Thanks Terry. Tom - my family growing up made similar sacrifices due to the fact that we were in dire straits (suffice to say, food was a high priority for us). Separate cities for school, work, job transfers, etc. had us in separate parts of the country (three different high schools, four different middle schools, four different colleges) but we did what we had to do to get by and made the best choice we could. It wasn't easy being separated, but at times it was the right thing to do. I would hate to do that today, and with my current job I wouldn't have to. If something came up and it became necessary...?
My youngest son is 12....and is in the 7th grade. New home....new state....new school....and I didn't want that in December but rather I was able to pull it off before the start of the school year here in Florida. My choice yes......so indict me for it if you feel that way. Also....my company health insurance for a family is $1150.00 per month and we are trying to stay away from a huge expense like that for health care because I have essentially two house payments to make because of the inability to sell my house in Michigan. Also, the thinking was my wife would find a job with health insurance right away. She has that job but no healthcare until Dec. 1st. Of course.....I didn't choose to lose my job in Michigan either. Have a good day.
I get your point, Dave. Anne's immunosuppressant medications that she needs to take because of her kidney transplant costs roughly 20-25K a year. Medicare would have covered 80% of the medical costs for three years. After that, coverage would end. Because she is married to me, nearly all of her med bills and prescription expenses get covered by my employer's plan. When she became ill, she had been employed for a company for over twenty years. They closed their office several months later. If she had been single and living in Michigan, my guess is that after her COBRA and Medicare coverage expired, her savings would have been extinguished and she would have found herself in the position of being uninsurable, not capable of working full time due to the side effects from medications, and unable to qualify for continuing Medicare benefits unless she could establish a medically disabling condition independent from her status as a post transplant patient, an unlikely event. In other words, her life would have changed from someone living a comfortable middle class existence to a life not so comfortable. When she was in dialysis, I remember meeting people who passed up the opportunity for a transplant and were continuing dialysis 3 times a week since continuation in dialysis would entitle them to continuing coverage under SSD and Medicare. The irony is dialysis treatment probably costs the government at least 10K-15K a month. Basically, the present heath care system in this country is Fortune's wheel. One can scrimp. save, and work hard but all that might become meaningless if you are unlucky enough to get hit with a catastrophic medical condition. My guess is that those who have not been treated harshly by the spin of fortune's wheel are less likely to find flaws in the present system than those whose spin did not turn out as well.
My younger brother Sean lives in a home owned by my mother out on Long Island. He is a part time math teacher at a local community college. 4 or 5 years ago he had a massive heart attack. It took quite a number of jolts from the paddles just to get his heart beating again. He was hospitalized for weeks. He was on a ventilator for some time. He had kidney problems. His bills must have been massive. He had no health insurance. His bills were paid by the state. I'm sorry, but when I hear about the plight of the uninsured I have a hard time believing that health care is denied to the truly needy.
That is a very profound observation and one that I share. I might add that I have come to wish for some of that bad misfortune to befall all of those individuals who are too smug about the plight of others and feel that somehow they are immune. In short.....it would be awesome to see some real crap happen to Ms. Coulter and those who think like her......just awesome. That philosophy applies to more than just health care as well. Sorry about your wife's condition Bobda and I wish the best for you and her and that you maintain your employment and insurance. One thing about Cobra is that it is very expensive.....significantly higher than what an employed person pays for the same care so what is completely perplexing is how is a newly unemployed person suddenly able to afford it? It's mind boggling.....to everyone except for maybe Ann Coulter.
Dave, Thanks. Mike, Each state has different rules and programs covering the uninsured. I have no idea what NY provides but your brother was fortunate to be a NY resident if he was able to retain some savings and get his bills fully paid. Wisconsin has a variety of programs which provide health insurance for 96% of the state. If your brother had lived in Michigan, the likelihood is that his bills probably would have been covered by Medicaid but coverage would not have commenced until his total assets were under 2K. If the doctors who treated him did not participate in Medicaid, the bills would have been your brother's reponsibility. He could, prior to the attack, have obtained coverage through BXBS but the plan they must provide to those able to afford the premiums would have excluded prescription medications.
Guys I have a couple of views on this. Mike, No person seeking care at an ER is turned away. Hospitals all do a portion of charity care for uninsured. I work for a non-profit hospital and the nuns are always reminding us "no money, no mission". And all of these patients are screened for medicaid or any programs they may qualify for. I also see the other side of medicaid. Mothers who stay single and live with the boyfriend so the don't lose their medicaid. People coming to the ER instead of going to their primary care just because it's easier. The fact that the cost is so much greater means nothing to them becausethey will not be paying the bill. So yes, all people asking for medical care at a hospital must be seen even though that is not necessarily the most appropriate way to do it. This misuse of the system in place is part of why healthcare is overall so expensive. The system has been broken for years..
Bobda, the people on this board whom I have met all have one important quality in common....character. It's a quality that you can see in a person's eyes. You may not know their background or current circumstances, but you can see it in them. After reading about your wife's situation and how you talk about it so caringly, I understand better the strength of your character.
Bobda, Until Sid's post, I confess that I did not read your responses on this topic very closely. Sorry for your wife's misfortune. I get a little fast on the keyboard in these discussions with Dave because of the history involved. I will try to be more observant.