DKos - Junk insurance costs $1865.00 a month for husband, wife, 13-year old son

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/9/6/777773/-Junk-insurance-costs-$1865.00-a-month-for-husband,-wife,-13-year-old-son
Junk insurance costs $1865.00 a month for husband, wife, 13-year old son
by nyceve

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President Obama would be well advised to speak directly to my friend on Wednesday evening. He wants answers and frankly, so do I.

I want President Obama to be unwavering in his support for a public option. No more God damn compromising.

I want to know, when we'll see relief from extortionist premium increases. How extortionist? This extortionist, and it's happening across America.

My best friend just received his insurance renewal. He has a small business (the um, backbone of the American economy), his renewal was 22%. So now he's at $1865.00 a month.

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[grasswire]

1. wouldn't it be better to buy catastrophic insurance and...

...bank the 24,000 bucks for medical use?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. possibly, but there is another factor that does not get talked about too much

and that is that actual providers really stick it to the uninsured when it comes to prices charged for procedures, treatments, etc. So it's like a double insult, you can't afford insurance and then you are charged twice what a covered person would pay.

Some hospitals do negotiate, but I have heard many don't. You get the bill and you have to pay up. If you don't it goes to collection. Hence all the bankruptcies

[grasswire]

4. maybe so..

....although the biggest hospital system in my city was sued and lost the case and was forced to pay back the disparity in their charges between insured and uninsured.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

5. That is great news.

That should be the basis for a national class action suit for the uninsured who have been screwed over by some hospital systems.
What city, if you don't mind my asking?

[Duke Newcombe]

3. $1,500/month for family of 6 here...

How the hell do they get away this this absolute robbery? Oh that's right...because of bought and paid-for politicians and people who vote against their own best interests.

[ThoughtCriminal]

6. Any insurance that has exclusions for pre-existing conditions

is "Junk". Non-group insurance is fraud.

My family learned this the hard way. Once you file an expensive claim, the insurance company WILL reject it, an claim that the condition was "Pre-existing" even if all medical evidence is contrary to that position. They may site an irrelevant injury or illness that you had prior to coverage, or just claim that you failed to disclose an office visit that you had years ago. They don't care if every physician that examined you is willing to testify that the condition could not be pre-existing. The people who make this call are not doctors, they are employees that receive bonuses for denying claims.

Our case was many years ago before HIPAA, but for private insurance (or Non-HIPAA Certified group) the same situation would occur.

So we spent thousands of dollars fighting them and holding off collection agencies from the providers. The damage to our credit prevented us from buying a house. Fortunately, my employer joined in the fight and after a few months pressured them into paying the claim.

Plus it is also worthless if the condition is pre-existing. You can't even fight them in that case.