Human Ins insane

[Jollymolly]

Im feeling fragile so excuse my steam. I have to consider that I may need to drop my ins all together. My annual costs without ins are over 20,000 a year and unless I have a major dif like a auto wreck or something my costs are going to double having ins. It just kills me that I am given things for treatment and they are unaffordable on ins. For ex I was given a script for PT 3 x week for 12 weeks. When I asked what my copay was going to be I was told $300 a time till my deductible is paid. I don't exatly think I have an extra $900 a week to make that happen. SO I had to deny the treatment.

This has me in tears as I have not been able to get any real medical coverage since Obama care took affect 3 years ago. As I am sure most of you know I am not a well person so I feel trapped between a rock and a hard place. How can one have any hope when they can't even try to get the help they need.

Vent over

[POPTOP]

Oh, so sorry. Medical care is insanely expensive.

DD has a friend who had a work related injury. He is now almost totally disabled, not able to work, and getting no money at all from his employer. Unfortunately, he has had to get a lawyer just to be some medical care and it is not nearly enough to cover his medical care not to say anything about housing and food.

[TuMicks]

I am so sorry. I must admit up front that I am a right wing conservative gun-owning Bible thumping militia type (a bit exaggerated... )

But there seems little doubt that centralization of health care policy in the United States has been done very, very badly. I suppose we could ramble on about conservative philosophy, Montesquieu, John Locke, Adam Smith, blah, blah, blah... The "smartest guys in the room" gave us the Vietnam debacle, and now the same types have designed out health care system. You can get "coverage" but not care. Swell.

But that's just so much blather. The real truth is the one your are living and I'm so sorry you are being ground down by it. Is there some way you can get a rehab routine from the therapists that you can do at home? Honestly, I think the therapists would more than understand.

[Dallas dawg]

^^^^^Amen ^^^^^^

I'm going to hold my tongue and just wish you good thoughts.

AND, don't forget to vote.

[TuMicks]

Seriously... talk to the therapist. I don't know of any that wouldn't give you an exercise routine to do at home. The system sucks, but the care-givers often care very much.

[Sandra]

I'm so sorry to hear this. I just don't understand. I thought with the new Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) health care would actually be affordable!

[TuMicks]

Obamacare has made coverage cheaper for those that qualify for a subsidy. But sadly, even that does not cover the outrageous increase in co-pays and deductibles. (Molly could probably speak to this better than I). And for those that don't qualify for subsidies, they are burned badly on monthly premiums AND if they decide the coverage is just more than they can afford and decide to go "naked"... the IRS bites them at the end of the year.

It's a scheme designed to just kill middle class people. (Not saying they meant it that way... but then again, not saying they didn't either.)

[Jollymolly]

I got denied a credit because I don't earn enough money so I don't qualify. My plan cost almost $800 a month with a 20% coinsurance and a $40 copay. My drugs were supposed to be $10 for generic but because the deductible has not been met I am paying full price on those. This is a really really touchy subject for me. These are some of the reasons I am considering dropping the plan.

Hope that gives you an idea

[Georgia]

I am so sorry you're going through this. I totally sympathize with your predicament. I am dealing with my insurance company right now to obtain coverage and it's become an exercise in futility. My doctor has written letters of medical necessity. Their answer - Deny. Deny. Deny. In September 2015 I went onto DH's insurance because the law firm I worked at went out of business. Same insurance company but the coverage is not the same. I used to get Botox injections in my left leg to treat dystonia brought on by Parkinson's. Apparently that's an off label use of the drug. It's approved for dystonia from MS but not PD. Like it matters. So I haven't had injections since last July and my ankle constantly turns over. As a result I've had several falls. I guess the insurance company would rather put me back together than prevent a fall. So frustrating! In an effort to help with my ankle, the doctor prescribed a very expensive medication. It is an injection I can take up to fives times a day. The insurance company sent me a letter approving the medication for two years. The drug company enrolled me in their copay assistance program and I was getting the medication for free. Awesome right? Nope. I went to refill my prescription and they denied it. Reason. It cost more than they thought it would. Fortunately the drug company was able to help me get my refill but it was absolutely ridiculous to have to go through that to get a prescription. These injections do help but they don't last long. They are designed to get you through off episodes until you take your next dose of medication. So once again we have appealed the decision on the Botox and are waiting for a response to our appeal. It makes me so angry that insurance companies dictate how doctors treat their patients. OK... my vent is over!

[arentspowell]

I'm sorry you're going through this jollymolly. My understanding of the subsidy is that if you don't meet the minimum income you may qualify for Medicaid?