Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 , WOW!!!! Any chance you can shop around for something else? How come Tom doesn't get it through the hospital so they can pay for at least part of it! Only thing that is ever going to get our insurance lowered or capped is if the federal government does something about it, and the lobbiest aren't going to let that happen. If it is any consolation, all of our co-pays doubled starting January 1, 2002. Jody _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 , WOW!!!! Any chance you can shop around for something else? How come Tom doesn't get it through the hospital so they can pay for at least part of it! Only thing that is ever going to get our insurance lowered or capped is if the federal government does something about it, and the lobbiest aren't going to let that happen. If it is any consolation, all of our co-pays doubled starting January 1, 2002. Jody _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 , WOW!!!! Any chance you can shop around for something else? How come Tom doesn't get it through the hospital so they can pay for at least part of it! Only thing that is ever going to get our insurance lowered or capped is if the federal government does something about it, and the lobbiest aren't going to let that happen. If it is any consolation, all of our co-pays doubled starting January 1, 2002. Jody _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 , One of the things we decided to do a number of years ago was to " self insure " for the first couple thousand dollars of medical expense a year. We bought a policy from Blue Cross that currently has a 2500 deductible (started out at 2000, but they changed what they offered a year ago), after comparing the cost of the premium for the more inclusive policy to the potential for that amount of out-of-pocket expense. Since we both work for ourselves, we had no employer option to look at. It turned out that we would be paying the same basic amount, IF we used the insurance to the extent of reaching the deductible--but if we didn't we would be paying significantly less. So it wasn't much of a gamble. We get the advantage of the negotiated rates (my lab bill usually is reduced by about 80%, for instance), and even at our ages pay only about half what you are now paying every month. Anyway, don't get me started on that whole thing about negotiated rates, our medical system SUCKS and I know it--but since I'm stuck with it might as well make use! Anyway, it's one alternative. Terry > > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 16:16:08 -0800 > To: <graves_support > > Subject: Insurance > > Hi All- > > Oh Man!!!! I gotta complain about this. Our insurance just shot up to > $670/mo (it was $550) and at the same time our copay went up too. We pay it > all. It's just an HMO too. Sheesh! That's more than my dad's house payment. > > Take care, > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 , One of the things we decided to do a number of years ago was to " self insure " for the first couple thousand dollars of medical expense a year. We bought a policy from Blue Cross that currently has a 2500 deductible (started out at 2000, but they changed what they offered a year ago), after comparing the cost of the premium for the more inclusive policy to the potential for that amount of out-of-pocket expense. Since we both work for ourselves, we had no employer option to look at. It turned out that we would be paying the same basic amount, IF we used the insurance to the extent of reaching the deductible--but if we didn't we would be paying significantly less. So it wasn't much of a gamble. We get the advantage of the negotiated rates (my lab bill usually is reduced by about 80%, for instance), and even at our ages pay only about half what you are now paying every month. Anyway, don't get me started on that whole thing about negotiated rates, our medical system SUCKS and I know it--but since I'm stuck with it might as well make use! Anyway, it's one alternative. Terry > > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 16:16:08 -0800 > To: <graves_support > > Subject: Insurance > > Hi All- > > Oh Man!!!! I gotta complain about this. Our insurance just shot up to > $670/mo (it was $550) and at the same time our copay went up too. We pay it > all. It's just an HMO too. Sheesh! That's more than my dad's house payment. > > Take care, > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 , One of the things we decided to do a number of years ago was to " self insure " for the first couple thousand dollars of medical expense a year. We bought a policy from Blue Cross that currently has a 2500 deductible (started out at 2000, but they changed what they offered a year ago), after comparing the cost of the premium for the more inclusive policy to the potential for that amount of out-of-pocket expense. Since we both work for ourselves, we had no employer option to look at. It turned out that we would be paying the same basic amount, IF we used the insurance to the extent of reaching the deductible--but if we didn't we would be paying significantly less. So it wasn't much of a gamble. We get the advantage of the negotiated rates (my lab bill usually is reduced by about 80%, for instance), and even at our ages pay only about half what you are now paying every month. Anyway, don't get me started on that whole thing about negotiated rates, our medical system SUCKS and I know it--but since I'm stuck with it might as well make use! Anyway, it's one alternative. Terry > > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 16:16:08 -0800 > To: <graves_support > > Subject: Insurance > > Hi All- > > Oh Man!!!! I gotta complain about this. Our insurance just shot up to > $670/mo (it was $550) and at the same time our copay went up too. We pay it > all. It's just an HMO too. Sheesh! That's more than my dad's house payment. > > Take care, > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Jody- He works for a physician's group that's not the same as the employees at the hospital. No physicians work directly for hospitals around here so we don't get our insurance through the hospital but through the medical group. They only offer two plans and the other is just as expensive. I guess I can't complain too much. I tried shopping around for insurance privately a couple of years back (they were all running $500-550 for a family then) and couldn't find any plan that would take me due to pre-existing conditions. At least since the HMO is offered through my hubby's work, they have to take me. Take care, > , > WOW!!!! Any chance you can shop around for something else? How come Tom > doesn't get it through the hospital so they can pay for at least part of it! > > Only thing that is ever going to get our insurance lowered or capped is if > the federal government does something about it, and the lobbiest aren't > going to let that happen. > > If it is any consolation, all of our co-pays doubled starting January 1, > 2002. > Jody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Jody- He works for a physician's group that's not the same as the employees at the hospital. No physicians work directly for hospitals around here so we don't get our insurance through the hospital but through the medical group. They only offer two plans and the other is just as expensive. I guess I can't complain too much. I tried shopping around for insurance privately a couple of years back (they were all running $500-550 for a family then) and couldn't find any plan that would take me due to pre-existing conditions. At least since the HMO is offered through my hubby's work, they have to take me. Take care, > , > WOW!!!! Any chance you can shop around for something else? How come Tom > doesn't get it through the hospital so they can pay for at least part of it! > > Only thing that is ever going to get our insurance lowered or capped is if > the federal government does something about it, and the lobbiest aren't > going to let that happen. > > If it is any consolation, all of our co-pays doubled starting January 1, > 2002. > Jody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Jody- He works for a physician's group that's not the same as the employees at the hospital. No physicians work directly for hospitals around here so we don't get our insurance through the hospital but through the medical group. They only offer two plans and the other is just as expensive. I guess I can't complain too much. I tried shopping around for insurance privately a couple of years back (they were all running $500-550 for a family then) and couldn't find any plan that would take me due to pre-existing conditions. At least since the HMO is offered through my hubby's work, they have to take me. Take care, > , > WOW!!!! Any chance you can shop around for something else? How come Tom > doesn't get it through the hospital so they can pay for at least part of it! > > Only thing that is ever going to get our insurance lowered or capped is if > the federal government does something about it, and the lobbiest aren't > going to let that happen. > > If it is any consolation, all of our co-pays doubled starting January 1, > 2002. > Jody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Terry- Blue Cross is one of the companies that rejected me. Maybe if I work a little harder trying to convince them I'm a good risk. After all my Graves' is " treated " right? I am pretty happy that our insurance does cover 50% of infertility treatments when so many don't. With superovulation and IUI costing $1,500 a pop. And invitro running $8-10K, I can't be too picky right now. Take care, > , > > One of the things we decided to do a number of years ago was to " self > insure " for the first couple thousand dollars of medical expense a year. We > bought a policy from Blue Cross that currently has a 2500 deductible > (started out at 2000, but they changed what they offered a year ago), after > comparing the cost of the premium for the more inclusive policy to the > potential for that amount of out-of-pocket expense. Since we both work for > ourselves, we had no employer option to look at. > > It turned out that we would be paying the same basic amount, IF we used the > insurance to the extent of reaching the deductible--but if we didn't we > would be paying significantly less. So it wasn't much of a gamble. We get > the advantage of the negotiated rates (my lab bill usually is reduced by > about 80%, for instance), and even at our ages pay only about half what you > are now paying every month. > > Anyway, don't get me started on that whole thing about negotiated rates, our > medical system SUCKS and I know it--but since I'm stuck with it might as > well make use! > > Anyway, it's one alternative. > > Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Terry, How do I get information on this? The policy we have is just a policy and we pay almost $500.00 a month for a family. Just a hospital, no dental, no eye glass and when we used the ER maybe paid 30%. I am cancelling it, the money I am paying a year would more than cover the medical expenses. Ours is useless. My husband is be sworn in as trustee they did away with the medical insurance 4 or 5 yrs. ago. For us to get it would cost $1,100.00 a month, it has no dental or eye glass. Something needs to be done about medical insurance. Debbie R. <*;*> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Terry, How do I get information on this? The policy we have is just a policy and we pay almost $500.00 a month for a family. Just a hospital, no dental, no eye glass and when we used the ER maybe paid 30%. I am cancelling it, the money I am paying a year would more than cover the medical expenses. Ours is useless. My husband is be sworn in as trustee they did away with the medical insurance 4 or 5 yrs. ago. For us to get it would cost $1,100.00 a month, it has no dental or eye glass. Something needs to be done about medical insurance. Debbie R. <*;*> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Terry, How do I get information on this? The policy we have is just a policy and we pay almost $500.00 a month for a family. Just a hospital, no dental, no eye glass and when we used the ER maybe paid 30%. I am cancelling it, the money I am paying a year would more than cover the medical expenses. Ours is useless. My husband is be sworn in as trustee they did away with the medical insurance 4 or 5 yrs. ago. For us to get it would cost $1,100.00 a month, it has no dental or eye glass. Something needs to be done about medical insurance. Debbie R. <*;*> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Terry- Oh! To go back to the olden days where there was fee for service medical care. You are so right. Medical care was so much cheaper back then. Take care, > Debbie, > > What we did was look into Blue Cross, Blue Shield, etc., and just look at > their various plans. I think you might even be able to do it online. The > math is simple: if (hypothetically) you are paying $600 a month for coverage > with 2 $500 deductibles each year, you are paying $8200 per year > (12X600+1000) to get to the point where you've met 2 people's deductibles. > If you're paying $300 per month with a $2500 deductible, you're paying $8600 > per year. Otherwise the plans seem the same, so essentially, as much as I > can tell, the gamble is that it's not likely we'll both need that much > medical care in a year--and indeed, we've never met 2 deductibles in the > same year yet. Even if we do, we are out $400 overall. Not too bad a risk in > my book. If, over time, if you don't use the insurance heavily, you're way > ahead of the game. The only downside is if you have 2 people who are > routinely heavy medical services users--then, the lower deductible might > make sense. > > The alternative, not having a policy at all, doesn't work, because the > insurance industry is set up to negotiate rates favorable to itself, by > virtue of the number of its subscribers. So if you go get your GD blood work > done, for instance, without insurance you may pay the " full amount " of > perhaps $130; with insurance you pay the " negotiated amount " of maybe > $30.Whether the negotiated rate is fair to the practitioner is another > question. But you need the benefit of the policy cause that's the way the > game is played. Same with doctors' visits, hospital stays--although, if you > do end up in the hospital, you'll meet your deductible in a day no matter > what it is. > > I'm not sure what the answer is (Hillary's plan, modeled after Kaiser, > scared me--Kaiser is in my experience totally bottom line oriented, to the > detriment of its patients' health); I honestly think that the world would be > a better place if there was no health insurance at all, it doesn't protect > poor folk since they can't pay for it anyway, and all the rates for services > would go down without this huge middleman industry soaking up the medical > dollars meant for the practitioners. But that's about as likely as a second > moon rising in the sky tonight. > > Hope all this long ramble makes sense to you--good luck! > > Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Terry- Oh! To go back to the olden days where there was fee for service medical care. You are so right. Medical care was so much cheaper back then. Take care, > Debbie, > > What we did was look into Blue Cross, Blue Shield, etc., and just look at > their various plans. I think you might even be able to do it online. The > math is simple: if (hypothetically) you are paying $600 a month for coverage > with 2 $500 deductibles each year, you are paying $8200 per year > (12X600+1000) to get to the point where you've met 2 people's deductibles. > If you're paying $300 per month with a $2500 deductible, you're paying $8600 > per year. Otherwise the plans seem the same, so essentially, as much as I > can tell, the gamble is that it's not likely we'll both need that much > medical care in a year--and indeed, we've never met 2 deductibles in the > same year yet. Even if we do, we are out $400 overall. Not too bad a risk in > my book. If, over time, if you don't use the insurance heavily, you're way > ahead of the game. The only downside is if you have 2 people who are > routinely heavy medical services users--then, the lower deductible might > make sense. > > The alternative, not having a policy at all, doesn't work, because the > insurance industry is set up to negotiate rates favorable to itself, by > virtue of the number of its subscribers. So if you go get your GD blood work > done, for instance, without insurance you may pay the " full amount " of > perhaps $130; with insurance you pay the " negotiated amount " of maybe > $30.Whether the negotiated rate is fair to the practitioner is another > question. But you need the benefit of the policy cause that's the way the > game is played. Same with doctors' visits, hospital stays--although, if you > do end up in the hospital, you'll meet your deductible in a day no matter > what it is. > > I'm not sure what the answer is (Hillary's plan, modeled after Kaiser, > scared me--Kaiser is in my experience totally bottom line oriented, to the > detriment of its patients' health); I honestly think that the world would be > a better place if there was no health insurance at all, it doesn't protect > poor folk since they can't pay for it anyway, and all the rates for services > would go down without this huge middleman industry soaking up the medical > dollars meant for the practitioners. But that's about as likely as a second > moon rising in the sky tonight. > > Hope all this long ramble makes sense to you--good luck! > > Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Terry- Oh! To go back to the olden days where there was fee for service medical care. You are so right. Medical care was so much cheaper back then. Take care, > Debbie, > > What we did was look into Blue Cross, Blue Shield, etc., and just look at > their various plans. I think you might even be able to do it online. The > math is simple: if (hypothetically) you are paying $600 a month for coverage > with 2 $500 deductibles each year, you are paying $8200 per year > (12X600+1000) to get to the point where you've met 2 people's deductibles. > If you're paying $300 per month with a $2500 deductible, you're paying $8600 > per year. Otherwise the plans seem the same, so essentially, as much as I > can tell, the gamble is that it's not likely we'll both need that much > medical care in a year--and indeed, we've never met 2 deductibles in the > same year yet. Even if we do, we are out $400 overall. Not too bad a risk in > my book. If, over time, if you don't use the insurance heavily, you're way > ahead of the game. The only downside is if you have 2 people who are > routinely heavy medical services users--then, the lower deductible might > make sense. > > The alternative, not having a policy at all, doesn't work, because the > insurance industry is set up to negotiate rates favorable to itself, by > virtue of the number of its subscribers. So if you go get your GD blood work > done, for instance, without insurance you may pay the " full amount " of > perhaps $130; with insurance you pay the " negotiated amount " of maybe > $30.Whether the negotiated rate is fair to the practitioner is another > question. But you need the benefit of the policy cause that's the way the > game is played. Same with doctors' visits, hospital stays--although, if you > do end up in the hospital, you'll meet your deductible in a day no matter > what it is. > > I'm not sure what the answer is (Hillary's plan, modeled after Kaiser, > scared me--Kaiser is in my experience totally bottom line oriented, to the > detriment of its patients' health); I honestly think that the world would be > a better place if there was no health insurance at all, it doesn't protect > poor folk since they can't pay for it anyway, and all the rates for services > would go down without this huge middleman industry soaking up the medical > dollars meant for the practitioners. But that's about as likely as a second > moon rising in the sky tonight. > > Hope all this long ramble makes sense to you--good luck! > > Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Terry- I still think it would be worth a 2nd try even though it is a preexisting condition. I didn't push very hard and it seems that some rep somewhere could be convinced that inactive Graves' or treated Graves' isn't such a big risk. At the time, I was very discouraged because my insurance didn't cover my endo and I desperately wanted him to get paid for seeing me. He was seeing me as a professional courtesy to my husband and would not take a fee from me. Happily, he negotiated a contract with my existing insurance company which was a great relief. Take care, > , > > I know all this stuff costs, and the complication of pre-existing conditions > is a big bugaboo. We were lucky when we opted for our plan, no conditions > diagnosed then. Now, we've both got major risk factors so switching would > probably not work. > > Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Terry- I still think it would be worth a 2nd try even though it is a preexisting condition. I didn't push very hard and it seems that some rep somewhere could be convinced that inactive Graves' or treated Graves' isn't such a big risk. At the time, I was very discouraged because my insurance didn't cover my endo and I desperately wanted him to get paid for seeing me. He was seeing me as a professional courtesy to my husband and would not take a fee from me. Happily, he negotiated a contract with my existing insurance company which was a great relief. Take care, > , > > I know all this stuff costs, and the complication of pre-existing conditions > is a big bugaboo. We were lucky when we opted for our plan, no conditions > diagnosed then. Now, we've both got major risk factors so switching would > probably not work. > > Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Hi Terry- I still think it would be worth a 2nd try even though it is a preexisting condition. I didn't push very hard and it seems that some rep somewhere could be convinced that inactive Graves' or treated Graves' isn't such a big risk. At the time, I was very discouraged because my insurance didn't cover my endo and I desperately wanted him to get paid for seeing me. He was seeing me as a professional courtesy to my husband and would not take a fee from me. Happily, he negotiated a contract with my existing insurance company which was a great relief. Take care, > , > > I know all this stuff costs, and the complication of pre-existing conditions > is a big bugaboo. We were lucky when we opted for our plan, no conditions > diagnosed then. Now, we've both got major risk factors so switching would > probably not work. > > Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Debbie, What we did was look into Blue Cross, Blue Shield, etc., and just look at their various plans. I think you might even be able to do it online. The math is simple: if (hypothetically) you are paying $600 a month for coverage with 2 $500 deductibles each year, you are paying $8200 per year (12X600+1000) to get to the point where you've met 2 people's deductibles. If you're paying $300 per month with a $2500 deductible, you're paying $8600 per year. Otherwise the plans seem the same, so essentially, as much as I can tell, the gamble is that it's not likely we'll both need that much medical care in a year--and indeed, we've never met 2 deductibles in the same year yet. Even if we do, we are out $400 overall. Not too bad a risk in my book. If, over time, if you don't use the insurance heavily, you're way ahead of the game. The only downside is if you have 2 people who are routinely heavy medical services users--then, the lower deductible might make sense. The alternative, not having a policy at all, doesn't work, because the insurance industry is set up to negotiate rates favorable to itself, by virtue of the number of its subscribers. So if you go get your GD blood work done, for instance, without insurance you may pay the " full amount " of perhaps $130; with insurance you pay the " negotiated amount " of maybe $30.Whether the negotiated rate is fair to the practitioner is another question. But you need the benefit of the policy cause that's the way the game is played. Same with doctors' visits, hospital stays--although, if you do end up in the hospital, you'll meet your deductible in a day no matter what it is. I'm not sure what the answer is (Hillary's plan, modeled after Kaiser, scared me--Kaiser is in my experience totally bottom line oriented, to the detriment of its patients' health); I honestly think that the world would be a better place if there was no health insurance at all, it doesn't protect poor folk since they can't pay for it anyway, and all the rates for services would go down without this huge middleman industry soaking up the medical dollars meant for the practitioners. But that's about as likely as a second moon rising in the sky tonight. Hope all this long ramble makes sense to you--good luck! Terry > > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 22:50:38 -0800 > To: <graves_support > > Subject: Re: Insurance > > Hi Terry, > > How do I get information on this? The policy we have is just a policy and > we pay almost $500.00 a month for a family. Just a hospital, no dental, no > eye glass and when we used the ER maybe paid 30%. I am cancelling it, the > money I am paying a year would more than cover the medical expenses. Ours > is useless. > > My husband is be sworn in as trustee they did away with the medical > insurance 4 or 5 yrs. ago. For us to get it would cost $1,100.00 a month, > it has no dental or eye glass. Something needs to be done about medical > insurance. > > Debbie R. <*;*> > > > > ------------------------------------- > The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not > intended to replace expert medical care. > Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments. > ---------------------------------------- > DISCLAIMER > > Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the endorsement > of > the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > -------- > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Debbie, What we did was look into Blue Cross, Blue Shield, etc., and just look at their various plans. I think you might even be able to do it online. The math is simple: if (hypothetically) you are paying $600 a month for coverage with 2 $500 deductibles each year, you are paying $8200 per year (12X600+1000) to get to the point where you've met 2 people's deductibles. If you're paying $300 per month with a $2500 deductible, you're paying $8600 per year. Otherwise the plans seem the same, so essentially, as much as I can tell, the gamble is that it's not likely we'll both need that much medical care in a year--and indeed, we've never met 2 deductibles in the same year yet. Even if we do, we are out $400 overall. Not too bad a risk in my book. If, over time, if you don't use the insurance heavily, you're way ahead of the game. The only downside is if you have 2 people who are routinely heavy medical services users--then, the lower deductible might make sense. The alternative, not having a policy at all, doesn't work, because the insurance industry is set up to negotiate rates favorable to itself, by virtue of the number of its subscribers. So if you go get your GD blood work done, for instance, without insurance you may pay the " full amount " of perhaps $130; with insurance you pay the " negotiated amount " of maybe $30.Whether the negotiated rate is fair to the practitioner is another question. But you need the benefit of the policy cause that's the way the game is played. Same with doctors' visits, hospital stays--although, if you do end up in the hospital, you'll meet your deductible in a day no matter what it is. I'm not sure what the answer is (Hillary's plan, modeled after Kaiser, scared me--Kaiser is in my experience totally bottom line oriented, to the detriment of its patients' health); I honestly think that the world would be a better place if there was no health insurance at all, it doesn't protect poor folk since they can't pay for it anyway, and all the rates for services would go down without this huge middleman industry soaking up the medical dollars meant for the practitioners. But that's about as likely as a second moon rising in the sky tonight. Hope all this long ramble makes sense to you--good luck! Terry > > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 22:50:38 -0800 > To: <graves_support > > Subject: Re: Insurance > > Hi Terry, > > How do I get information on this? The policy we have is just a policy and > we pay almost $500.00 a month for a family. Just a hospital, no dental, no > eye glass and when we used the ER maybe paid 30%. I am cancelling it, the > money I am paying a year would more than cover the medical expenses. Ours > is useless. > > My husband is be sworn in as trustee they did away with the medical > insurance 4 or 5 yrs. ago. For us to get it would cost $1,100.00 a month, > it has no dental or eye glass. Something needs to be done about medical > insurance. > > Debbie R. <*;*> > > > > ------------------------------------- > The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not > intended to replace expert medical care. > Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments. > ---------------------------------------- > DISCLAIMER > > Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the endorsement > of > the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > -------- > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 Debbie, What we did was look into Blue Cross, Blue Shield, etc., and just look at their various plans. I think you might even be able to do it online. The math is simple: if (hypothetically) you are paying $600 a month for coverage with 2 $500 deductibles each year, you are paying $8200 per year (12X600+1000) to get to the point where you've met 2 people's deductibles. If you're paying $300 per month with a $2500 deductible, you're paying $8600 per year. Otherwise the plans seem the same, so essentially, as much as I can tell, the gamble is that it's not likely we'll both need that much medical care in a year--and indeed, we've never met 2 deductibles in the same year yet. Even if we do, we are out $400 overall. Not too bad a risk in my book. If, over time, if you don't use the insurance heavily, you're way ahead of the game. The only downside is if you have 2 people who are routinely heavy medical services users--then, the lower deductible might make sense. The alternative, not having a policy at all, doesn't work, because the insurance industry is set up to negotiate rates favorable to itself, by virtue of the number of its subscribers. So if you go get your GD blood work done, for instance, without insurance you may pay the " full amount " of perhaps $130; with insurance you pay the " negotiated amount " of maybe $30.Whether the negotiated rate is fair to the practitioner is another question. But you need the benefit of the policy cause that's the way the game is played. Same with doctors' visits, hospital stays--although, if you do end up in the hospital, you'll meet your deductible in a day no matter what it is. I'm not sure what the answer is (Hillary's plan, modeled after Kaiser, scared me--Kaiser is in my experience totally bottom line oriented, to the detriment of its patients' health); I honestly think that the world would be a better place if there was no health insurance at all, it doesn't protect poor folk since they can't pay for it anyway, and all the rates for services would go down without this huge middleman industry soaking up the medical dollars meant for the practitioners. But that's about as likely as a second moon rising in the sky tonight. Hope all this long ramble makes sense to you--good luck! Terry > > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 22:50:38 -0800 > To: <graves_support > > Subject: Re: Insurance > > Hi Terry, > > How do I get information on this? The policy we have is just a policy and > we pay almost $500.00 a month for a family. Just a hospital, no dental, no > eye glass and when we used the ER maybe paid 30%. I am cancelling it, the > money I am paying a year would more than cover the medical expenses. Ours > is useless. > > My husband is be sworn in as trustee they did away with the medical > insurance 4 or 5 yrs. ago. For us to get it would cost $1,100.00 a month, > it has no dental or eye glass. Something needs to be done about medical > insurance. > > Debbie R. <*;*> > > > > ------------------------------------- > The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not > intended to replace expert medical care. > Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments. > ---------------------------------------- > DISCLAIMER > > Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the endorsement > of > the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > -------- > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 , I know all this stuff costs, and the complication of pre-existing conditions is a big bugaboo. We were lucky when we opted for our plan, no conditions diagnosed then. Now, we've both got major risk factors so switching would probably not work. Terry > > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 22:38:37 -0800 > To: <graves_support > > Subject: Re: Insurance > > Hi Terry- > > Blue Cross is one of the companies that rejected me. Maybe if I work a > little harder trying to convince them I'm a good risk. After all my Graves' > is " treated " right? > > I am pretty happy that our insurance does cover 50% of infertility > treatments when so many don't. With superovulation and IUI costing $1,500 a > pop. And invitro running $8-10K, I can't be too picky right now. > > Take care, > > > > >> , >> >> One of the things we decided to do a number of years ago was to " self >> insure " for the first couple thousand dollars of medical expense a year. > We >> bought a policy from Blue Cross that currently has a 2500 deductible >> (started out at 2000, but they changed what they offered a year ago), > after >> comparing the cost of the premium for the more inclusive policy to the >> potential for that amount of out-of-pocket expense. Since we both work for >> ourselves, we had no employer option to look at. >> >> It turned out that we would be paying the same basic amount, IF we used > the >> insurance to the extent of reaching the deductible--but if we didn't we >> would be paying significantly less. So it wasn't much of a gamble. We get >> the advantage of the negotiated rates (my lab bill usually is reduced by >> about 80%, for instance), and even at our ages pay only about half what > you >> are now paying every month. >> >> Anyway, don't get me started on that whole thing about negotiated rates, > our >> medical system SUCKS and I know it--but since I'm stuck with it might as >> well make use! >> >> Anyway, it's one alternative. >> >> Terry > > > > > ------------------------------------- > The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not > intended to replace expert medical care. > Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments. > ---------------------------------------- > DISCLAIMER > > Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the endorsement > of > the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > -------- > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 , I know all this stuff costs, and the complication of pre-existing conditions is a big bugaboo. We were lucky when we opted for our plan, no conditions diagnosed then. Now, we've both got major risk factors so switching would probably not work. Terry > > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 22:38:37 -0800 > To: <graves_support > > Subject: Re: Insurance > > Hi Terry- > > Blue Cross is one of the companies that rejected me. Maybe if I work a > little harder trying to convince them I'm a good risk. After all my Graves' > is " treated " right? > > I am pretty happy that our insurance does cover 50% of infertility > treatments when so many don't. With superovulation and IUI costing $1,500 a > pop. And invitro running $8-10K, I can't be too picky right now. > > Take care, > > > > >> , >> >> One of the things we decided to do a number of years ago was to " self >> insure " for the first couple thousand dollars of medical expense a year. > We >> bought a policy from Blue Cross that currently has a 2500 deductible >> (started out at 2000, but they changed what they offered a year ago), > after >> comparing the cost of the premium for the more inclusive policy to the >> potential for that amount of out-of-pocket expense. Since we both work for >> ourselves, we had no employer option to look at. >> >> It turned out that we would be paying the same basic amount, IF we used > the >> insurance to the extent of reaching the deductible--but if we didn't we >> would be paying significantly less. So it wasn't much of a gamble. We get >> the advantage of the negotiated rates (my lab bill usually is reduced by >> about 80%, for instance), and even at our ages pay only about half what > you >> are now paying every month. >> >> Anyway, don't get me started on that whole thing about negotiated rates, > our >> medical system SUCKS and I know it--but since I'm stuck with it might as >> well make use! >> >> Anyway, it's one alternative. >> >> Terry > > > > > ------------------------------------- > The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not > intended to replace expert medical care. > Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments. > ---------------------------------------- > DISCLAIMER > > Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the endorsement > of > the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > -------- > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 11, 2001 Report Share Posted December 11, 2001 , I know all this stuff costs, and the complication of pre-existing conditions is a big bugaboo. We were lucky when we opted for our plan, no conditions diagnosed then. Now, we've both got major risk factors so switching would probably not work. Terry > > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 22:38:37 -0800 > To: <graves_support > > Subject: Re: Insurance > > Hi Terry- > > Blue Cross is one of the companies that rejected me. Maybe if I work a > little harder trying to convince them I'm a good risk. After all my Graves' > is " treated " right? > > I am pretty happy that our insurance does cover 50% of infertility > treatments when so many don't. With superovulation and IUI costing $1,500 a > pop. And invitro running $8-10K, I can't be too picky right now. > > Take care, > > > > >> , >> >> One of the things we decided to do a number of years ago was to " self >> insure " for the first couple thousand dollars of medical expense a year. > We >> bought a policy from Blue Cross that currently has a 2500 deductible >> (started out at 2000, but they changed what they offered a year ago), > after >> comparing the cost of the premium for the more inclusive policy to the >> potential for that amount of out-of-pocket expense. Since we both work for >> ourselves, we had no employer option to look at. >> >> It turned out that we would be paying the same basic amount, IF we used > the >> insurance to the extent of reaching the deductible--but if we didn't we >> would be paying significantly less. So it wasn't much of a gamble. We get >> the advantage of the negotiated rates (my lab bill usually is reduced by >> about 80%, for instance), and even at our ages pay only about half what > you >> are now paying every month. >> >> Anyway, don't get me started on that whole thing about negotiated rates, > our >> medical system SUCKS and I know it--but since I'm stuck with it might as >> well make use! >> >> Anyway, it's one alternative. >> >> Terry > > > > > ------------------------------------- > The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not > intended to replace expert medical care. > Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments. > ---------------------------------------- > DISCLAIMER > > Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the endorsement > of > the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails. > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > -------- > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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