Thread: I can't buy healthcare insurance

I'm getting fed up with hearing Faux News Channel and others talk about the Obama health care being unnecessary socialism. For those of you that think heallthcare is available outside of employers, you're wrong. I am a full time worker but because I work for a small company they don't offer healthcare. I'm not looking for a free handout. I want to pay my fair share and buy insurance. The problem is I can't because of pre-existing conditions. I've tried and tried and I get denied because of childhood asthma that hasn't even bothered me for over a decade. It's nuts.

There's all kinds of people like me that are middle class, don't have benefits through our employer, and can't get approved for any private plans. Do you what that means if I get cancer or some other serious illness? I will be hospitalized and treated which would probably cost at least $300,000 to $500,000 or more if it's a serious form of cancer. And because I would have no money to pay that bill and no insurance to pay for it, I would have no choice but to stiff the hospitals and doctors on the bills. Do you know what that means? They have to increase their prices they charge people with insurance so they can cover big loses like that. So by not offering me the option to buy insurance, people like me are actually causing your insurance premiums to go up.

Give me one good reason why people like me should be denied the ability to buy insurance? By not allowing us, you are forcing us to milk the system when we get catastrophic emergencies.

Just to clarify upfront. I am not a ultra right winger nor am I a ultra left winger. I will not try to force any religion on you during my reply or anything like that

There are currently to many people making big money on the current system. To many people would loose big commission checks, doctors are afraid of loosing their 5 million dollar mansion and just think about the poor managers of the major 5 insurance groups. It would be quite interesting to see what happens with the insurance prices if Obamas Plan would pass. I hope that the insurance bill will pass even though I know may receive a few nice replies .... but whatever I can take it.

Floppster, yes you're right it's the whole system that's crooked. Doctors are pulling in high six figures and up annually. I think 200 to 250k yearly is plenty, no reason they should be profiting so much off the sick and dying, making 5-10x that amount. We have the administrators that are all pulling in outrageous salaries too. In the town I grew up of 20,000 people, the president of the hospital earned $1.2 million annually, and that wasn't including his bonus. Keep in mind that was years ago too. There's no reason why a tiny "non profit" hospital like that in a tiny town should be making so much money. He wasn't the owner or anything either, it was owned by a large chain.

I have no problem with capitalism. If you want to charge someone $500 for a pair of shoes or $10,000 for a handbag, be my guest there's nothing wrong with that. But when you start charging a middle class person $500,000 for cancer treatment, and they have no choice but to "buy" it if they want to live, it's a different situation.

Originally Posted by HYENA

They're all so corrupt, we don't have a chance.

I hate to say it but I largely feel the same way. People tell me I'm being negative when I say that, but I think I'm just being realistic.

Originally Posted by HYENA

they're all so corrupt with paid lobbyists (obama promised to get out, now he's literaly hired lobbyists)....the republicrats have nothing in the works looking out for the public. When people get pissed off enough, politicians make small changes. The fact is the system works for the people at the top and that's that.

Nothing different from this administration to the last, to the last to the next. I still want to know what lobbyists were paid off with the 5 billion that went "missing' during the last stim package. Neither dems or repubs will reveal where TF it went.

They're all so corrupt, we don't have a chance.

I don't think that we need to point fingers at either party however they have to come up with a plan they both agree on otherwise the bill will pass and soon be revoked ( depending on how many terms the current President will be in office and also if the Presidents Party will be reelected once his second term is over ). I lived long enough in Europe and I don't have a problem with a 15% tax increase to pay for health care (Please don't call me a socialist or whatever). I just believe that the 2 major things a Government should be take care of are:

1.) Education (Kids will be our future)
2.) Health care (Healthy People work more and pay more taxes)

Unfortunately neither one of the two big parties seem to have a real concept of making these two things reality. Even though these things are the Presidents plan he still needs come up with something where the House and the Senate agree on.

I am just worried, that a health care bill will pass however by the time it does it will be so watered down that it doesn't make any difference for either insured or the uninsured. Well I guess I am fortunate to have Health Insurance.

Good point to mention education, Floppster. Without it our country's problems are only going to get worse - unemployment will go up because there will be no reason to give the jobs to Americans when their are high educated Indians, Chinese, etc that can do it.

For a long time I wasn't always pro-education in the sense that I figured people either had the spark inside them to learn or not - without the motivation I thought it was pointless to pour tax money into educating people who don't want to learn. Now I realize that's incorrect. We need to educate people regardless - the more they know, the more likely they will be to realize how valuable education is - and become self-motivated to learn.

But back to the healthcare, yes healthy people are healthy workers. If companies can't afford to insure their employees not only does work productivity go down, but they will also pack up shop and head across the border to Canada where they won't have to worry about that problem.