Could I ask what you think of the health care plan before congress?I hope you don,t mind.

ppurdin
ppurdin Member Posts: 1,181 Member
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi,I am not into politics much ,but as high as bills are fighting this horible beast I hope it will be a plus for us in need of health care.i don,t understand really what the president is trying to pass.I wonder if some of you are up on this.Thank you.Love and Prayers(Pat).

Comments

  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #2
    I'm concerned
    I'll admit right up front that I don't understand a lot of what is being said. Making health care available to everyone would certainly be a good thing. We were poor when my twins were born. One lived only 36 hours, the other---my daughter I speak of frequently---survived, and she is now 39 years old. We qualified for state assistance, and our bill was paid in full by the taxpayers. So having help available to us was a good thing, and I'm in favor of everyone having help when they need it. Fast forward to the present time. We aren't poor now. Our health insurance is probably as good or even better than what a lot of people have. But here I am 67 years old, facing a catastrophic illness, and I don't want anyone tinkering around with my health care coverage now. My cancer is stage 4, with mets to bone. So far, the surgery, tests, treatments and dr. appointments have run into the 10's of thousands of dollars, but we have had to pay out very little. Call me selfish, or self-centered, but we don't want anything to mess that up, or force us to make "the best of 2 evils" kinds of choices in this live or death situation.
  • MCJ
    MCJ Member Posts: 59
    #3
    m_azingrace said:

    I'm concerned
    I'll admit right up front that I don't understand a lot of what is being said. Making health care available to everyone would certainly be a good thing. We were poor when my twins were born. One lived only 36 hours, the other---my daughter I speak of frequently---survived, and she is now 39 years old. We qualified for state assistance, and our bill was paid in full by the taxpayers. So having help available to us was a good thing, and I'm in favor of everyone having help when they need it. Fast forward to the present time. We aren't poor now. Our health insurance is probably as good or even better than what a lot of people have. But here I am 67 years old, facing a catastrophic illness, and I don't want anyone tinkering around with my health care coverage now. My cancer is stage 4, with mets to bone. So far, the surgery, tests, treatments and dr. appointments have run into the 10's of thousands of dollars, but we have had to pay out very little. Call me selfish, or self-centered, but we don't want anything to mess that up, or force us to make "the best of 2 evils" kinds of choices in this live or death situation.

    confussing
    I'm not political
    I think I'm like the rest here, I want all to have health coverage, however I am suspicious of a 2,000 page bill that is suppose to address 2 or 3 issues, I am not in the habit of trusting someone that wants to give you something that they do not want for themselves.
    confused
  • Dawne.Hope
    Dawne.Hope Member Posts: 823
    #4
    MCJ said:

    confussing
    I'm not political
    I think I'm like the rest here, I want all to have health coverage, however I am suspicious of a 2,000 page bill that is suppose to address 2 or 3 issues, I am not in the habit of trusting someone that wants to give you something that they do not want for themselves.
    confused

    I'm leary
    I didn't have health insurance when I found out I had breast cancer. There needs to be reform, but I am not comfortable with this reform. It's being pushed through too fast, without enough consultation of doctors ... it seems to be for political gain ... without much thought of the ramifications or fixing what really needs to be fixed. I'm all for reform ... but reform that is well-thought out and not done behind closed doors in the wee hours of the morning. Sounds suspicious to me.
  • Ritzy
    Ritzy Member Posts: 4,381 Member
    #5
    Dawne.Hope said:

    I'm leary
    I didn't have health insurance when I found out I had breast cancer. There needs to be reform, but I am not comfortable with this reform. It's being pushed through too fast, without enough consultation of doctors ... it seems to be for political gain ... without much thought of the ramifications or fixing what really needs to be fixed. I'm all for reform ... but reform that is well-thought out and not done behind closed doors in the wee hours of the morning. Sounds suspicious to me.

    Health Insurance
    I wish I understood what it is all about. So far, noone has really even explained it to us, the general public. And, I agree with Dawne, it is being pushed too fast and there seems to be a lot of backdoor bargaining to gain votes. I just pray that something can be done so that everyone can afford and have health insurance. I am very lucky as my hubby has a great insurance plan thru his job.

    Sue :)
  • pitt
    pitt Member Posts: 387
    #6
    USA Healthcare #37 in the World - behind Slovenia
    We are the only industrialized nation in the world that allows the healthcare industry to operate as a profit center for Wall Street. Insurance companies don't want to pay out on claims because that cuts into their profits. That's the main problem. Other countries operate as non-profits. This won't get fixed overnight, but this legislation is the first step in correcting our very flawed system that was created under the Nixon presidency.

    We need this legislation to pass so that insurance companies cannot deny us coverage because of pre-existing conditions. We need this legislation to pass so that millions of uninsured Americans will have access to healthcare. It won't change what you already have if you have coverage. It will keep you from losing it because of your pre-existing condition and help others to get coverage that they so badly need.

    My problem with this legislation is that it is not far-reaching enough. The excessive burden American families face with healthcare is the number one reason for personal bankruptcy in the USA.

    We need this legislation to pass as a first step in even greater reform. This change will help grow our economy.

    My complaint is that we are moving too slowly. We have the infrastructure to make the necessary changes so that we can catch up to the more efficient healthcare models in the world (France is #1; USA is #37 according to the World Health Organization) but we don't have the political will to do it. The liberals won the election on this issue, but they are afraid of how the conservatives will spin it for the next one.
  • Lynda53
    Lynda53 Member Posts: 210
    #7
    sorry I m against the proposed plan
    I have good coverage,I worked for it.
    My plan changes Jan 1. The new plan accepts pre existing conditions.
    I do not want my plan or costs to change.
    I agree we need affordable health care.
    Our local BIG hospital,is considered not for profit,tax exempt! It occupies miles and miles and just built an 84M cancer center!It's buildings should generate 3.6 million in taxes a year,but as non profit, they paid 160,000! next year they will pay 360,000, a far cry from the 3.6 million. This payment is voluntary!Considering what they get for onco and chemo etc. I think the curent heath reform will change this dollar figure to less. Surely they are for profit. I must pay and others do not.
    Back on subject, the reform does not have enough clear answers for me. So I remainagainst
  • lanie940
    lanie940 Member Posts: 490 Member
    #8
    Lynda53 said:

    sorry I m against the proposed plan
    I have good coverage,I worked for it.
    My plan changes Jan 1. The new plan accepts pre existing conditions.
    I do not want my plan or costs to change.
    I agree we need affordable health care.
    Our local BIG hospital,is considered not for profit,tax exempt! It occupies miles and miles and just built an 84M cancer center!It's buildings should generate 3.6 million in taxes a year,but as non profit, they paid 160,000! next year they will pay 360,000, a far cry from the 3.6 million. This payment is voluntary!Considering what they get for onco and chemo etc. I think the curent heath reform will change this dollar figure to less. Surely they are for profit. I must pay and others do not.
    Back on subject, the reform does not have enough clear answers for me. So I remainagainst

    I have Health Ins through my
    I have Health Ins through my husbands work. As long as he isn't laid off, we will be fine.It costs 392.00 a month for us both. But he has a 3,000 Out of pocket expense before it covers 100% We of course met that with the old plan which was only 1,000 out of pocket for my breast cancer, and now we met the new out of pocket with all my "new issues" So, I realy don't want it to change, but I DO feel everyone should have health ins and the Ins. companies have to stop this pre-exhisting condition crapola.

    The hospital Network I go to is the community hospital, I believe they are not-for profit as they accept what your ins will pay, the other hospital network is more greedy, they don't really like to have to treat you if you have no ins. I was told by my Dr. that they sued AETNA to get them to pay more back to them, it's not that they are an excellent hospital, it's just they are more 'profit minded" I am very satisfied with the Hospital Network I go to, the Dr.s are great.
  • Marcia527
    Marcia527 Member Posts: 2,729
    #9
    I Take a look around. The
    I Take a look around. The middle class is being squeezed. More and more companies are passing costs on to employees for health care. I've seen too many people lose their homes because of lack of coverage. That includes their co-payment of 20%. How many can pay that if the costs are high enough.

    Don't want to depress anyone. I have trouble weighing the 'me' against 'them'. But I keep paying the high cost of health care. If you have good insurance than I'm glad.

    I just hope something good comes out of the bill.
  • ppurdin
    ppurdin Member Posts: 1,181 Member
    #10
    Thanks everyone for your replys.
    Sounds like I am not the only one confused on this Ins. thing.i just hope and pray it is a help to everyone.but have my doubts.(Pat).
  • BunnyJane
    BunnyJane Member Posts: 213
    #11
    ppurdin said:

    Thanks everyone for your replys.
    Sounds like I am not the only one confused on this Ins. thing.i just hope and pray it is a help to everyone.but have my doubts.(Pat).

    Confused about health care too!
    I have always had health care since I started working and currently have employer-sponsored health care. What confuses me is why there are so many uncovered expenses that are part of BC diagnosis and treatment? Since diagnosis in May 2009, I've paid out more than $10K (many tests, etc. are excluded from my policy). This seems like alot and I'm not done with my treatment. Is anyone else experiencing the same? To get back to PPurdin's topic, I'm in favor of reform that would cap a patient's annual out of pocket at a reasonable dollar amount.
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    #12
    Bill passing.........
    This will be a disaster if this passes......Do you realize that if it passes and your health care, if provided through your job or your spouse's, that employer can OPT to pay a "tax" which is a fine, that would be far less than what they are paying to insure you? Which do you think they will choose? Why do you think the new "guidelines" for mammograms came out?????? And my big thing with this..........I DO NOT WANT MY TAX DOLLARS TO PAY for the killing of the most innocent of innocents.......Abortion........
  • Whoknowz
    Whoknowz Member Posts: 82
    #13
    BunnyJane said:

    Confused about health care too!
    I have always had health care since I started working and currently have employer-sponsored health care. What confuses me is why there are so many uncovered expenses that are part of BC diagnosis and treatment? Since diagnosis in May 2009, I've paid out more than $10K (many tests, etc. are excluded from my policy). This seems like alot and I'm not done with my treatment. Is anyone else experiencing the same? To get back to PPurdin's topic, I'm in favor of reform that would cap a patient's annual out of pocket at a reasonable dollar amount.

    No, mine has covered pretty
    No, mine has covered pretty much everything -- I've paid about $1000 in copays. If I ever have to choose between policies again though I'm much better informed about what different terms mean and things to look for that's for sure.
  • Whoknowz
    Whoknowz Member Posts: 82
    #14
    Check sources you consider neutral
    It's hard to get any clear idea of what is and is not in the 2 bills because so many news and political comments are slanted. I look at sites I think of as neutral or would be protecting a membership that's obvious. For instance, I consider PBS news to be a credible, neutral source on this and find their comparison of the House and Senate bills helppful. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/health/july-dec09/billcomparison_12-21.html

    The AARP (obvious membership interests) also has summary info at http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/policy/articles/reform_splash.html.

    From the comments we're all over the place in our reactions -- pretty much the American way. We each just have to decide how we think it would affect us (and the nation if so inclined) and let our elected officials in DC know.
  • dmc_emmy
    dmc_emmy Member Posts: 549
    #15
    MAJW said:

    Bill passing.........
    This will be a disaster if this passes......Do you realize that if it passes and your health care, if provided through your job or your spouse's, that employer can OPT to pay a "tax" which is a fine, that would be far less than what they are paying to insure you? Which do you think they will choose? Why do you think the new "guidelines" for mammograms came out?????? And my big thing with this..........I DO NOT WANT MY TAX DOLLARS TO PAY for the killing of the most innocent of innocents.......Abortion........

    I, too, am worried...
    I've worked hard to have the insurance and job that I currently have, but it didn't come to me without paying a high price for it. My job required a considerable amount of education and I am required to return for more education that is paid out-of-pocket on a regular basis. I'm not complaining, because I receive the benefit of an excellent health program for my family and myelf in exchange.

    However, as a teacher in MI, a new state plan of health insurance is being proposed in order to save the state money. It will involve more out-of-pocket expenses, a tighter control on the network of doctors that I will be allowed to use, and more control on how much service I will be able to receive (based on life expectancy, general health, and age). This will be a government-run insurance. Can I be assured that things would be any different with a federally-run insurance program?

    I don't want the fed'l government running my health insurance anymore than I want them running my investments. I only ask my government to protect this country and my rights (and having health insurance is unfortunatley not a right, it is a privledge that is earned). Is this fair to those who have not? No, but no one said that life was "fair." Those in the lower income bracket have Medicaid. Is it satisfactory? No. Does there need to be reform? Absolutely. Do we need to care for those who cannot afford to receive the help they need? Of course, but I temper this comment with: To the best of our ability. Is a national health-care plan the answer? I don't think so, at least not for those in our situation who depend on the best health care available to us.

    I don't want something taken away from me that I have worked so hard to get. I've been at the poverty level, I've been without health coverage...it stinks! I dug myself out and it wasn't easy. It cost me plenty and the fed'l gov't didn't lend me a hand. Now I have cancer...no life isn't fair, but it's good. I could be bitter, but I'm not. I am adament, however, about how I feel about the gov't sticking their fingers into my small pot--a place where they don't belong.

    My husband use to have Medicare when he was receiving SSDI, it was required by the fed'l government. It cost him $45/month, then the price rose to $65/month (that was a hefty percentage of his monthly earnings). As soon as his benefits were switched to Social Security, I cancelled his Medicare program because they refused to pay for any of his medical expenses. With every claim, we had to wait for months for a response and the answer was always, "No." The responses always came so close to the appeal date that I didn't have time to respond back. My husband couldn't fight the system because he is is deaf and blind. Since my husband was placed on my BCBS, he has excellent coverage and, with his health challenges, this was essential (not to mention my own health issues). I pay for this benefit, but it's worth it and I know where my hard-earned money is going. If I didn't have this coverage, I would be over $5000 in debt for this month's expenses alone for my husband's diagnositc testing (two MRIs, x-rays, bloodwork, EEG,...) But, now we know how to battle his health problems and I am grateful for the health insurance that I worked so hard to earn.

    Do I wish that all people could have the same kind of health insurance that I enjoy? Of course, but that's not reality and it's not fiscally responsible. Nothing is free...everything comes with a cost. We, better than many, know this all too well.

    dmc

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