Do any of you go WITHOUT health insurance? By choice?

[Shiloh Acres]

I don't even like to think about it. I don't have insurance, can't begin to afford it. But if I had the chance, and the money, I'd still have to weigh it in order to make a decision.

I don't run off to the doctor. O know my own body pretty well and can usually tell what's up and I know how to treat it. I have a closet full of herbs and supplements. For most things I'd rather go that route, as I really don't like side effects, sometimes compounded, of prescription meds.

Now, I'd LOVE to have dental insurance. I have terrible teeth, no matter how carefully I take care of them. I can treat abcesses and toothaches but for many things you need a dentist, and I know I'm just putting off problems that are growing worse in the meantime.

As for broken bones, I'd like to see a doc if that ever happens either. I've never broken anything but a toe, and didn't bother to go to the doc for that. But I worry about those kinds of accidents.

It would be nice if I could find a plan that would work with me. I'd rather not pay as if I used it all the time. I haven't seen a doctor in years. Maternity was my only expense as an adult, and one accident and one illness as a child. It'd be nice if you could find a plan that gave you credit for being healthy.

 

[big brown horse]

For the exception of 2001-2003 I never had insurance. Even as child, my parents were self employed.

Here is what I do and what my dad did in the past, I get MAJOR medical, it is pretty cheap and covers catastrophic events. I keep an almost virginal
credit card for deductibles only. (You have to keep the card active, so pay for groceries with it once in a while and then pay it right back. And if you use a Discover card you get cash back.)

Then I put what I would normally pay for insurance (through a company, about $150 a month) in an interest bearing account and NEVER touch it. It is for health emergencies only. (You just have to forget it is even there.)

I also stay off tall ladders, eat healthy and brush my teeth religiously.

(My daughter is covered under her father's plan.)

 

[ORChick]

DH and I are, for the most part, pretty healthy. We also do not run to the doctor for every little thing. I was a medical assistant for 20 years, so not entirely without a clue when it comes to our health. That said, DH is a huge believer in insurance (he grew up in Europe, where things are covered ). When we retired early - I at 48, he at 51 - we looked for private (not through a group) health insurance, and were floored by the cost - and this was 10 years ago! We finally chose a catastrophic plan - they do not pay anything until we have payed 5500 dollars (and that is on top of the premiums, which go up every year). It is a great incentive to stay healthy . However, all that said, 3 years ago DH was diagnosed with 3 different cancers within a 6 month period; without insurance we would have been in trouble. And, every year since we have managed to reach that high deductable, and still have bills for the insurance to pay - mostly because of the follow up tests etc that he has to have. This will taper off, it already is, but - while I complain about the high cost - I am very glad that we had/have it.

 

[murphysranch]

I'm on subsidized COBRA, and per the Obama administration, the subsidy expires in October. Right now I'm only paying $700 per month, with $30 copays, and $30 - $50 copays for my meds, depending upon whether they are 1 month's worth or 3 months worth. When the subsidy goes away, the COBRA jumps to $2K per month. Unaffordable since neither one of us are working and we have a huge mortgage and yearly property tax bill.

Will I get health insurance after Oct? You bet. We are both in our mid 50's, active, healthy, but there are future issues that need to be watched and paid for. Yearly mamograms (history in my family galore); skin cancer (minor - he was a surfer for decades); altzheimers (his mother died of it and his memory issues are a concern); prostrate cancer (all 3 of his brothers); bone cancer (his dad); brain cancer (my dad); plus my depression, ostopenia, and migraines.

What kind of insurance will we look for? Probably major medical with high copays. Its too risky without some sort of coverage for ppl our age.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I went without insurance from the time I was 22-26ish. I'm 29 now. Unfortunately, 3 months before my benefits kicked in at my job, I had to get my gallbladder out. That cost me $8000 out of pocket. I'm still paying it off. :/

 

[Wildsky]

Sometimes even having health insurance isn't such a great deal. I had a lot of tests to figure out unexplained weight loss; I owe $1300 for a CAT scan, & that's WITH insurance!!

See thats whats nuts - my son had to have TWO of those CT scans, and it cost us $800 each. how the heck do they come up with $1300 After insurance? Did the insurance pay $10?

Health care in this country needs a MAJOR overhaul. Insurance companies are only in it to make a fortune, off the everyday person who's working their tail off. There is no reason a doctor needs to charge a person $120 to see them for 15 minutes (or whatever they charge) Doctors only charge such stupid amounts because of their own insurance, and then they have to accept whatever the patients insurance will pay. Its just stupid, and it doesn't work.

 

[reinbeau]

I live in Massachusetts, where it is ILLEGAL to not have health insurance If you can't afford it and don't have it, you get to pay a $2,000 fine. Makes sense, doesn't it?? And when we can get it (we have it right now) it costs $179 a week. That's a week, not a month. Times four (or five) you can see how expensive it is, and that's about average for private sector workers around here for a family plan. Gone are the days when companies paid for it full (I used to run a company that supplied medical insurance to their employees, it wasn't uncommon around here).

 

[Marshmallow Man]

Sometimes even having health insurance isn't such a great deal. I had a lot of tests to figure out unexplained weight loss; I owe $1300 for a CAT scan, & that's WITH insurance!!

See thats whats nuts - my son had to have TWO of those CT scans, and it cost us $800 each. how the heck do they come up with $1300 After insurance? Did the insurance pay $10?

Health care in this country needs a MAJOR overhaul. Insurance companies are only in it to make a fortune, off the everyday person who's working their tail off. There is no reason a doctor needs to charge a person $120 to see them for 15 minutes (or whatever they charge) Doctors only charge such stupid amounts because of their own insurance, and then they have to accept whatever the patients insurance will pay. Its just stupid, and it doesn't work.

Yes it does. The country isn't ready for the only viable solution though. Therefore a lot of people just do without. They tried to reform it and look what happened. Nothing but concessions and finally a plan that just puts more money in the pockets of the insurance companies. Don't think we'll ever see another attempt to fix the problem either.

I pay 500.00 a month for family coverage with a max deductible and copay of 3000.00 per year for the family. My employer pays 700.00. If I didn't have it and I was younger and in better health I would play the odds. Then if something catastrophic happened and I owed 100k I would just do a BK. It's ridiculous what the insurance companies charge for health plans. That's why over 50% of BK's filed in the US are for hospital bills.

Doctors charge that much because they owe so much in student loans and went to school for 12 years. It's a high paying job unless you are a GP.

 

[tortoise]

I cannot live without health insurance.

My prescriptions so far this month are $604 (I have paid $6). Plus 2 psychiatrist appointments - about $125 for 15 minutes. (I paid $0). Referral to see a pyschologist - about $150 for 50 minutes, once a week. (I will pay $0). Hospitalized in psych ward for 3 days - bill was $6,000+. (I paid $0)

My prescriptions have been as high a $900 per month!

Premium.... $0 I'm on a state-funded insurance program and in the lowest income bracket, pay nothing for it except $1 per $100 of medication.

My fiance and I may not get married just because of the health insurance coverage I get now. He (will be) a business owner - essentially self-employed. His professional association has an insurance deal, but it's not like having an employer pay a portion of the cost!

When I was first pregnant we had the option of a health savings account or insurance. We finally went for the "platinum" insurance.

Good plan! I was hospitalized *12* times, on multiple medications taken 4 times a day for 3 months. The total pregnancy cost was over $70,000 - maybe even over $80,000. We had a $1,500 copay for the actual birth, and $800 copays each on 2 ambulance trips.

 

[patandchickens]

I think you have to sit down and look at some of the likelier "things going south" scenarios, and decide how you'd be with them if you lacked insurance.

For instance suppose someone significantly broke their arm or leg -- which as I understand it is usually in the $10,000 to $30,000 range. Would you have banked (rather than spent) the unpaid premium money so that you could pay the bills, or would you be ok with scrambling for the money?

Or for instance suppose someone (God forbid) was diagnosed with a life-threatening serious illness such as a cancer, that had a pretty good chance of being cured by the application of $100,000 or $500,000 (or more) worth of treatment but would be Real Bad if untreated? What would the plan be, there, and how would you feel about it? Declare bankruptcy, pin hopes on cheapie alternative treatments, not treat?

And finally suppose someone (again, God forbid) developed a problem that could be very manageable and not especially life-shortening with ongoing drugs/treatment, but would be real miserable without treatment and reduce life expectancy considerably. Again, what would you do (same basic choices as above), and how would you feel about that?

Different people are going to have different answers. If you are good with putting your fate in divine hands and accepting whatever happens; or if you are happy banking on being lucky enough to have nothing happen or have anything that *does* happen be adequately manageable with alternative type methods; then dropping health insurance might make sense. Otherwise, there may still be something to be said for that $7,000-10,000 a year you are paying.

Personally I would drop homeowners' insurance (if the house were paid off -- obviously you can't if you've got a mortgage) way before dropping health insurance. (Although I know it's a smaller bill. But the damages are much more inherently-capped, except in the case of liability issues but really VERY VERY few people ever need their homeowners' policies for those.) I would also drop satellite TV and probably internet service (can always use the library, except for banking) before dropping health insurance. Although I have certainly gone without health insurance at various times over the years, not by choice.

But it really is a PERSONAL decision and everyone has their own thing that's right for them.

JMO, best of luck deciding,

Pat