Comments on Suburban Matron: Let's Name Numbers

Wow! Way to be your own advocate! I applaud your...

2012-01-19T11:33:53.072-05:00

Wow! Way to be your own advocate! I applaud your persistence. Thanks for telling your story and shedding light on this messed-up system in our country.

BECAUSE YOU'VE DONE SO MUCH RESEARCH, YOU SHOU...

2011-12-08T13:41:26.364-05:00

BECAUSE YOU'VE DONE SO MUCH RESEARCH, YOU SHOULD BE A CONSULTANT. I'M READY TO PAY YOU FOR HELP WITH MY STUPID INSURANCE.

I read it and read it in complete fear. It is neve...

2011-12-05T15:00:32.826-05:00

I read it and read it in complete fear. It is never more clear to me than when I read something like this that pretty much every American (maybe not the 1%) is one health disaster away from complete ruin. This goes way beyond being your own advocate and the whole process just stinks of "ignore that person and they'll just go away" kind of stuff.

I'm glad that you put this out there. I hope it helps someone.

Good gracious, what a mess. I'm continually a...

2011-12-04T20:20:15.605-05:00

Good gracious, what a mess. I'm continually appalled at what passes for a healthcare system in our country. The people without a full-time person at home to deal with all of this? My gosh...yes, they get sick and die, because what choice do they have? Anything would be better. What the hell is so wrong with socializing anything, anyway? Sharing is a GOOD thing, isn't that what we're telling our tots?

Socialized medicine: amen.

2011-12-04T10:22:14.662-05:00

Socialized medicine: amen.

Dude, we need to connect on this topic. Thanks for...

2011-12-04T00:52:42.645-05:00

Dude, we need to connect on this topic. Thanks for publicly sharing this story for others to connect with.

My company is about to be acquired, where benefits (and possible employment) may be significantly impacted. This is suppose to happen by end of year.

I want to understand this: "Matt got some money from the sale of another company he'd worked for, and was able to leave the job he had here in Atlanta and start his own game company." I message you elsewhere to get more details.

Getting Multiple Myeloma (incurable blood cancer) at age 28 with a stay at home mommy-dominator with several kids makes my future insurances needs a nightmare without a PhD in this stuff. Too bad any didn't really like the studying part of college.

Keep dominating. -Phil

great post. I agree, this needs to be more of an ...

2011-12-03T23:09:03.698-05:00

great post. I agree, this needs to be more of an open conversation using real people's stories in the USA. Keep up the great blogging! Glad you have coverage that is more affordable now.

A wonderful post, full of hugely helpful informati...

2011-12-03T20:49:47.730-05:00

A wonderful post, full of hugely helpful information. So glad you are through with those six months and can breathe a sigh of relief!

Sub Mat, you have just given me the information I ...

2011-12-03T10:54:05.892-05:00

Sub Mat, you have just given me the information I need for my mom's insurance (stage 4, metastasized to the brachial plexus in 2004---and still making feasts and folly for all in her world these many years later!) You have rocked our world today!!! Many, many thanks. I thought I loved you before but this is just making me want to slap you with happiness high five! Thank you!

2011-12-02T20:36:45.671-05:00

This comment has been removed by the author.

Meant to say: thanks so much for sharing your stor...

2011-12-02T20:07:52.077-05:00

Meant to say: thanks so much for sharing your stories. Elizabeth, Michelle, everybody. Michelle, I wish everybody could read what you wrote and the way you said, "We cannot continue this way." We really, really can't.

Michele R, great review on the ACA, thanks. I do t...

2011-12-02T20:01:45.287-05:00

Michele R, great review on the ACA, thanks. I do think it was a great start.

Steve, you haven't used up your goodwill with me!

Great post B. And I agree with Keely- you better b...

2011-12-02T15:44:34.720-05:00

Great post B. And I agree with Keely- you better be around for a long, long time!!

I know I've used up all my goodwill at this po...

2011-12-02T09:49:59.535-05:00

I know I've used up all my goodwill at this point, and at the risk of getting barred from commenting, thank you Michelle R for mentioning the ban on rescission as part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. I think this is the single most important element of the bill. In the movie Sicko there is an interview with a former insurance investigator who was responsible for compiling evidence against people they wanted to kick off their plans. It will send chills down your spine.

ZOMG Becky you went ziplining! ;-) First, I am so...

2011-12-02T08:52:48.791-05:00

ZOMG Becky you went ziplining! ;-)
First, I am so glad that you are healthy and had the moxie to get through all this these months.
Second, you have done a great job of taking the time to write out your story as I am sure it will help others even by just going to healthcare.gov to learn the state options. (i.e. California's open enrollment for children is Jan – March).
Third, you should totally get a GA Insurance license assigned to you since you have done so much research!
Everyone should demand a summary plan description from their employer if that is where they have insurance as it clearly states there may be a right to convert to a policy after COBRA. While under COBRA you had rights just as a similarly situated active employee which means people can ask whomever is administering the COBRA to help with answers or to use that firm’s broker for help.
There really has been such a divide between group and individual insurance. What is interesting is that of group plans, the majority are self insured which means the employer is paying the claims. There is no insurance company to get mad at if something is denied--the employer designs the plan and pays the insurance company to use its network of providers and/or to process and pay claims.
And then you entered the muddy waters of individual insurance with neither adult working for a firm (where you cannot be denied insurance as a new hire although a condition can be excluded for a year if you had a break in coverage(except for an HMO—no pre-ex applies). HIPAA passed in '96 to protect people with less than 63 days of a gap in coverage, group or individual.
Positive changes from the Affordable Care Act of 2010 include for plan renewals after 9/23/10 (for both individual and group plans), no one’s individual policy can be rescinded, there is no pre-ex for children, any working or sitting at home doing nothing even married child up to age 26 can be covered on parent’s plan. For adults, for plan years beginning after 1/1/14, there will be no pre-ex conditions anymore and the states will offer insurance and everyone is required to obtain it somewhere.
I get peeved at the Rx companies and the docs who quickly write the Rxs. We are such a pill popping country. Tell your doc you are blue after baby is born, you get an Rx and then it is on your history as having a pre-ex (which is n/a as mentioned after 2014). We also demand to be pain-free and turn childbirth into a right to have an epidural practically in the parking lot and c-sections are up to 35%. Ever notice how this doesn't happen as much in other countries and there are more midwives to actually care for the whole family experience....and less c-sections and outcomes are better.....

You mention a good point in your comment about the...

2011-12-02T07:43:03.443-05:00

You mention a good point in your comment about the absurdity of health care tied to employment. I heard someone on NPR explain that this grew out of the early 20th c need to have health care for those in high-risk factory jobs where incurring injury and disability were likely. Other employers began offering it as a lure and it evolved into an expectation.

But as NPR pointed out,we require and provide public education for all to ensure an informed citizenry, why wouldn't we want them to be healthy as well? There are good holistic systems of healthcare already in place (Mayo Clinic, for example) that could be models for a different system of care.

Argh.

I live in Canada and read all the comments in Amer...

2011-12-02T06:58:57.609-05:00

I live in Canada and read all the comments in American news about how awful our system is. Well I have to say I think it's great. Great doctors; not really terrible waiting times and paid for my our taxes (which I believe in) Not believing in healthcare is to trust that you'll never really need it or to be shunned by insurance because you had cancer treatment. I guess the insurance and drug companies are pretty powerful and I feel bad for you guys. Taking my dd to a clinic next week; the only thing I'll pay is bus fare.

Diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure at age 30,...

2011-12-02T01:54:56.506-05:00

Diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure at age 30, I had a crash course in health insurance and the Social Security system. Luckily, I was employed at the time and had insurance, including long-term disability. But the hoops I jumped, the paperwork I filled out and followed up on, the countless phone calls, the trips to the Social Security office, the inability to return to my previous position, earning less than half my previous pay at a much lower position once they took me back, looking for another job that would have me, cashing out my 401k, paying for COBRA, worrying if I would make the cut-off date for insurance at my new job.... It was exhausting, and really still is. My family and I talk about it, how hard it is to decipher, and worry about others who may not be able to figure it all out. Who don't know the right questions to ask or have the time or energy or ability to sift through it all.

I know that there will come a day when I can't work again. That I will lose my insurance and will not qualify for anything. That my new 401k will not have enough in it. I know I might be one of the lost ones. I just hope I can stay healthy as long as possible and that something gets resolved before then. Because, as a country, we cannot continue this way. We must value all life and help protect it.

I will say this - I am thankful every day that I had that insurance. That I'm not paying over $200,000 OOP for all the procedures and surgery. I may not have cable. I may not be able to take a vacation. I may clip coupons and carry a generic purse, but I have health insurance. And in this country, it is worth every sacrifice to pay for it.

Sorry for the super-long comment, but I love that you wrote this post! It is so important. You have long been my favorite blogger, and I will refer others to this post. Just like I refer them to the ones about your Neighbors and feather wreaths!

(When signing in to publish my comment, I realize it's been almost 1 year since I last posted on my own blog. I may have my New Year's Resolution! Thanks! I think...)

This is EXACTLY what I've done with my disable...

2011-12-02T01:25:46.624-05:00

This is EXACTLY what I've done with my disabled epileptic daughter's policy out here in California. The only trouble is that the rates DO go up quite steadily from that initial sweet under $300 price. I nodded my head throughout your post, having been down this road for nearly sixteen years. I always love the people who say "No government is going to come between me and my doctor!" They have no idea, no idea at all.

I'm glad you're not dumb. Sometimes, though, the energy expended on all of this makes me just wish I were dumb. And dead.

You know, I was thinking of another related issue,...

2011-12-01T23:13:38.604-05:00

You know, I was thinking of another related issue, though it's admittedly somewhat peripheral to what you're dealing with here... A friend of mine, a doctor, works at a low-income clinic near Sacramento. One of her specialties is working with people who are pre-diabetic, getting them on the right track with their eating, exercise, lifestyle, so that they might stay healthy -- she helps them make better grocery lists, and she even knows exactly what is available at what prices at all the cheapest grocery stores in the area. However, she gets paid significantly LESS for a meeting like this than she does for a 5-minute appointment in which she prescribes insulin. Just another way in which our system is broken -- not only do we pay too much, we are apparently paying too much for the wrong kind of care.

I read it and I feel for you. I only lived in the ...

2011-12-01T22:59:52.167-05:00

I read it and I feel for you. I only lived in the USA for seven years, had full coverage and at times I found that medical system totally over whelming with their paper work and yep, I'm bright and English is my first language and we were healthy. I can't imagine what you guys went through. Then we scurried back home to Canada where every one complains about our health care system, but hey, it works and it's open to everyone... No system is perfect though and I'm glad you've found a way to make yours work for you...

Not to mention, Becky, that besides revealing thei...

2011-12-01T22:47:47.693-05:00

Not to mention, Becky, that besides revealing their life/family values rhetoric as a lie, their actions -- & the grim consequences for many American families -- fly in the face of their other closely-held issue -- national security. Because when you have a country half-full of people who can't afford to go to the doctor ... well? Spray some germs around! Go for it! Whatever, disgusting, ok, I'm going to stop typing now. Good night, beautiful!

Becky - I am so glad that Amy posted this for a lo...

2011-12-01T22:42:34.618-05:00

Becky - I am so glad that Amy posted this for a lot of reasons. But the biggest one is to know that you are doing well. Florida is going through crazy things with our health insurance. I pray that this holiday season keeps you and yours healthy and happy. Donna Harper

Me too Michele. Your story highlights part of what...

2011-12-01T21:20:03.803-05:00

Me too Michele. Your story highlights part of what seems so absurd about our health care system--that your health insurance is tied to your job. I mean, we are so used to this, it's like a basic assumption that we don't question. But it is crazy.

Nina, that is interesting, your story of your two grandmothers. I'm convinced! And my sis has had two babies in Australia, and I was FLOORED by the amount of services and support that are routinely available to new mothers. Home visits, baby nurses, etc. Amy can be more specific. But wow, it was hard to not think, "Now THIS is what it means to value families, and to value life."

Amen sister! I admire that you took the chance. W...

2011-12-01T21:16:24.757-05:00

Amen sister!

I admire that you took the chance. When I moved from AZ to TX I had to wait 90 days for our insurance to kick in. I could have gone on COBRA at $1500 per month or gotten private insurance. TX would have paid $500 of private insurance. So I looked around. Turns out because of a pre-existing heart condition on my part I was uninsurable. JR could be insured but I couldn't pay for it out of my compensation package because I couldn't be insured. So I lost the $500 per month. We decided to just sweat it out. It worked out for us but I spent the whole time thinking about those people that didn't have this option or the ones that have gone years without insurance. I worry. I worry a lot about the millions of American that can't or don't have this choice. After I worry I get pissed off.