OT: Health Care Bill - long reply

[Guest guest]

I have been thinking about this a lot with all the recent news. I think it is a

good thing and here is why: Say you decided to not spend any money on home

insurance because you wanted to spend the money on something else or you just

didn't have it. One day your house burns down. Now you either have to come up

with the money to build a new house, pitch a tent on the burned ground and live

there or you are just out of luck. However, the government steps in and says

that you have to have a place to live. So your neighbors are forced to all

pitch in $10,000 each to build you a new home even though THEY have all been

paying for their own home insurance. That sure isn't fair to the neighbors.

 

People forget that it is called health *insurance*. Your mortgage lender

requires you to have homeowner's insurance to protect their investment in your

home. My state requires me to have auto insurance to protect other people in

case I cause an accident and don't have the money to pay for the damage I cause.

My state ALSO requires me to pay for uninsured motorist insurance in case some

uninsured causes an accident and can't pay. And I pay for UNDERinsured

insurance in case some causes an accident that cost $10,000 and their

insurance is only for $100. That really ticks me off. If I have to have auto

insurance to drive, so should everyone else but we don't check for auto

insurance at the state borders.

 

To me, health insurance is exactly the same thing. None of us can predict

getting hit by a car or some major illness suddenly appearing. I don't want to

live in a country where you have to pay up front before being treated and if you

can't pay, you die. And I also do NOT want to have to pay someone else's bills

on top of my own insurance payments. Hospitals can't turn you away in case of

an emergency. They can't do a credit check before treating you for a heart

attack to see if you can pay the bills. If you can't pay the bills, the

hospital is forced to pass along your costs to everyone else (same as with the

house).

 

So I think that everyone should be required/forced/whatever word you like, to

have insurance that protects both themselves and others from having to pay huge

bills for unforeseen illnesses / accidents. There should be a realistic basic

minimum just as there is with my homeowner's and auto insurance.

 

Now as a country, we can do more to make ourselves healthy so that we don't

require as many doctor/emergency room visits which is exactly what you are

doing. Then the costs of insurance should go down (which we all know probably

won't happen but I can dream).

 

I am purposefully ignoring the fact that the government is in charge of this

" overhaul " . I have enough trouble coping as it is.

 

Cynthia

 

, " Lisa " <lisamerrill2007 wrote:

>

> I'm kinda bummed...after working so hard to put my family's health on my own

hands and save a TON of money in the process, I might end up forced to pay for

insurance I will never use. That's why I started using essential oils in

the first place!

>

> Lisa

>

[Guest guest]

Lisa (and everyone else),

 

I know how you feel, as I went 13 years without any doctors or modern medicine.

I relied mostly on herbal medicine and aromatherapy, and I was lucky enough to

have been able to heal myself each time I got sick. I didn't have insurance

because I couldn't afford it, and luckily for me in the long run, that's what

got me into holistic medicine in the first place.

 

When I started going back to school full time about four years ago, insurance

was required for all students. We either had to purchase it through the school

(a state school) or show proof of insurance through somewhere else. I was

pissed, because I had to pay for it when I never used it. Never, literally.

 

Then last year I started dealing with some health issues that I could not fix

myself. Nothing too serious, but a couple things that needed the attention of

modern medicine. I tried for two years (in one case) and two months (in the

other) to heal them holistically, but it just wasn't happening. A crapload of

doctor's appointments later, and use of some pharmeceuticals, I am so SO happy

that I had insurance.

 

I also agree with the car insurance (for whoever said that - I can't remember),

because it's required in my state as well, and I really really don't like having

to pay extra in case there's an accident with someone who is uninsured.

 

Lisa

[Guest guest]

" Hospitals can't turn you away in case of an emergency. They can't do a credit

check before treating you for a heart attack to see if you can pay the bills.

If you can't pay the bills, the hospital is forced to pass along your costs to

everyone else (same as with the house). "

 

That may be the expected standard of care, but at one time my brother went into

the hospital in very serious condition. We couldn't understand why his care was

so bad (no tests, no pro-active care... just maintenance), and finally called in

a patient advocate. At that point, it was discovered that his insurance was

incorrectly listed, and it appeared that he had none. Once we fixed that, it

was amazing how quickly his care improved. They told us later that the

insurance made no difference, but there was no other explanation.

 

I'm also glad to see this bill passed because I know too many people who are

stuck in crappy jobs because they need the employer's coverage due to

pre-existing conditions. How many people do YOU know who would have started a

business, taken a risk, or done something with their life that they really

wanted to do if it weren't for the stronghold insurance has had over us?

 

Tina

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I have working experience in both hospital on the floor, pharmacy and currently

my spouse works ER and you are accurate about the care and the class

distinction. It does not matter if you are self pay, insured etc.....it does NOT

affect the nurse's or doctor's pay checks and it is NOT for them to judge. You

take an oath to do what you do in any medical field and that is to 'harm none'

and to 'heal' not cherry pick for monetary gain only......I know........I lost a

24 year old daughter and my first born Grandaughter in 2007 because she was not

able to get insurance thru her employer and was on medicaide. My child also

worked FULL TIME.

 

At the insistance of her friend......they FINALLY saw her in ER and at that

point she 'crashed' and by the time we got there, 45 min

later she had been admitted to ICU , fully intubated and when we left to get a

motel room they induced a medical coma and when we came back we never saw her

awake again and she was completely and totally as helpless as a newborn and at

the mercy of the staff. Gross negligence WAS proven and it turns out , Norman

Regional Hospital which employs a total of 3000 staff does NOT have to carry

malpractice insurance so you can't sue them.....you have to sue individual

people like the nurses, doctors, radiologists etc independently and what is

charted is 'set in stone' vs what really happened . Sen. Tom Coburn, who is anti

healthcare reform is also an OB/GYN and when I contacted his office he said

'thats not my jurisdiction' and he referred me to one of my daughter's former

teachers who is a local senator now and has no jurisdiction whatsoever but Sen.

Coburn DOES. My atty's advice was to inquire as to how this hospital was the

ONLY one in the state that

doesn't have to have all of their papers and coverages other hospitals do and

who is looking the other way? One man died in the chair in the lobby because

they failed to triage him for what was clearly typical symptoms of an impending

heart attack. He was sent to his chair and 9 hours later found DEAD when they

got to him.

 

Oh, he didnt have insurance.

 

I've heard it in report at shift change ......mrs. so and so in room 309,

private insurance , admitted with such and such complaint......note the order of

info on the patient......first the name and room and then the insurance.

 

I'm guessing this will be asked to stop on this thread and I understand why. its

explosive and not relative to oils and herbs tho you might like to know that as

I do my continuing education in pharmacy they are now including herbal

information and thats a step forward in western medicine.

 

selkiepeople

 

 

 

 

" Hospitals can't turn you away in case of an emergency. They can't do a credit

check before treating you for a heart attack to see if you can pay the bills.

If you can't pay the bills, the hospital is forced to pass along your costs to

everyone else (same as with the house). "

 

That may be the expected standard of care, but at one time my brother went into

the hospital in very serious condition. We couldn't understand why his care was

so bad (no tests, no pro-active care... just maintenance), and finally called in

a patient advocate. At that point, it was discovered that his insurance was

incorrectly listed, and it appeared that he had none. Once we fixed that, it

was amazing how quickly his care improved. They told us later that the

insurance made no difference, but there was no other explanation.

 

I'm also glad to see this bill passed because I know too many people who are

stuck in crappy jobs because they need the employer's coverage due to

pre-existing conditions. How many people do YOU know who would have started a

business, taken a risk, or done something with their life that they really

wanted to do if it weren't for the stronghold insurance has had over us?

 

Tina