Stupid health insurance rant!
#293326 - 12/12/06 02:43 PM
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michele
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 6886
Loc: southeastern michigan
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Our blue cross premiums keep going up and up and up. Its up to $872 a month. Well, today, I got a huge packet in the mail that they are decreasing our benefits!! We used to have a $20 office visit copay, up to $40 now. They used to pay 100% of lab work and hospital, now only 80%. I have to have blood drawn every 3-4 weeks to monitor my blood and liver from the drugs I am on.
Speaking of drugs, I used to have a three tier copay, $10 for generic, $20 for preferred brands and $40 for non prefered stuff, which most of my drugs are. We used to be able to mail in and get three months for one copay. Now, they raised it to $10, $30 and $60 and the mail in is a double copay. I figure its going to cost me another $300 a month or so JUST in drug co pays!!!! I have no idea what the blood work is going to run every month and I usually have 2-3 doctor visits a month so thats another $60 increase!!!
No other insurance company will take me though because of my pre-existing ra!!! I'm going to be paying more each month for medical care than I am for my house payment!  As if having a crappy illness isn't enough, now I have to figure out how not to go bankrupt paying for it. 
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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OMG! That sucks! As if the insurance & pharmaceutical companies aren't making enough money already! I'm so sorry their doing this to you. It's just not fair! I had blue cross before & hated them. You should call to complain, see if there is anything they can do to help you.
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IBS-A...I can never make up my mind 
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I don't even know what to say. That must be so frustrating. Health care is set up so badly in this country. My mom has to take meds for high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and depression. She got laid off a few months back and lost her insurance. When she tried to get state aid they told her that she doesn't qualify because meds have to be "life saving" or some such bull. Hello? Congestive heart failure. If she doesn't get her meds, she'll die. I'd say they're life saving. But insurance companies don't care. What a pain in the ass they are. She finally just got a new job and can barely afford to buy her meds. But no insurance company is going to take her because of pre-existing conditions and for the last few months she's had to get by on samples and half doses. We're budgeted so tight we can't afford to buy them for her and she says she doesn't want help anyway. You and she, tough ladies. I don't know how you do it.
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If you're not dead, you've still got time.
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OMG Michele! As if you needed this to worry about!! It's absolutely ridiculous! I wish you had something better! I'd wish you OHIP (Ontario Hospital Insurance - the basic in my province) but then you would never get to see a dr. because of the shortage!!
If the money tree I planted ever blossoms I'll send you some flowers!!
Cassandra
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Cassandra
Live like there's no tomorrow. Love like you've never loved before.
IBS A 20+ years, Chronic Migraines, Chiari Malformation (decompressed June 22, 2010), Brachial Neuritis, and ??? the list just keeps growing, but I'm still shiny side up! 
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Yeah this sucks - I've heard similar from other people and I'm afraid you're right that once you're diagnosed with a condition most or maybe even all of the insurance companies won't give you a policy because you're deemed too expensive to take on. Its really a horrible system. Still I wonder if there are options for you.
I would hope that there were insurance plans that would take you on, or maybe some state program that would help you find affordable insurance. In NYC we have"the freelancers union" which gives group insurance rates to people working for themselves or small business like you. I wonder if there's kind of support like that out by you. I even heard from someone in PA that he'd gotten good group insurance rates through his local chamber of commerce - they had a group plan for local business owners. Worth checking into if there's anything on the local level government or otherwise that could help you....
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Ladies & gentlemen take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice.
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and if you are joining a pre-existing plan based on other reasons- like changing jobs or insurances through work they need to cover any pre-existing conditions as long as there isn't a gap in insurance... I know because mom has had consistant coverage over the years but not with one CO.. and I have had it too despite some of my issues and with Bill's asthma, genetic rickets, etc some of those copays add up fast but without them we'd be bankrupt- it was the medical stuff that under his offices garbage insurance (thats what it felt like) added up to 15 grand in credit card debt during the 9 months I was unemployed (a small portion was groceries but most of it was OUR medical- I had a colonoscopy during that time and Bill had a bunch of major stuff go down then too...
Amie
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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Michelle,
That's a horrible fact of life with Insurance companys. Do you get your Insurance on your own or thru your job? If your boss offers it to you then he or she chose this plan. We have Blue Cross/Blue Shield and for three people it is over $1300.00 a month because we don't have alot of people on the insurance where I work. THe more people on your Insurance the less money you end up paying. If your boss chose he probably went with this one because it saves him money.
If this is a group plan and you wanted to change and get on your own then you are right you would not be able to get it well, you could but you would be paying out your nose and they would not cover any of your issues for at least a year.
Either way it still stinks that we can be charged that much.
I hope this coming up year is a better and healthier year for you.
Terry
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Right now the policy is through the electrical workers union of Michigan. Will worked for them for a while but got laid off three years ago and went into business for himself. As long as we pay our monthly premium, they can't cancel us.
Will being self employed doesn't help either, most insurance companies won't covered self employed people. I have no checked into seeing if our state itself provides a group discount like Dan was talking about, I will do that though.
My boss does have coverage for a few of the girls in the other offices, its about the same amount of coverage for about the same amount of money and it would not cover Will. My employer is old and talking about retiring in 2 years so I am afraid of what would happen at that point.
Its just all so darn frustrating. I just got up and I'm already exhausted. I have wrists braces on both arms and will be getting fitted for ankle braces at my next rheumy visit just after the first. It seems the ra is progressing despite the bombardment of toxic drugs!  I'm just really tired, stressed, my soul and my physical body hurt. Can I go to sleep and someone wake me up when this nightmare is over?
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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That sucks, Michele! I could go off on a long rant about health insurance companies, but I won't. It's ridiculous!
Have you looked into any of the prescription programs pharmaceutical companies offer those without prescription coverage? Pfizer has several programs. I don't know if that would help much, especially when your biggest increases seem to be the copays for doctor/specialist visits.
I'm sorry this is happening to you, Michele. 
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The drug companys say we make too much money to qualify for their assistance programs! I'm not the one driving a freakin porsche!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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michelle,
#293595 - 12/14/06 05:19 AM
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khyricat
Reged: 08/05/04
Posts: 3612
Loc: Michigan
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First- big hugs!
there are groups to help self employed people in MI with health insurance, I'll see if I can find the info I dug up a few years ago. I don't know if it will be better then what you are dealing with, but it can't be worse.... I don't know of a government one, though there might be one... I just know that there are several orgs that work to provide group insurance policies that smal business people and those who work for themselves can buy into.
Amie
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Dietetics Student (anticipating RD exam in Aug 2010)
IBS - A
Dairy Allergic
Fructose and MSG intollerant
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You have been through too much. You poor thing. No one should have to deal with this much crap. I don't know how you do it. But you deserve goodness. And I hope with all my heart that it comes your way.
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If you're not dead, you've still got time.
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