Iowa Wellmark: 40% Increase, One Patient Costing them $12 Million/year

[Tkruger]

My 14 month old daughter has a rare genetic disorder that's running about $40,000/month. She's due for brain surgery in 13 days.

Damn, rough hearing about things like this even as an agent. Sending good vibes your way.

 

[Josh]

Sorry to hear that Josh as a parent I feel for you.

I appreciate that. For the first four months after she was born everything was perfect and then she developed a twitch. As they did more studies she ended up having three different types of seizures and at any given day takes more types of medicine than I've had in my life. She spent 10 days inpatient at Children's National in DC and at one point she was having 6 seizures an hour. Once that got down to 15 and didn't think they could get it any lower they released her.

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Damn, rough hearing about things like this even as an agent. Sending good vibes your way.

I appreciate that. It totally blows my mind when people say "I don't need insurance". Sure, awesome, you don't need insurance. For less than $300/month Kaiser is on the hook for untold millions. Even if I had millions, why would I risk that? More importantly, I don't have to wonder how I would come up with that kind of money and the deals I'd have to be making with providers. I have truly no idea what the brain surgery is going to cost, but thanks to insurance (which I bought from an agent here) I don't have to wonder. My wife can't work because taking care o the tiny human is a full-time gig (which she wanted to do anyway), but the situation sucks enough as it is, I'd hate to think I was going bankrupt in the process.

 

[Glen Shelton]

Both of my kids are under the age of 4, hearing what your child has to go through makes me sick to my stomach.

I hope the surgery goes well, thoughts and prayers for you and your family.