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Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,702
Registered: ‎08-22-2013

Re: Does anyone not carry medical insurance?

Let's face it, if you are a single person and don't own anything or ever want to own anything, you can go without health insurance. There is always a non profit hospital who will accept you and let you pay off your bills over time, even if it takes you the rest of your life. My son resented being part of a health system that really didn't pay for anything until he started making big bucks and had assets. Now he has a plan with a big deductible, but if he's hospitalized it won't bankrupt him. Now, do we still think health care is a priviledge!

Valued Contributor
Posts: 517
Registered: ‎08-28-2018

Re: Does anyone not carry medical insurance?

Many people always say NO to diagnostic testing because it is not needed.

 

Why pay for something you do not need to have done to you.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,237
Registered: ‎03-29-2011

Re: Does anyone not carry medical insurance?

How would you know a diagnostic test is not needed?  Disease isn't age discriminatory.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,373
Registered: ‎04-04-2015

Re: Does anyone not carry medical insurance?

When I first started working, I had a  catastrophic plan - and paid for all doctors' visits and tests myself.  Since i was healthy, that wasn't much and it all worked well.

 

I thought the ACA eliminated the opportunity for catastrophic plans only - insisting that "coverage" had to include all sorts of things people might not ever need - but then also mandated that everyone had to get such a plan to be sure insurance companies could afford to cover all those things.

 

Then, on top of that, the ACA allowed deductibles to shoot through the roof so that - in essence - insurance never actually paid for many of those things anyway - and even if you ended up in the hospital you still had a significant payment before coverage actually kicked in.

 

And now with CA providing free health care - for some -  and having the promise of that extending throughout the country - I think we are facing real problems - in coverage and availability of care.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 16,017
Registered: ‎06-09-2014

Re: Does anyone not carry medical insurance?


@lulu1 wrote:

How would you know a diagnostic test is not needed?  Disease isn't age discriminatory.


@lulu1   Be careful because medical facilities do look to make profits.  I was asked to go do diagnostic testing because it was "within the guidelines" to suggest it after the last physical I had. 

 

It was a finding that has come up a couple times before over the past two decades and is very common among most people.  It is usually indicative of your body fighting off an innocuous infection you'll never develop. 

 

When I went back and looked at my history, a couple years ago I had a very large reading for it and I did develop an infection soon after my visit and fought it off myself with self care.  They never said boo about it and frankly should have.  I suffered needlessly because I wasn't paying a few hundred dollars for a second visit or urgent care to get a prescription for simple antibiotics. 

 

Stupid thing to do but when you're insurance doesn't cover minor illness, what can you do?

 

Since I happen to be a licensed medical person, I know where those guidelines are and I looked them up.  It was absolutely not "within guidelines."  Guidelines were three consecutive test results within a few months.  I had one in a year. I was not happy being lied to with scare tactics to boot.  

 

I had two nurses fight with me and try to tell me that in rare instances it could be a cancer.  True but I told both of them to look at my past test results which were either clear or never considered an issue before now.  It wasn't covered by insurance and I didn't have the money for a what if.   

 

Been there drained my HSA twice for the mammography people who at the end of two years still couldn't give me a definitive answer and have not called me back since.    

 

Finally the doctor came on and said don't worry about it.  We'll check it again next year. It's probably nothing.  Of course, now it looks like I won't be making that visit back to her.     

 

Don't let medical people scare you.  They do not know as much as you think they do and the "guidelines" they are going by may not be in accordance with actual medical ones but rather the CEO's financial ones.  

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,237
Registered: ‎03-29-2011

Re: Does anyone not carry medical insurance?


@Laura14 wrote:

@lulu1 wrote:

How would you know a diagnostic test is not needed?  Disease isn't age discriminatory.


@lulu1   Be careful because medical facilities do look to make profits.  I was asked to go do diagnostic testing because it was "within the guidelines" to suggest it after the last physical I had. 

 

It was a finding that has come up a couple times before over the past two decades and is very common among most people.  It is usually indicative of your body fighting off an innocuous infection you'll never develop. 

 

When I went back and looked at my history, a couple years ago I had a very large reading for it and I did develop an infection soon after my visit and fought it off myself with self care.  They never said boo about it and frankly should have.  I suffered needlessly because I wasn't paying a few hundred dollars for a second visit or urgent care to get a prescription for simple antibiotics. 

 

Stupid thing to do but when you're insurance doesn't cover minor illness, what can you do?

 

Since I happen to be a licensed medical person, I know where those guidelines are and I looked them up.  It was absolutely not "within guidelines."  Guidelines were three consecutive test results within a few months.  I had one in a year. I was not happy being lied to with scare tactics to boot.  

 

I had two nurses fight with me and try to tell me that in rare instances it could be a cancer.  True but I told both of them to look at my past test results which were either clear or never considered an issue before now.  It wasn't covered by insurance and I didn't have the money for a what if.   

 

Been there drained my HSA twice for the mammography people who at the end of two years still couldn't give me a definitive answer and have not called me back since.    

 

Finally the doctor came on and said don't worry about it.  We'll check it again next year. It's probably nothing.  Of course, now it looks like I won't be making that visit back to her.     

 

Don't let medical people scare you.  They do not know as much as you think they do and the "guidelines" they are going by may not be in accordance with actual medical ones but rather the CEO's financial ones.  


You do seem to have more of your fair share of negative experiences in all aspects of your like.

 

As the daughter, wife and mother of doctors, I have a great deal of respect for the medical community. As in any profession there are bad eggs, but IMO the good far outweigh the bad.

 

I know unexpected diagnostic tests have saved my life and the life of loved ones.

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 16,017
Registered: ‎06-09-2014

Re: Does anyone not carry medical insurance?

@lulu1   That's not what this is about.  This is not about the medical professionals.  This is about the non-medical professionals running the place who are looking to make an extra bigger buck.  There are upsells in every profession and I say be educated and aware of them. 

 

These nurses flat out lied to me about medical guidelines and used scare tactics to get me to spend money on something an actual doctor agreed wasn't really necessary.   I guarantee you that's fiscal policy for the clinic and not medical and I feel sorry that they have probably been instructed to handle it in that way.  Like I said, their economic guideline couched in "patient care" not the medical communities' actual recommendation.  

 

No one cares anymore if they are spending your money except you and I am done with people not being good stewards of me financially or emotionally. We used to care about each other and do the right thing by one another. 

 

Do you know what it does to most people when you tell them they may potentially have cancer?  The boardroom does.  They spend money and the CEO gets a bigger check and stockholders get bigger dividends.  Unless you are in a not for profit environment, this is exactly what is happening in the business world today.  

 

At least I am old enough now to know I could also get potentially hit by a bus on my way home and they can issue that death certificate just as well.  Eyes open I say.  Wide open.      

 

 

 

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,237
Registered: ‎03-29-2011

Re: Does anyone not carry medical insurance?


@Laura14 wrote:

@lulu1   That's not what this is about.  This is not about the medical professionals.  This is about the non-medical professionals running the place who are looking to make an extra bigger buck.  There are upsells in every profession and I say be educated and aware of them. 

 

These nurses flat out lied to me about medical guidelines and used scare tactics to get me to spend money on something an actual doctor agreed wasn't really necessary.   I guarantee you that's fiscal policy for the clinic and not medical and I feel sorry that they have probably been instructed to handle it in that way.  Like I said, their economic guideline couched in "patient care" not the medical communities' actual recommendation.  

 

No one cares anymore if they are spending your money except you and I am done with people not being good stewards of me financially or emotionally. We used to care about each other and do the right thing by one another. 

 

Do you know what it does to most people when you tell them they may potentially have cancer?  The boardroom does.  They spend money and the CEO gets a bigger check and stockholders get bigger dividends.  Unless you are in a not for profit environment, this is exactly what is happening in the business world today.  

 

At least I am old enough now to know I could also get potentially hit by a bus on my way home and they can issue that death certificate just as well.  Eyes open I say.  Wide open.      

 

 

 

 


I do.  A year ago I thought I was healthy.  Today I am bald.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 16,017
Registered: ‎06-09-2014

Re: Does anyone not carry medical insurance?

[ Edited ]

@lulu1Then I know I and everyone else wishes you a speedy return to health. Heart

Back to topic, my views stand.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,355
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Does anyone not carry medical insurance?

I hesitated to chime in here but here goes. Although I believe that healthcare is a right, at this point of time it is not. Therefore i purchase as much insurance as I possibly can afford. Why? Because I'm worth it. I'm willing to invest in myself and my maintainance. There are things in life that transcend dollars and cents. My health is one of them.


'I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed man'.......Unknown