Reply #33: I HAVE insurance and can't afford to use it [View All]

[conflictgirl]

My insurance has a $4000 annual deductible, and everything is 100 percent out of pocket before that point. That's almost 10 percent of my household income and I have kids to support. I have to pay 100 percent of office visits, tests, even medications, until I reach that deductible - and even then it only covers 60-80 percent. I've had prescriptions that cost over $500 that I had to leave at the pharmacy because I didn't have that kind of money. I don't go to the doctor unless I'm really sure it's a life or death matter because frankly I can't afford it.

I have another friend, also insured, whose husband was diagnosed with cancer last year. Even after their insurance coverage they still owed a quarter of a million dollars to the hospital. She's been sued by the hospital and will likely lose her home. And that's WITH insurance, remember.

Given the fact that we've had no wage increases at all in four years - while meanwhile the cost of everything else has gone up - I've thought several times about giving up my health insurance. Seems that if I get something serious I will be bankrupt either way, insured or not.