funky chicken on July 25, 2009 at 9:29 AM

I see, I see. I’ll look into that (and YES, that’s a serious response, not a *wink, wink* ‘Yeah, sure’ response).

I think before I pay for your health care there should be a test administered by me.

1) Do you own a flat screen HD ready TV?
2) Is said TV hooked up to HD and cable/Dish?
3) What type of car do you drive?
4) How much is your house worth and how much equity do you have in it?
5) What are you eating habits? i.e. do you eat out at least twice a week?

I’ll take that test, gladly.

1) No. (
2) No and no.
2.5) I’m never going to buy any of the above unless I can get them for an absolute steal of a price. TV programming is even more worthless now than it was when I was a kid. 10,000 channels and NOTHING good on.
3) None. I ride the city bus, AKA ‘the Freakmobile.’
4) What house?
5) I eat out less than once a week, unless you consider diet soda eating out. Even then I try to stick to healthier places like Subway.

A lot of truth here, but the truth about stuff as complicated as health insurance is usually not as simple as we’d all like it to be.

Your state should have such a program. It will cost more than a standard policy but yes, there is a government program for you.

secant on July 24, 2009 at 11:05 PM

There are about a (baker’s?) dozen states that offer premium subsidies for the high risk pools. Mine is not one of them. Further, the state law requires that the premiums be set at twice the standard rate. My total out-of-pocket costs over the past 10 years has been about $6k, and that’s a bit less than what a single year of insurance would cost even with the highest deductible.

I’m not complaining, just saying that yes there are individuals who simply can’t afford what is available. Years ago I talked to a doctor who has two kids with IDDM and he said he couldn’t afford the insurance for them, either, just paid as they went. (But I’m sure he could afford handbags and shoes for them, too.)

The last thing I want is for the government to step in and say I have to get insurance. Next they’ll be telling me I have to use it. As it is, should the worst happen (I’m unconscious and my spouse overrides my strict instructions to never take me to an ER), we can make low monthly payments forever…or until I’m dead. Still cheaper.

Ramirez sugar-coated it. “I’d rather live fancy and let you pick up the hospital tab.

Laura in Maryland on July 24, 2009 at 5:21 PM

AMEN!! Cell phone, acrylic nails, massages, fancy designer clothes, handbags, shoes. Health care? Oh, we can get that free at any ER.

Ris4victory on July 24, 2009 at 6:50 PM

correct

This Ramirez guy is always right on the money. This whole health care debate should BEGIN with a discussion of who is actually “uninsured” and why? I, personally, am in the first category; I can afford it, but I choose to spend my money on other things. That’s MY problem, not the government’s and not my fellow taxpayers.

LiquidH2O on July 24, 2009 at 5:24 PM

You need to get a catastrophic policy from a reputable company ASAP. Catastrophic policies aren’t that expensive, but you need to do it now…before you get diagnosed with something. It will also cover accidental injuries. A broken femur or any compound fracture will cost thousands and thousands of dollars to treat.

Your decision to be 100% uninsured definitely does affect others, because if you don’t carry cheap, catastrophic coverage, you won’t be able to cover your bills if something bad happens. Buy the catastrophic coverage….and then you can truly say

That’s MY problem, not the government’s and not my fellow taxpayers.

LiquidH2O on July 24, 2009 at 5:24 PM

Liberals aren’t logical. They’re dangerous.

They could care less if the country is bankrupted and descends into bloody anarchy. They don’t think that far ahead about the consequences of their actions.

I have type 1 diabetes and couldn’t afford insurance even if I wanted it–and no, the government has no program for me; into which category do I fall?

By federal law, every state has to make insurance available for the uninsurable. Most have high risk pools. Some have an insurer of last resort. Others have completely destroyed their markets by requiring guaranteed issue. Some subsidize the premium more if your income is below a certain level. In that case the premiums are roughly the same as someone without diabetes buying a policy in the open market.

Your state should have such a program. It will cost more than a standard policy but yes, there is a government program for you.

However, the Census Bureau report “Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2005,” puts the initial number of uninsured people living in the country at 46.577 million.

A closer look at that report reveals the Census data include 9.487 million people who are “not a citizen.” Subtracting the 10 million non-Americans, the number of uninsured Americans falls to roughly 37 million.

…But according to the same Census report, there are 8.3 million uninsured people who make between $50,000 and $74,999 per year and 8.74 million who make more than $75,000 a year. That’s roughly 17 million people who ought to be able to “afford” health insurance because they make substantially more than the median household income of $46,326.

Subtracting non-citizens and those who can afford their own insurance but choose not to purchase it, about 20 million people are left — less than 7 percent of the population.

…So what is the true extent of the uninsured “crisis?” The Kaiser Family Foundation, a liberal non-profit frequently quoted by the media, puts the number of uninsured Americans who do not qualify for current government programs and make less than $50,000 a year between 13.9 million and 8.2 million. That is a much smaller figure than the media report.

Kaiser’s 8.2 million figure for the chronically uninsured only includes those uninsured for two years or more. It is also worth noting, that, 45 percent of uninsured people will be uninsured for less than four months according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The only thing I want from the government, btw, is action on the biogeneric issue. There’s no good reason to not let companies know what hoops they need to jump through to get into the game. But they can’t even do that, the jerks.