Our health insurance is completely fucked up!
A I have already mentioned I will be loosing my health insurance as of the first of next year. Come April 11 of next year I would have that insurance policy for 35 years. They didn't let me know much more than a month or two in advance. So the deadline is December 15th to get insurance. Don't get it by then you have to wait 'till the next enrollment period.
So after doing a shitload of research on which policy will fuck me over the least, I locked in a policy yesterday.
I talked to Blue Cross Blue Sheild Nebraska, and at first they told me that all I had to do is re-enroll at whatever date, but no later than another. So, I was like okay there is nothing to worry about. When enrollment was open I called again, and they now told me I couldn't get the same insurance and had to go to the marketplace to try and get insurance (healthcare.gov). I got very confused by the legal mumbo jumbo. I ended up just talking to an insurance agent. Which in itself would be a good job. You get like 35% of the premium! For doing NO physical work that is a hell of a lot. I was told that my policy could not be renewed because "it's not an ACA approved policy (aka Obamacare)". I have a hard time believeing this has anything to do with Obama, and everything with trump trying to repeal it. For fucks sake ACA went through in what '14? Why did it take 4-5 years for my insurance to be canclled? You flat out can not afford not to have insurance. One trip to the ER can make you bankrupt. In 2013 I had two peocedures done on my back and a full blown back surgery. The surgery alone was 15K, and just from doctors visits, er visits, specilist visits, probably looking at 30K or more. I don't know exactly what the doctors themselves charge the insurance company, but my sister is a doctor, and they charge the insurance companies more than what they charge cash customers. Fucked up right?
I need another procedure done on my back. It relapsed a little over a year ago, and after the surgery, scar tissue formed, and I have arthritis in my back. I am still on a 20# weight restriction. I can lift more than that, but not all damn day. My back is getting to the point where if I get of a seat, or go to sit down most people can hear a loud pop followed by me yelling "Son of a bitch". Lots of days it feels like someone stabbed me in the hip. It's mostly my hip that hurts, but sometimes it pinches on the syatic nerve. That will drop me. It has. Sometimes the pain shoots all the way down my leg. They don't give me narcotics anymore (although they had me hopped up on that shit 24/7 for over 3 months). They gave me so much of that it wasn't funny. First Hydrocodone, then oxycodone, then Opana. Opana is like taking 20 hydrocodone at one time. Narcotics don't work that well for nerve damage, but mild nerve damage it will. Towards the end I literally wanted to kill myself. The pain was that bad. I lost 20 pounds because I couldn't get out of bed to make anything to eat. I was in bed for literally 23h 45m every day for about the last month. The only time I'd get up would be to get a glass of water, and use the bathroom. It's about 10' from my bed to my bathroom. I'd have to lay down half way on the floor. Any time I had to go anywhere I called either my mom or dad to pick me up. I couldn't drive. I'm not talking about the narcotics, I'm saying I couldn't sit to drive. I missed my 10 year HS reunion because of it. And that was before my back got REALLY bad.
Okay so now I have insurance, great huh? My insurance was something like $200/mo. I had a $50 copay for a doctors appointment. It would take care of 90% of a medical procedure. Well my x-ray for my back cost something like $700, and the specialist didn't even fucking look at it! How do I know? He fucking told me! He said that the doctor is a good surgon, and he knew he did everything right. Fucker. Not everyone has $700 for literally NOTHING! Last time I went to that jackass. The last time I was in the ER it was around 3K. However I'm not paying for it. The assaultant is. Also my rx meds would cost hundreds of dollars a month if not for insurance. So starting the 1st of the year I have this great new policy! So now my premiums are a little over $700/mo. A doctor visit costs me $160 a visit. Medical procedures they pay 50%. I can't remember what the yearly deductible is, but it is a HDLP (high deductible low protection) plan. Great. With my bad back, and limited work I can do, that is literally two weeks worth of pay! I don't know how they are going to fuck me on rx drugs. It's sad that in the "best country in the world" you can't even afford to take care of yourself. Unlike other countries we don't focus on preventive care. We do have some of the best medical in the world, but only if you can afford it.
I went from making 65K-100K plus a year down to a literally min wage job (okay a buck or 2 an hour more). There are lots of jobs I am quilified to do, but physically can't. I know a lot of people talk about moving to Canada due to this admin. I am one person that is seriously trying. If you think about the $8,400 a year just for insurance, even if you don't need it at all, I could pay a company that fast tracks Canadian citizenship the $2,500. I saw a meme on FB the other day. It said if the US is so bad, then why are so many trying to get in? I'm trying to get the fuck out! If I had a job lined up there, and got dual citizenship, and was able to leave tomorrow, I just take some bare essentials, get in my car and leave! Don't have insurance? Your ass gets fined due tax time.
I know this is lengthy, and most Americans know about some of the laws, but I put in more detail for people that live outside the US (and I'm posting this on the Canadian, Eh? forum).
A friend of mine lives in BC, and for him and his daughter his insurance is taken directly out of his check. It was 95 CND/mo, but now his daughter is covered by the province. He's never been denied medical. Only thing he had to pay for out of pocket was meds. Him and his daughter also have dental and vision. I have neither.
Whoever fucked up health insurance should be shot.
PS morphene didn't work on me towards the end. They had to give me deladen. Oh and when my friend said he was paying 95 CND/mo that's about 75 USD at the exchange rate at the time. And when I talked to the insurance lady, she said if I give her my user name and password she could explain why one policy was a lot cheaper. I told her I am not going to give her my password. She said I am not going to help you then. I'm sorry, but I'm not giving my user name and password to someone, especially someone I never met, to a government website! Says so to not give it out!