Is it irresponsible to not have health insurance?

It is irresponsible unless you are able to insure yourself or are willing to die instead of going to the doctor.It is also irresponsible to have house,auto,and toy monthly payments. We would not be in this financial trouble in this country if people were responsible.I know that health insurance is beyond reach for some people and I hope it gets set straight soon.These people have no choice in the matter.

Paying for the rest of your life? If you're in your 40's or 50's and even making 40k a year you couldn't pay many of the medical bills you could easily run up if you spent every dime you made. That's not even taking into account that the illness, injury or whatever medical condition didn't hamper your earning capabilities.

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"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence"
Robert Frost

I'm 55 - my DH is 45.

I don't know if it's irresponsible not to have "health insurance".

It's more like unrealistic in our case.
Last I checked the monthly premium for DH & myself would be in excess of $850 per month.
That's never going to happen.
We can't afford $150 a month much less $850.

There is no provision for so called "catastrophic" "health insurance" in Pennsylvania.
We've been without so called "health insurance" for over 3 years.
It's the smartest thing we ever did.

We have saved over $30,000 in the last 3 years.
Neither of us will go to the doctor or a hospital unless we fear for our lives or are in extreme pain.
That hasn't happened yet.

Without so called "health insurance" we have taken complete responsibly for our well being.
That means we had to educate ourselves about the medical industrial complex and personal health conditions that we are likely to encounter.

Neither of us will agree to any type of chemotherapy or invasive cardiac surgery.
Next time one of us gets sick we will pay out of pocket or off our line of credit.

IMHO the only ones benefiting from "health insurance" is Big Pharma, Insurance Companies & HMO's

When I was 2 years old, I had an accident and was burned (2nd & 3rd degree) on my face, arms, and torso. I was in the burn unit at the hospital for 10 days, and the bill was over $100,000 (that was back in 1981, I think it would be more like $250,000 nowadays). Could YOU pay that out of pocket or with your credit line?

maybe you should check again.
I just ran your basic details through eHealthinsurance.com (a clearing house for several different companies) and found several high deductible plans (there's really no such thing as "catastrophic", they're actually "high deduc/high co-pay") in the $250-$500 range.

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Lawsuits, salaries, and overhead (computers, equipment, etc.) are the difference.

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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

One of the problems with even very low priced policies is that every time you turn around, the premiums go up in price. To somebody barely making it, this can cause them to have to drop it.

Too true.
Ours made a 20% jump in the month of December...

Some kind of universal health care can't come soon enough, so far as I'm concerned.

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Government programs always cost more. You'll pay much more in taxes than you'd currently pay for a commercial program.

__________________
Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

I have a "catastrophic" high deductible Blue Cross plan, and the above poster was correct who said that the monthly premiums go up every year, and then many find it out of their reach. Esp.once you hit 50; that is one of their cut-off dates. Also for those who say they farm as their primary occupation, as farming is a red flag, as is smoking! Anyway, in 2008, my monthly went from $160 to $240, unless I go to a $5000 deductible (at age 53). In 2008 the deductible was $3000. I only go every 2 or 3 yrs for a bone scan for a genetic problem, due to the out of pocket expense. I've worked for esteemed universities, non-profits, and well-known American companies and never had a plan that covered dental or eyes. I eat great food that I grow and have exercised my whole life, but can tell that familial health problems are starting, about 30 years earlier than they did for my parents. It gives me pause...as these high deductible plans mean you are self-insuring anyway, in addition to the monthly premiums. ldc

Comparing to friends and family who live in Canada, Ireland and the UK; I highly doubt it.

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

It'll probably mean much higher taxes, so I am not looking forward to it.

I'm inclined to think, for the vast majority of us, the increase in taxes won't even come close to what we currently spend (or should spend) on adequate health coverage.

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

Please PM with the details or a link.
You know something that my insurance agent doesn't
My DH has a history of viral myocarditis & nobody will touch him.

**edit** Sorry Erin I didn't read you post carefully. We already went that route 2 years ago. We couldn't find a company to insure DH for ANY amount of money.

Whinnyninny -

Funny thing about not having "health insurance"...
medical costs drop & doctors can make a diagnosis without a lot of expensive tests.
Same for the hospital.
Reminds me of 20 years ago.....

I guess if one of us gets sick the "health care industry" leeches will just have to take monthly payments until we die.

Parasites are only suppose to suck a little blood now & then.
Instead they are killing the host.

Fact is the reason "health care" is so expensive is because of Federal Government intervention & big multi national corporations.
Get the government out of "health care" and the price will go down fast!

Interesting discussion. I worked with a woman several years ago who came from a family of 8 children. Her father was self-employed as a well driller and her mother did not work outside the home. She said her parents never had health insurance during all those years of having children and raising them. Her mother was very health conscious.. The parents are in their 70's now, and some of the sons are in the business with their father. I am amazed that they were able to do it all those years, but like someone posted earlier, this would have been the 60's and 70's and was not uncommon then...

We had health insurance of some kind through my husband's employers all through the years.. sometimes it was good insurance, sometimes it was not. We never did have dental or vision coverage - I think a savings account just for vision and dental would be a good idea, instead of paying premiums. It seems that insurance only pays a part anyway, and you end up paying a lot yourself.

We couldn't afford the premiums when our kids were no longer covered under our health insurance (that's the way it was set up, no more coverage after age 18 unless we paid it ourselves), but as long as they were in college we could get catastrophic coverage through the university for under $300.00 per year. This was back in the early 90's.

If an accident happens at home, would your homeowners policy cover medical bills..just thinking..I don't know the answer to that.

I have never been one for universal health coverage, but my husband is now totally service-connected disabled and qualifies for coverage through the VA, and I am covered also, so I've had to eat some crow here. My husband's employer went out of business and we'd have been in big trouble if not for the VA (although if not for his time in service he most likely would not have been uninsurable at age 55). And we cannot complain at all about care there...

I have catastrophic insurance with a $7500 deductible which next month goes up to $185-I am 53.

I like the way you think. Although we couldn't do this because of already advanced health problems with DH, I very much like the idea of being self-reliant and questioning the motivation of many in the health care industry. You really do have to take charge of your care by being involved and learning as much as you can about options..

but it's a complicated issue...

That seems like a very good option - at least you have coverage for very major expenses that may come up!

If you're healthy, you'd probably be happy with the health care you'd get in Canada. If you're not, or if you have an unusual disorder you'll probably not be happy. For example, I know a family who was forced to purchase their daughter's only source of nutrition because insurance in Canada wouldn't pay because their daughter wouldn't outgrow her need for the formula. When our daughter used this formula six years or so ago, it cost $900/month. You also need two arterial blood gasses to get oxygen. That's very painful. There are many people who need oxygen who wouldn't qualify under this system. I recently had some genetic testing done. Treatment for those with rare or difficult to treat disorders is, at best, very difficult.

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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

To make a judgement about someones innability to afford insurance or choice not to take part in it is wrong. Insurance companies where originated to benefit the insured, not the insuree. Insurance is a business that is totally out of hand, and should be regulated to some degree, and I think the best way to regulate them is to not buy into thier scam.

I personally am not offered any insurance at my work. I have never had health insurance since I left home. 22 years and five kids later, I have managed to pay any bills associated with health, vision, dental, orthodontics. My Family and I have been blessed with good health, no luck involved here.

I have always declared no insurance up front, and I think there are different prices for the uninsured.

All that being said, I realize that my health will only deteriorate as I get older, so I will probably have to buy into the scam and get some catastophic insurance of some sort, but I will not like it.

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~~Providence Hill Farm~~
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