Here’s been my experience with health care in the US –
June 1984 – August 2006 covered under Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance (yes, that’s right, 22 years.)
August 2006 – kicked off of Highmark due to graduation (semi-understandable), two part time jobs = no health insurance + no money to pay for it if i could have it.
November 2006 – get a full time job, offered health insurance after 3 months of employment, premium will only be like 30-40 bucks a month — perfect!! [now approx 4 months without health insurance]
February 2007 – quit that full time job (thus no insurance) and start working another full time job. This job offers insurance right off the bat, though I have to pay more of the premium — doable. [7 months no insurance]
March 2007 – denied Highmark insurance (remember…the one i was covered under for 22 years??) because my weight is considered to be a “pre-existing condition” — though no credible disease or health complications have been diagnosed, i’m automatically discriminated against because i weigh more than they’d like me to weigh. but i can apply for a low income insurance, if i wanted to — that’s what they said. but could i? no! because i made “too much” money. [8 months no insurance]
August 2007 – quit another job, moved to Pittsburgh, unemployed for the next two months, in Oct hired for 1 part time job – no insurance available. [1 year no insurance]
December 2007 - get hired for another part time job, interview for an additional part time job, both without insurance [1 year 5 months without insurance]
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i write all this not to complain, or get pity. but to make people aware of how ridiculous it is to deal with this system. i am a middle class American who cannot afford a basic health insurance plan because either (a) i make too much money to qualify for low income insurance or (b) i do not qualify for the more affordable medically underwritten insurance. Maybe someday when I don’t have school loans to pay, I can have some insurance instead. UGH.
It’s terrible that every time I get in a car I think, ” I hope we don’t get in an accident because what would I do?” Or every time I’m walking somewhere I think, ” I hope i don’t step wrong and break my ankle.”
Maybe I exaggerate the situation, but there is some cause for concern. There are many things in this world that I cannot control, and one accident could make or break me for the rest of my life.
i agree completely with you. although i have never been denied coverage (which, by now, you think i would – i’ve had two surgeries and have a chronic illness, not to mention a hospitalization, former problems with alcohol & Rx drug use)…but instead of not having coverage, i have had coverage and at the most, have been almost 20K in debt because of said surgeries. some of them are on my credit report because i couldn’t make the minimum payment.
right now chris and i have “temporary” insurance until our regular insurance kicks in, but the out of pocket is ridiculous, so i am praying nothing happens. living in fear of having an emergency is no fun. eeek.
Comment by anne jackson — 4.January @ 10.09 am
during the duration of my own life, i am certain that i’ve had health insurance for no more than one year! this has been through the fact that i cannot afford it or that i do not qualify because of previous medical conditions.
i must say this, though, i have been extremely blessed that i found a doctor who is willing and wanting to work with me as he tries to figure out what the hell is wrong with my heart.
Comment by johny b — 6.January @ 11.54 am