going without insurance - anyone do it?

[Murphy101]

We are so royal ticked with our insurance these days. It's gotten to the point that it's not any help to have it. We pay a small fortuen that we really can't afford to pee away and still have so much that isn't covered, or we have to fight to get covered, or we still can't afford to pay our portion of - that we might as well not even have it.

 

I'm not talking abut going on gov't insurance. (*shudder* Never again. did that for 18 months 12 years ago when dh lost his job and I was pregnant - the lack of care was down right scary.)

 

I'm talking NO insurance AT ALL.

 

Just talk to the dr about what you can afford and paying as you go.

 

Again, we have what most people would consider a GREAT plan, not an HMO, and this is still a huge struggle for us.

 

As far as we know, all the kids are healthy. My only "health" issue is pregnancy, so far with no complications. My dh has type 1 diabetes. My pregnancies and his diabetes meds and equipment are the ONLY reasons we've continued to pay for insurance. But it's reached a point where even those benefits may not be worth it. They aren't covering my care with this pregnancy unless I have an elective c/s (which I'm not doing). My dh might continue the plan just for himself, or he might look into just getting a rx coverage plan elsewhere to cover the greatest expense - equipment and insulin. Curious to know if anyone else has done that too.

 

Also, we've come across several drs lately who refuse to take any insurance at all because THEY are sick of dealling with them too.

 

So is there anyone here who has decided to go sans ANY insurance? Our contract where my dh works comes up in January, but they have to decide by November. Also his company says he HAS to accept one of their insurance option or provide proof that he has insurance elsewhere? This sounds like it should be illegal to me? I mean they are forcing him to hand over part of his check, we don't get a copy of the policy, just the breakdown of costs brochere, and they only give 2 weeks to decide on which policy. Not to mention - what if one simply isn't being paid enough to afford the policy offerred or they pay for it and find out the policy doesn't cover their medical conditions? Anyone know anything?

[elegantlion]

We have no health insurance. Mainly because dh is self-employed and it is cost prohibitive for us. We are overall very healthy and do pay as we go.

 

I would not enter into that position lightly. If dh had an employer we would jump on the insurance. I would not do it if we had a child with a chronic health problem.

 

We cover ourselves in a lot of prayer, vitamins, and trying to eat right. We've been blessed that our health care expenses have been minimal in the last few years.

 

:grouphug: I know what you mean about insurance companies, it is frustrating.

[Nestof3]

I know you didn't ask, but I will just say I wouldn't go without major medical coverage. I am healthy too and needed a $30,000 cardiac ablation out of the blue. It was an electrical issue with my heart -- my heart and arteries are perfectly healthy.

 

The truth is if we were in an accident resulting in $30,000 worth of medical care, we would not be able to afford to pay it. We do not want to be in the position to be that financially burdened. We can truly afford to pay a monthly premium, though, even if sacrifices have to come from elsewhere.

 

My husband is self-employed, and it is costly, but it is just important to us. If something horrible were to happen, we want to know that we are covered financially. We use insurance as a major medical policy -- to cover the huge things -- we don't look to it to help manage the doctor visit costs and such. We also keep our deductible high ($5,000) to keep our premiums lower.

 

Just remember that if you cancel your insurance and decide later down the road to get it, any conditions that occur in that time will be considered pre-existing and can really affect your premium rate.

 

Also, a friend of mine has Type 1 diabetes, and he manages his 99 % through his diet alone. He rarely has to use insulin. You could save a lot of money doing this as well. It means giving up some favorites and learning how to combine foods properly, learning about glycemic indexes of food and such, but it could save money.

[snickelfritz]

I ask her insurance questions all of the time, so I could find out from her if what your company is doing is legal. And she's also in OK, so she's familiar with our laws.

 

She (not an agent, but has worked in this type of job for years) would probably suggest at least getting a catastrophic medical policy. So, if somebody has a heart attack (or whatever) they will pick up the big stuff.

[lwilliams1922]

I am very frustrated with ins.

 

we have been eating healthy and limiting our exposure to unnecessary chemicals. I use natural products when ever it's cost effective.

 

We've as a family have been healthier than we've ever been.

 

I feel that many insurance companies operate to not provide coverage. If I had to see a dr i would pay out of pocket to see a natural health care provider. It seems like we suffered from the domino effect when I would seek traditional care previously.

 

I don't use ins but you cant predict the future. just last week we had our first accident. The 3 year old got a bad cut while 'helping' DH outside. Havent seen the ER bill yet.

 

DH just retired from the military so we have basic coverage for around $350/yr i think.

 

Is there any basic or emeregeny coverage you could find online that is afordable?

[Quiver0f10]

In the last 18 months we have had 2 broken arms requiring going under gen anesthesia to set one of them ( he fell off a scooter and put his arms out to break his fall and broke both arms), 1 possible broken arm, a broken nose that required gen anesthesia to set, DD with unexplained fainting that resulted in a CAT scan, ekg, Xrays and various other test, gallbladder surgery and with that 2 MRI's, a nuclear scan and various other testing, a hosital stay related to this after the fact, another MRI due to nerve pain, one with seizures suddenly that required an ER trip with CAT scan, MRI, 2 eegs and various other test. Umm no way would I willingly give up insurance because you just don't know. We were very healthy people and rarely went to the doctors.

[Renee in NC]

We have not had insurance for years. Even before dh was self-employed, the insurance offered by his employer was low benefits (40% co-pay) and very expensive ($600 per month, our cost.) Even catastrophic coverage would cost us $500 per month (per numerous quotes.)

 

HOWEVER, I would not recommend it. If paying for health insurance is merely uncomfortable (or frustrating), I would still have it. If it were even *possible* for us to afford, we would do it. At this point, our dc are on Medicaid, but I try to use it only when absolutely necessary. We are generally very healthy and rarely go to the doctor for anything.

 

We can't afford 25% of our income for health insurance. I don't know how much you pay or how cost prohibitive it is, but think carefully.

[Murphy101]

Also, a friend of mine has Type 1 diabetes, and he manages his 99 % through his diet alone. He rarely has to use insulin. You could save a lot of money doing this as well. It means giving up some favorites and learning how to combine foods properly, learning about glycemic indexes of food and such, but it could save money.

 

then he doesn't have type 1 diabetes.

no one with this can be treated with diet alone, diet is very important in managing it, but they HAVE to have insulin on a regular basis - it is not an option to not use it for type 1, no matter how healthy the person and their diet.

 

as for the rest, I don't see how a 5k deductible would help. we don't have 5k, so it might as well be 5 million dollars for us.:confused:

 

I ask her insurance questions all of the time, so I could find out from her if what your company is doing is legal. And she's also in OK, so she's familiar with our laws.

 

She (not an agent, but has worked in this type of job for years) would probably suggest at least getting a catastrophic medical policy. So, if somebody has a heart attack (or whatever) they will pick up the big stuff.

 

We did that several years ago when his company offerred it and it was even more useless. they don't offer it anymore. again, for US, 5 grand might as well be 50 grand. we don't have either to spare. also when we were on that catastrophic coverage we had huge problems getting medical assistance because it's all geared towards people who do not have any insurance at all. (that was when my dh became intolarant to his long lasting insulin and had to have a insulin pump - a $6+ grand sudden expense at the time) since we had insurance, limited though it was, we didn't qualify for ANY medical assistance. without it, we could have at least gotten gov't assitance. we ended up getting a loan to cover the entire cost of the pump because medtronic wouldn't send it until it was paid for entirely and it took the insurance company 6 months to reemburse us the 1000.00 after our 5000. deductible. I don't know if we could get a loan now. I KNOW we couldn't afford to pay it. Our credit is great, but the last year has been rough with what seems to be a never ending list of sudden expenses, so we have had to take on debt other than mtg and utilities for the first time in almost a decade.:001_unsure:

 

I'd be very interested in what your mil thinks of this - thanks for asking!:)

[shell in SC]

I have to agree with the majority. If you have the benefit of obtaining major medical through and employer, you should keep it! DD had an accident a few years ago and till all was said and done we've run up just about $300,000 (yes, that's three hundred thousand) in costs for all the related injuries, surgeries, therapy, maintenance meds related to the accident. If we hadn't had insurance, it would probably be more, b/c dr's write off the portion of their costs that the insurance won't pay for. No amount of prayer will change God's will, so it's best to be prepared if you are blessed with employer provided coverage. I also don't know that we would have been able to obtain the treatment that DD received w/o insurance, if we would have had to pay out of pocket, DD wouldn't have received the type of treatment that she did (b/c we would have had to pay up front and wouldn't have been able to afford it). She would have had to have a less expensive procedure that wouldn't have completely healed her.

 

The pre-existing conditions will also more than likely not be covered if you re-enroll at a later date. I know that the costs are high, but if you ever need the insurance it will be so worth it.

[Danestress]

My father always taught me that you insure only what you can't afford. If you can afford to pay out of pocket for all the normal things that happen - broken arms, sprained ankles, doctor's visits, mammograms, then that's great. Do it. Have a really high deductible, or don't have insurance at all. I wouldn't do that unless I had a significant amount of savings that I could afford to spend, but then if you aren't paying premiums and will actually SAVE that money, it might work out.

 

I can't afford chemo for myself or my children. And in the last year I have had a number of friends need it, including a friend's seemingly perfectly healthy daughter. If I had cancer (or any other serious disease) I would want to be able to look at all the treatment options and choose the one that is best for me without having to be especially concerned about the costs. And I would feel even more that way about one of my children - I want the right treatment - not necessarily the cheapest one. And if I were having neurological problems (just as an example) and my doctor recommended diagnostic procedures that are expensive, I wouldn't want to be thinking, "but for that price, I could buy a new car!" I really want my husband to never feel like I didn't have the best care possible because of the money.

 

So for me, I would not be happy without a policy that at least covered these "major event" type things.

[Prairie~Phlox]

This is exactly us. I pray, pray, pray and trust! That's about all I can do.

Phlox

 

We have no health insurance. Mainly because dh is self-employed and it is cost prohibitive for us. We are overall very healthy and do pay as we go.

 

I would not enter into that position lightly. If dh had an employer we would jump on the insurance. I would not do it if we had a child with a chronic health problem.

 

We cover ourselves in a lot of prayer, vitamins, and trying to eat right. We've been blessed that our health care expenses have been minimal in the last few years.

 

:grouphug: I know what you mean about insurance companies, it is frustrating.

[Jenny in Atl]

:grouphug::grouphug:

You are not alone. We are also sinking under even with BCBS ($3000 det). Covers little and less each day. Also self employed here and dreading the next re-sign increase in premiums.

[VaKim]

We have none. No way we can even afford it. I figure if anything major does happen, we can't pay say, 30,000 dollars any easier than we could pay 3 million. We would be paying for the rest of our lives either way.

[The Governess]

And I thought I had problems with our insurance!! I'm sorry you are going through this. :grouphug:

 

I don't think I could ever go without insurance. I'm just too scared to do it. What if (god forbid) My dh or I developed some sort of cancer that required long-term treatment? Who would treat us if we didn't have insurance or some other way to pay for it? With a life-threatening illness like that you could easily spend $50,000 to $100,000 over the course of a year. *That* is why I would recommend keeping a high-deductible policy. A hospital would probably be much happier to treat you knowing that you will owe them $5,000 at the end of it, with the insurance company picking up the rest.

 

The other nice thing about having a high deductible policy is that you will pay the rate the doctor negotiated with the insurance company when you go in for a visit, or get bloodwork done, etc., which can be as much as 50 percent less than you would have paid if you didn't have insurance. This price difference will cover part of the cost of your monthly premium.

 

If the insurance you are using now isn't cutting it, I would look around for a policy with a different company. Maybe ask at your doctor's office and see what they recommend. And talk to the companies beforehand and get a list of what is and isn't covered so you don't get surprised later.

 

I hope you find something that works for you and that you don't have to resort to stopping your coverage.

[beansprouts]

I'd like to come back to this thread when I have more time.

 

Yes, we dropped our insurance early this summer. My dh is a business owner and we were paying over $1000 a month for health insurance plus high co-pays. I think the last straw was when dd needed stitches earlier this year. The total ER bill was about $530 of which our portion was $150!! Just give us back our own money and we'll pay the stinkin' bill ourselves.

 

FTR none of us has any major health issues, and we have an excellent agent who can put us back on our group plan anytime our situation changes.

[Kathy in MD]

I'm with the others, a major medical surprise can affect the care you get and lead to bancruptcy -- fast. I've been on protocals where one dose of a drug costs $1000. And that was only one of the "pre-meds" to control allergic reactions to the medicine that would "cure" me.

 

It sounds like you have a choice, but making health insurance decisions is almost impossible. They purposely hide their ordinary and customary charges so you can't easily make a comparison. The only way I've found them is to call asking for specific coverages. It sounds like you do have enough history to select insurance based on that.

 

I suggest that you check with your dh's personnel office for the companies that have a good reputation with the employees. Then call a school break during open enrollment and pour over the plans to find the best one for you. A good HMO may be better for your family than a PPO.

[lynn]

If you can put aside money each month for unexpected medical expenses I think it would be great. In some cases the small portion theyw ould pay can really help.

[Sandy in Indy]

We did not have health insurance for years. We're also SE and couldn't possibly afford it. Our kids were covered under the state's program, which was wonderful. We took care of everything for dh and me or did without. (Our dr was great about giving us sample meds.) That was OK till dh had to have an emergency triple by-pass. Fortunately, we qualified for assistance; otherwise, I would have died still paying on that bill. ($70,000--and that's with the surgeon reducing his fee for us!)

 

Here in Indy, there's a hospital that offers a program for the uninsured. It's income based and we have to go through an approval process every year. We pay no monthly fee and very reasonable deductibles for visits and meds. We have had good care and dh has been able to see the specialists he needs. It's truly been a blessing for us.

 

Before you drop your coverage, I'd see what other options might be available to you. Perhaps there's a similar program in your area.

[mommaduck]

We don't have insurance. The Dr's and Hospitals here offer a huge discount if you pay upfront and still lower than "full price" if you have to be billed instead of an insurance company.

[Murphy101]

I can't afford chemo for myself or my children. And in the last year I have had a number of friends need it, including a friend's seemingly perfectly healthy daughter. If I had cancer (or any other serious disease) I would want to be able to look at all the treatment options and choose the one that is best for me without having to be especially concerned about the costs. And I would feel even more that way about one of my children - I want the right treatment - not necessarily the cheapest one. And if I were having neurological problems (just as an example) and my doctor recommended diagnostic procedures that are expensive, I wouldn't want to be thinking, "but for that price, I could buy a new car!" I really want my husband to never feel like I didn't have the best care possible because of the money.

 

So for me, I would not be happy without a policy that at least covered these "major event" type things.

 

okay...

I'm feel like I'm talking to a bunch of really rich people or something.:confused:

 

We've never had or met anyone who had insurance like that!

 

Insurance doesn't let you choose amoung options. Either it's covered or it's not. And if it's not, then you are up creek with a useless insurance card as a paddle. When my mother had cancer she really felt she needed to go to a different treatment center for different treatment, but it wasn't covered so she went to the crudy one and got what was covered. And my dad STILL lost his entire savings. Most insurance caps out after a certain dollar amount. Some as little as 100,000.00 in a lifetime. 6 months later mom was dead, dad was selling the house they'd lived in for 20+ years, and he was telling the bill collectors to go ___ because he was broke. They had what many considere great state employee insurance, again not an HMO. And it was great for regular stuff, but the coverage for major medical was almost useless.

 

I can't count how often we couldn't wait for treatment until insurance finally paid up, so had to get a loan or do without treatment. Everyone says to just pay up and wait for insurance to reimburse like all we have to do is go pluck the money off the tree out back. But we don't have a money tree. When insurance refuses to pay, we don't have money to toss until and IF they change their mind and send a check 6 months later.

 

Right now, I have ZERO insurance covered options for this pregnancy, unless you consider being forced into a none medically neccessary c/s a viable option.:001_huh:

 

By all means if you have an insurance plan with affordable premiums that let's you choose from any options of care you want and pays for 100K treatements and such - let me know where to sign and I'm there.

 

But for US, our insurance is actually seriously restricting our options. Because we have coverage, we don't qualify for ANY state assistance.

Because we have insurance, providers are only willing to offer covered procedures.

Because we have insurance, money that we could use every month is going down the toilet leaving us without the option of using those funds for medical costs that do come up and aren't covered or delayed in being approved.

 

Really folks. I'm not angry that you are glad ot have insurance. I'm just frustrated that people don't seem to understand where I'm comming from.:confused:

 

I'm NOT against paying for insurance.

I'm not just being a stubborn penny pincher or something.

I'm VERY willing to pay whatever funds we have towards quality care, limited though our funds are I would never consider good care to be a waste of them.

I'm against paying for nothing, no options, and poo care. I don't think I need insurance for that?:confused:

[Cherrie]

I live in Canada and we complain about our government insurance, because of wait times for treatment.DH has extended medical from his union that we have been also complaining about as it costs so much per hour( I think like a $1.20) worked with no capped amount and dh works a lot of over time ,he puts in enough for two other families. The union says it keeps down the cost for everyone. I will stop complaining now it doesn't cost much compared to what you all pay. I am feeling sad for you ,I can only imagine the stress it must cause you.

[Danestress]

I don't think I have the world's greatest insurance (it's just one of the BC/BS options). Prior to having this, we had Tricare Standard which many people think it horrid, but it was okay for us. Maybe if one of us had a major health problem, I would find out it's not as good as I think.

 

As far as choices, what I mean is that if you get breast cancer, you might have to make hard choices about treatment options. Your insurance might not cover all of them anyway, but you and your doctor might find yourselves discussing, "Do we want to be aggressive and do chemo, or should we treat with radiation?" Insurance might cover both. Or neither. But you often have a choice between a number of ways to consider treating illnesses, and sometimes you don't WANT the most expensive option.

 

On a much simpler level, when I have a sick or injured child and I am starting to feel scared, I want to just decide whether to take him in to the doctor or not based on the medical facts before me. I don't want to not go because of the money. I realize that's just the reality of life for many people. Even people with insurance have a co-pay they have to think about. But just in general, I don't want to look at my crying child and think 'maybe it's broken, but if it is, I can't really afford to fix it anyway, so let's assume it's just sprained, put ice on it, and hope for the best."

 

Again, I know many people HAVE to look at it that way. But before I dropped insurance, I would discuss that type of scenario with DH and figure out how you would feel about it.

 

I'm so sorry about your mother. That's so sad. My DH's first wife died, and he had a lot of debt from uncovered medical care. She had thousands and thousands of covered care too, but it took him forever to pay off the non-covered things.

 

Anyway, I understand all the reasons you are upset about your insurance. And actually, if you cancelled your insurance, could you just pick up Medicaid? Would you then qualify? You keep saying you aren't covered because you have insurance. If you cancel, will you all then be covered? Because that sounds like a reasonable thing to consider, and that wouldn't be going "without" insurance. Your insurance would be Medicaid.

 

By the way, I am horrified that your insurance is trying to force you to have an unnecessary C-Section, and I don't blame you for being upset. That really does feel like *less* choice rather than more.

[Renee in NC]

:iagree:

 

I think you are maybe looking at this from a different perspective. You haven't said how much you are paying each month for insurance or how much you use it. Have you sat down and determined what your medical costs are compared to your premiums? Also, if your dh is Type-1 diabetic, he isn't likely to be able to be covered outside of a group plan or it will be extremely high cost.

 

I am sorry for your C-section problem! I can't imagine how frustrating that would be. However, it isn't an insurance problem - it's a hospital problem (because their policy makes it necessary for you to have a c/s if you want to deliver there.) Here in NC, everyone I have know who had a home birth had to pay out of pocket - insurance won't cover it.

 

Would you qualify for state assistance if you didn't have insurance? Here in NC we wouldn't unless our monthly income was less than $900 or so.

[Joanne]

But for US, our insurance is actually seriously restricting our options. Because we have coverage, we don't qualify for ANY state assistance.

Because we have insurance, providers are only willing to offer covered procedures.

Because we have insurance, money that we could use every month is going down the toilet leaving us without the option of using those funds for medical costs that do come up and aren't covered or delayed in being approved.

 

I think I understand.

 

When I divorced my children's Dad, I was without insurance. I have to say I felt (and was) very vulnerable. It compromised instead of liberated my choices and served to make an already less than adequate health program worse. I could not afford private insurance, and, because the the child support, didn't qualify for state insurance. It was an awful bind.

 

More recently, because of my xh's actions, I'd lived in insurance h*ll. I agree that the application of health insurance is complicated, and in many cases, arbitrary. Due to the more than 90 day lapse in coverage, my dd's disease wasn't covered. My DH had taken a job *just for* benefits for the whole family. However, putting the kids on tha excluded them from state coverage which was the only thing that would cover my dd.

 

I think I have it all figured out now, but it has been a nightmare.

 

So, yes, I think I get the complicated mess you are in. Having been immersed in similar circumstances, I would still take part in the very flawed, very messed up health insurance system if I were able vs. no coverage.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

We have been uninsured for at least 8 years. For us, it wasn't even an option, we just had no choice.

 

If you feel you need to cut your expenses by cutting out your premium, I would look at putting away at least 1/2 of your current premium a month into an account with good return for medical emergencies. That way, if something unseen does happen, you have some money put away for it to help with the expenses.

 

Also, I would really think twice about dropping your dh with his diabetes. If, for some reason, things start going downhill with him and you decide to go on insurance again, it could be something another company won't cover because it's preexsisting. Just a thought.

[MyBlueLobsters]

I have not read all the responses, so forgive me if I repeat. But, DH and I are healthy, my two older boys are healthy. We rarely went to the Dr. I got pregnant for a 3rd time at 25. Nothing out of the ordinary during that pregnancy. Then when our baby was born he came with several suprises! He had a cleft palate and Down Syndrome. He has had 7 surgeries and hospital stays. The Celft palate surgery alone was $100,000. If we didn't have insurance, we'd be broke. Even if you don't expect something to go 'wrong' things happen. I would personally advise against getting rid of it totally. JMHO...good luck!

[Joanne]

Another thing to consider is what if someone in the family, god forbid, comes down with a chronic illness or a serious disease?

 

:iagree:

 

My family was rarely sick, even from common street illnesses. We had nothing chronic, no risk factors.

 

And my dd developed a severe autoimmune that requires several severe and spendy meds, doctor's visits, etc.

[Holly IN]

well I am so glad we have insurance.

 

Last month ds was rushed to the ER for severe asthma attack. He was admitted to the hospital after 6 hours in the ER. Insurance paid our ER bill so I didn't see that one.

 

Our total In hospital bill was about $18,500. Our co-pay is $250. Pretty good insurance and I wouldn't want to do without it.

 

We never had any problem with our insurance paying for something. Let me give you another example that is totally different than my ds's hospitalization which is a covered expense.

 

My dd who has autism, is going through a NON Covered therapy. It took 3 months to see if the insurance would even consider covering. This is a NON Covered therapy. After talking with the insurance company and getting our family dr to write up a script for us, the insurance approved the therapy for our dd. This is Not Covered by our insurance but because we jumped through the hoops we got this covered. We just have to pay our co-pay as if it is in network coverage. (this is out of network but covered as if it is in network).

 

I believe some insurance do work with you on things as mine did. This is a PPO insurance for us. alot of hoops to work through but very well worth it. Yes it was a hassle. I am thankful for our insurance coverage. We pay about $350 a month for our insurance. This is a group private insurance.

 

Holly

[Paula in MS]

You need to realize that if something happens and you decide to go back to even a group plan, you will have a pre-existing condition that will not be covered for up to a year. I would buy a major medical policy through an insurance broker. I went to Dave Ramsey's website and used one of his endorsed local providers in my area. They will take your information and shop rates for you. It can be a financial disaster if you go without insurance. My first husband was in his mid-thirties and very "healthy" when he died from cancer. You don't want to know how much that cost. Insurance is good!

 

If I were you, I would find a more cost-effective policy, but keep some kind of insurance.

 

Paula

[Holly IN]

 

 

Also, I would really think twice about dropping your dh with his diabetes. If, for some reason, things start going downhill with him and you decide to go on insurance again, it could be something another company won't cover because it's preexsisting. Just a thought.

 

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

A friend of ours has diabetes. He wants to change his job so bad but can't due to his diabetes. Insurance will NOT cover this or your dh if you drop and try to get another. I wouldn't drop in this case. It is best to stick with it. Jump through the hoops. Find somebody you can trust at the insurance company. I found mine. Get a case manager to help you with whatever issue you have. You are allowed to get a case manager. That is our we got our dd's noncovered therapy to be covered.

 

HOlly

[dirty ethel rackham]

Martha,

 

I can understand where you are coming from. My friend never had insurance for her family. They could never afford it. When her husband was hospitalized for siezures, it was $40,000. They later found out he had a brain tumor. Doctors would not even talk to them because they did not have insurance. A social worker was able to help them get some treatment, but he died within 3 months. Around that time, her son was diagnose with Type 1 diabetes. They could not find a doctor who would even let them make an appointment without having insurance, even if they showed up with cash to pay for the appointment. I am convinced that the only reason her son is alive today is because someone from church gave the doctor some money to take this boy as a patient. She is destitute and could lose her house because she is saddled with medical bills, both from her late husband and her son.

[dragons in the flower bed]

We have none. No way we can even afford it. I figure if anything major does happen, we can't pay say, 30,000 dollars any easier than we could pay 3 million. We would be paying for the rest of our lives either way.

 

We are in the same boat here. There's a spot in our monthly budget for medical debt, and that's the best we can do right now.

 

I would not drop it even with the issues you're having, for reasons others have shared.

[dragons in the flower bed]

When her husband was hospitalized for siezures, it was $40,000. They later found out he had a brain tumor. Doctors would not even talk to them because they did not have insurance. A social worker was able to help them get some treatment, but he died within 3 months.

 

Yep, that's why I would not drop it no matter what. Doctors will not treat an uninsured patient the same way they would treat an insured patient. That little laminated card is your ticket to speedy care, and in health situations, that is often the difference between life and death.

[Jenny in Atl]

Yep, that's why I would not drop it no matter what. Doctors will not treat an uninsured patient the same way they would treat an insured patient. That little laminated card is your ticket to speedy care, and in health situations, that is often the difference between life and death.

 

We are holding on to ours... but I feel it's slipping away. Last few months we have had to buy food with cc's to have enough to cover insurance, mortagage, etc. Ugh, that money guy is wagging his finger at me. :tongue_smilie:

[newbie]

I wish I could go w/o insurance. But until kids are grown, that is not a reality in our house.

 

We are self employed , so we pay private HMO and it is ridiculous. Dh wants to go w/o.

 

But, four yrs ago, my appendix burst, and if we did not have ins. we could never afford the million dollar bills.

 

Also prior to that youngest dd was in NICU. These are things I dont want to pop up w/o.

 

That said, there should be better systems.

 

Jet

[sleepy]

Yes, dh and I have been without insurance for years. Not by choice, though, we simply cannot afford it. Luckily, the kids are covered by medicaid... not ideal, but better than nothing.

 

Being without medical insurance is a very stressful situation to be in. I'm terrified of something happening to one of us, and I'm oh, so tired of sprouting white hairs over it. :tongue_smilie:

[Cricket]

We have been uninsured for at least 8 years. For us, it wasn't even an option, we just had no choice.

 

If you feel you need to cut your expenses by cutting out your premium, I would look at putting away at least 1/2 of your current premium a month into an account with good return for medical emergencies. That way, if something unseen does happen, you have some money put away for it to help with the expenses.

 

Also, I would really think twice about dropping your dh with his diabetes. If, for some reason, things start going downhill with him and you decide to go on insurance again, it could be something another company won't cover because it's preexsisting. Just a thought.

 

:iagree: We have been without insurance for almost 7 years. We all were covered through Medicaid last year but that has expired and we no longer qualify. Last year when our 4 yo dd started getting kidney infections the doctor pulled us aside and said we had to apply for Medicaid because all the procedures they needed to do were going to get very expensive very quickly. She ended up in the hospital for two days with a kidney stone and then needing surgery later on. I thought the care my dd received through Medicaid was great. But now we are without insurance again. Dh is going to be 50 next year. We will be lucky if he will even be accepted by anyone.

 

Another thing is to call an insurance broker. They know about more companies and insurance policies that you can find by yourself online or wherever. We came across a policy for about $550 for our family. It would have been $100 less if dh would quit chewing tobacco. That is a great price for what looked like very good coverage. But dh still think we can't afford it. If it was only up to me, I would pay it. I watched how his father had a small stroke and heart attack two months before he qualified for Medicare and it cost them over $100,000. Good thing they are wealthy and own lots of property because all they had to do was sell a piece of land to pay the bill. We aren't that fortunate! But God has taken very good care of us! We couldn't understand why dh had been doing so poorly at work (he works on strict commission). If he hadn't done so poorly, we never would have qualified for coverage for dd.

[TexasRachel]

We had friends that did this. Had home births they paid for out of their pocket. Paid for ER visits and the occasional doctor visits also. And then she had pre-term labor and spent a few weeks in the hospital and the baby in the NICU. And they ended up with thousands and thousands of dollars worth of medical bills because they wanted to save a little bit of money. I know how much they made b/c he has the same job as my DH. They both get paid well enough to afford insurance.

 

Quite honestly, I think it's too close to playing Russian roulette to be without *anything*. You don't know if you're going to be in an accident. Something could come up and you could be ruined. Is the plan you're currently on the only thing available? Is there a catastrophic plan available? Where you pay up to $5/10,000 and then the insurance kicks in? I completely understand looking at that money disappearing into the black hole known as insurance and thinking you can do better with it, but it's a safety net, a really important one, imo.

[Murphy101]

Quite honestly, I think it's too close to playing Russian roulette to be without *anything*. You don't know if you're going to be in an accident. Something could come up and you could be ruined. Is the plan you're currently on the only thing available? Is there a catastrophic plan available? Where you pay up to $5/10,000 and then the insurance kicks in? I completely understand looking at that money disappearing into the black hole known as insurance and thinking you can do better with it, but it's a safety net, a really important one, imo.

 

10k would ruin us!:ohmy: Can one be more ruined? I mean if 10k would ruin us, it might as well be 100k?

[Kate CA]

We did this for a while and it was very scary, honestly. We had an emergency happen to my daughter that cost several thousand dollars we did not have. If *anything* serious happens - any hospital stay for even one day - it can be in the 10K area really really quickly. I could not chance something like that destroying us financially.

 

Any insurance is better than none. If you really want to do pay-as-you-go type of insurance do something like major medical care - basically an emergency plan so that you have *something* to cover you should the unexpected happen.

 

My two cents. :)

[dirty ethel rackham]

Often a $10,000 bill can be paid over many years, if the hospital is willing to do a payment plan. That's what happened to another friend. An unexpected ER trip and hospitalization during a gap insurance meant a large bill. They worked with the hospital to get them to write off part, but they ended up with a payment plan that took them 8 years to pay off. Now 100k could take a lifetime to pay off.

[Jenny in Atl]

Often a $10,000 bill can be paid over many years, if the hospital is willing to do a payment plan. That's what happened to another friend. An unexpected ER trip and hospitalization during a gap insurance meant a large bill. They worked with the hospital to get them to write off part, but they ended up with a payment plan that took them 8 years to pay off. Now 100k could take a lifetime to pay off.

 

I did this with both my dd's. We had "some" coverage for the first, still paid 10k over four years, and no coverage for Fi, but my OB "told a fib" for us and reported to the insurance company that my c-section was an emergency, so it knocked the price down to 6k. Again, took us a couple years to pay off. It was an irony, as Fi was in the hospital just one year and one month after her birth fighting for her life, and we had still not paid off the bills from her birth.

[ereks mom]

We have no health insurance. Mainly because dh is self-employed and it is cost prohibitive for us.

 

...If dh had an employer we would jump on the insurance.

 

 

This is exactly us. I pray, pray, pray and trust! That's about all I can do.

 

 

 

It's scary at times, and I wish it were different.

[Kari C in SC]

Obviously, this is a personal choice, but I can share my experiences.

 

Several years ago, my dh got a pretty large kidney stone. He had 3 surgeries and countless office visits. We paid $100 for the whole thing. The total bill was about $30,000. That was our first major use for insurance other than childbirth.

 

A couple of years ago, our dd jabbed her scooter handle into her chin. That required be sedated and having internal stitches put in. Total bill was around $1500, we paid $100.

 

Last year, my dh broke his collar bone riding a tiny little motorcycle. He was without insurance. He did not go to the ER because he knew we didn't have insurance. Instead, we called every number in the book and finally found somebody to see him. It was not easy. Most wanted $500 to walk in the door. We lucked out and were able to keep the cost down. It was not fun. My dh was in pain and we should have been able to just go to the ER. Instead we had to shop around for his health.

 

My kids were on Florida Healthy kids last year and part of this year. We moved to SC and my dd crushed her ankle on the trampoline the first 10 days we were here. She ended up in the hospital for 4 days with 2 surgeries following. We saw the doctor about 10 time and I lost count of how many xrays they took each time. Florida Healthy Kids covered all but $10 for two co-pays. In case some don't know what Healthy Kids is - it is for people who do not qualify for medicaid, but still can't afford typical insurance. I had a great experience with it and my kids are now on the SC Healthy Kids.

 

My dh has insurance through his employer. They company pays half for the first year and all after that. We couldn't afford my insurance through them, so I have a self-insured high deductable policy. My dh takes meds that run about $300 a month and was uninsurable on his own. We thank God daily that he now has it through is work.

 

With all that said, no - I would not cancel insurance through a company if I could possibly afford it. I also would not even consider it with many children and a baby on the way. Anything can happen - a scooter or trampoline accident are simple and common.

[TexasRachel]

Because you don't have to have $10,000 upfront. With DS we would only pay $5/month for his medical bills. That's all we could afford because there were so many bills. Some months we had over 20 payments. Yes, it took *years* for some of them. But we flat out told them, "We cannot pay more than $5/month. We will pay every month, but only $5." They can't turn you down. It's not a car; it's your health. I had to learn to be very stubborn. They try to get you to pay more, but you don't have to. Not once they've seen you anyways. Just push for an acceptable payment plan.

[Jugglin'5]

Here's the thing: you can negotiate and make payments on a 10,000 bill. One hundred thousand - not so much. I feel like I am talking out of both sides of my mouth because DH just got a new job with very good insurance. Before, DH was self-employed, and we a typical very high deductible (10,000 per family member) and no maternity coverage, except in emergency situations, insurance. But it made our premium relatively affordable (329? was the last I think, for our family of 7), and it got us in to see the doctors. The other thing is, if you drop your insurance before the baby is born, and something is wrong with the baby, and you make too much for Medicaid etc, you are scr**ed. The baby will have a pre-existing condition. We had to pay cash for our last two babies, because you don't get maternity with self-employed insurance in TX. That's when we also discovered that they actually charge you more if you don't have insurance. So 10,000 may be your deductible, but if you didn't get the insurance discounts your bill might be $20,000. This shocked me, because I remember when I was younger, and uninsured, you could get a cash discount. Now it seems to be mostly reversed.

 

All this rambling to say, I would hold on to it, as long as I could, even if it is until after the baby is born. Go with the highest deductible you can get if you have to. But keep the insurance if you can.

[HSMom2One]

We were exactly in your situation and decided to give up the group insurance. It was costing almost $700 per month for our family of three, and at that it only covered 50-80% of the bill. As a cancer survivor with CAT scans and lab work that had to be done yearly, I was always having to pay my balance off with monthly payments. We finally decided that since my cancer has been cured for five years and we are all relatively healthy, we would be better off to cancel the insurance and pay as we go. It is a lot cheaper this way, and the clinics and hospital works with us. We live in a small rural area where there are excellent doctors that are willing to work with us.

 

We are also considering a faith based medical cost sharing plan that we know is very sound as an alternative to health insurance. We can enroll at different levels for a fraction of the cost of health insurance. When a medical emergency arises, people pool together the funds and help pay the bill. They also have specialists that can help you negotiate the tab for each event. I know people that have used this type of plan and they have successfully worked through two major surgeries without ending up with huge bills.

 

When dh and I married 14 years ago we had full coverage for our family of five that included medical, dental and vision. With a very small co-pay of $10 per visit, the only other cost was $35 per month. Boy, those were the days!

 

blessings,

Lucinda

[Nakia]

Martha,

Have you thought about something like this?

 

I know some people who participate in the samaritan ministries program. It is one set price and it is a something like a "shared" expense program. Just a thought.

[caitlinsmom]

We have no insurance. My dh works for a very small company (only 4 employees) and they cant afford to offer it. We wouldnt get it anyway because we wouldnt be able to afford it. We just stay as healthy as possible and pay as we go. All dr's we have had to see have been very willing to work with us, but we do live in a very small town where everyone knows everyone so that may make a difference. We have only used to dr maybe 2 in three years other than my pregnancy, so really it would have been a huge waste of money for us. Who knows what the future holds though.

We would like to have it for a really bad in case situation but until we win the lotto it isnt going to happen. :) Good luck on your decision.

[snickelfritz]

She said that they are seeing it more and more. She even had one person who wanted to get on her husband's individual policy and her employer wouldn't let her off of their group policy. :confused:

 

She doesn't know that they would have jurisdiction, but you could contact the Oklahoma Insurance Commision to ask about the legality of it.