"Patricia Wanderlich got insurance through the Affordable Care Act this year, and with good reason: She suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2011, spending weeks in a hospital intensive care unit, and has a second, smaller aneurysm that needs monitoring."
But her new plan has a $6,000 annual deductible, meaning that Ms. Wanderlich, who works part time at a landscaping company outside Chicago, has to pay for most of her medical services up to that amount. She is skipping this year’s brain scan and hoping for the best.
“To spend thousands of dollars just making sure it hasn’t grown?” said Ms. Wanderlich, 61. “I don’t have that money.”
11 comments:
No mention of how many times she voted for Obama, so I assume it is at least twice.
A head scan should cost under $1000, and $500 if the company is efficient. You can look up pricing online and they vary widely just because some people don't care what they cost or don't know. The more we know about medical costs the less we will have to pay. Knowledge and competition could greatly lower costs for us if we get those things. Obamacare screws up the competition and cost structure, but then again failure is right there in the name, so no surprise.
There are plenty of scanning machines that have been fully paid off long ago, the cost of supplies and the technician are minimal for the 20 minute process, and a pathologist can read a bunch of these in a single day. I've seen the bills to my insurance company for CAT scans and they are well worth an annual visit, even if you pay for it yourself. My life has been saved twice by them, and they can really make your day when they show nothing. Compare that to a few months of cable or cell phone bills.
The healthcare system we had was pretty damned good, and most of the problems could have been solved by small simple market based solutions that opened up the industry combined with some strictly need-based subsidies for individuals. Unfortunately, simple solutions make doling out out graft much more difficult.
Who still doesn't get it? The Left, i.e. control freak central, now has control over our bodies. You will die on schedule!
The Democrats always name their legislation the opposite of what it really means.
Affordable is a laugh.
(and I've heard liberals say - oh! we had to do something!)
NO we did not. As Bagoh states, the old system was just fine.
Again, the left lied about increasing competition. The ACA shrinks the competition pool.
(but the top 8 big insurance companies who got in bed are poised to make money - if not, they get a tax payer bailout -so win/win for them.)
How unethical can you get?
Then again, if you don't have a seat at the table, prepare to be the meal. That's how the democrats roll. It's a shakedown on all sides.
The democrats are not surprised by the high deductibles, high premiums and higher costs of healthcare under the ACA. It is all by design. The ACA was designed to fail, so the next step, a full government take over, is on the horizon. That's where Hillary comes in. The grand mommy of socialism will deliver the progressive nightmare of single payer. A tax payer funded system that will shrink the middle class, kill off business after business and give us the -wait-in-line British NHS.
Which really is a complete nightmare. Pray you never get sick.
"universal" - the left's favorite word.
I also predict: (not with certainly - but as a possibility)
Price controls.
I think it depends on how much she can shop around, or even whether she is aware she can shop around. The "retail" price of services is hidden, until you have to pay retail.
Somewhat related, several years ago my son had to have an MRI. We had insurance, but out of curiosity I asked what they charged for uninsured patients: about $1600. No matter, but after more than a year of bickering with the insurance company, the hospital was finally paid the policy's negotiated rate of $800.
Any other business would go out of business waiting a year plus for payment of half their invoices. In a normal business environment a company would try to induce prompt payment, or payment when served, through discounting. Not so in health care, that is illegal (although it is done).
Even if someone hadn't met their deductible, the hospital or doctor may not see payment until the bill is submitted to and declined by the insurance company, resulting in a considerable delay. In that case there is no incentive to try to reduce the price of service.
Our situation is pretty good, insurance-wise. If or when deductibles start rising for us, Mexican doctors and dentists are only 60 miles away. It will be worth the trip then. Especially having a margarita and some camarones de ajo afterward.
The chief losers, whether obamacare is repealed or not, are those who came down with chronic illness while they had insurance.
They paid for that risk to be covered so long as they kept renewing when they bought the policy. Now the misfortune has befallen them, and they're cancelled thanks to obamacare.
So they have to pay high rates as if they had never bought insurance against exactly that, from now on.
One of those stories where the luxury of Toldja is no fun.
I would like to meet the families that are saving $2500 a year.
Nelson points: Ha Ha.
/nelson points
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