I've written before on my medical bills and I will probably write on them again after this. The reason is simple. Medical bills are out of control. A simple office visit where you get to see the doctor for maybe fifteen minutes costs over $200.00. Sure it will be knocked down to the contracted rate by insurance. But what about people without insurance ? How in the heck can they afford to see a doctor ?
The ACA, better known to many as Obamacare took a small step in the right direction by mandating insurance for all. It has some fantastic parts like pre-existing conditions will no longer bar you from getting insurance. Everyone will be able to get coverage if states expand Medicaid as they are supposed to.
To bad that even with insurance some people can't afford to go to the doctor. They have to meet the deductible before the insurance kicks in. That can range from the minimum of $1000.00 on up to over 4 grand. A lot of the working poor can not afford to spend an extra $1000.00 or more to get the insurance to kick in. Heck they really can't afford to spend even $50.00 on healthcare unless they have to. Then they have to make the choice of what won't be getting paid.
Jump on down below the orange snow doodle. We can continue this examination there.
When the working poor have a chronic condition like Diabetes or back pain they have to choose between getting treatment and figuring out how to pay for it and letting it go. Sometimes they don't have much of a choice. The condition becomes so extreme that treatment is a must.
So how can they do it ? How do those of us who are the working poor afford healthcare? We play games with the bills. The most fun one is the revolving bill. This means paying some bills now and putting of others that are not as important. Then paying those with the next paycheck. The problem there is that this adds late fees to bills that already stretch the budget. We also use the turn down the thermostat during winter to keep the bill low. Just bundle up in the house and you will be okay. or we could play the cut the food budget game. This is hard as everyone needs to eat. The food budget is already pretty slim but we can cut out a few things here and there to save a few bucks.
Sounds like a lot of fun doesn't it ? There is some good news. Healthcare costs have risen by the lowest percentage in ages. Well that would be good news but even that increase is too much for the working poor. Think about it. A simple CT scan will result in at least 3 bills if not more. The one from the facility, the one from the doctor who reads it and you will probably get a third bill from the people who actually perform the scan. That doesn't include the original doctor's bill from the office visit that said you need it. If you have to have surgery forget it. The bills mount quickly. You can count on at least 5 or 6 bills for that, even if it is minor surgery. Everyone has a finger in the pot. It's a great gig if you can get in on it.
I admit I am a member of the working poor. I'm not as bad off as some. I make well over the minimum wage. I get insurance from work and have a policy that takes care of 90% after I hit my deductible. I have always chosen the 90/10 plan since I know I have ongoing issues with my back. That being said I still owe the hospital from my fusion over 3 years ago. They got close to half a million dollars from my insurance and yet wouldn't write off the $500.00 I owed. They wouldn't even come down 1 dollar. I also owe a couple of hundred to my surgeon. He got close to 50 grand for 9 1/2 hours of surgery. That comes out to over $5000.00 an hour.
The problem isn't the coverage. That really is pretty god but the deductible. Currently my plan has a $2400.00 deductible plus another $1000.00 for drugs. Once I hit that $1000.00 for drugs my drugs are free. But I have to come up with $1000.00 to pay for them, meanwhile coming up with $2400.00 before my insurance kicks in. That $3400.00 puts a big dent in my budget. I owe my pain management clinic over $800.00 bucks according to them. I made a $600.00 payment back at the end of October ad other payments as well. Now until I can get the bill down they are with holding services. At least they are still writing the scripts but by law I have to see the doctor every 60 days to keep getting the scripts. So I play shuffle the bills games so I can throw some money at them as often as I can.
We need a new system. Healthcare should not be dependent upon your wallet. People should not be considering going hungry just to pay medical bills. In other civilized countries they don't have this debate. They have coverage for all people. We have seen single payer systems here that work well. The VA is single payer and while there is some trouble due to lack of doctors getting in for the first visit. Once they are in they say the care is excellent. Medicare / Medicaid is single payer as well. Yes some doctors try and take advantage of the system but they do get caught at it. CMS is pretty good at catching these idiots.
Maybe, eventually we might see a single payer system for all here. It is the next step on the ladder. We have to push for it. It has to be a movement from the people since it will never come from republicans in the house. The lobbyists will ever allow iit so it has to come from us.