Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Family swamped by avalanche of bills after son’s death: despite having insurance
The Guardian ^ | Tue 4 Jun 2019 02.00 EDT | Jessica Glenza

Posted on 06/04/2019 6:36:48 PM PDT by Galatians328

After their seven-month-old son James died in hospice nearly three years ago, the Cavatores face hundreds of thousands in medical bills – despite having insurance

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bills; healthcare; insurance
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last
More and more of these stories keep showing as we near election day. DJT needs to neuter the Democrat platform by fixing this before the election.
1 posted on 06/04/2019 6:36:48 PM PDT by Galatians328
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Galatians328

Fixing it? Put the blame on obamacare where it belongs. And then get rid of obamacare like he promised to.


2 posted on 06/04/2019 6:40:20 PM PDT by 21twelve (!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Galatians328

It won’t be fixed. The Rs want him to lose so they won’t lift a finger to help him.


3 posted on 06/04/2019 6:41:27 PM PDT by JonPreston
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Galatians328

This is BS.

An article in a post from a country where the government actively lets children die if they feel the treatment won’t be viable - even if the parents find charitable support and help.

So - to wit - your baby would’ve been killed by the state a lot sooner than the horrible American system which will never see the money you owe them anyway (as if I believe this tripe of story to begin with because I don’t)


4 posted on 06/04/2019 6:41:53 PM PDT by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Galatians328

And illegals here pay nothing for advanced medical care.


5 posted on 06/04/2019 6:42:48 PM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with islamic terrorists - they want to die for allah and we want to kill them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Galatians328

This is probably the only nation in the world where this happens. It’s not right.


6 posted on 06/04/2019 6:45:50 PM PDT by Trumpisourlastchance
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Galatians328

Fix what? Highlight the problems Obamacare didn’t solve and or made worse.


7 posted on 06/04/2019 6:46:34 PM PDT by for-q-clinton (This article needs a fact checked)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Galatians328

The article goes on to say that the problem for this couple is with ObamaCare. Not private insurance.


8 posted on 06/04/2019 6:49:44 PM PDT by Revel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Galatians328

Deeply flawed?

Brits have no cause to statesuch.

Our biggest flaws include too much regulation, coverage for routine check-ups, coverage for sex-related drugs, etc. all this means expenses go up for the REAL medical problems.

Meanwhile, apparently these socialists think medical people should not get a wage for what THEY do for work.


9 posted on 06/04/2019 6:54:29 PM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Revel

They sure made a lot of statements about “private insurance”.


10 posted on 06/04/2019 6:58:01 PM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMVs)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

Reported by The Guardian. Likely inaccurate.


11 posted on 06/04/2019 7:02:06 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 21twelve

“Fixing it? Put the blame on obamacare where it belongs. And then get rid of obamacare like he promised to.”

I wished it were as simple as getting rid of Obolacare! Reasonably priced medical care isn’t something that’s going to be fixed with a pen or a phone. There are powerful forces in this business that are going to fight to keep the status quo because of the amounts of money involved. We have been lucky as we age with the combination of Medicare and very good, reasonably priced insurance through AMAC, but when we see the statements that come in as a result of a medical visit, it is clear that there’s something really wrong. Recently, my wife had occasion to visit our local ER because of a respiratory infection that would not resolve. We were there for a couple of hours at best, and the care given was excellent. But the hospital involved rendered a bill to Medicare for more than $10,000. and Medicare paid them less than 20% of what they asked. Something is really wrong with that picture, and it repeats itself each and every time we go to the doctor. From what we see, we pitty someone who doesn’t have adequate insurance.


12 posted on 06/04/2019 7:02:31 PM PDT by vette6387
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Galatians328
This article is priming people for this. Watch for more articles and news reports in the coming weeks:

House panel sets Medicare for all hearing for next week

The House Ways & Means Committee will hold a hearing next week on "Medicare for all," the proposal that would shift the U.S. to a single-payer health care system.

The June 12 hearing will mark the first time the proposal is considered by a committee that has jurisdiction over health care issues.

A spokeswoman for committee Democrats said the hearing would cover Medicare for all and "other potential pathways to universal coverage."

The scheduled hearing before one of the most powerful House committees is a big win for progressive Democrats, who have been lobbying leadership to take the proposal seriously.

13 posted on 06/04/2019 7:10:03 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: the OlLine Rebel

Of course they did. And they backed up none of it. But what they did say was the real problems for this family began after they were forced to switch from private insurance to Obamacare. It also stated that it cost this family 12 times more money to have Obamacare.


14 posted on 06/04/2019 7:12:59 PM PDT by Revel
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Galatians328

They should wipe out all the debt with a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Hopefully get them a fresh start in life.


15 posted on 06/04/2019 7:13:07 PM PDT by Two Kids' Dad (((( Wake me when a prominent democrat gets prosecuted. ))))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: vette6387

Part of the problem is Medicare and other forms of “help” from the government. 23 years ago I had some pretty expensive sinus surgery and asked the guy why it was so expensive.

“Because you have insurance. This procedure probably should be about $4,000. But - I HAVE to treat those that can’t pay, so to make up for it I charge those with insurance $20,000. We already have socialized medicine in this country.”

Of course this was back in the day when my premiums for the family were $250 a month with a $2,500 deductible. Now it is $2,300 a month and a $10,000 deductible. And I bet the specialist that I saw isn’t even on my list of covered providers.


16 posted on 06/04/2019 7:19:36 PM PDT by 21twelve (!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Revel
"The article goes on to say that the problem for this couple is with ObamaCare. Not private insurance."

They should send the bills to Obama, along with John McCain's scaggie wife Cindy, and her fat daughter Meghan.

17 posted on 06/04/2019 7:44:45 PM PDT by mass55th ("Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway." ~~ John Wayne)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: 2banana

Yeah. That pi$$es me off too. They’re mucking up the emergency rooms and costing this country trillions. There would be more resources for that family.


18 posted on 06/04/2019 8:02:13 PM PDT by HighSierra5
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: vette6387
...From what we see, we pitty someone who doesn’t have adequate insurance...

The problem is actually caused by the two-tiered pricing system.

Insurance companies are able to settle medical bills for pennies on the dollar. Individuals are charged full retail price.

AND, the solution is both simple and fair. A law making it illegal to charge different customers varying amounts for the same procedure would cut out most of the problem.

No one likes to pay bills, but if individuals were only charged the same as insurance companies pay they would not be ruined by an uncovered illness or accident.

19 posted on 06/04/2019 10:02:26 PM PDT by CurlyDave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Revel
But what they did say was the real problems for this family began after they were forced to switch from private insurance to Obamacare. It also stated that it cost this family 12 times more money to have Obamacare.

For situations like this, what people need is catastrophic medical insurance that pays for everything after a certain amount. This child had 12 operations, in addition to all the other expenses (imaging studies, long periods of NICU care, special feedings, etc.). In systems like the NHS, where the system and hospitals are allotted a specified amount of money to spend, this child would not likely have had as many attempts to save him - unfortunately.

Also an important consideration is that people with insurance get gouged, as their costs are prorated to cover for loses on other patients (i.e. uninsured patients and those on medicaid and medicare only who reimburse at rates significantly below actual costs).

From the article:

"An estimated 380,000 babies per year are born prematurely in the United States, about half of them to mothers on Medicaid, reserved for disabled and low-income Americans. Mothers on Medicaid are highly unlikely to receive any hospital bills.

For those with private insurance or uninsured patients, it is a different story.

20 posted on 06/05/2019 3:31:49 AM PDT by neverevergiveup
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-23 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson