How different you would life be if we had some form of national health care.

[texanwitch]

You didn't have have to worry about gettng sick or injured.

You would just go to the hospital or Dr. and get treated.

What if the money sent to insurance companies could be used for something else.

What would that peace of mind be worth.

That is what I want, not more money to insurance companies to deny care.

Today is the 21st, a special day for some of us.

I wish we could have joined the rest of the world with health care for all.

That would have made today very special.

Happy Yule everybody.

Maybe sometime soon things will get better.

[Skittles]

1. it would be MUCH different

I'd be in a different career field; I nixed going to school because I could not afford both it and healthcare

[texanwitch]

12. Many people are stuck in job or field because healthcare cost.

Have a Merry Yule Skittles.

[dkf]

2. It's sad that we are so scared about the money when being sick and in pain

Is the truly terrifying thing.

[texanwitch]

3. Yes it is.

I wrote this thread because a dear friend of mine almost went blind in one eye for lack of health care.

If he was in some other country withn a form of national health care this wouldn't have happened.

My lost his job, and insurance.

He is 62 years old, to young for medicare.

I took him down so he could get county gold card.

This is personal to me.

This shouldn't happen in America.

[BP2]

4. Indeed, it WOULD have made today very special, but

instead we got sold out by the very leaders we elected to protect us and fix the system.

The problem is not the ideals, but the politicians entrusted to guard the hen house.

Looks like we need new guard dogs that do what they're trained to do, and not jump in the lap of Big Pharma and Big Insurance.

Happy Yule

[yurbud]

5. I would have skied more. I didn't because I didn't have insurance.

[aquart]

6. The last ten years would have been completely different.

[Dragonfli]

7. A special day for me as well ! Happy Yule and blessed be

I only wish that the re-birth of the light would bring with it a re-birth of compassion to our political leaders.
So that we may more sanely care for one another rather than enrich a few.

[texanwitch]

9. Well said.

Happy Yule and blessed be.

[napi21]

8. We've been lucky. One year I had to pay over $3,000 in copays

for a broken ankle, a year later we had a copay of $2,000+ because my husband was sent from the Dr's office to the ER for a suspicious heart problem, and last year I spent $about $1,200+ for a cracked knee bone. Other than that we have relatively few medical expenses. Hubby's meds cost around $170 every three months and 4 Dr visits a year at about $100 total.

That's affordable...sometimes barely when it was over $3,000 but the people I fear for are those with much worse problems who would think $3,000 was a gift!

The thing I never realized because I never had reason to experience it was the damn 80%/20% plans. Paying only 20% of something doesn't sound bad until you find out what the total really is! I found that out when I got a bill for $16,000 for 1 ER visit. All they did was take an xray, tell me my ankle had a conpound fracture, and wrap it and tell me here's the appt for a visit to an osteopath in two days. The only reason the total bill for that injury was only $3,000 is because our ins. at the time had a cap on OP expenses.

I can't even imagine how difficult it has to be for someone who gets a very serious disease that requires expensive treatment!

[leftstreet]

10. K&R

[Jamastiene]

11. Soothing words. Soothing words.

K&R :thumbsup:

Happy Yule to you too.

[Luminous Animal]

13. I would quit my job.

[Quantess]

14. If that's how you really feel, maybe you should keep that to yourself.

It's not very persuasive.

[Heywood J]

15. You would be a Canadian.

Hopefully something good will come of all of this soon, it's been decades in coming.

[ThomCat]

16. I would be saving thousands of dollars per year.

I would not have received the bullshit denials for a couple of necessary tests the insurance company decided were "not medically necessary" just because they were expensive.

I would not have been told several times now by my pharmacist "Your insurance company will not pay for that medication. Your doctor will have to find an alternative."

I would not have needed a fundraiser to buy my first electric wheelchair, and I would not still be paying off the credit card charges for the cost of the upgrade to my second electric wheelchair, because the insurance company disputes with my doctors whether or not they are necessary.

If we had real universal health care, like what Canada, France, and so many other nations have it would have made a huge difference for me. :(

[Horse with no Name]

17. It would be great

I wouldn't have to be in the relationship I am in--it is one of mere convenience/pragmatics.
I wouldn't have to be in the crappy job I have--I am here because I have insurance.
I would have more money.
Happy Yule to you as well, but I don't see it getting better in my lifetime. This was OUR shot. It was blown.

[krispos42]

18. My car insurance would be about a third lower

I just re-upped a few days ago.

Six-month premium: %512.50

Liabilty to others: $140
Personal injury protection: $43
Uninsured/underinsured protection: $11

Subtotal: $195

Most of that would go away if we had USP.



Also, about 6.5% of my gross pay goes for private health insurance premiums. If we had, say, a flat tax on all gross income (earned and unearned, corporate and individual) of perhaps 3%, I'd get a nice raise.