shygye Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 ... you don't have to be unemployed for medical expenses to force bankruptcy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 That's the truth. Emergency care stay is where hospitals and HMOs get you. Charge you $10 per asperin (not a joke, I've heard that has been done). You can and will be charged things that insurance does not cover. There are thousands of people facing bills in the several if not tens of thousands of dollars. Just like in LOS, many people in the inner city self medicate. There is a thriving market for vicadin, percocet, even anti biotics that people who have pain or elderly etc. need but can't afford. Its not people abusing it for the high. There's weed for that...lol. Its very common to sell excess medication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted February 13, 2009 Report Share Posted February 13, 2009 Link Illness and medical bills caused half of the 1,458,000 personal bankruptcies in 2001, according to a study published by the journal Health Affairs. The study estimates that medical bankruptcies affect about 2 million Americans annually -- counting debtors and their dependents, including about 700,000 children. Surprisingly, most of those bankrupted by illness had health insurance. More than three-quarters were insured at the start of the bankrupting illness. However, 38 percent had lost coverage at least temporarily by the time they filed for bankruptcy. Most of the medical bankruptcy filers were middle class; 56 percent owned a home and the same number had attended college. In many cases, illness forced breadwinners to take time off from work -- losing income and job-based health insurance precisely when families needed it most. ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangkoktraveler Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 I would say most insurances only pay for certain drugs, and other drugs at a co-pay rate. The drugs they pay for are in some cases the same drugs you can buy at a vetinary/farm supply store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Let's face it, the gov and big biz wants all your $$$ and they will suck you dry with medical expenses! They don't want your heirs to get one dime when you pass on!!! farkin bastards!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allistar Posted February 14, 2009 Report Share Posted February 14, 2009 Actually, by the time you have to worry about leaving the money to your heirs, you will be on medicare. Then, all you have to worry about (if you have supplimental insurance) is the hospitals kicking you out because your benefits for that particular stay have been spent. Then again, the government does try its dammness to seperate you from all your money in regards to nursing homes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 It looks like there is a good chance that people with medical benefits supplied by their employer will start to pay taxes on those benefits. I've never understood why they don't pay taxes on any benefits received in their employment package (like FF miles and getting half of their social security taxes paid for). I know I can't wait for all the details of thi bill to be revealed, hopefully by the end of August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 At one time the company I was working for mentioned that they would be taking all the FF miles earned during employee business flights. They soon gave up on the idea, as it wasn't worth the hassle and extra paperwork to track the miles. Yes, fully expect Prez. O's gov to go after every stinking bennie that any employee might get and nail a tax on it. They already tax the life insurance benefit that some companies provide for their employees. The company car benefit dissolved a long time ago with large charges for "personal miles", whether you drive the personal milesor not, you still pay this charge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean Posted June 3, 2009 Report Share Posted June 3, 2009 Being self employed my entire life, I can say with certainty that self employed people in America get no breaks when it comes to the tax code, paying their full share of social security taxes and pasying an obscene premimum for their health inurance. Any chance I've had to hide income, I've taken. What I hope the health plasn gives is as basic coverage, which won't be taxed. Anything above that is up to the individual or employers and it's value above the basic plan can be taxed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted June 4, 2009 Report Share Posted June 4, 2009 As I've always said, I'm a small 'L' libertarian and so in theory against a government health plan. However, that doesn't mean it can't work. There is (or was..since the current crisis) enough money that was wasted elsewhere to have a viable and effective program. The reason I think nationalized health care will never work is because a) you need a fairly efficient government with far less waste than we presently have and a program and a government where the businesses (pharmaceuticals, HMOs, etc.), institutions (unions, AMA, etc.) are NOT the one with the most influence and are the main architects of said program. Both things will not happen and so I fear it will be a major disaster and will eventually be the final nail in the coffin for the U.S. that will remove us as a super power. A second rate nation with a lot of nukes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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