My son and his family dropped their medical insurance (benefits, group, mental)
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It is quite possible to live without health insurance. Tell any doctor, dentist, or hospital you go to that you are self-pay and ask for a discount. They will charge you their cash rates...
That's great IF you don't have a bad accident, stroke, heart attack or get cancer or get flesh eating bacteria or have a sudden need for an organ transplant or get pneumonia and are hospitalized for a two weeks or even get appendicitis. Any of those can result in medical bills well over $100,000.
And if you don't have the money to pay up front you might not get the needed chemo or organ transplant or care that you need. In those cases you hope you don't die before Jan 1st of the following year when you can enroll in health insurance for the next period so that you can start chemo or have surgery.
I've been told by my insurance company I will never find insurance if I ever decide to drop my insurance because of my medical conditions like Diabetes and on blood thinner for rest my life. I'm 59 and I have had people call me too try to sell me insurance but when I told them about my health conditions they would hang up. I pay 375.00 a month and it looks like I'm getting a deal compared to other people on here.
That's great IF you don't have a bad accident, stroke, heart attack or get cancer or get flesh eating bacteria or have a sudden need for an organ transplant or get pneumonia and are hospitalized for a two weeks or even get appendicitis. Any of those can result in medical bills well over $100,000.
And if you don't have the money to pay up front you might not get the needed chemo or organ transplant or care that you need. In those cases you hope you don't die before Jan 1st of the following year when you can enroll in health insurance for the next period so that you can start chemo or have surgery.
I am merely presenting other options that are available. It's up to each person to decide what's best for them. If you are healthy and not accident-prone, it can be a good bet. And then there are health-sharing ministries which take care of most of those bills, though, depending on what level of membership you have.
BTW, hospitals, doctors, etc. will set up a payment plan for you so you can pay over time, if you want. The key, of course, is to state you are self-pay and ask for their CASH rate with discount (NOT the insurance rate).
Thing is, they are not practicing Christians. They don’t observe religious services, belong to a church, etc. they are good people, don’t smoke, just drink socially, but looking at the ministries websites, I don’t think they qualify.
Unless they are atheists, they should be OK with Liberty. I just completed a dummy app - no questions whatsoever on church membership, etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TimAZ
Liberty is almost secular, and only requires shared belief in a deity and a desire to help others, not membership in any particular church. However their plan specifically excludes coverage for “sinful†health issues, smoking, alcohol, drugs, crimes, STDs, etc.
Anyone with common sense - other than an atheist - should be able to adhere to these - from the Liberty website:
Quote:
From the Liberty website: Observe Christian Standards
Strive to live in accordance with biblical principles
Honor the biblical teaching to ‘share one another’s burdens’ (Gal. 6:2)
Participate regularly in worship or prayer
Accept Our Shared Beliefs
We believe that our personal rights and liberties originate from God and are bestowed on us by God, and are not concessions granted to us by governments or men.
We believe every individual has a fundamental religious right to worship the God of the Bible in his or her own way.
We believe it is our biblical and ethical obligation to assist our fellow man when they are in need according to our available resources and opportunity.
We believe it is our spiritual duty to God and our ethical duty to others to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid foods, behaviors or habits that produce sickness or disease to ourselves or others.
We believe it is our fundamental right of conscience to direct our own healthcare, in consultation with physicians, family or other valued advisors, free from government dictates, restraints and oversight.
Maintain a Christian Lifestyle
Refrain from tobacco use in any form.
Follow scriptural teachings on the use or abuse of alcohol.
Avoid abuse of prescription drugs, which means consuming prescription medications in a manner not intended by the prescriber that would likely result in bodily harm or dependency.
Abstain from the abuse of legal drugs or use of illegal drugs including, any hallucinogenic substance, barbiturates, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin or other opiates, marijuana, illegal intravenous drugs, or narcotics.
Exercise regularly and eat healthy foods that do not harm the body.
In other words, be a good person, try to help others, and take care of your health.
One doesn't have to attend church to be a good person and follow "Christian" principles. Although I've been raised as a Lutheran and have always maintained a membership in a Protestant church, I also believe there are many paths to God, all of them recognized by God - and there is no one true 'religion.' If there were, billions of people are left out, and I do not believe that God would doom billions. Certainly Judaism is the foundation of Christianity. Doesn't appear to me from the app I completed that being Jewish would be a preclusion.
I would suggest son and dil look into Liberty. If their answers to the application q's are unacceptable, so be it, but they should at least try.
I've been told by my insurance company I will never find insurance if I ever decide to drop my insurance because of my medical conditions like Diabetes and on blood thinner for rest my life. I'm 59 and I have had people call me too try to sell me insurance but when I told them about my health conditions they would hang up. I pay 375.00 a month and it looks like I'm getting a deal compared to other people on here.
That's not a deal, its a goldmine! NEVER let that policy drop!
That's not a deal, its a goldmine! NEVER let that policy drop!
Seriously. I don't have anything wrong with me and I'll soon be paying $850 a month for a the cheapest bronze plan in California. It's an HMO, which I hate, with a $6700 deductible. I'm paying over $10k a year for not using it, for the benefit of paying up to $6700 more if I do need it before they start kicking in. I'm absolutely fine with a catastrophic plan, but not at this price.
If anyone tries to justify this please imagine my fist coming through your computer screen.
This is the problem with being self-employed, and buying insurance on the health exchanges. For 3 people, we pay about $1500/month with about an 8k per person deductible, 16k for the family. That mean that if no one gets sick, we pay 18K/yr. And if anyone gets sick, we could have medical expenses of about 35K for the year.
The fact is, we can afford it. It's not fun, but we can afford it. But if our income were as little as 80K, I don't think we'd get a subsidy. Then, the simple fact is, we could NOT afford it. I totally understand families in their situation dropping the insurance.
We need medical insurance for all paid for by taxes. Currently, those who qualify for medicaid get 100 percent coverage. Those who are on Medicare are covered. Those who are employed are mostly covered. Those who are eligible for a subsidy, or lie about their income in order to be eligible for a subsidy, are covered. But those who make more than the threshold for a subsidy cannot afford insurance.
Just for some perspective, my husband and I are self employed but we didn't buy on the health exchange - the premiums were significantly higher than we could find elsewhere and we don't qualify for any subsidies either.
Like you said, it's not fun to pay the insurance costs ($1100 a month, plus a $6750 each deductible). But like you also said, we can afford it. The vast majority of people can afford insurance costs, but of course it's a very boring way to spend money.
I agree that we need a complete system overhaul but I do not agree that we should have "Medicare for all." I've experienced government provided health care in foreign countries. I firmly believe that Americans generally would not want to compromise on care in order to have government funded healthcare. We are used to our private rooms, and immediate access for any sort of medical issue - at any age - for starters.
Just for some perspective, my husband and I are self employed but we didn't buy on the health exchange - the premiums were significantly higher than we could find elsewhere and we don't qualify for any subsidies either.
Like you said, it's not fun to pay the insurance costs ($1100 a month, plus a $6750 each deductible). But like you also said, we can afford it. The vast majority of people can afford insurance costs, but of course it's a very boring way to spend money.
I agree that we need a complete system overhaul but I do not agree that we should have "Medicare for all." I've experienced government provided health care in foreign countries. I firmly believe that Americans generally would not want to compromise on care in order to have government funded healthcare. We are used to our private rooms, and immediate access for any sort of medical issue - at any age - for starters.
I'd be okay with emergency care for all, and concierge plans or pay as you go for everything else. And by emergency care, I don't mean just showing up in the ER. I mean an actual list of "things that qualify as emergencies."
Like chest pain, suspected broken bones, high fever, breathing problems, being brought in from a violent crime (including rape), unconsciousness, etc.
I'd be okay with emergency care for all, and concierge plans or pay as you go for everything else. And by emergency care, I don't mean just showing up in the ER. I mean an actual list of "things that qualify as emergencies."
Like chest pain, suspected broken bones, high fever, breathing problems, being brought in from a violent crime (including rape), unconsciousness, etc.
I personally believe we need to get insurance companies and their profit margins out of the picture. Well, in Switzerland everyone is required to carry health insurance, but the health insurance companies are required to be non profit. Average cost for a family is under $500 a month with about a $2500 deductible. Oh how I wish we would require health insurance companies to be non profit!
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