Are your young adults under 26 paying their own medical bills?

[Pamela H in Texas]

Yes, but both of mine are working full time.  One had to use credit briefly.  

[Carrie12345]

With 5 kids and a large age range, my premiums won't change much by having my oldest 2 on, so I don't see a real reason to charge them there.

 

I am a long way off from that, but I can't imagine letting my 20-something lose everything they have due to medical bills.  I'm not even sure what that looks like.  "Sorry for the eviction and car repo, but that's what you get for breaking your leg skiing!"

[TechWife]

No, that 1/8 of the person's income represents the bill for a single procedure, not for that person's "healthcare costs."

 

And the idea of "evaluating options" sounds lovely, until and unless you happen to be a person who has a chronic issue of some kind that wasn't preventable and didn't happen as a result of a "poor choice" or anything else.

Thank you. My son had an illness that resulted in permanent kidney damage. Neither the illness nor the kidney damage came about as a result of any choices he made. Now, for him, routine medical care involves extensive lab work and office visits with a nephrologist four times a year. The office visit alone is $200. The lab work is about $900. If he doesn't monitor his health in this way, the ability to adjust medications and diet to minimize further damage is greatly diminished, if not impossible. Failure to do so could result in the need for a kidney transplant. So, yes, we pay for the medical appointments, because who wants to get in line for a kidney transplant? This expense, plus treatment for another chronic condition (again, not a choice) is impossible to bear with his present earning potential, which will only improve slightly over time.

[Tap]

I will pay my kids living expenses, including medical,  through college while they live at home. Once they move out or quit school, then they will be expected to pay thier own bills.  Gap years would be ok, depending on the reason.  There are many, many colleges in our area, if they have to leave home to go to a different college, I will only pay their expenses if they don't have a suitable local choice.

 

Ds22 has only been to the doctor twice in 5 years *maybe longer for things other than checkups; strep throat and esophageal burn due to his doxycycline.   Those bills would have been $200-300 without any insurance. If his health continues in similar trends, then he will be fine to pay his own medical bills.

 

DD18 has had over 100 appointments in the last year and each year hits our out of pocket max of $5000  In 2017  she has already had 60 appointments, so we will easily top 100 next year.  There  is no way she could pay that on top of how expensive living on your own is in our area.   She can't work or go to school full time due to her health. If her health continues to decline, I may have to look at having her apply for  disability services.  (Her medical condition is one that could leave her wheelchair bound.)  She gets 2x week IV treatments which our portion are $1000 per month and massage/chiropractic weekly which is $120.  Then you start adding in all the specialists and PCP....

 

 

Edited May 19, 2017 by Tap

[KathyBC]

I was thinking more about the many young adults of my acquaintance who have gotten injured doing "extreme" sports. Sorry, I don't see it as my responsibility to help bail you out financially because you got hurt chasing an adrenaline rush. :rolleyes:

So does that group get to say they don't want to pay for conditions caused by those who choose a sedentary lifestyle?  :auto:

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I was thinking more about the many young adults of my acquaintance who have gotten injured doing "extreme" sports. Sorry, I don't see it as my responsibility to help bail you out financially because you got hurt chasing an adrenaline rush. :rolleyes:

But that isn't want you originally stated which is why I expressed my surprise.

[Guest]

Our college students are on ours. The oldest will stay on until he has a job with better insurance than ours. Since we now have a very large family deductible, I suspect he will find a single person premium plus deductible much less expensive. 9% of income is the AFA amount bandied about as reasonable. We pay that annually since our premium and deductibles.are much higher than the pre AFA HMO plan. We didn't receive anything other than a mammo and some physicals for our hefty premium last year, unless I count the 'savings' by getting the negotiated price for bloodwork and dr visits.

 

I did not exit the dc at 18 with undone health care needs. The dental work wasn't delayed, so yes, I paid for wisdom teeth removal and orthodontia. Also up to date glasses. Many of their friends moonlight to pay for those needs, as well as pass downed cars that need a lot of repairs.

[Guest]

So does that group get to say they don't want to pay for conditions caused by those who choose a sedentary lifestyle? :auto:

They should. I know I don't want to pay for my family members who choose to eat themselves into type 2 diabetes. They had the education and decided they would rather eat out than cook. Let fast food joints pick up the tab for the damage they cause, just like tobacco companies. I want to spend my money on healthy eating, not insulin for people who want to hand me their bill.

[SKL]

I should have mentioned that part of teaching kids about their medical choices includes the understanding of *why* we have insurance nowadays.  It isn't really *insurance* for the most part.  It is us buying into the fee rates that apply to insured people.  We need to bribe ins cos to bribe docs to not bankrupt us every time we break a finger or catch an easily treatable infection. Personally I think that is completely jacked up, but it is our current reality.

[Guest]

My ex and I are not in a position to help the kids or we would.

 

ds25 has Tricare.

 

dd28 has done everything in her power to get the collection agencies to stop calling us. She has also reassured us that she has a very different attitude towards debt than our generation and that she doesn't hate herself for going to the ER when she thought that her life might be in danger.

 

She will never make us grandparents and she will never pay off her debt, but it affects her more the way we would feel if a dark, swarthy character stepped out of a dark alley and said, "Your money or your life!" so she had to mace him than the way those of us who grew up indoctrinated with the Horatio Alger myth in the twentieth century would feel about having to choose between going to the ER or letting our landlords find the body six weeks later by the smell.

Edited May 19, 2017 by Guest

[Crimson Wife]

So does that group get to say they don't want to pay for conditions caused by those who choose a sedentary lifestyle?  :auto:

 

Keeping fit can be done with reasonably safe activities. Walking, swimming, stationary cycling, using the elliptical, Zumba class, etc. You don't need to do something risky just to stay in shape.

[Crimson Wife]

But that isn't want you originally stated which is why I expressed my surprise.

 

I said that I wouldn't pay for my adult offspring's medical bills that are the result of poor lifestyle choices. The exception would be that I would help out with prenatal care & childbirth-associated costs regardless of the circumstances because I don't believe the baby should be punished for the sins of his/her parents.

[Aelwydd]

It's one thing to subsidize bad habits and consistently bad life choices. It's another to help out my son in the case of a live-and-learn, odd case of a poor decision. I don't think it's particularly helpful to have a child spend decades in debt for something like that.

 

But I'm of the sort that my goal is to help ds to succeed in life and to get ahead. Not punish him and set him back for a mistake. Yesteryear's paternalistic message of "18 and you're on your own now, be responsible like we were" offers little hope in today's economy.

 

In any case, his asthma is something he has had since he was a baby, and viral-induced attacks are an ever present threat. One bad illness can land him in a hospital. Of course, he gets his flu shots and takes his meds, and excercises regularly. But we, his parents, will take care of his insurance and costs as long as we are able.

[Χά�ων]

Keeping fit can be done with reasonably safe activities. Walking, swimming, stationary cycling, using the elliptical, Zumba class, etc. You don't need to do something risky just to stay in shape.

I fell and had a horrible ankle injury while walking. Does that make walking a dangerous activity?

 

What about people who are mugged walking?

[Laura Corin]

I fell and had a horrible ankle injury while walking. Does that make walking a dangerous activity?

 

What about people who are mugged walking?

 

Husband has a life-long ankle injury that resulted from stepping into a rabbit hole.  The adrenaline rush!

[AmandaVT]

I wonder if your DS might be better off if he applied for Medicaid? His income level is just under the limit of $16,400. 

 

We're not there yet, as DS is 9, but, if he had big medical bills in his early 20's, we would help out if we could. My dad helped me out as recently as my late 20's when I had emergency dental work done that cost over $2,000 out of pocket. I offered to pay him back, but he refused, saying that he could afford it easily and knew I couldn't and it made him happy to help. 

[Garga]

I fell and had a horrible ankle injury while walking. Does that make walking a dangerous activity?

 

What about people who are mugged walking?

Isn't it a fallacy when you take someone's point to an extreme? Being mugged while walking is taking her point to a silly level.

 

I think she meant that if her son was one of those people you see videos of riding their bikes down the sides of literal cliffs. Or skydiving. That's the sort of thing she wouldn't want to have to pay for if he broke an arm doing that. If you want to do something that's ridiculously dangerous and everyone knows it, then you pay for the injury yourself.

 

Doing regular sports is one thing, but jumping over buses on your motorcycle is a different thing.

[Χά�ων]

Isn't it a fallacy when you take someone's point to an extreme? Being mugged while walking is taking her point to a silly level.

Not really. People do live in an urban core and choose to walk 1-2 miles to places through areas that would make most suburbanites run screaming.

 

Being aware of surroundings and taking percautions is a real issue for millions every day.

[ChocolateReignRemix]

I said that I wouldn't pay for my adult offspring's medical bills that are the result of poor lifestyle choices. The exception would be that I would help out with prenatal care & childbirth-associated costs regardless of the circumstances because I don't believe the baby should be punished for the sins of his/her parents.

 

No, that is not what you said, which is why I questioned it.

 

Your actual statement was:

"There's a difference between paying for a medical expense that was the result of a lifestyle choice (contraception if not subject to Obamacare mandates, STD testing & treatment, accident during sports or recreational activity, etc.) and paying for an expense that was truly out of the control of the young adult."

[Lady Florida.]

Ds 19 is on our insurance and doesn't pay either his portion of the premium (which comes out of dh's paycheck) or his co-payments. I didn't pay for my medical needs when I was in college either. When he graduates and starts working, or should he decide not to continue in school, he'll be expected to contribute at the very least by paying his co-payments. If no changes happen to the health care system and he doesn't get a job with good insurance, we expect to keep him on our plan until he's no longer eligible.

 

Fortunately, he hasn't had any medical issues that cost more than the regular doctor and prescription co-payments. He's probably going to need his wisdom teeth out and that will cost around $900 out of pocket. We'll pay that.

[Lady Florida.]

 Heck, DH wrecked a tendon just running.

 

Yep. Dh works with a guy who did that. And dh tore his rotator cuff removing a tree stump after last fall's hurricane. I know that's not sports related, but it shows how easy it is to damage something and end up with a big medical bill. He wasn't doing anything that was a "poor lifestyle choice".

[Χά�ων]

Yep. Dh works with a guy who did that. And dh tore his rotator cuff removing a tree stump after last fall's hurricane. I know that's not sports related, but it shows how easy it is to damage something and end up with a big medical bill. He wasn't doing anything that was a "poor lifestyle choice".

Obviously it was a lifesyle choice. He made the choice not to be rich and have a slew of minions to do the work for him so he could avoid the injury.

Edited May 19, 2017 by Χά�ων

[QueenCat]

I wonder if your DS might be better off if he applied for Medicaid? His income level is just under the limit of $16,400. 

 

We're not there yet, as DS is 9, but, if he had big medical bills in his early 20's, we would help out if we could. My dad helped me out as recently as my late 20's when I had emergency dental work done that cost over $2,000 out of pocket. I offered to pay him back, but he refused, saying that he could afford it easily and knew I couldn't and it made him happy to help. 

 

In my state, if you're single, even under the income limit and don't have kids, then you do not qualify for Medicaid.

[FaithManor]

Our kids except for our married daughter are on our health insurqnce, and we will help wherever we can. I would not want my young adults to fear seeing the doctor because they can't afford a lab test or have a deductible their income is too low to manage.

 

We paid some of dd's medical bills from her emergency abdominal surgery. She had her own health insurance through her employer, but had to be off work without much pay since she had very little vacation time as a newer medic, and a $5000 deductible.

[6packofun]

The thing with ds is that this was a sort of freak occurrence, you know?  Other than regular well visits and to see the dr. about his anxiety--which is being helped very well with a $7/month medication--he has had NO other medical bills.  So I'm telling him that he can look over his whole life so far with barely any medical costs and chalk this one up to chance and we'll get through it together somehow. It won't be like this every year. (It's not going to ruin him if he can do payments, but it severely limits his ability to save and his savings isn't enough to cover it right now.)  But HE is looking at this situation and thinking, oh no, at any moment I could have something ELSE happen to me and I will be totally overwhelmed and never be able to (fill in the blank)!  Hasn't happened, probably won't, but of course it could.

 

I talked to dh and we HAVE met our family deductible for the year so we're going to try to help him as much as possible to take the stress off, even if it's just not asking him for rent.

 

Thank you all for sharing in this thread!

[AmandaVT]

In my state, if you're single, even under the income limit and don't have kids, then you do not qualify for Medicaid.

 

 

That doesn't seem fair! Like the system is punishing people for waiting until they're financially in a good place to have kids. 

[ChocolateReignRemix]

That doesn't seem fair! Like the system is punishing people for waiting until they're financially in a good place to have kids.

Fairness has to little to do with our social safety net.

[La Condessa]

I don't have any kids that age, as my oldest is eight, but I handled all my own medical bills five years ago when I was that age. I was not on my parents' insurance, though--I have paid for my own insurance since I turned 20. We had several times when we had to set up payment plans and pay off medical debts over time. Sure, it's overwhelming and scary to look at those bills mounting up, but, well, adults deal with that stuff all the time.

[Deb in NZ]

Our oldest is 20, so we still pay all medical bills.

 

I would, personally, intend to do my utmost to cover their medical bills as long as they need help. I surely hope we can keep them on our insurance until they have good insurance through a job and have the resources to cover their own bills. But, as long as they need help, we'll be helping. 

 

I sure hope our country's health insurance system gets fixed (UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE AS A RIGHT) before any of us in our family are bankrupted or otherwise killed. I'm glad I own a business and can choose our own plan . . . and that at this moment, there is still one decent insurer with decent plans selling in our local small business market (thank goodness for the ACA SHOP Exchange, which is on the chopping block . . .)  . . . and that we happen to have $$$ to pay the premiums $$$. We'll keep working hard and hoarding our $$$ until our country's disastrous health care industry is taken over by a competent government body. 

 

Or, we'll move to New Zealand in the next couple years. They have universal health care there. 

 

One way or another, we'll do our best to take care of our family.

 

All 3 of our dc pay for all their own medical costs & have since they turned 18.  I am so-o-o-o thankful that we live where the cost healthcare doesn't add to our financial worries.  Universal healthcare isn't perfect, but I prefer it to being in a position where I have to choose to do without necessary medical care due to my account balance.

 

Growing up in the States (1960s-1980s) I never worried about medical costs as my dad's job at IBM had great coverage & when I graduated from university my teaching job had health insurance as a benefit.  Each country I lived in since moving overseas in 1990 has had universal healthcare, including 2 developing countries.  

Edited May 20, 2017 by Deb in NZ

[Carrie12345]

I should have mentioned that part of teaching kids about their medical choices includes the understanding of *why* we have insurance nowadays.  It isn't really *insurance* for the most part.  It is us buying into the fee rates that apply to insured people.  We need to bribe ins cos to bribe docs to not bankrupt us every time we break a finger or catch an easily treatable infection. Personally I think that is completely jacked up, but it is our current reality.

 

I taught a financial literacy class this year, and the insurance unit was difficult for me to get through, trying to stay as non-political and impersonal as possible, as well as emphasizing that there's no telling how things might work in another decade when they're near 26. What a doozy!  But I do think the kids came out of it with as good an understanding as a non-parent (well, except for my own kid who was in my class, lol) can respectfully give a group of teens.  While I don't think many of them have the maturity/life experience to FULLY absorb the enormity of the system and its fragile line between burden and bankruptcy, they're at least aware of some real-life scenarios we calculated.

 

Somewhat ironically, I still need to talk about these things with my *oldest!

[Laura Corin]

I pay for the boys but the costs are minimal because the rest is covered by the NHS through taxation.  Hobbes just had new glasses - the examination was free at the point of delivery and the glasses were subsidised, so cost £45 overall.

Edited May 20, 2017 by Laura Corin