Comments on: Twentysomething: Preparing for life without health insurance http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/ Advice at the intersection of work and life Sun, 20 Jul 2008 22:09:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: selective casino http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-154144 selective casino Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:20:14 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-154144 <strong>selective casino...</strong> loftiness underwater barbiturate ... selective casino…

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]]> By: Why I’m Blogging Before I Graduate | Employee Evolution http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-135135 Why I’m Blogging Before I Graduate | Employee Evolution Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:00:43 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-135135 [...] the issues most important to the future college graduate, such as how to manage student loans, living without health insurance, and general career advice. I became so invested in reading up on this transition, I started my own [...] […] the issues most important to the future college graduate, such as how to manage student loans, living without health insurance, and general career advice. I became so invested in reading up on this transition, I started my own […]

]]> By: Twentysomething: Preparing for life without health insurance « Marty’s Weblog http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-112840 Twentysomething: Preparing for life without health insurance « Marty’s Weblog Sat, 24 Nov 2007 01:40:00 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-112840 [...] read more | digg story [...] […] read more | digg story […]

]]> By: wj http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109284 wj Fri, 05 Oct 2007 20:20:00 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109284 The idea that government-runned health insurance would be a disaster (too bureaucratic, too much paperwork) is really not a good argument. Today's system (in the U.S.) already has too much bureaucracy and paperwork. Just ask anyone who has ever had to fight a claim. Currently three people in my department are fighting their insurers for various denied claims. Health insurance companies do everything in their power to make things complicated and deny legitimate claims. The idea that government-runned health insurance would be a disaster (too bureaucratic, too much paperwork) is really not a good argument. Today’s system (in the U.S.) already has too much bureaucracy and paperwork. Just ask anyone who has ever had to fight a claim. Currently three people in my department are fighting their insurers for various denied claims. Health insurance companies do everything in their power to make things complicated and deny legitimate claims.

]]> By: Pirate Jo http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109270 Pirate Jo Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:32:48 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109270 It is unfortunate that we have this system (in the USA) where health insurance is so predominantly tied to employment. It doesn't work that way with car insurance or homeowners insurance, even though almost everyone has those things. Why should you lose your health insurance just because you lose your job? Some time after the Great Depression, the government put caps on the amount of money companies could pay people for wages. So in order to compete for the best employees, companies started offering to pay for health insurance, and now we are stuck in this mess we are in. Thanks Uncle Sam. The same bunch of gumps who brought us disasters like Social Security have also directly contributed to the screwiness of the health care system, so please remember this when you hear people call for government-run health care. It is unfortunate that we have this system (in the USA) where health insurance is so predominantly tied to employment. It doesn’t work that way with car insurance or homeowners insurance, even though almost everyone has those things. Why should you lose your health insurance just because you lose your job?

Some time after the Great Depression, the government put caps on the amount of money companies could pay people for wages. So in order to compete for the best employees, companies started offering to pay for health insurance, and now we are stuck in this mess we are in. Thanks Uncle Sam.

The same bunch of gumps who brought us disasters like Social Security have also directly contributed to the screwiness of the health care system, so please remember this when you hear people call for government-run health care.

]]> By: Lobzik http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109250 Lobzik Thu, 04 Oct 2007 22:16:55 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109250 My wife just had an ache in her stomach. She had 6k worth of tests done to find out that it was nothing. She payed 1k after company insurance. US health care system is broken. My wife just had an ache in her stomach. She had 6k worth of tests done to find out that it was nothing. She payed 1k after company insurance. US health care system is broken.

]]> By: Helene http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109244 Helene Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:45:49 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109244 There are a great number of professional organizations and associations that offer group health insurance to their members - and the plans often overlook pre-existing conditions. Years ago I was self employed with a medical record that prevented me from obtaining coverage with the major medical insurance providers. I joined a women's writing guild for $35 annually and joined their group medical plan for $255/month, which is CHEAP for coverage with a pre-existing condition. So, the moral of this post is: search high and low for any associations you may join that offer group health coverage. Good luck and good health to you and your brother! Helene There are a great number of professional organizations and associations that offer group health insurance to their members - and the plans often overlook pre-existing conditions. Years ago I was self employed with a medical record that prevented me from obtaining coverage with the major medical insurance providers. I joined a women’s writing guild for $35 annually and joined their group medical plan for $255/month, which is CHEAP for coverage with a pre-existing condition. So, the moral of this post is: search high and low for any associations you may join that offer group health coverage.

Good luck and good health to you and your brother!
Helene

]]> By: Brian C.B. http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109158 Brian C.B. Wed, 03 Oct 2007 18:24:03 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109158 I actually think that Ryan's post illustrates something else seriously wrong about health coverage in the USA: he's buying a policy tailored to healthy 23-year-old men. Well, of course that's cheap, and I don't blame him for taking it, if it's all he can afford. But, insurance is about spreading risk of individual injury over a large, diverse risk pool, not about making money for your insurance company stockholders. If Ryan were a woman, she'd discover she'd pay more, even if she were even healthier than real Ryan, since we're relatively sure that the real Ryan, here, is not going to get pregnant. Insurance reform is about making sure that companies can't cherry-pick healthy pigeons to pluck--sorry about the metaphor mixing--and then dump when said clients start to draw out more cash from the insurance company than the company takes in from them. Which is to say, as the pigeons get old. Because, let me assure you, you will sicken as you age, in ways you can't imagine. But it is as certain as death. You'll only escape the fate by dint of some instant fatal wound, a fact the insurance industry is aware of if you're not. So, making Ryan pay more for coverage now than actuarially required by his young, narrow cohort in the expectation that the insurance company, constrained against dumping him, will have to spend it on Ryan later is the right thing. Not only is it just, but it frees Ryan not to worry about this crap anymore and get on with being productive and America to spend less GDP on administrative cost and emergency care and thus less on health care. And, it encourages the insurance company to poke Ryan into continuing his running routine and getting those tests done, because the company now views these as cost-saving measures. There are possibly a good five different ways to achieve universal coverage at work in Western European countries. Any one of which would be an improvement here. Even the UK performs comparably to American health care overall (remember, we have 43 million Americans who aren't covered, period. Imagine the unnecessary deaths among that group) even though it represents the worst choice, the one engineered to spend the least on medical care imaginable. There seems to be some argument loose that the moral hazard of being insured will turn the nation into a bunch of hypochondriacs demanding MRI's for hangnails. There's just no evidence behind that argument. I mean, how often does Bill Gates get his prostate checked or his colon scoped? Daily? Somehow, I doubt it. I actually think that Ryan’s post illustrates something else seriously wrong about health coverage in the USA: he’s buying a policy tailored to healthy 23-year-old men. Well, of course that’s cheap, and I don’t blame him for taking it, if it’s all he can afford. But, insurance is about spreading risk of individual injury over a large, diverse risk pool, not about making money for your insurance company stockholders. If Ryan were a woman, she’d discover she’d pay more, even if she were even healthier than real Ryan, since we’re relatively sure that the real Ryan, here, is not going to get pregnant. Insurance reform is about making sure that companies can’t cherry-pick healthy pigeons to pluck–sorry about the metaphor mixing–and then dump when said clients start to draw out more cash from the insurance company than the company takes in from them. Which is to say, as the pigeons get old. Because, let me assure you, you will sicken as you age, in ways you can’t imagine. But it is as certain as death. You’ll only escape the fate by dint of some instant fatal wound, a fact the insurance industry is aware of if you’re not. So, making Ryan pay more for coverage now than actuarially required by his young, narrow cohort in the expectation that the insurance company, constrained against dumping him, will have to spend it on Ryan later is the right thing. Not only is it just, but it frees Ryan not to worry about this crap anymore and get on with being productive and America to spend less GDP on administrative cost and emergency care and thus less on health care. And, it encourages the insurance company to poke Ryan into continuing his running routine and getting those tests done, because the company now views these as cost-saving measures.

There are possibly a good five different ways to achieve universal coverage at work in Western European countries. Any one of which would be an improvement here. Even the UK performs comparably to American health care overall (remember, we have 43 million Americans who aren’t covered, period. Imagine the unnecessary deaths among that group) even though it represents the worst choice, the one engineered to spend the least on medical care imaginable.

There seems to be some argument loose that the moral hazard of being insured will turn the nation into a bunch of hypochondriacs demanding MRI’s for hangnails. There’s just no evidence behind that argument. I mean, how often does Bill Gates get his prostate checked or his colon scoped? Daily? Somehow, I doubt it.

]]> By: Senanbar http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109148 Senanbar Wed, 03 Oct 2007 09:26:35 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109148 I'm a medical social worker (may have even worked at the hospital your brother was at since I worked two of them in C-bus), and having assets but not having insurance is a good way to lose EVERYTHING. Seriously, get a catastrophic policy so you're out $5k or so instead of your entire business. Currently I work in a trauma center and these are life-changing events for people, people our age who were just minding their own business before a twist or turn had them in the trauma ICU. Many of them don't have insurance, and while we can give them great care in the hospital and work with them on hospital bills, rarely do people leave the hospital without other needs that may include inpatient physical rehabilitation, home health therapies, prescriptions, and for something like your brother had, IV antibiotics which are hundreds of dollars per dose PLUS the need for RN care on top of that... and I am just hitting the tip of the iceberg. I urge everyone to get *something* - a catastrophic policy plus an pre-tax FSA is a great way to have coverage that is affordable for most people. I’m a medical social worker (may have even worked at the hospital your brother was at since I worked two of them in C-bus), and having assets but not having insurance is a good way to lose EVERYTHING. Seriously, get a catastrophic policy so you’re out $5k or so instead of your entire business.

Currently I work in a trauma center and these are life-changing events for people, people our age who were just minding their own business before a twist or turn had them in the trauma ICU. Many of them don’t have insurance, and while we can give them great care in the hospital and work with them on hospital bills, rarely do people leave the hospital without other needs that may include inpatient physical rehabilitation, home health therapies, prescriptions, and for something like your brother had, IV antibiotics which are hundreds of dollars per dose PLUS the need for RN care on top of that… and I am just hitting the tip of the iceberg.

I urge everyone to get *something* - a catastrophic policy plus an pre-tax FSA is a great way to have coverage that is affordable for most people.

]]> By: d http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109147 d Wed, 03 Oct 2007 09:25:17 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/10/02/twentysomething-preparing-for-life-without-health-insurance/#comment-109147 After some thought, I realized that $100 now could be the only thing saving me from a stress fracture or another common running injury, which could end up saving me thousands in future uninsured medical costs. ***** Rationalize much? I guess this is the male equivalent of "I realized that the $600 Jimmy Choos were actually an investment, because they'd help me get that high-paying job I was after." :-) After some thought, I realized that $100 now could be the only thing saving me from a stress fracture or another common running injury, which could end up saving me thousands in future uninsured medical costs.
*****

Rationalize much?

I guess this is the male equivalent of “I realized that the $600 Jimmy Choos were actually an investment, because they’d help me get that high-paying job I was after.” :-)

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