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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2015 8:26:40 GMT -5
What I don't get is why is healthcare so expensive in the first place. I got the bill for penny swallowing son the other day. He went to ER, got an x-ray to confirm they weren't lodged in his throat and sent home with no further treatment necessary. $1400.  They need every expert available to ER and staffed with very good doctors. If not you sue them. You pay for availability of experts in case needed. Medical Equipment is very expensive too. Doctor education loans so high they have to be paid alot of money! |
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lisamomof4
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Post by lisamomof4 on Jan 9, 2015 3:59:02 GMT -5
i despise obama care....if we could afford the cost of insurance through dh's work it would be nearly half of our income. which is to say we can feed/house our family or we can have insurance...i wanted to cry when dh brought home the letter notifying how high premiums/costs were going to go to this year...i've zero ideas as to what we are going to do for myself and two youngest kids  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2015 6:28:34 GMT -5
i despise obama care....if we could afford the cost of insurance through dh's work it would be nearly half of our income. which is to say we can feed/house our family or we can have insurance...i wanted to cry when dh brought home the letter notifying how high premiums/costs were going to go to this year...i've zero ideas as to what we are going to do for myself and two youngest kids look on the exchange. |
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Jan 9, 2015 8:31:12 GMT -5
i despise obama care....if we could afford the cost of insurance through dh's work it would be nearly half of our income. which is to say we can feed/house our family or we can have insurance...i wanted to cry when dh brought home the letter notifying how high premiums/costs were going to go to this year...i've zero ideas as to what we are going to do for myself and two youngest kids I would also see if the employer pays a lot of the premium for your DH since he is the employee. It may be you have to do something like what Mutt did and have him on his company sponsored plan and the rest of you on a plan from the exchange. It might even be that the kids qualify for Chip insurance and you are on the regular exchange. I know it is more complicated but you may have to look at a bunch of different ways to do it. |
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Jan 9, 2015 8:36:01 GMT -5
Ours didn't go up this year but the plan isn't as good and our deductible went up again. They won't let us do a HDHP plan that would let us save premiums and give us an HSA either.
As the only healthy people in the company paying $19000 a year annoys the shit out of me. I would like having an HSA so much better! But everyone else already maxes out their OOP by summer so it isn't going to happen.
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trippypea
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Post by trippypea on Jan 9, 2015 8:41:15 GMT -5
10 years ago, DD shoved a couple of those little plastic jewelry beads up her nose. We got the first one out, but the other was lodged way up there. Off to the emergency room we went. The doc comes in, plops himself into the chair, and says, "Ok, Mom. Hold the other nostril shut with your finger and blow hard into her mouth." I do that, and the bead comes flying out. He didn't touch her at ALL. The bill was $340, lol. I can just imagine what it would have been if he had to get out of the chair!
Our premiums of $300/month were supposed to stay the same, but I noticed in DH's first paycheck that they are really over $320/month, so they did go up. I just love starting out a new year with a lower paycheck...
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 9, 2015 9:23:36 GMT -5
10 years ago, DD shoved a couple of those little plastic jewelry beads up her nose. We got the first one out, but the other was lodged way up there. Off to the emergency room we went. The doc comes in, plops himself into the chair, and says, "Ok, Mom. Hold the other nostril shut with your finger and blow hard into her mouth." I do that, and the bead comes flying out. He didn't touch her at ALL. The bill was $340, lol. I can just imagine what it would have been if he had to get out of the chair! Our premiums of $300/month were supposed to stay the same, but I noticed in DH's first paycheck that they are really over $320/month, so they did go up. I just love starting out a new year with a lower paycheck... Actually, that was pretty smart. He taught you exactly what to do the next time to avoid this issue. The $340 charge was the fact that you went into a facility that was open, signed you in, triaged you, and had doctors on staff. Keeping a facility open and staffed 24/7 ain't cheap. Because he didn't touch your daughter meant you didn't receive a doctor bill too. |
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jan 9, 2015 9:31:30 GMT -5
i despise obama care....if we could afford the cost of insurance through dh's work it would be nearly half of our income. which is to say we can feed/house our family or we can have insurance...i wanted to cry when dh brought home the letter notifying how high premiums/costs were going to go to this year...i've zero ideas as to what we are going to do for myself and two youngest kids Obamacare is not what you think it is. Because of Obama care, you now have the ability to pay for a policy under an exchange for you, and depending on income, will pay a fraction of the cost. If you had ANY. Health issues in the past, forget about getting any reasonably priced policy....if they'd even write one on you. What you do is go onto your state's exchange and look at the policies that are available for you and your kids. You will need your AGI, and with this info, you will find something. Someone else suggested looking into CHIP, which is state insurance or kids where you pay on a sliding scale...so you might pay even less. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2015 9:34:34 GMT -5
Speaking of Urgent Care Centers. BEWARE. Many, especially those that have the word EMERGENCY in their name, are now charging full hospital emergency room rates. People go in thinking it is the usual doc-in-a-box they are used to and come out with a $800 bill for some minor little issue. Yeah, an article in our local paper noted that the hospitals want to cash in on the urgent care center business. The ones that are affiliated with hospitals add a "facility charge" to your bill. The article quoted one woman who said that she went into one and asked if they imposed a facility charge. They couldn't answer her question. She left.
I have a good, reliable urgent care center near us (they even have X-rays) with no hospital affiliation and that's what we use.
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Jan 9, 2015 10:03:25 GMT -5
10 years ago, DD shoved a couple of those little plastic jewelry beads up her nose. We got the first one out, but the other was lodged way up there. Off to the emergency room we went. The doc comes in, plops himself into the chair, and says, "Ok, Mom. Hold the other nostril shut with your finger and blow hard into her mouth." I do that, and the bead comes flying out. He didn't touch her at ALL. The bill was $340, lol. I can just imagine what it would have been if he had to get out of the chair! Our premiums of $300/month were supposed to stay the same, but I noticed in DH's first paycheck that they are really over $320/month, so they did go up. I just love starting out a new year with a lower paycheck... I am so remembering this tip to try before we go to the hospital for something like this!! |
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justme
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Post by justme on Jan 9, 2015 10:24:14 GMT -5
Speaking of Urgent Care Centers. BEWARE. Many, especially those that have the word EMERGENCY in their name, are now charging full hospital emergency room rates. People go in thinking it is the usual doc-in-a-box they are used to and come out with a $800 bill for some minor little issue. Yeah, an article in our local paper noted that the hospitals want to cash in on the urgent care center business. The ones that are affiliated with hospitals add a "facility charge" to your bill. The article quoted one woman who said that she went into one and asked if they imposed a facility charge. They couldn't answer her question. She left.
I have a good, reliable urgent care center near us (they even have X-rays) with no hospital affiliation and that's what we use.
Wow. There a chain of urgent care in my area that are associated with a hospital (if you need the er they don't charge you for the urgent care and you move up the line at the hospital). Haven't gotten any crazy fees from them and definitely not as expensive as the er. I also love that you can make appointments with them - much rather wait in my home thank you. The only thing I dislike about them is they really won't give out any strong pain meds after all the pill mill stuff in my state. |
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imawino
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Post by imawino on Jan 9, 2015 12:38:28 GMT -5
These threads make me relieved to have the insurance/premiums I do. Sorry to everyone else being stretched. :-( Me too!!! I pay about $100/month (single person) for a plan with no deductible. Diagnostic stuff like xrays and labwork and whatnot is 100% covered along with preventive care. $20 copay for doctor visit, and 90/10 split on hospital stuff, plus a $20 facility fee.
Dental is separate but only costs $4/month.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Jan 9, 2015 13:12:17 GMT -5
These threads make me relieved to have the insurance/premiums I do. Sorry to everyone else being stretched. :-( Me too!!! I pay about $100/month (single person) for a plan with no deductible. Diagnostic stuff like xrays and labwork and whatnot is 100% covered along with preventive care. $20 copay for doctor visit, and 90/10 split on hospital stuff, plus a $20 facility fee.
Dental is separate but only costs $4/month.
I pay $232/mo for me and hubs (from $226, the horror! ). $15 doctors and specialists, $25 ER (waived if admitted). No deductible. Pretty much everything covered. We have the base dental, which is free to me. But even that covers regular visits and x-rays. Stuff like crowns are covered 50%. I'm very appreciative! |
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jan 9, 2015 13:19:39 GMT -5
I am extremely grateful for my insurance. Low premiums that haven't gone up in the five years I've been here. No copays, a $1600 per person or $3200 per family OOP max. My benefits package is fantastic.
Dental and vision are separate. Dental is only $14 a month for me and the kids. Vision wasn't worth the paper it's printed on so I passed, none of us wear glasses at the moment.
I'm trying to figure out what to do if I lose my job. My employer covers a HUGE portion of my premiums so I can't afford COBRA.
DH's plan at his current employer is similar to mine in terms of network and stuff that is covered but his premiums would be $630 a month. $3k deductible, EVERYTHING has a co-pay ranging from $20 to $100, a $7k OOP max and no HSA/FSA offered.
If the premium wasn't so high I'd go with it and just hope none of us have anything bad happen. There's no way though we can cover premiums that high AND everything else.
I am going to look at the exchange and into Hawk-i thru the state. We can probably cobble together something.
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