Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#11
posted to rec.boats.cruising
|
|||
|
|||
Going Bare for Health Coverage
"Frank Boettcher" wrote in message
news The suggestion of a high deductible/low premium policy and an HSA, is I think, a better alternative to going bare. Even if you cannot fund the HSA significantly, you do have catastrophic protection. But then, I've never cruised extensively, so maybe bare works. High deductible / low premium policies can be hard to find. I got one last year through the Texas Farm Bureau; apparently there is a demand for this sort of policy among farmers. -- Mike Harris Austin TX |
#12
posted to rec.boats.cruising
|
|||
|
|||
Going Bare for Health Coverage
On Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:09:16 GMT, "Mike Harris"
wrote: "Frank Boettcher" wrote in message news The suggestion of a high deductible/low premium policy and an HSA, is I think, a better alternative to going bare. Even if you cannot fund the HSA significantly, you do have catastrophic protection. But then, I've never cruised extensively, so maybe bare works. High deductible / low premium policies can be hard to find. I suspect because HSA's are a relatively recent alternative. As more big companies start offering their employees that alternative or force them into it by only offering it, or as small companies that could not afford to offer subsidies for low deductible policies but can with the high d/ HSA,demand will grow and more insurance companies will offer them. Frank |
#13
posted to rec.boats.cruising
|
|||
|
|||
Going Bare for Health Coverage
Skip Gundlach wrote:
Coming late to this party, and having dealt with a deadline for Cobra conversion by gritting our teeth, grimacing and signing up, we have another avenue to explore. A full-time cruiser, just arrived in our boatyard where we're not quite left yet, but at least, in the water, published writer in Latts/Atts, Lat38 and others, sez he doesn't do health insurance, even in his relatively high risk years before cruising. Several reasons, all amounting to "wherever you are, they have to take care of you" plus whatever the cost adjustments/free you can negotiate on top of the international differences in the medical care costs as compared to the US. He cited several large medical expenses he'd incurred in the past several years, and the total expense was way smaller than he'd have paid in premiums. .. . . My wife died about 5 years ago, leaving a hospital bill of about $80,000.00. The insurance company gave me a hard time for about 4 months and the hospital had started adding interest charges to the bill. Then one day I got a bill that said $6,000.00. I called the hospital and they said the insurance company had refused to pay so they had adjusted the bill. Then in the next breath she said, however, they have now agreed to pay and the balance had been returned to the original amount. I doubt if that's very typical and I still don't understand how or why they could have done that. It was a non-profit hospital, but I don't know if that makes any difference. Medical costs are, of course, less in foreign countries. In fact, there is something called "medical tourism" that's gaining popularity. Here's some example sites: http://www.newstarget.com/007097.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/he...altourism.html http://pd.cpim.org/2004/0509/05092004_snd.htm http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2005/m...ism072505.html If you are 62 and own a house that's paid for, a possibility might be to take out a reverse mortgage. This might discourage medical bill collectors from taking out a lien on your house. |
#14
posted to rec.boats.cruising
|
|||
|
|||
Going Bare for Health Coverage
If you are 62 and own a home outright You really don't have to worry about
your credit rating so screw the insurance companies and the high overpriced medical industry! If people refused to pay through the nose for medical insurance and care in this country then the damn ripoff insurance companies and overpriced hospitals and doctors who think they are God and charge like it wouldn't be able to continue to gouge our pockets for a damn flu shot. Just my 2 cents wrote in message ups.com... Skip Gundlach wrote: Coming late to this party, and having dealt with a deadline for Cobra conversion by gritting our teeth, grimacing and signing up, we have another avenue to explore. A full-time cruiser, just arrived in our boatyard where we're not quite left yet, but at least, in the water, published writer in Latts/Atts, Lat38 and others, sez he doesn't do health insurance, even in his relatively high risk years before cruising. Several reasons, all amounting to "wherever you are, they have to take care of you" plus whatever the cost adjustments/free you can negotiate on top of the international differences in the medical care costs as compared to the US. He cited several large medical expenses he'd incurred in the past several years, and the total expense was way smaller than he'd have paid in premiums. . . . My wife died about 5 years ago, leaving a hospital bill of about $80,000.00. The insurance company gave me a hard time for about 4 months and the hospital had started adding interest charges to the bill. Then one day I got a bill that said $6,000.00. I called the hospital and they said the insurance company had refused to pay so they had adjusted the bill. Then in the next breath she said, however, they have now agreed to pay and the balance had been returned to the original amount. I doubt if that's very typical and I still don't understand how or why they could have done that. It was a non-profit hospital, but I don't know if that makes any difference. Medical costs are, of course, less in foreign countries. In fact, there is something called "medical tourism" that's gaining popularity. Here's some example sites: http://www.newstarget.com/007097.html http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/he...altourism.html http://pd.cpim.org/2004/0509/05092004_snd.htm http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2005/m...ism072505.html If you are 62 and own a house that's paid for, a possibility might be to take out a reverse mortgage. This might discourage medical bill collectors from taking out a lien on your house. |
#15
posted to rec.boats.cruising
|
|||
|
|||
Going Bare for Health Coverage
Chi Chi wrote: If you are 62 and own a home outright You really don't have to worry about your credit rating so screw the insurance companies and the high overpriced medical industry! If people refused to pay through the nose for medical insurance and care in this country then the damn ripoff insurance companies and overpriced hospitals and doctors who think they are God and charge like it wouldn't be able to continue to gouge our pockets for a damn flu shot. Just my 2 cents Too All: I have a dead beat cousin who has not woked in years and single (at least not married). She got pregnant with no insurance of any type. the kid was way early. Were talking a few pounds! The neonate was in the intensive baby care unit for 3 months. Figure that bill out. Total out of pocket cost for the mom....................... $00.00. Yep nada, zip, zero dollars. She even bragged jokeingly about her "million dollar baby." It pays to be broke in the USA! So yall hard working blokes keep thoes premiums comming. I might need a free total hip in a few years. Bob |
#16
posted to rec.boats.cruising
|
|||
|
|||
Going Bare for Health Coverage
Bob wrote: Chi Chi wrote: If you are 62 and own a home outright You really don't have to worry about your credit rating so screw the insurance companies and the high overpriced medical industry! If people refused to pay through the nose for medical insurance and care in this country then the damn ripoff insurance companies and overpriced hospitals and doctors who think they are God and charge like it wouldn't be able to continue to gouge our pockets for a damn flu shot. Just my 2 cents Too All: I have a dead beat cousin who has not woked in years and single (at least not married). She got pregnant with no insurance of any type. the kid was way early. Were talking a few pounds! The neonate was in the intensive baby care unit for 3 months. Figure that bill out. Total out of pocket cost for the mom....................... $00.00. Yep nada, zip, zero dollars. She even bragged jokeingly about her "million dollar baby." It pays to be broke in the USA! So yall hard working blokes keep thoes premiums comming. I might need a free total hip in a few years. Bob Bob wrote: Chi Chi wrote: If you are 62 and own a home outright You really don't have to worry about your credit rating so screw the insurance companies and the high overpriced medical industry! If people refused to pay through the nose for medical insurance and care in this country then the damn ripoff insurance companies and overpriced hospitals and doctors who think they are God and charge like it wouldn't be able to continue to gouge our pockets for a damn flu shot. Just my 2 cents Too All: I have a dead beat cousin who has not woked in years and single (at least not married). She got pregnant with no insurance of any type. the kid was way early. Were talking a few pounds! The neonate was in the intensive baby care unit for 3 months. Figure that bill out. Total out of pocket cost for the mom....................... $00.00. Yep nada, zip, zero dollars. She even bragged jokeingly about her "million dollar baby." It pays to be broke in the USA! So yall hard working blokes keep thoes premiums comming. I might need a free total hip in a few years. Bob Speaking of stories, here's mine. My wife went into the hospital with a massive heart attack and was declared dead about a week later. At the time, we had 3 health insurance policies and all of them covered both of us: Her employer, my employer and a retirement policy. My wife had been in the hospital before, so at the time of admission, I went over the information with a hospital employee and confirmed that nothing had changed and signed a form. That's when Murphy's law took over. I failed to notify the insurance company within their 24 hour (48?) reporting period. My wife had always handled the health insurance and I didn't know I was supposed to. Normally, that isn't a problem because the hospital usually does that. However, as fate would have it, some hospital clerk made a clerical error and also failed to notify the insurance company. The insurance company from her employer refused to pay anything. Then, of course, the other two companies refused to pay anything because the primary insurer had refused. I was left looking at an $80,000 dollar bill that was increasing as the months went by due to interest charges. After a lot of letter writing and phone calls, the insurance company did finally agree to pay about 4 to 6 months later. I would say "all's well that ends well", but worrying about an $80,000 hospital bill for months on end on top of everything else, certainly wasn't a lot of fun. Then to add insult to injury, the care that she got really sucked. Because of vacations, etc., there was no neurologist available at the time and I wound up with a lab technician and the heart surgeon trying to read the EEG's. |
#17
posted to rec.boats.cruising
|
|||
|
|||
Going Bare for Health Coverage
just think what the bill would have been if the neurologist had been there.
I'm sorry for Your loss and the added pain and suffering You had to endure. Only in America can You find such compassion and great medical care combined in 1 huh? at 80k that is!! Yes I'm being sarcastic but I am truely sorry for Your pain and suffering glad to see You are able to write about it though Hang in there wrote in message ps.com... Bob wrote: Chi Chi wrote: If you are 62 and own a home outright You really don't have to worry about your credit rating so screw the insurance companies and the high overpriced medical industry! If people refused to pay through the nose for medical insurance and care in this country then the damn ripoff insurance companies and overpriced hospitals and doctors who think they are God and charge like it wouldn't be able to continue to gouge our pockets for a damn flu shot. Just my 2 cents Too All: I have a dead beat cousin who has not woked in years and single (at least not married). She got pregnant with no insurance of any type. the kid was way early. Were talking a few pounds! The neonate was in the intensive baby care unit for 3 months. Figure that bill out. Total out of pocket cost for the mom....................... $00.00. Yep nada, zip, zero dollars. She even bragged jokeingly about her "million dollar baby." It pays to be broke in the USA! So yall hard working blokes keep thoes premiums comming. I might need a free total hip in a few years. Bob Bob wrote: Chi Chi wrote: If you are 62 and own a home outright You really don't have to worry about your credit rating so screw the insurance companies and the high overpriced medical industry! If people refused to pay through the nose for medical insurance and care in this country then the damn ripoff insurance companies and overpriced hospitals and doctors who think they are God and charge like it wouldn't be able to continue to gouge our pockets for a damn flu shot. Just my 2 cents Too All: I have a dead beat cousin who has not woked in years and single (at least not married). She got pregnant with no insurance of any type. the kid was way early. Were talking a few pounds! The neonate was in the intensive baby care unit for 3 months. Figure that bill out. Total out of pocket cost for the mom....................... $00.00. Yep nada, zip, zero dollars. She even bragged jokeingly about her "million dollar baby." It pays to be broke in the USA! So yall hard working blokes keep thoes premiums comming. I might need a free total hip in a few years. Bob Speaking of stories, here's mine. My wife went into the hospital with a massive heart attack and was declared dead about a week later. At the time, we had 3 health insurance policies and all of them covered both of us: Her employer, my employer and a retirement policy. My wife had been in the hospital before, so at the time of admission, I went over the information with a hospital employee and confirmed that nothing had changed and signed a form. That's when Murphy's law took over. I failed to notify the insurance company within their 24 hour (48?) reporting period. My wife had always handled the health insurance and I didn't know I was supposed to. Normally, that isn't a problem because the hospital usually does that. However, as fate would have it, some hospital clerk made a clerical error and also failed to notify the insurance company. The insurance company from her employer refused to pay anything. Then, of course, the other two companies refused to pay anything because the primary insurer had refused. I was left looking at an $80,000 dollar bill that was increasing as the months went by due to interest charges. After a lot of letter writing and phone calls, the insurance company did finally agree to pay about 4 to 6 months later. I would say "all's well that ends well", but worrying about an $80,000 hospital bill for months on end on top of everything else, certainly wasn't a lot of fun. Then to add insult to injury, the care that she got really sucked. Because of vacations, etc., there was no neurologist available at the time and I wound up with a lab technician and the heart surgeon trying to read the EEG's. |
Reply |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Katrina coverage | General | |||
( OT) A tale told by an idiot (terri Schiavo coverage) | General | |||
Best paint system for bare steel hull? | Boat Building | |||
BlueChart coverage on Garmin 168 | Electronics |