Health Insurance is a Nightmare

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[valeriaswanne]

"Have you considered just dying?" -most insurance companies

[nuunyabizzness]

Begging doctors and nurses to believe you that something is wrong when they tell you, "it's nothing! You're healthy!" Is the absolute worst feeling. Finding a doctor who takes your concerns seriously, finally understanding and confirms there IS something wrong...then realizing the previous ones were gaslighting you because they didn't know or understand what you were going through is hell.

[nicoladawson]

Even when you do have a chronic illness, it's difficult to navigate insurance because you DO have a chronic illness! Our heath care setup in the US needs a major intervention 😢

[slc]

I was on an "affordable care act" plan while waiting for disability to be approved. Almost $1K per month. Then $12K yearly in deductibles and copays. The most expensive plan was the only plan that my pain clinic was on. And I have procedures almost monthly. I'm still paying off the last two years of debt while I'm accruing more debt from procedures & treatments. And even now, on Medicare, I'm paying almost $700 monthly. My drug coverage is supposed to be a good plan, yet the few drugs I do get are all tier 3 and cost me $300 or more monthly. And that's not adding dental or vision. I don't understand why dental, hearing, and vision aren't part of insurance since these are parts of the human body!

[kimboston]

My parents live with me and my husband. I’m their full time caregiver. For the past 4 months it’s been a living hell. They’ve both had multiple hospitalizations, inpt rehab.
I’m at my wits end with drs telling me mom and dad can’t get the tests they need because insurance won’t pay. Modern medicine has kept people alive longer and as a result our seniors are suffering at the hands of these companies.

[MomtoaFullHouse]

My mom is 76 and on Medicare. Medicare assigned her a Dr who retired and didn't pass her care on to anyone else. My mom went back to Medicare who gave her numerous offices to call and every single one was either closed or not accepting new patients! Finally I found a Dr that said they accepted her Medicare plan. She made an appointment and saw the Dr. She had been months out of important medications for blood pressure and thyroid and Medicare told her to go to urgent care instead of setting her up with a new primary. After her appointment Medicare told her that this new Dr was NOT covered under her plan! She called the Dr's office because they had taken her insurance card and they told her (again) they ARE covered under her plan! She called Medicare back and then they confirmed it. It is RIDICULOUS to put elderly people through this when they already struggle with technology and internet access as it is! If I hadn't found that office for my mom she would probably still be looking because Medicare is just that incompetent.

[WakeupAmerica]

Most senior’s have to choose between buying groceries or buying their meds. It’s disgusting. America needs to do better. 🇺🇸

[samuelese]

“Doctors I’m allowed to see”
Me, an Australian: “um what”

[happytaboo]

Yep, nurse saw me trying to "walk off" MS symptoms and talked to me. I'm avoiding other problems that cost money....have to. I owe too much already.

[lineprestkvrn]

In Norway we find the healthcare system in the US absolutely insane.

[sylvirgiomanach]

I was paying $300/month for health insurance. Was hospitalized. Almost *died.* Insurance paid about... I think it was 10%? I rolled out of that hospital owing $200k *after* insurance.
But apparently it was a big enough issue that there was a class-action lawsuit against the insurance company. I got $3k from it. 🙃 Not enough to take care of that bill, but it was enough to fix the car and repair some stuff around the house.

[walkwithmeASMR]

Yeh I'm happy in the UK. If we have ANY niggle or health concerns we just call up the doc. We have a phone appointment a couple of hours later and if they need to see us they book us in. No money needed. It just happens. I couldn't imagine the fear of living with potentially life threatening illness because I'm scared of the cost.

[grimnirnacht]

Good luck getting private coverage if you have a pre existing condition too

[mycoldheart]

Need a full version of this! I havent gone to see the doctor in 2+ years and I dont wanna pay insurance for something that I dont need. I dont want to get penalized for it in my taxes.

[sistakia]

I tried to explain that sometimes I'm just too sick to go to the doctor and people who don't have that challenge don't seem to understand my problems!

First off, I don't drive so I contact the insurance for a ride. (You must give three days notice to do that.) Great, three days in the past I know I'm going to be sick on a Friday so yeah, I can do that. 😔

Oh, by the way, day of the appointment, my ride either doesn't show up or shows up three minutes before I should be at my appointment. I've of course rescheduled already and just made sure it was three days out again. I also know that I won't make that appointment either because I'll either be better or I'll be in the hospital. Either way, I still won't be able to see my doctor. 😢

[vickiepatterson]

Just wait until you get on Medicare! People think Medicare is cheap but you have to get supplemental insurance too or you end up paying providers extravagant amounts!
Too many providers don't want Medicare patients because they get paid so little. Most doctor offices only allow so many Medicare patients with the majority being on regular insurance. That's the only way they can have enough revenue going into the office.
But it's a slippery slope being a Medicare patient. Doctors either have you on multiple prescriptions or they can't be bothered to find what's really wrong with you.
I filed insurance for 2 different medical offices for 20 years and I learned exactly how insurance works. It was a constant battle to get them to pay claims correctly or sometimes at all! They would often deny claims saying it wasn't medically necessary and I spent lots of time talking to and convincing them so they would continue paying!
It's a full time job getting insurance companies to pay claims! Most people don't fight them because they don't have the ammunition to even argue or don't have the time to waste on the phone.
A lot of people will pay the providers bill because they don't understand the difference between the charged amount and the allowable. It should never be an issue but the provider's office isn't doing their job correctly either. And if you overpaid the provider, most of the time it's very hard to get your money back!
There are so many nuances with insurance and most of them are learned the hard way. There really should be classes for maneuvering insurance and medical bills! If people have insurance, they don't have to pay as much as they're paying to providers.

[EaglesQuestions]

I keep in mind what insurance is actually for - Preventing me from going bankrupt. I'll eat the copay and deductibles... but am I covered for surprise hospital stay? Ambulance?

[tinglelingaling]

I am so grateful for my insurance. Someone at the hospital set it up for me when I was there for a month. I have some pretty severe conditions and I have 37 prescriptions well 40, but the last three are syringes and diabetic supplies. I do get help through the state with some copays with some of my meds. I also get a discount on my monthly premium. I am so scared to lose it to be honest. I know I couldn't find anything like this if I lost my ins for some reason. People have enough to be afraid of with their illnesses. We shouldn't have to worry about getting medical help. I see my doctors every 4 to 8 weeks. Sometimes it has been 12 weeks, but that doesn't happen often. When I have to stay in the hospital I have gotten financial aid to pay for the deductible. I am so sorry for those who don't have insurance. At one point I didn't and that is what made all of my stuff worse. Prayers for those in need.

[olga]

Understanding and reading your healthcare insurance plan policies is like reading the book of the recently deceased in Beetlejuice 😂😂😂😂

[LaydeeLia]

Being chronically sick, I'm *_SOOO_** blessed* to live in Canada!