This morning I got up knowing I had a million things to do . . clean out the fridge, laundry, make calls to the old insurance company and the new insurance company about medical bills. We didn’t know how easy we had it with the employer health care plan. My insurance now has a $5,600 deductible plus a $950 co-pay for ER visits plus an $850 co-pay when you’re admitted. No wonder the hospital lady came to talk to us about financial assistance. She said “If you own a home and have acreage, you probably won’t qualify.” We knew we wouldn’t qualify but at least there is help available for those who truly need it.
But . . we’ll survive this too and you can bet I’m going to do my best not to have to even go to the doctor for the next 10-1/2 months. My total out of pocket is $7,500 per calendar year and I’m sure I’ll meet that with this hospital visit so I guess going to the doctor won’t be a big deal through December but then I start over with the crazy deductibles in January.
I’m not even sure if the $950 co-pay I paid in the ER and the $850 I paid when admitted count as deductible or towards my total out of pocket expense. I guess it doesn’t matter . . I pay what I have to pay.
Insurance was the exact reason Vince had planned to work til I could get Medicare but his second goal was to work til he got Medicare so he’s good on the insurance . . I’m not so good!
The bottom line is that I’ll pay about over $1,000 per month for my insurance so that’s about $6,000 plus the out of pocket max of $7,500 for a grand total of $13,750 and then, if something happens in 2019 before I go on Medicare, I could have to do it all over again.
One thing for sure . . you cannot plan everything. We thought we had our budget all figured out but didn’t count on these medical bills.
In the end, it probably isn’t so horrible. Vince said with the employer insurance, we each had a $10K out of pocket max. The best thing to do is not get sick, right?
tiptopquilts says
Insurance is absolutely crazy when you are paying it yourself. I keep debating about one of the Christian Healthcare ministries.
Frieda says
Your co-pays count towards your out of pocket max.
Linda in NE says
The cost of medical care is totally unreasonable and that’s why insurance is so insane. Even when you’re on Medicare you still need to buy supplemental insurance and Part D prescription insurance. Dental care, vision care and hearing care still aren’t included in any of that so you still need insurance for those things or pay out of pocket and prices are out of whack for them too…especially dental. I’m beginning to believe that the goal is to turn all of us into easily controlled paupers.
Nelle Coursey says
Ah, the best laid plans of man………….
Susan says
Wow. That’s horrible. How do people pay that? This is why I’ll probably die at home! I got suckered into two tests that I wouldn’t have had if I had known how much they cost, and Medicare doesn’t help all that much, but at least my deductible isn’t that huge! I really hope you don’t get sick again.
Perry Dauzat says
this is the remnant of the mess that ObamaCare is responsible for. It is unreal
Judy Laquidara says
Our healthcare system does need some improvement. I blame lobbyists and greedy politicians who have invested in drugs and medical device companies and they don’t want to see the price go down. I was never a fan of ObamaCare but when you’re 63 and have to buy insurance, it was ObamaCare that says no one can be turned down. Of course, it’s almost cost prohibitive but at least I was able to get it and could not be turned down because of pre-existing conditions.
Kellie says
Your medical system in America is crazy. in Australia we pay about $1500 per family more in tax each year and that covers all our medical needs. Every one in our country has a Medicare card and when you go to the doctors or hospital you just give them that card number and there is no cost. I can’t imagine the financial stress that medical and insurance costs add to some families over there.
Val says
This is one of the reasons I am glad to live in Canada. I pay the maximum on my taxes which is $450 a year. Of course I pay for a portion of my prescriptions, glasses, chiropractor etc but I only have to pay 20% of the cost after the $25 deductible each year. We are fortunate for sure.
Elaind says
Don’t get sick or old
Judy Laquidara says
Now why didn’t I think of that? 🙂