skullaria wrote:
I so wish we had national healthcare. It is outrageous the profit that is made on the life and death of human beings. Regardless, the insurance agencies now approve or disprove your treatment - and even with GOOD insurance - there is NO CAP on out of pocket expenses anymore- at least on our expensive bc/bs policy. I have a chronic, disabling illness. My insurance company over requires so many different doctors visits that my copays can run over 200 a month easily - then they don't want to cover my medications - I can only get covered on OLD medicines - at 35 dollars a month per prescription.
You just don't KNOW how bad this insurance stuff has got until you really get sick.
It makes me so sad - recently I did my best to take care of a friend who got her finger tip cut off with a lawnmower- who DID NOT go to the hospital because of no insurance and no real money to speak of.

During this time I found out that very few of my friends HAD insurance - they either couldn't afford it or couldn't get it - Nice very educated folks with familes. SAD

I was in and out of the hospital with migraines getting MRIs and CAT scans and lumbar punctures and such and the bills have amounted to $5K or so on that I have to pay under my policy. But the worst part is this: the ER doctor will bill like $300, for example. And Blue Cross will negotiate that down to $50. If I had no insurance, I'd owe the complete $300. They consistently knock the bills down to 20% of the original bill.

I can't imagine having to pay that personally.

RE: Insurance Horror Stories - New York Times