premiums, hospital costs, etc., etc, etc.

It a vicious circle!

[Scooter's Mom]

blue, here are 2 good examples of why you should have medical insurance.

It costs me $23.00 each paycheck, $46.00 per month to have medical insurance through my employer.

I have one medication that has a copay of $25.00 - if I had to pay for that prescription each month out of my own pocket, it would cost me $581.00. PER MONTH. This is a medication I need in order to function on a daily basis... it's not pain meds, it's not even my blood pressure medication. It's for a neurological condition.

This doesn't even count the fact that things are going to happen such as surgeries, etc. You could be healthy like my husband... but he was rushed to the hospital a couple of years ago. His appendix ruptured and he had to have emergency surgery. That's the only time he's ever been truly sick in the 12 years I've known him. He was in the hospital 4 days. Had we ended up paying for that out of pocket, we'd have been bankrupt. Our total cost for his hospital stay and surgery? $500.00

Please, reconsider and take out health insurance.

[pomtzu]

Scooter's Mom - good examples. And how about those accidents?

I stepped on a dog toy (tennis ball) in the dark, and fell and fractured my wrist a couple of years ago. That turned out to be very costly - approaching $75,000 when all was said and done.

It was so badly fractured that it had to be surgically repaired. Just the metal outrigger that was screwed into my hand and arm was $14,000, and then there were all the other charges - emergency room, ER doctors, x-rays, operating room, anesthesia and anesthesia doctor, surgeon - all that just for the first day. Then it was back to the surgeon and x-rays every week for 7 weeks, then back into surgery after it was healed to have the outrigger removed, and then 6-8 weeks of physical therapy! I had good insurance, and it cost me not one cent for that accident. Could I have paid it with no insurance?? - no way!

Then 4 months after that, I slipped and fell on ice in my driveway and fractured my hip. I don't even want to total up the cost of that one, but again, I paid nothing out of pocket.

So even something that would seems rather simple, could totally wipe you out! To me, those extra few dollars in my pocket that I'm getting from not having to pay for any insurance, just aren't worth it. If it's taken out of your check, you never miss it, since you never had it in the first place.

[Grace]

Scooter's Mom - good examples. And how about those accidents?

I stepped on a dog toy (tennis ball) in the dark, and fell and fractured my wrist a couple of years ago. That turned out to be very costly - approaching $75,000 when all was said and done.

It was so badly fractured that it had to be surgically repaired. Just the metal outrigger that was screwed into my hand and arm was $14,000, and then there were all the other charges - emergency room, ER doctors, x-rays, operating room, anesthesia and anesthesia doctor, surgeon - all that just for the first day. Then it was back to the surgeon and x-rays every week for 7 weeks, then back into surgery after it was healed to have the outrigger removed, and then 6-8 weeks of physical therapy! I had good insurance, and it cost me not one cent for that accident. Could I have paid it with no insurance?? - no way!

Then 4 months after that, I slipped and fell on ice in my driveway and fractured my hip. I don't even want to total up the cost of that one, but again, I paid nothing out of pocket.

So even something that would seems rather simple, could totally wipe you out! To me, those extra few dollars in my pocket that I'm getting from not having to pay for any insurance, just aren't worth it. If it's taken out of your check, you never miss it, since you never had it in the first place.

Fractured wrist - fractured hip - do you take calcium supplements? How about some extra Vitamin D? Have you had a bone density test recently?

[pomtzu]

Fractured wrist - fractured hip - do you take calcium supplements? How about some extra Vitamin D? Have you had a bone density test recently?

Oh yeah - I take extra calcium and D - but I had a total gastrectomy back in 2000 and my absorption stinks because of it. It was after that, that my osteoporisis took off in a full gallop. I can't take any of the oral bone building meds because of my lack of stomach, and I just started on the Boniva I.V. treatment. It's like the once a year Reclast, but it's given quarterly rather than annually. I go for my 2nd treatment on 7/21. My orthopaedic surgeon said if my bones get any more porous, that he won't be able to see them on an x-ray. Of course the last bone density I had was pretty bad, so I'm hoping the Boniva works. Time will tell!

[Grace]

Oh yeah - I take extra calcium and D - but I had a total gastrectomy back in 2000 and my absorption stinks because of it. It was after that, that my osteoporisis took off in a full gallop. I can't take any of the oral bone building meds because of my lack of stomach, and I just started on the Boniva I.V. treatment. It's like the once a year Reclast, but it's given quarterly rather than annually. I go for my 2nd treatment on 7/21. My orthopaedic surgeon said if my bones get any more porous, that he won't be able to see them on an x-ray. Of course the last bone density I had was pretty bad, so I'm hoping the Boniva works. Time will tell!

The Boniva worked for Sally Fields - she was taking the oral dose. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Let me know how you do.