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[M Paquette]

Yeah, oldtrig has a point. Back a few years ago, medical insurance for me and DW was much simpler.

We'd just fill out an application, itemize every medical problem we have had in the past 10 years, indicate which problems we did or did not have on a few pages of checklists, and send in the application. In a few weeks we'd get a letter from the insurer telling us we were declined for coverage, and that was that. No muss, no fuss. No insurance, either. (So we stayed on our expensive COBRA coverage...)

But it was simpler...

 

[NW-Bound]

... My mother who passed away 34 years ago never had health insurance in her life. She died at age 63. She was sick a lot and in an out of hospitals the last several years of her life but yet my dad was able to pay with cash. Not sure how we did it back then because nobody in our family had insurance .
Something changed over the years and I am not sure what but it seems today everyone is stressed out over health insurance...

I have an older friend who's about your age. He also said that his family never did have health insurance as he grew up. His father was a low-wage earner, a "laborer" as he described it, and yet they were able to cover all medical costs with cash.

So, what changed? Perhaps a lot of it has to do with modern medicine now offering all kinds of treatments that did not exist before. There was no colonoscopy for example. And then, if you had cancer, they told you to go home and wait to die. Now, there are all kinds of fancy drugs, some cost $100K just to keep the patient alive for another month, in a miserable condition at that. Yet, we as a society want to have that. Unlimited lifetime coverage. So, we'll have to pay.

 

[aja8888]

I think I am about the OP's age. My father never had medical insurance working as a coal miner in the 1930's. I never met either of my grandfather's as they died before I was born (they were miners too). Even if they had medical treatment, I'm not sure it would have helped them live longer.

Thinking back, I didn't know what medical insurance was until I got out of the military in 1968 after a tour in an unfriendly country and went to work for a private company. Of course, I was lucky in my youth and never really got sick or hit with a bullet.

Like NW-Bound says above, we want full medical coverage, meds, and screenings, but those come with a cost to those that can afford to pay. There are others in the U.S. who can get this for free, but we don't talk about them like we don't care to discuss LTC, ot lack of it here.

I currently have a close brother-in-law my age diagnosed with a very serious cancer who has insurance and is stage 4. He visited and stayed with us two weeks ago as he had a consultation with M.D. Anderson as a last resort. No good news.... and the cost of the newly prescribed meds and different chemo treatment to get that extra two weeks of miserable feeling life are going to be several thousand dollars.

I am fortunate to be in good health and on Medicare with possibly the absolute best Medigap policy one can buy (Plan F (full)). Even with that, a run with cancer or some other really bad actor, can make you forget about a lot of stuff.

 

[Texas Proud]

Ouch, Best of luck!

So far, not having it.... I keep getting caught at the same place... but have printed out the screen to prove that I was there... they say that if it was their fault they will still sign you up...

However, I still need to call and find out if this is true or not...

I will also call ehealthcare and see what they can do... that is where I tried for the short term policy... but being the holiday, nobody is open anywhere....

 

[oldtrig]

I agree that all the modern things that doctors use today were not around back when I grew up. My point is this? How many more years are all these modern things getting us? I am talking about old people, not the young.

My FIL would have died at 79 instead of 89 but he had a terrible 10 years with modern medicine keeping him alive. How many know people that have been told they have stage four cancer and actually had the same quality of life they had before the diagnosis ? not many.

My grandfather lived to be 84. Never went to a doctor in his life . Was born in 1881. He did spend a few years in a long term care facility as it seems no one in my dads family wanted to put up with him. It was actually sad watching that happen to a very proud man but that's life.

That's why I do not want to live after I reach really old age if I am not able to care for myself. Young people tend to just throw us aside.

I look back now and see that everyone of my fathers brothers and sisters including him had to money and time to take care of my grandfather yet they did not want their busy lived interrupted. I doubt much has changed today. We get old and tossed aside. In the end we all die.

It is really a shame that we can all work and save all our life and have to be put in a long care home and they take everything we got with no pity.

I have much preferred our government to make a place for people over 55 to go and not leave our family's broke if we need long term care. That's a much bigger gamble not having any long term care insurance than regular health insurance yet all I see today is people in a panic say gosh I got to have health insurance. We could do like others leave the bill for somebody else to pay.

I am currently working on a plan to make sure my family is protected in case I ever need long term care. I am a veteran and live 2 miles from a veterans home so that plan one. The problem is finding room.

I also will tell people here that this new health care law is not going to make that 32 year old in good health purchase insurance. I have had many tell me they will just pay the penalty come tax time. Sure this plan sound good on paper but it will never work like they tell us it will. My opinion only so don't kick me out of her for expressing my opinion. Take what I say or just do not read it. over and out. oldtrig

 

[REWahoo]

I agree that all the modern things that doctors use today were not around back when I grew up. My point is this? How many more years are all these modern things getting us? I am talking about old people, not the young.

The easy way to address that is eliminate the use of "modern things" on anyone over the age of 65. Aren't you 66?

 

[Dawg52]

The easy way to address that is eliminate the use of "modern things" on anyone over the age of 65. Aren't you 66?

We will let him keep taking an aspirin a day. It's an 'old' drug and cheap.

 

[AllDone]

I did ancestry.com. I discovered that two of my great-grandfathers died before the age of 50 from pneumonia and one died at 62 from a heart attack. Antibiotics and a stent would probably have saved all three to live long and healthy lives. I can't find the stats, but the chance of dying from a heart attack has dropped to 1/3 of the chance in the 1960s, IIRC. In the 60s a survivor might have been a "cardiac cripple" for life, but nowdays most people are back on the golf course in a couple of weeks. Not to mention all the children who don't die of measles, whooping cough, polio, etc.

Young people who don't get insurance are foolish. A medical bankruptcy is easy, if you don't have assets, but then you can't buy a car, rent a home, or get a good job. My nurse's son got hit in the eye and tore a retina playing basketball with his little brother. Since he was under 26 and on his mom's insurance, he was covered and got to keep his eyesight in that eye. Admittedly he wouldn't have died from being blind in one eye....

 

[aja8888]

I also will tell people here that this new health care law is not going to make that 32 year old in good health purchase insurance. I have had many tell me they will just pay the penalty come tax time. Sure this plan sound good on paper but it will never work like they tell us it will. My opinion only so don't kick me out of her for expressing my opinion. Take what I say or just do not read it. over and out. oldtrig

I insisted my healthy, 34 year old daughter with no insurance sign up for a plan under the ACA as I would prefer the insurance company pay for a devastating disease if she got one rather than deplete her reserves or mine.

 

[AllDone]

The insurance cards arrived in today's mail. I have my 2014 card in my wallet already.

Another important point about young people and insurance is that most high income younger folk get their insurance subsidized by their employer (with pre-tax dollars, so there's a government subsidy, too). Most young people who don't get insurance through work will qualify for subsidies and may pay little or nothing for insurance. Deciding to pay the fine and to go bare without checking premiums would be doubly foolish.

 

[Malcolm2]

It is really a shame that we can all work and save all our life and have to be put in a long care home and they take everything we got with no pity.

I have much preferred our government to make a place for people over 55 to go and not leave our family's broke if we need long term care. That's a much bigger gamble not having any long term care insurance than regular health insurance yet all I see today is people in a panic say gosh I got to have health insurance. We could do like others leave the bill for somebody else to pay.

I am currently working on a plan to make sure my family is protected in case I ever need long term care. I am a veteran and live 2 miles from a veterans home so that plan one. The problem is finding room.

I also will tell people here that this new health care law is not going to make that 32 year old in good health purchase insurance. I have had many tell me they will just pay the penalty come tax time. Sure this plan sound good on paper but it will never work like they tell us it will. My opinion only so don't kick me out of her for expressing my opinion. Take what I say or just do not read it. over and out. oldtrig

Oldtrig,

Thanks for the very candid and thoughtful comments about your situation. As a baby boomer at the tail end of that generation I can see the problem on the near horizon you mention. Many feel as you do. The best plan is one we make ourselves, not relying on others to pay. Can you imagine what it would be like if the government ran all the Assisted Living residences?
I too have had many young folks say they flat out refuse to participate in this latest large entitlement program as they know they will be paying for it for us older folks. Usually they laugh when I ask the question. As the polls tell us most Americans remain opposed as well.

Perhaps after a few months and a few more extensions and waivers and security fixes a significant number of the younger, non-retired or non-sick folks will start to sign up to foot the bill, or not. If not it will likely turn into Medicaid-lite.
Best wishes with your plans, and thank you for your military service!
M

 

[Accidental Retiree]

Still No Info from Anthem on my plan

Two weeks ago, I reported that I'd been able to go online and pay for my new policy. I got an email receipt from Anthem saying that they'd received my initial payment on a specific application #.

My credit card never did get charged, so about a week later, I called back to find out what was going on. They told me my new letter with my correct application # was in the mail and that my credit card would be charged as soon as they'd processed my application. I'd receive my welcome package and cards in the mail once the credit card had been charged.

Today I got a 2nd letter from Anthem, telling me that I had not yet paid for the application made--with the wrong application #. I called them back again and was told to ignore that wrong #, they weren't using it (except to send me dunning notices, apparently) and that they would charge my credit card as soon as they'd processed the application, and then I'd get my packet.

That should take 7-10 business days.

 

[MRG]

The insurance cards arrived in today's mail. I have my 2014 card in my wallet already.

Another important point about young people and insurance is that most high income younger folk get their insurance subsidized by their employer (with pre-tax dollars, so there's a government subsidy, too). Most young people who don't get insurance through work will qualify for subsidies and may pay little or nothing for insurance. Deciding to pay the fine and to go bare without checking premiums would be doubly foolish.

Sure somebody could forego insurance and sign up for a fine. I'm just starting to get EOBs for a recent 2 day stay. So far it's $35,000, I know there's much, much more to come. Of course I still don't feel any different than when I went to the ER.

All the facilities and the DR'S that I know worked, on me are in network. I'm $220 from max OOP so I think it's ok for me.
Can't afford insurance think again!
MRG

 

[FIREd]

Thanks everyone.

Porky Pig Cartoon Ending "That's All Folks!" - YouTube