How

[Guest guest]

Pat,You opened quite a can of worms with this one...Yes when I first got sick in 2002 I had over $500000 in bills between the hospital and the doctors. Luckily at that time I had paid up major medical (we payed no premiums) through my husbands retirement. That kind of insurance is unheard of now. I still had to pay 10 % of some bills so it did cost some. Later I needed to switch to my employers insurance. This is a big problem with what we have. We are a small firm and since we have less than x number of people on insurance (I am not sure of the exact number I think its 50 but again not sure) we are not eligible for pool insurance rates. I pay way more for the exact same policy from Humana Insurance as someone

who has it but works for a big organization like American Express. My premiums are appox $856.00 a month of which I pay $214.00 through deduction in my paycheck. On top of that it is what they call a High Deductible Plan. I pay the first $4000 each year in medical or prescriptions. So I pay over 6500 a year. Now after the $4000 Humana pays 100% and with me that's a lot but my boss who is never sick basically gets no benefit unless she ends up in the hospital as she has less than $4000 in bills each year. I net about 2200 a month so trying to come up with $4000 a year and pay the bills is a challenge. I want to stop working but I can't afford too. And if I had a family there would be no way to afford insurance at that rate. And I make way too much for Az Medicaid (ACCHS) and they suck. Its like having the worst HMO ever. And then our drugs cost WAY TOO MUCH but god forbid we take any of

those Canadian drugs, we might be poisoned you know (yep Canadians drop dead every day from drugs not made the FDA way ya know) Lord knows what the Government will come up with but Tort reform, Pool Insurance for everyone and controls on drug prices WON'T be part of it I can guarantee you. Dyane, 54, Phoenix, IIP 02 now NSIP 09, Breast Cancer, Psoriasis, Lipodermatosclerosis, Diabetes, and now a RA like autoimmune component, yadda yadda yadda."Life is not a journey to the grave with intentions of arriving is a pretty, well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, chocolate in one hand, Margaritas in the other, loudly proclaiming "Holy **** What a

ride!"."