Why do people make such a big deal over health insurance?

Question

for one thing it is a option to have it. the fact that people complain about it is totally wrong. its only there to insure you have coverage when your in an accident or sick. you pay for it, thats how it works, stop blaming the companys , they have a business to help people and on the way to make some money..if the gov't wants to make health care free then let it be. otherwise, why do people complain about health insurance companies

you people don't get it..they are out to make money..if your poor then you dont get the care you deserve..the gov't deals with health care, health insurance is for the money.

Answer 1

When we are young and healthy the only things we need covered by health insurance are accidents and having babies. Since at some time most of us will have babies, some insurance carriers exclude that benefit, unless the customer pays extra for it. When you get sick as you get older, everything that is done for you has to be pre-approved by the insurance company. Often, these benefits are initially denied, and have to be appealed. All of this takes time, often time you don't have, which is OK with the insurance company, because hospice is cheaper than treating the disease. If, for some reason, you lose your insurance, after you have a life threatening illness, the insurance companies will not insure you, or if they decide to, they will exclude from coverage anything associated with the previous illness. In addition, they will charge you huge premiums that few people can afford to pay. The purpose of insurance is to cover the average person against catastrophic loss, and the rates we pay for insurance should reflect that. Instead, we pay for well child benefits and dietary advice, and if there is a real need for medical care, it has to be allowed by the insurance company. The likelihood that insurance is going to be a real safety net in time of need is very small, but the price is outrageous. Seems like a very profitable racket to me.

Answer 2

Because it has become so expensive that there are middle class hardworking people that can't afford it. I am extremely healthy, had tonsillitis as a child. But after age 40, it is unbelievably expensive. For high deductible insurance that pays only 80% of expenses, I would pay around $800 a month. For someone like me(but that isn't healthy), the payment climbs quickly-even $2000 a month!. People that have a medical problem-say, a 40 year old woman gets breast cancer which is curable. The expense is so much that she would be better off poor. So this threatens the economy when people need to quit their jobs to get healthcare.

At 50 years old, most people will reach their peak earning power and begin to experience medical problems. Look at how quickly medical costs have escalated since 1980 and continue to each year. I cancelled my insurance but it was going up 12% a year! When your income is fixed or dropping, that is difficult. So, it is now a decision in the US to drop insurance and ignore medical problems. And well, just die.

The insurance companies, private hospitals and pharmeceuticals. We were told that with deregulation of corporations(a more competitive market), we would get cheaper medical care. Instead everything is much more. Exactly the opposite happened.

Answer 3

I suggest that you try this web site where you can compare rates from the best companies: http://INSUREQUOTE.INFO/index.html?src=2YAhbV8NGx41orE

RE :Why do people make such a big deal over health insurance?
for one thing it is a option to have it. the fact that people complain about it is totally wrong. its only there to insure you have coverage when your in an accident or sick. you pay for it, thats how it works, stop blaming the companys , they have a business to help people and on the way to make some money..if the gov't wants to make health care free then let it be. otherwise, why do people complain about health insurance companies
Update: you people don't get it..they are out to make money..if your poor then you dont get the care you deserve..the gov't deals with health care, health insurance is for the money.
1 following 20 answers

Answer 4

I'm guessing you've never been uninsured. I have, and it's pretty scary worrying if you're going to be struck by a sudden illness or have an accident and be unable to pay your medical bills. Even with insurance, if you have a major incident, such as a hospitalization, you're worrying if the insurance company is going to pay or it's going to find some bullshirt reason to deny coverage. While the stories are all anecdotal, you might want to check out "Sicko." And pay close attention to the stories of people denied care.

People who pay their premiums should not be denied lifesaving care on the grounds that the treatment is "experimental" or any crazy reason the reviewers find to deny it.

Answer 5

Do you think it is right for someone who makes $9 per hour or less to have to pay over $1000 a month in premiums? The issue is that it costs too much. The far right wants you to believe that their opponents are advocating Socialized medicine. The facts couldn't be farther from the truth. What the Democratic proposal is in favor of is AFFORDABLE health care. That means everyone who can will pay something for health care. Everyone would pay and everyone would be included. Those who can pay very little will pay very little but will pay something. Those better able to pay would pay more but when they need it after they retire or when they get cancer and can no longer work the plan would be there for them too at a rate they could afford.

Personally I believe you should be able to opt out of having insurance. You would pay the millions it would cost you if you need treatment for cancer or something. Your choice. Unfortunately we won't have that option.

Answer 6

Because people can't afford to both pay for health insurance, and pay the parts of health care that are left AND eat and pay rent.

That's why.

That and the fact that, after paying insurance, people are denied the health care they need because the insurance companies want to take people's money, but don't want to pay legitimate charges.

Answer 7

The problem here is that the Democrats want the federal government to pay for everybodys health care when all of the nations that have done the same program have massive waits for care. There are lots of cases of people dying while waiting to see a doctor about a specific treatment.

People forget that most hospitals take in just about everyone regardless if they have insurance or not. The military folks are covered by the quacks (er doctors) over at the VA.

The last report I saw said the average cost of health insurance runs about $12,000 a year, multiply that by the estimated 47 million folks without insurance and that is going cost somewhere around $564 Billion (with a B) and that's per year.

Of course health insurance is important. As you get older the more things are likely to go wrong with you. As with any machine the older it gets the more parts break. Health insurance costs so much because after WWII there was a massive increase of baby's being born. (baby boomers) From 1945 until 1963 the population increased by a boatload of folks. These people are now getting to retirement age and its increasing the burden to the health care system. Add in the ever shrinking amount of doctors due to malpractice issues and it makes costs even more. Employers are having issues with the increased costs as was seen in the latest GM contract where the union is now responsible for pension funds.

The age of an employer paying for everybodys health care is gone. There are simply too many folks that are/will be using their insurance for health problems. What can be done to lower the cost of health care? Its going to take an effort of business, government, and John Q Public to make changes to help lower costs. Business have to be totally reinbursed for health premiums, government has to get rid of welfare, lower taxes (both induvidual and corporate), lower the costs of perscription drugs. JQP has to increase the amount they pay in premiums, use the emergency room for emergencies not for everyday stuff, save extra money for health care.

Remember, ANY time the government gets involved with a program, they WILL screw it up. Look at Social Security as an example, and the Democrats want the government to run health care? Yea right......

Answer 8

Never been sick, have you? They use business people to decide whether or not you need treatment for your cancer or heart problem. If it costs too much, you don't need it. Sound right to you?

EDIT: It's not that we don't "get it". Medical insurance is supposed to pay for medical care. That is why we have it. You pay into it in good faith that it will be there when you need it. and your needed care shouldn't be contingent on whether or not the insurance company will make money on the deal. The insurance companies have gotten greedy and they need to be stopped.

Answer 9

The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn't provide some type of health care for it's citizens. Would any one be surprised to know that the United States health care system is ranked near the bottom of the top 20? It is. of course no healthc are is free. I support a combination of a payroll tax for employees and a matching tax for ALL employers in this country regardless of number of employees.

Answer 10

You need an education in medical coverage. You are waaaaaaaayyy off track. Just wait until you have a major medical issue and you will learn fast! Insurance companies are making record profits (along with pharmaceutical companies) because they have a free hand in determiming what they will cover and what they will deny. If they can even afford to carry a policy, the average policy holder pays through the nose for even minimal coverage only to find out that when they desperately need to use it they are either denied totally or only allowed to go to certain doctors or treatment facilities where the insurance company can get a discount. Discount rates on health care is totally absurd. Like anything else you get what you pay for. Do you honestly think that if a doctor or other medical facility agrees to provide their services at discount rates they will take the same amount of care and time with that patient as they will with a patient paying out of pocket where they can charge rip off rates? What the government needs to do is force the insurance companies to provide quality coverage at reasonable rates and to include pre existing conditions. What the HE** good is it to pay ridiculous rates for coverage that excludes the precise purpose for needing the coverage. The government also needs to pull the license of any doctor, clinic, hospital or other medical facility that provides less than top quality treatment for any and all patients. Even though I am strongly against government regulations in most areas this is one area that needs it because it is totally out of control!
PS.... chefantwan is another example of someone with NO knowledge of what they are talking about. You say hospitals treat people regardless of whether they have good insurance or not. YEAH RIGHT! Have you ever had a close friend or family member that was on staff at a hospital? Well, I have and they all say the same thing. The quality of treatment varies greatly depending on what the hospital is being paid for that patient's treatment. It's a business even for hospitals that are so called 'not for profit' facilities. Studies prove that more people die as a result of not having quality medical care than those that have good coverage. The issue of medical coverage is not a democrat or republican matter. As far as you quoting the astronomical amounts that universal health care would cost the country if the liberal democrats would have their way, look at the EVEN MORE astronomical amount that we are spending to fight a war that is taking hundreds of our young men and women's lives all because of the so called 'conservative' republicans....... DUH!! What would you rather spend that money on? Saving the lives of sick, cancer patients that are dying every day due to not having health care or dump it on a war that we can not win but are sacrificing the lives of our soldiers. I'll tell you what should happen, each one of us should have the power to decide where our tax dollars go. Those that want to keep paying to have our soldiers taken away from their family and murdered should be able to choose to do so and those that would rather divert their tax dollars toward humanitarian programs right here at home in order to improve the quality of life for our neighbors and fellow Americans should be able to do so as well. Also if instead, we used some of those 'TRILLIONS' (yes with a 'T') of dollars we are dumping on fighting a war that can not ever be won, to defend our domestic borders we could deploy our men and women right near their homes and families and it would have far greater benefit to every American citizen. If Americans had the right to choose how their individual tax dollars were spent the stupid war would be over in short order due to lack of funding. The war mongers use the excuse that those opposed to funding the war are putting our soldiers at risk of not having proper means of defending themselves. BS! if those idiots that are running off at the mouth with that trash wouldn't have sent our soldiers there in the first place the subject would never have come up. If you want to take them out of harms way......... bring them home.... PERIOD!
PSS.... SherilynneB join the group of those who have no Idea what they are talking about. It's not just Hillary (spelled correctly) that wants to implement some type of change look around you. And as far as you not wanting to pay for illegals and others that don't have coverage you better wake up and do some research, that's PRECISELY what is happening now. Illegal immigrants in this country are being provided with the best quality health care available to ANYONE and who do you think is paying that bill??? You and I the hardworking taxpayer. Turn on you TV and watch the Oprah show right now!