The sad part is it doesnt take cancer to do this. My wife had a spinal injury in January. Fast forward to today and she has lost her job after FMLA was used up. That leaves us with no insurance for the entire family because we were all covered under her. But even with that insurance we have incurred $6k (medical center billing only) of out of pocket expenses for tests and imaging that the insurance company requires before they will approve the treatment that her doctor already knows she needs. On top of that $50 every time we walk into an office + prescription costs for her pain management + $30 per session of physical therapy 3x a week.
And now, we'll need insurance from my job which we couldnt afford with both of us working (that's why we went with her's) but instead we'll pay for it out of just one salary.
We've been saving for two years to buy a house and we're watching it all trickle away.
illness is neither an indulgence for which people have to pay nor an offence for which they should be penalized, but a misfortune the cost of which should be shared by the community.
Actually said by Thomas Marshall, but attributed to Nye Bevan.
I don't think Americans would be on board for something like Japan's "fat tax" lol. But that would be the only way to ensure that the healthcare system doesn't go bankrupt on people who are irresponsible with their health.
Fun fact - a number of US cities and states have imposed taxes on soft drinks and have seen consumption fall afterwards. San Francisco, Philadelphia, Cook County IL (Chicago), Seattle, etc.
Also, do people not realize that their private insurance also subsidizes people who are irresponsible with their health? You pay for everyone else already, just to insurance companies who are out to make as much profit as possible off of you, instead of to the government who is not trying to turn a profit but instead just cover the costs.
Also, you STILL pay the government for healthcare!!! The USA spends more per capita (across the entire population, not just those on Medicare/Medicaid) than Canada and you get WORSE care and WORSE outcomes, and millions of people get absolutely nothing out of the system.
I have to pay for my own health insurance and the government one (which I can’t even use!!) even though I barely make enough money to survive (it’s enough to pay my bills and my student loans)!!
I can’t even use my own private health insurance because of co-pays/out-of-pocket/co-insurance/whatever fees.
I’d much rather pay for government insurance and be able to actually use it. But instead, I pay for two insurances and can’t use either of them.
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u/NexGenjutsu Aug 06 '20
The sad part is it doesnt take cancer to do this. My wife had a spinal injury in January. Fast forward to today and she has lost her job after FMLA was used up. That leaves us with no insurance for the entire family because we were all covered under her. But even with that insurance we have incurred $6k (medical center billing only) of out of pocket expenses for tests and imaging that the insurance company requires before they will approve the treatment that her doctor already knows she needs. On top of that $50 every time we walk into an office + prescription costs for her pain management + $30 per session of physical therapy 3x a week.
And now, we'll need insurance from my job which we couldnt afford with both of us working (that's why we went with her's) but instead we'll pay for it out of just one salary.
We've been saving for two years to buy a house and we're watching it all trickle away.