Any Americans out there? With your health insurance system how is corona virus covered for those without insurance?

[StrumpersPlunkett]

Just that really.
I am interested not bashing any system.

I'd be interested in this too.

When I visited the states, in the noughties, some of the homeless on the streets looked in a really bad way, it was really shocking. It absolutely looked like someone could easily die

I've wondered this. I once saw a documentary about USA healthcare and they interviewed a former call centre worker who had to reject people who had cancer for treatment. She was in tears at the memory of essentially telling people that they weren't going to save their lifeZ and that's people who had insurance!

The federal government said that they will cover the medical costs of any uninsured coronavirus patients.

So are uninsured people confident to access care without fear of being billed?

I'm American and it's completely terrifying that many, many people's insurance is provided by their jobs. As y'all are probably aware, many people have lost their jobs so they've lost their health insurance.

My husband, the one with insurance for our family, lost his job in 2017 so we lost our health insurance. He couldn't find another job so he started his own business and we had to pay for our own insurance. Because we didn't qualify for group insurance and group insurance premiums, we could not afford insurance. As an employee, we paid $650 monthly for four people. As a self-employed sole proprietor, the premiums shot up to $1600. There was no way we could afford that so we had to go through a co-operative. Basically, we band together with a group of other small business owners and share each other's costs.

We are awaiting what will happen during this particularly anxious time. We know that we can all be seen by our doctors if we get symptoms and if our doctor decides we need to be tested, we can get free testing provided to us by our counties. We can have our co-op provide the cost for care at home but I'm not entirely sure what happens if we need to be hospitalized. We are learning more every day. I know our governor has mentioned that you will be admitted to hospital, since hospitals cannot turn you away, but in these extremely unique situations, if you don't have insurance, it will be taken care of. Do I trust it? I'm not entirely sure.

I lived in England for nearly nine years and my husband was a 40% tax payer. We have NEVER EVER complained because we know that no matter what, a person will be cared for despite the ability to pay. Sure, the NHS has its problems but worrying about how you're going to survive financially isn't one of them.

When I visited the states, in the noughties, some of the homeless on the streets looked in a really bad way, it was really shocking. It absolutely looked like someone could easily die

What a weird thing to say. Have you seen homeless people in Canada, or in London for that matter, or anywhere else where healthcare is free? I've lived in both places. They look just as dire.

IF you have health insurance - an important distinction - I'd much rather be in the US than in the UK (with the current exception of NYC). We have more hospitals and less crowding, generally. In the city where I live there is plenty of space in our many hospitals.

Yes- it is hard for people without insurance. My husband and I have it through my work. I’m so worried about people who are uninsured right now.

I know a friend of mines sister had no insurance and was treated for coronavirus, which was covered by the government. She wasn't so bad that she needed ventilation however she did get assistance.

I’ve been wondering the same thing

The thing is @Nandocushion no one in the UK or Canada will be homeless purely because having to pay for health care has lost them their home.

Even with great insurance I'd rather have the NHS. The IS health system, even the best money can buy, is one of the worst in the developed world according to WHO

*US not IS

Certainly it is in terms of overall health outcomes, yes. I agree it's not what I would choose generally and I prefer the Canadian system overall. Our facilities here in my city are generally sparkling clean and often nearly new though which is just what I want if I'm going in with a nasty bug!

What a weird thing to say.

Well ditto, Nando. Were you there with us on that trip? Did you see what we saw.

I've lived in London for years and never seen anything like that. Sorry to disappoint you on what you think I saw.

Part of the stimulus bill recently passed included money for hospitals to treat uninsured patients with coronavirus.

I'm in a small state, we just got $146 million - the expectation is that the next bill passed will include a lot more money.

My dad is elderly & in CA. He's on Medicare which somehow he gets via Kaiser (I'm a Kaiser baby) so should be just the same quality of care as when he worked FT for the County.

You guys shouldn't think so much about emergency care... emergency care is usually available even to the destitute. It's preventive care that the working poor don't get that this leads to huge inequality problems. Bad/no insurance means lack of counselling to stop heart disease or type 2 diabetes from getting terrible, lack of cancer screening, lack of meds for cancer recurrence, unaffordable blood pressure pills, poor rehabilitation after stroke, etc.

Is it urgent emergency care, which is available for all in the states?

What’s a Kaiser baby, lljkk?

Have you seen the shocking mass grave images in NY. I think I know what happens to the uninsured.

Another America bashing thread without knowing all the details

Same question as @EmpressLangClegInChair - what's a Kaiser baby? I just googled it and got this, but I'm guessing you mean something else!

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Kaiser%20Baby

Thanks for this post, I'd been wondering the same. The point an earlier poster made about the distinction between emergency and what we'd see as more routine care was particularly helpful.

So many people in my generation were born in Kaiser hospitals we got nicknamed Kaiser babies.

ps: my birth cost $100 apparently

So the federal government will cover the costs of no insured CV patients. But is there going to be a problem for people who lose their jobs because of the crisis - do they lose their insurance straight away for everything other than CV?

I believe from a friend that insurance stops immediately at the loss of a job

Depending on when you lose your job, your insurance can stop immediately, stop at the end of the month, your employer can continue paying for it for you, or under COBRA you can continue paying for it yourself.

Also when you lose your job it counts as a qualifying life event for you to be able to enrol in a new policy which might be private or Obamacare, it might be a state-run program, a co-op program, or you might qualify for Medicaid. Or you could switch onto your spouse's insurance policy if they have one.

I have tried many of the above...