Just a reminder - "Sicko" dealt with people who HAD insurance and were STILL screwed

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

You can have what you think is great insurance and STILL be behind the eightball, particularly when the lifetime limits are reached. One catastrophic illness and most American families are done for.

Healthcare reform IS NOT just about access to our current crappy choices, it's about a complete overhaul.

[supernova]

1. Sicko is playing on Showtime

now.

Just in case you run into anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

[IdaBriggs]

2. I understand that. I was very stunned at the difference in health care

attitudes here (in the US) versus Canada, Cuba and France.

Frankly, it was embarrassing. :(

[Robyn66]

3. I have what is considered to be good health insurance

But this year as I have been dealing with a Breast Cancer diagnosis and treatment I was BLOWN AWAY at how much we were expected to pay for.

Every scan I had, we needed to pay a $150.00 co-pay and I had 3 MRI's 1Cat scan and a bone scan
I had another 150.00 co pay for the ultrasound and biopsy

$1100.00 co pay for surgery.

That is $2000.00 since August and I haven't even started my plastic surgery appointments yet!

Thankfully my huaband's work has a foundation to help families with these expenses or we would have been truely SCREWED!


Add in the other costs of gas and parking fees that go along with dealing with a serious illness and the cost is horrendous!

Its better than having to pay for the whole thing myself, but soon the tests are going to start up again!

[FormerDittoHead]

4. Those co-pays are to make sure you don't get your biopsies frivolously.

I mean, if a doctor ordered biopsy was fully covered, then you'd get them all the time.

:sarcasm:

Copays are RIDICULOUS.

I would agree that a FEW things should have co-pays, esp elective surgeries, but IMO, most of the medical services we get should have ABSOLUTELY NO co-pay.

[Robyn66]

6. Absolutely!

Well something has ot be done about all those people wanting to go out and get biopsies and MRI's all the time!

Dr. Nancy Snyderman was on Morning Joe yesterday, I can only watch that show about 5 minutes at a time but she said that "every time a doctor sees a spot on a lung or brain they order theses tests that are not necessary most of the time If you see a spot but there is no history in the family and you don't fall into any risk categories the person should have to pay out of pocket for the test if they want it."

I couldn't BELEIVE it! All I could think was hmm, there was no history of Breast Cancer in my family and I had it- so I would have been screwed if the doc based his decision on that! Apparently she never has had a family member face the possibility of cancer and understand that no one signs up for these tests for a fun afternoon!!!!

[rurallib]

5. 47 million uninsured but also another 50 or so million under insured

That last number is seldom spoken of. And then not to mention the pre-existing conditions and the diseases not covered and the limits on coverage (most people have a lifetime cap of $1 million or less).
I would sure have a bureaucrat in Washington deciding what is covered than a CEO looking at the bottom line deciding.

[JSK]

7. We hear so many "surveys"

telling us that people who have insurance are "happy" with their coverage. Who are these people?

I worry that in all this "reform" they are mainly concerned with the uninsured, as well they should be, but what about the rest of us who pay obscenely high premiums for a policy with huge deductibles, ridiculous co-pays and LOUSY coverage.

We are NOT happy.

[eridani]

11. They are the 85% of the population who will never be expensively sick

Eeally expensive illnesses are like house fires. Either could happen to you, but neither probably will. People therefore like their insurance the same way they like their local fire departments--in neither case is their opinion based on actual knowledge. IF their luck holds, it never will be.

[LanternWaste]

8. Although I had long suspected it, Sicko validated that...

Although I had long suspected it, Sicko validated to me that the insurance companies do indeed have workers whose sole job is to find any and every way to deny necessary claims to their policy holders.

As it also validated my beliefs that the RW are merely blowing hot air when they state that the inhabitants of France, Canada, England, et. al. are dissatisfied with their systems.

Universal Healthcare. It's About Time.

[Kitty Herder]

9. Good reminder. nt

[cascadiance]

10. I had to spend a whole night in emergency for a kidney stone...

Due to me getting the onset of symptoms coming late at night when only the hospital emergency room was available, which was filled with many that were obviously uninsured as well that had worse situations than I did.

I had insurance, but the place was filled up and understaffed (except for contractors that came in to paint the waiting room and kicked us out into other office rooms while they did their work), and I got bounced down the priority list once my symptoms subsided, and had to wait until 6:30 AM in the morning to talk briefly to a doctor about it.

As it turned out, the kidney stone from that night had lodged into one of my ureters, and a few months later I had to have outpatient surgery to get it removed. I was told to follow up with more treatment for other stones that were still in my system. I moved to Portland, and got a newer urologist before the end of the year, that I respect and want to keep, but found out that their office was dropping "network support" for Aetna, so that I'd have to pay about 20% more for any procedures I got done through them too.

The system is a f'in mess! Yes, even for us insured, and it needs cleaning up. My newer doctor agreed with me when we talked about it recently.