I have to buy my own health insurance as a business owner. My COBRA coverage from my last employer ends soon and I’m shopping for coverage. Obamacare means I’m going to be subsidized. Thanks Obama for the Affordable Care Act!
Getting coverage is only a small relief from fear of bankruptcy due to medical bills. I was tens of thousands in debt after my spouse died.
ACA has constantly been under attack so one can’t rely on help from the government.
Healthcare is a human right. Full stop. Lately I’ve been seeing push back on media reporting “feel-good” stories on crowd-funding for medical treatments.
They’re not feel-good. They show the tragedy of the lack of universal health care in the United States of America. We shouldn’t have to fund-raise for people to receive care.
I’m Canadian-American. Grew up in Canada. Spent half my life there. Took ease of health care for granted.
I moved to the U.S. 24 years ago and had to buy my own health insurance while I was unemployed. Confused the fuck out of me.
I was baffled about so many things. What’s the difference between co-pay and co-insurance. How come doctors don’t take every type of coverage? What is it about some insurers that is better than others.
And seriously fuck the actuaries who figure out the odds for you getting a certain health condition, what treatments are covered, and just where the insurance company profits. Why isn’t every health condition covered? What the hell?
Finally – what is this thing where I still owe 40% of what’s covered until I hit an out-of-pocket max that’s extremely high so one can keep monthly insurance payment lower? My max is not something I’m going to hit most years (and they know it).
I’m lucky to be very healthy and needing only preventative care. The only years I hit my max spend were due to trauma care post-accidents , cancer, or a serious episode of bipolar.
Lucky for me, I got a job within three months of arriving in California. Health care (mostly) solved. With bitterness at the amount of money deducted from my paycheck to pay the portion my employers didn’t cover. Another WTF moment – why do I need to share the cost? Employer covered should mean employer covered.
The U.S. is driven by oligarchs and a corpratocracy – health insurance is another way to stick it to the little man and transfer more wealth the the wealthy.
Health insurance is the second biggest expense in my budget after the mortgage. Imagine the boost the economy would get if we had health care. I’d have more money to put into my business, more money to spend and support other businesses. I wouldn’t have to be ranting.