More high-income Americans go without health insurance

USA Today ^ | 11/22/02 | Julie Appleby

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Leanne Ely is a radio talk-show host in Southern California. Jay Belle is four years into running his own business in Memphis. Jeanie Whiting is an author and farmer in Washington. All three have household incomes of more than $75,000.

And none of the three has health insurance.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

If you aren't self-insuring, how many are raising deductibles to simply cover major emergencies?

[PeterPrinciple]

Medical Savings Accounts are the way to go,'

High deductible health insurance cost me about $1,400 per year (was $840 3 years ago) and $1,400 into the msa. If I am healthy, I get to keep the msa. Would have cost $4,500 to include me in my wifes plan.

[NautiNurse]

Excellent article. Meanwhile, physicians are leaving practice in droves due to exponential increases in their malpractice insurance premiums.

I would like to believe that the market will play itself out here. Patients would be granted lower physician/hospital fees in return for limiting physician/hospital liability and reduction in costs associated with filing health insurance claims.

[APBaer]

"If you aren't self-insuring, how many are raising deductibles to simply cover major emergencies?"

Yes, I do not have "medical insurance" as it is commonly bought.

I have a policy with a $10,000 deductible, limits of 1 or 2 $million, and pay $56/month.

My thinking is:

A. I see people paying several hundred/month for (not even) first dollar coverage. I only have to be healthy for 1 1/2 to 2 years to make up for the $10,000 deductible.

B. I take care of myself. No smoke, no drink, no drive car, why should I subsidize a nutty kid?

[laurav]

Will you please Freep-mail me with the name of your insurance co. that has the 10k deductible (catastropic coverage)? I'm in the market for just such a plan. Thanks!
LauraV

[Mitchell]

From the article: Economists call those who could afford to buy insurance but choose not to "free riders," because they might turn to public hospitals or emergency rooms for care if they fall ill.

What an obnoxious statement. They are only free riders if they seek medical treatment and then ignore the bills. There's nothing wrong with paying your own way when you need health care.

By the way, why are health care charges higher for the uninsured than for the insured? Whether you have insurance or not shouldn't affect the charges for your medical care.

The whole concept of insurance with low deductibles, covering things that you can afford to pay for when they happen, is silly in general. If everybody can expect to require a certain level of health care costs in life, one should budget for that, just as you budget for food or shelter or anything else. Buying insurance just adds administrative costs to the actual health care costs. [Catastrophic medical insurance, to cover just the things that you couldn't afford to pay for, does make sense, but many employers do not make it available.]

[elbucko]

"This is a reflection of how expensive health insurance is for all of us, but most of us can't see it because the costs are hidden from us,..... That's because the majority of insured Americans get their coverage through an employer — and pay a percentage of the cost.

Not unlike taxes, health insurance costs are hidden by withholding. Employer paid insurance is Pandora in the box. I think the Medical Community should share some of the blame, as they don't know, or don't want to know what some of the medicine or procedures they recommend cost.

Doctors like to blame insurance companies, and I agree that I don't like the idea of medical insurance for profit, esp. publicly traded, stock holder HMO's.

But, the profession itself, with 90 some thousand accidental deaths a year are a big part of the cost of medicine issue.

Look at JFK. He had all the "doctoring" his fame and money could buy. If Oswald hadn't shot him, his doctors would have killed him, slowly. Jackie would have gotten the last bill.

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

You're correct, deductibles should be higher. It simply doesn't comply with the Leftist theory. Never forget the fact that this began with FDR by design.

[elbucko]

Until Republicans get out of bed with the insurance companies, we will continue to slide towards socialized medicine.

You sure got that right, Motherbear!

(will you be my mom?) ;^) (just kidding)

[lelio]

I have a policy with a $10,000 deductible, limits of 1 or 2 $million, and pay $56/month.
I was about to ask if there was such a policy like this. Glad to see there is.
I've been to some independent doctors lately and they do offer a different price for cash vs insurance. I think that's the way to go for most services: it forces the consumer to shop around. Right now what's the benefit of doing so? Nothing. Ditto with using generic drugs vs the name brand. Wow, I can pay $10 to get the generic vs $15 for the name brand; who takes that option? If the difference was $5 vs $50 they would.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Until Republicans get out of bed with the insurance companies, we will continue to slide towards socialized medicine.

You are inadvertently repeating Democrat rhetoric. A better summation would be: until the Democrats get out of bed with the trial lawyers, there will never be affordable health care in America.

The system worked much better 70 years ago, when malpractice suits were rare and there was no insurance at all - people just paid their medical bills directly.

[elbucko]

By the way, why are health care charges higher for the uninsured than for the insured?

Answer; Doctors.

The whole concept of insurance with low deductibles, covering things that you can afford to pay for when they happen, is silly in general.

Welcome to the real world.

[lone star annie]

My husband and I are both self employed now and we pay 189 a month for insurance for three of us. We have a 2k deductible and total out of pocket limit of 5k per person. Bottom line if you have to go to the hospital you pay 5k. I think that is pretty reasonable. If we were to carry an HMO for three of us it would cost over 800 a month.

We get two office visits per year and drug benefits. The cost difference is worth it because we remain healthy.

I hope we get Medical Savinngs Accounts and tax credits to purchase insurance that would be great.

[oldcomputerguy]

Just post the company, please. Sounds worth investigating anyway.

What is the policy called?

[riley1992]

My husband's employer pays for his health insurance (BCBS traditional) and we have to pay for the coverage of myself and our two daughters. It currently costs us $420 a month and we were just notified the other day that BCBS is raising it's premiums another 25%. His employer is looking into other insurance carriers right now but we may have to end up finding our own. Those costs are absolutely outrageous.

[APBaer]

Because you and others have asked.

My insurance co is American Progressive Life & Accident
phone # 800-332-3377.

I've had them for 10 plus years at about the same premium. Got it when I was in my late 40's. At least then there was no physical exam.

(It's nuts but it is cheaper for me to pay $55.63 each month rather than by the quarter or year, I asked that 4 times)

My policy is called "Multi Medical".
It "will pay $1 million in benefits for each covered injury or sickness." Deductible is $10K

They also have a $20k deductible plan.

(I have no connection with them, don't know whether it is available in your state, etc.)

[Dave S]

By the way, why are health care charges higher for the uninsured than for the insured? Whether you have insurance or not shouldn't affect the charges for your medical care.

Oh but it is. The uninsured get hit with the absolute highest rates. Old farts are covered by Medicare which refuses to pay even fair rate to doctors and hospitals. Employer based insurance squeezes all the profit out of health care and pays a negotiated low rate. Those not covered by Medicare/Medicaid or employer based insurers are left paying whatever the market will bear and since the other payers have all mandated or negotiated low rates, that means we pay through the roof as an offset.

[TankerKC]

The questions I have is how many of us are getting adequate health care? I would guess that it is very few. The reason is that a good portion of the Docs out there are quacks. Combine that with the all of the paper work and CYA that they have to do and even the good docs can’t help you out.

I’ve been in the military for 21 years and I’ve never had adequate health care. Why? Because most (say, 90%) of the Docs in the military are quacks. The other 10% are treating the brass.

Cynical? Me?