American Health Insurance

[SureJanOK]

Hello all

I don't get it. Why do people pay thousands a month for this?

Especially if you're healthy.

Don't lots of people just take their chances? And pay if something actually happens? Like I did with my cat. I didn't take insurance and just paid as we went for what she needed.

Can someone explain to me like I'm stupid?

@missconductUSA - as our resident American expert, would be interested to hear your thoughts!

The lack of public health system allows insurance companies + hospitals to artificially inflate prices and drive up their profits. It’s quite simple really.

This is what happens when people just risk it www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/16/1104679219/medical-bills-debt-investigation

Lots do just take their chances. Don't see doctors for little things. But a bad accident or illness can bankrupt you.

The bill for my father's death came to 2 million dollars (about 4 months in hospital). Without insurance, my mother would have been homeless on top of losing him.

Some people have no choice but to risk it.

But if you are in a major accident, or get cancer, or have a stroke it might cost (literally) millions.

Medical costs are a major cause of bankruptcy in the US.

It’s totally different to a cat, who you would likely have rehomed or put to sleep if they were going to mean you lost your house and life savings. You can’t do that if it’s you or your kid who is ill.

Its like insuring your house

its fine if you just have to fix a window, having insurance is neither here nor there. But if there is a flood and you have to gut and fix the whole downstairs you are really grateful for your insurance.

paying as you go for the odd ear infection or ingrowing toenail is no problem, but surgeries if you have a car crash or cancer treatment get v expensive v fast

@WindowViper you probably underestimate how much I love my cat!

Such a strange system, I just can't get my head around it. How do people have kids if childbirth costs so much?!

I'm very much of the "life fast, die young" mentality so I honestly think I'd be the type to chance it. (I don't have any dependents). What I could do with an extra 1-2k/month!

With respect OP, as someone who has lived in the US you are coming across as ridiculously naive. Life is literally impossible unless you are insured - you answered your own question re: the childbirth problem. No insurance = no kids unless you fancy losing everything and going bankrupt. Nobody is stupid enough to willingly forgo insurance

The sad truth is some people have no choice but to take the risk not to have insurance. It’s not the same as your cat really because if your cat gets hit by a car it’s unlikely you will have vet bills that will make you lose your house and become bankrupt!

So we had a high deductible (basically same as a Uk insurance excess) plan which meant that the premiums were lower but obv if you needed to use the insurance it cost more. As relatively healthy youngish people that suited us as we took the risk that we wouldn’t need to use the insurance much (but of course it was there just in case) and therefore paid a lower monthly amount. Perhaps if I was older with health issues it would make sense for me to pay more monthly but then pay less when I actually use the insurance.

Also (at least when I lived in US and the state I lived in, can’t speak for whole country) you were actually required to have health insurance and could be fined via your tax return if you didn’t. I think that might have been repealed now though

It fascinates me too. What would happen if you had cancer for example and needed chemo but no insurance? Would they receive the treatment or not?

My British living in America friend just paid $800 for a blood test without insurance. Soooo

American here, though I got out as soon as I could as an adult. Very few doctors or hospitals will take pay for service patients, because the chances of those people without insurance paying their bills is quite low. There’s a reason lots of people have their pets PTS when medical bills get too high. That isn’t an option with a human, well, not in that sense anyway.

The US healthcare system is fundamentally about profit making. Customers who can’t pay their bills aren’t good for profit margins. And one thing worse than having cancer and losing your income because chemo makes you too sick to work is a hospital coming and taking your house to pay your medical bills (I know someone this happened to).

I once needed a biopsy for suspected cancer. I lost my insurance as lost my job. I couldn’t afford $2000 for the biopsy, so I had to wait 2 years until I had a job that offered insurance again (not all do, or did at that time). Thankfully, it wasn’t cancer. Or I would have been screwed (dead) by then.

I had an American friend whose brother broke his leg badly in college. I think he was ski-ing, but either way, he needed an operation with pins through the bone, etc.

He got a bill for $250,000. I imagine he's going to spend most of his life paying for the accident he had as a 19 year old.

How do people have kids if childbirth costs so much?!

because they have insurance..: