Comments on: Human health care http://greencouple.com/2008/12/31/human-health-care/ Learning to live green and live together Sat, 07 Apr 2012 15:27:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Will http://greencouple.com/2008/12/31/human-health-care/comment-page-1/#comment-2914 Will Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:57:16 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=468#comment-2914 None of us have any major pre-existing conditions. If we did, we'd have had to go with one of those "we'll cover everyone" business plans. Maggie does have some small medical condition (little like cold sores, but I forget what it is), and we just put that down as an exclusion on her plan. They won't cover anything related to that, but at least she can be covered for other things. It's also lame that Nathan can't easily change coverage while he's recovering without losing the benefits he currently has. And then, if he switches later this year, he'll miss out on any deductible money under the old plan. I have high hopes that things will be changed for the better, because they can't get much worse. None of us have any major pre-existing conditions. If we did, we’d have had to go with one of those “we’ll cover everyone” business plans. Maggie does have some small medical condition (little like cold sores, but I forget what it is), and we just put that down as an exclusion on her plan. They won’t cover anything related to that, but at least she can be covered for other things.

It’s also lame that Nathan can’t easily change coverage while he’s recovering without losing the benefits he currently has. And then, if he switches later this year, he’ll miss out on any deductible money under the old plan.

I have high hopes that things will be changed for the better, because they can’t get much worse.

]]> By: arduous http://greencouple.com/2008/12/31/human-health-care/comment-page-1/#comment-2908 arduous Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:52:09 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=468#comment-2908 The thing that pisses me off the most about American health insurance is the whole "we can opt not to give you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition b.s." I don't know how that works for a small business like you and Nathan have, but you really can't get individual coverage if you have any kind of pre-existing condition, even if it's a stupid one. Literally, I have a friend who was denied individual health insurance due to the fact that she got cold sores. Another friend of mine is also an American living in London for the year. Because she plans to move back to America after the year, she kept her insanely expensive monthly COBRA because she has, wait for it, a pre-existing medical condition and didn't want to mess around with having no insurance while she looked for a job in the States. Basically, American health care is a freaking disaster, and I hope they fix it before I move back to the U.S. Or I might just stay in Europe for the rest of my life. The end. The thing that pisses me off the most about American health insurance is the whole “we can opt not to give you coverage if you have a pre-existing condition b.s.” I don’t know how that works for a small business like you and Nathan have, but you really can’t get individual coverage if you have any kind of pre-existing condition, even if it’s a stupid one. Literally, I have a friend who was denied individual health insurance due to the fact that she got cold sores.

Another friend of mine is also an American living in London for the year. Because she plans to move back to America after the year, she kept her insanely expensive monthly COBRA because she has, wait for it, a pre-existing medical condition and didn’t want to mess around with having no insurance while she looked for a job in the States.

Basically, American health care is a freaking disaster, and I hope they fix it before I move back to the U.S. Or I might just stay in Europe for the rest of my life. The end.

]]> By: Will http://greencouple.com/2008/12/31/human-health-care/comment-page-1/#comment-2896 Will Sat, 03 Jan 2009 18:31:21 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=468#comment-2896 Andy: That's a good point, but there are some complicating factors. The most direct is that insurance companies negotiate a "bulk discount" for most medical procedures, so they're paying less than you'd pay. Theoretically, this means that you might be able to pay less to an insurance company than you would (on average) for medical bills and the insurance company could still make money. More importantly, it really is insurance. Even if you end up paying more over your life, it's easier to manage a monthly payment than a one-time bulk cost. If Nathan hadn't had any health insurance at all, he'd have had to quit our company and try to find a more lucrative job. He might even have had to file for bankruptcy! Those quibbles out of the way, I agree with your general point. It makes more sense to me to make health insurance more like taxes. Angel: Yeah, it's a weird situation for companies too. As part of their deal with the insurers that they'll cover anyone the company hires, the company has to agree that all employees will use the plan. Otherwise, healthy employees could get cheaper insurance elsewhere and the insurance company would be left insuring only those people who can't get health insurance anywhere else. It's basically socialism on a company scale. I think it makes a lot of sense to have some incentive for people to minimize their costs. Generic drugs, etc. are easy replacements for more expensive drugs. Unfortunately, most people aren't in a position to evaluate what they really need medically. That's why we have doctors! Andy: That’s a good point, but there are some complicating factors. The most direct is that insurance companies negotiate a “bulk discount” for most medical procedures, so they’re paying less than you’d pay. Theoretically, this means that you might be able to pay less to an insurance company than you would (on average) for medical bills and the insurance company could still make money.

More importantly, it really is insurance. Even if you end up paying more over your life, it’s easier to manage a monthly payment than a one-time bulk cost. If Nathan hadn’t had any health insurance at all, he’d have had to quit our company and try to find a more lucrative job. He might even have had to file for bankruptcy!

Those quibbles out of the way, I agree with your general point. It makes more sense to me to make health insurance more like taxes.

Angel: Yeah, it’s a weird situation for companies too. As part of their deal with the insurers that they’ll cover anyone the company hires, the company has to agree that all employees will use the plan. Otherwise, healthy employees could get cheaper insurance elsewhere and the insurance company would be left insuring only those people who can’t get health insurance anywhere else. It’s basically socialism on a company scale.

I think it makes a lot of sense to have some incentive for people to minimize their costs. Generic drugs, etc. are easy replacements for more expensive drugs. Unfortunately, most people aren’t in a position to evaluate what they really need medically. That’s why we have doctors!

]]> By: Angel http://greencouple.com/2008/12/31/human-health-care/comment-page-1/#comment-2893 Angel Thu, 01 Jan 2009 17:33:15 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=468#comment-2893 I was actually required by my employer to get the company health plan as a requirement for employment. They only have one plan, and the only choice I can make is whether I want to have Rob covered as well (which I have, because he incurs more health care costs than I at current). It's a PPO plan that the credit union pays for and BCBS manages. I believe they have an account with BCBS with a fixed amount of money to apply toward coverage of all their employees. So, they encourage all of their employees to use generics and to cut medical costs where possible to prevent them from having to raise our premiums to pay back into their account for services rendered. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to have coverage, especially after seeing the bills for Rob's diagnostic tests (over $3,000 for bloodwork and an evaluation for which we were only responsible for the $25 copay), but the situation isn't exactly pleasant. If premiums go up while I work for them, even if I continue to get the basic raise yearly, there is no practical way for me to make up the cost of my required health coverage. I was actually required by my employer to get the company health plan as a requirement for employment. They only have one plan, and the only choice I can make is whether I want to have Rob covered as well (which I have, because he incurs more health care costs than I at current). It’s a PPO plan that the credit union pays for and BCBS manages. I believe they have an account with BCBS with a fixed amount of money to apply toward coverage of all their employees. So, they encourage all of their employees to use generics and to cut medical costs where possible to prevent them from having to raise our premiums to pay back into their account for services rendered.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to have coverage, especially after seeing the bills for Rob’s diagnostic tests (over $3,000 for bloodwork and an evaluation for which we were only responsible for the $25 copay), but the situation isn’t exactly pleasant. If premiums go up while I work for them, even if I continue to get the basic raise yearly, there is no practical way for me to make up the cost of my required health coverage.

]]> By: Andy http://greencouple.com/2008/12/31/human-health-care/comment-page-1/#comment-2891 Andy Thu, 01 Jan 2009 07:31:17 +0000 http://greencouple.com/?p=468#comment-2891 Here's the thing about health insurance... for these companies to make money, they must pay out less than they take in. For that to happen, the "average" person is therefore paying more than what they will spend. Chances are, if you just didn't have insurance but saved your money instead, you may need to pay out big a few times in your life, but overall you will have saved. If everyone paid "their share" to the pool, and it was distributed as needed, than we would all pay less and we wouldn't have insurance company exec millionaires. But that's socialism, and Americans are allergic to good ideas like that it seems. -Andy Here’s the thing about health insurance… for these companies to make money, they must pay out less than they take in. For that to happen, the “average” person is therefore paying more than what they will spend. Chances are, if you just didn’t have insurance but saved your money instead, you may need to pay out big a few times in your life, but overall you will have saved.

If everyone paid “their share” to the pool, and it was distributed as needed, than we would all pay less and we wouldn’t have insurance company exec millionaires. But that’s socialism, and Americans are allergic to good ideas like that it seems.

-Andy

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