Affordable Care? Gasp! Boondocks.... - RV-Dreams Community Forum

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Affordable Care? Gasp! Boondocks....

Jack Mayer · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'm not disputing the issues with Obamacare. I agree with much of what ClassicRaodTrip says about it. What I dispute is inflamatory statements like a currently 70 yr old woman will not get treatment for a hip break.

That may be the case in the distant future....who knows where Obamacare will go....but it CERTAINLY is not the case now. Or if it is, it is not the "systems" fault. I have personal knowledge of how this sort of thing is handled and I do not see it changing to the extent described in any near term years.

However, I do agree that the entire system is very messed up. And Obamacare is not going to help it at all - quite the opposite, IMO.

MANY practices will no longer participate in Medicare - that has nothing to do with Obamacare. My Dr's practice no longer accepts NEW Medicare patients...as of 3 years ago. And there will not be enough Family practitioners to handle the load.

Personally, I'd sign up for a concierge service if I was in one place long enough.

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

Jack: What do you mean by "concierge" service in reference to Obamacare/insurance? And, a lot of providers don't take Medicaid either so all those that think they are so lucky to be a part of expanded Medicaid might be in for a rude awakening. In Topeka, a larger city, no one in the city limits was accepting the new system with contractors and those needing care were having to drive 30 miles for an appointment, not that far unless you are ill or some how disabled but many are. Even those that do accept Medicaid often have a cap of how many they will accept. I think most insurance is headed that way as more people enter an already financially strapped system. The 3 insurance companies that replaced Medicaid in KS offer more services and supposedly save the state money so someone is taking a hit and most likely the providers which is why many are not a part of the system.

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Not to dispute anyone here, but where did it go from healthCARE to INSURANCE CARE. To me that is where it lies. We are no longer talking abour care, but about insurance. I know my supplemental insurance costs have increased remarkably. Medicare is being ripped to pay for Obamacare to no avail. Some of my wife's doctors will quite plainly tell you that medicare does not cover their overhead. And that is just the office costs, not any part of a salary to them. Congress and obama began talking about CARE for everyone, then it all changed to insurance for everyone, even those that are not and do not intend to be a part of the solution.
I get tired of the talkers and purveyors of mis information trying to scream about what it all means, when it is obvious they do not know.

ClassicRoadTrip · RV-Dreams Community Member

Jack would love to know what do you consider distant future and now?

And what you call an inflammatory statements like a currently 70 yr old woman will not get treatment for a hip break happens everyday already in the United States you just do not live in an area where this happens but I have lived in such areas.

In Puerto Rico if an elderly patient has something like a hip fracture they will be sent to El Centro Medico which is the largest Government hospital (Where my Uncle Died Waiting For Treatment From A Fall Waiting In A Bed In A Hallway) and where most medicare patients are sent. But than you might say well PR is a third world country ok even though it is still in the US but hey what the heck how about Detroit? Does Detroit count?

For the past 10 years multiple cases have been reported of elderly patients who are medicare recipients passing away because hospitals not giving proper care due to the fact that medicare would had not cover the procedures that could had saved there lives.

Now the reason I know about these cases is because I lived in both places apparently you have never lived in this type of market which is actually great.

The fact is in markets that are flooded with medicare patients and not enough patients where either by insurance or by cash payments can afford to take the loss of medicare patients this happens all the time you just do not know because all they do is not tell the patient or the person responsible for treatment that if they had the money or the insurance they could get this or that.

With the new law all this will do is now take what happens everyday in markets in the US spread all across the nation.

GENECOP · RV-Dreams Family Member

This thread is getting dangerously close to going off the rails.......let's try to keep it productive and informative without arguing ( if possible ) .....remember what opinions are like.......thanks....

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

I should point out to everyone, especially anyone who has only joined the forums within the last year, that Genecop and myself are moderators of the forums. Thus, if either of us "gently chide" the membership about the course of a conversation, please take in to heart in that it is meant to keep a thread alive, especially if the thread in question has some good points within it. On other forums where I participate, each of the moderators and the administrators have a "title" under their avatar indicating their function on the forums. I don't know about Gene, but I'm personally hesitant to want to have a title under my avatar that is any different than the rest of the members.

Religion, politics and arguing can be wrongly stated without it actually seeming to be what it is. In other words, because it is difficult at times to discern the meaning of someone's written words, it can certainly lead to very hurt feelings, closed or deleted threads, and even banning of individuals. Because of that uncertainty in someone's language, as moderators we may be required to delete comments.

As has been stated, lets keep this on alternatives for better health and options for health care.

Terry

nightsky · RV-Dreams Family Member

I dreading the health insurance search but I'm going to have to tackle it pretty darn quick, currently I'm still on a plan offered through my former state and I've been flying under the radar waiting until the new Obamacare kicks in since so much seems to be up in the air and things are changing rapidly. I've done just a tiny bit of research, and it looks like SD, my official domicile, is going to be challenging since insurance companies there don't want to write policies for full-timers. I suppose if worse comes to worse I could always buy a tiny plot of land in SD so I have a physical address. *eye roll*

I'm tempted to just go un-insured, the $600 a month I've been paying for the last several years with NO claims and NO doctor visits would sure be nice to have in my pocket or in savings, but at the same time I'm not getting any younger and a major health problem could show up in the future.

In 2009 when I catastrophically destroyed my ankle in a motorcycle accident I was uninsured. My new 'bionic' ankle and 9 months of orthopedic care and PT ended up costing me a shade over $80K. The first hospital was wonderful and set up a payment plan that I could afford. The second hospital's 'payment plan' required 5% of the total bill per month with no flexibility or consideration of what your actual income might be. I told them that was more than my total income some months, so they turned it over to a collection agency with no further ado and without any attempt to work with me. The orthopedic specialist was great, as long as I gave them $100 every time I went in they carried the balance with no interest and no hassle, and since I was self-pay they gave a 30% discount. (If the ins. companies are paying 30% more no wonder premiums are so high). The PT folks were also good to let me make payments.

Sometime I should sit down and figure out if it would have been cheaper with insurance, after the premiums and the 10K deductible and the 20-30% copay and the long list of things they exclude. How often would a person have to have a major medical issue in order to come out ahead by paying insurance premiums, and how much is just money thrown out the window?

Edit by moderator: Removed one paragraph. Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Sunday 15th of September 2013 02:08:20 PM

SnowGypsy · RV-Dreams Family Member

I kinda got the idea Genecop was a moderator also and I agree that putting that little "moderator" title under the screen name, well, it shouldn't be necessary. I would also think any member could redirect the conversation for the good of the group. So, OK, what is anyone that is looking in the health care situation finding out? Truly there is so little actual information out there and no authority that is really answering questions and able to make a direct link to the law. You never really see the law quoted like you normally would a source. Has anyone seen where what is required referenced directly taken from the law? Also, it looks like if you are in a state that doesn't set up an exchange that you won't get the subsidy to help pay for it or that is how I have seen it interpreted yet not with a direct link to the law saying this. Hina, looks like Nevada is behind this so at least you'll get a subsidy? Also, got a newsletter from the Tea Party talking about the Christian alternative and if anyone wants the name of that group, you can pm me.

One thing this made me think of was that when we choose a domicile state, I would like the political views of that state to be in line with ours even if it costs us more money to do that.

Hina · RV-Dreams Family Member

When I still had my social services job, all the mental patients had Medicaid/MediCal, and every month, something was being cut, or being changed. Very frustrating. Such as, this guy has been taking a certain medication for years, but now, Medicaid/Medical won't cover it. Calling the doctors, pharmacies, trying to get prescriptions changed, so that indigent individuals won't get stuck with huge personal bills for pills. They also cut out dental, so we had loads of people with rotting, painful teeth that could not be fixed or pulled. Then, a few months later, they change it back.

Snow Gypsy, yes, I would be eligible for a subsidy in Nevada, they go by your projected income, so, with my predictions, the bare minimum for me would be $300 a month, and with a subsidy, maybe $200 a month. That is still a lot of $$$ to me. Glad the SouthWest has a lot of BLM land, and Nevada has a lot of casino camping. I haven't really got to this yet, I'm mapping out my next move, just so much stuff for one person to take care of, and my #1 focus has to be on making $$$ to pay for all of my insurance and all of the financing of everything! Just haven't taken out 2-3 days to make calls, leave messages, wait for return calls, get quotes, blah, blah, blah, then pay a bunch of $$$.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Since my suggestion isn't being followed very well, I am closing this thread. There are not really any new suggestions to alternatives to prevent health issues and none for other options for better health care or health insurance.

Terry