How Are Most Affording Health Care These Days? Any Suggestions?

[dorlow]

I'm just trying to figure out how to get cheaper healthcare. I make about $40,000 a year. We are a single income family. With our current healthcare from our employer, it's $80 bi-weekly for our healthcare that has a $10,000 deductible. So everything we go to the doctor for, we have to think twice about it.

My daughter had to go to ER a few months ago and the bill for a 1 day stay was about $2,000. We have to pay everything out of pocket until we reach the $10,000. It is killing us.

I keep on calling around and trying to get quotes for healthcare on my own. Everytime I tell insurance sales people what we're paying, they tell me "You're getting an awesome deal!!" I don't think it's an awesome deal.

Seems with having two kids under 2, every other day, I have med bills in the mail and it's killing me to pay them all and still feed the family.

There has to be other people in this world that are in the same boat. I don't think I get paid that crappy, but I know it's not great. We shouldn't be living so bad if we have, what everyone keeps telling me, awesome insurance.

What would be great is if someone could tell me some loophole so we could get Medicade or Medicare or something government sponsored. We do get a little bit of government assistance but I think that's ending after this month. I asked or rep and he said we don't apply for anything government related.

 

[HealthGuy]

Re: How Are Most Affording Health Care These Days? Any Suggestio

Whoh, take it easy on this guy as the dogs are unleashed....Isn't Obama's plan supposed to take care of a nice guy like this?

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

Re: How Are Most Affording Health Care These Days? Any Suggestio

$160 per month is cheap. You don't need cheaper health care. You need your employer to add a copay to your group plan and split the cost with you.

 

[STIBROKER]

Re: How Are Most Affording Health Care These Days? Any Suggestio

you pay the $2,000 off $25 a month....still cheap....and if you get cancer you will be glad you have it.....

 

[dgoldenz]

Re: How Are Most Affording Health Care These Days? Any Suggestio

Most hospitals have charity care based on your income. Ask them about your options and you might get a substantial reduction on the charges. Then pay it off $25/month (or whatever you're comfortable with) as STI said. Hospitals will work with you on it. They'd rather get paid than not paid, even if it takes a long time.

 

[dorlow]

Re: How Are Most Affording Health Care These Days? Any Suggestio

But that doesn't work most of the time, because most of the time, medical bills are just office visits. My kids have to go to the doctor every few months for checkups. Each one of those are a few hundred dollars. I doubt they're going to drop those charges.

Other thing that is frustrating is dental and vision too. My 3 year old hasn't been to the dentist yet. I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford to have her go. Our 8 year old has been a few times.

Back in the day, my parents had awesome insurance. No deductible, $10 copay, dental, vision, etc. Those benefits are almost extinct these days and I can't figure out if everyone now is just letting their teeth rot out of their heads or what?

 

[AllenChicago]

Re: How Are Most Affording Health Care These Days? Any Suggestio

My daughter had to go to ER a few months ago and the bill for a 1 day stay was about $2,000. We have to pay everything out of pocket until we reach the $10,000. It is killing us.

I keep on calling around and trying to get quotes for healthcare on my own. Everytime I tell insurance sales people what we're paying, they tell me "You're getting an awesome deal!!" I don't think it's an awesome deal.

Seems with having two kids under 2, every other day, I have med bills in the mail and it's killing me to pay them all and still feed the family.

What would be great is if someone could tell me some loophole so we could get Medicade or Medicare or something government sponsored. We do get a little bit of government assistance but I think that's ending after this month. I asked or rep and he said we don't apply for anything government related.

Hello Dorlow,

1. You ARE getting a great price for a family of four. One thing that is missing is a stand alone Injury plan. Virtually every high-deductible family health insurance plan I set up has an injurybenefit.com policy as part of the package.

2. In 2014, the government will help you pay the premium for your health insurance, if purchase it through the new exchange and your family income in under $80k annually. Here is a link to a calculator to determine how much your monthly government health insurance subsidy will be: Health Reform Subsidy Calculator

Good luck to you Dorlow.

-Allen in Chicago

P.S. Just saw your last post... You can get good Dental and Vision savings (30% to 50%) from the DentaSaver plan for about $20 a month, family coverage. See www.10DollarDental.com

 

[sman]

Re: How Are Most Affording Health Care These Days? Any Suggestio

In what state do you live? Some states have special plans designed just for kids for those with modest incomes. For example, in Georgia we have PeachCare. A family of 4 can have an income of close to $52k and still qualify. If your state has this type of program you could put the kids on that plan since they are the primary users of health care right now.

I'm just trying to figure out how to get cheaper healthcare. I make about $40,000 a year. We are a single income family. With our current healthcare from our employer, it's $80 bi-weekly for our healthcare that has a $10,000 deductible. So everything we go to the doctor for, we have to think twice about it.

My daughter had to go to ER a few months ago and the bill for a 1 day stay was about $2,000. We have to pay everything out of pocket until we reach the $10,000. It is killing us.

I keep on calling around and trying to get quotes for healthcare on my own. Everytime I tell insurance sales people what we're paying, they tell me "You're getting an awesome deal!!" I don't think it's an awesome deal.

Seems with having two kids under 2, every other day, I have med bills in the mail and it's killing me to pay them all and still feed the family.

There has to be other people in this world that are in the same boat. I don't think I get paid that crappy, but I know it's not great. We shouldn't be living so bad if we have, what everyone keeps telling me, awesome insurance.

What would be great is if someone could tell me some loophole so we could get Medicade or Medicare or something government sponsored. We do get a little bit of government assistance but I think that's ending after this month. I asked or rep and he said we don't apply for anything government related.

 

[dorlow]

Re: How Are Most Affording Health Care These Days? Any Suggestio

We live in Michigan.

 

[sman]

Re: How Are Most Affording Health Care These Days? Any Suggestio

Doing a quick search I see that Michigan has something called MIChild and/or Healthy Kids. Just google either of them and get some details to see whether or not your kids will qualify.

We live in Michigan.