If you are self employed in the USA, do you have health insurance?

by Iamallcool 50 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Terry

  How many people know that nobody is ever turned away from an Emergency room with a medical problem?

  Did you know that people with zero money still get the finest medical care in America? Indigent get wonderful medical attention.

  The taxpayers pick up the tab. But, the job gets done.

  I tell people about a friend of mine who got an ambulence drive, emergency treatement, hospitalization, heart specialists, fine private hospital room and follow up without having a job or any money in the bank. They don't believe me. Entirely true.
• 

  NewChapter

  My cancer can't be treated in an emergency room. People with diabetes can't be treated in emergency rooms. If it reaches emergency room status, then the damage has already done. Emergency rooms are great for emergencies----------------what about chronic illness? I have to buy medicine to take at home. Do you think I can waltz into an emergency room every night to get my dose?

  Tell the WHOLE story. The story of those that struggle with high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, arthritis, pain-------the things that are not effectively treated in emergency rooms. Not everyone that can't afford healthcare are indigent. It's the people in between that need the help. Instead they get the emergency room spiel.

  NC
• 

  Violia

  Sorry, Terry, you most certainly can and will be turned away from the ER unless THEY decide it is a true emergency. What you may feel is an emergency may not meet the ER's criteria of an emergency.They will see you briefly and refer you to a doctor in the area. They are more careful with children but adults are turned away all the time. You might feel a sinus infection and also ear infection with terrible pain is an emergency but they might not.
• 

  sinis

  You could solve the health care issue over night. Make all insurance based health cares ILLEGAL - make ALL forms of health care SELF PAY. Free market would take affect and prices would drop over night. Of course the AMA would not go for this, nor the doctors as you would basically bring their income way down. However, this will not happen as the Baby Boomers have given themselves entitlement after entitlement to the tune of Medicare and SS having an unfunded liability of 110 trillion dollars. The Boomers don't want to hear about cuts, and everyone else wants thier free shit... sad state of affairs.
• 

  TD

  only because my wife has it through her employer.

  Same here
• 

  sinis

  You could also solve many health issues by educating the people to eat healthy, and ending stupid laws that advance health and anti-aging clinics, hormone therapy, etc. Western medicine treats the symptoms NOT the root cause.
• 

  NewChapter

  ooooo no we can't have that. Michelle Obama is the devil incarnate because she wants to fight childhood obesity. THAT would be a nanny state.
• 

  sinis

  I'm not saying state controlled anything with regards to diet, but you could create an incentive to be healthy based on diet and exercise. Maybe an additional tax deduction or something along those lines. Reward people initially, then it becomes second nature, then remove the reward... so many other options as well. Hell, just by making health care SELF PAY would kick start people to try and be healthier as it would mean less money spent at the docs office. Make everyone pay, make billing and procedure prices public and docs would compete...
• 

  MeanMrMustard

  Did you hear the applause during the GOP debates when any candidate mentioned repealing "Obama-care"?

  Yeah. Remember when their war cry was Repeal and Replace. Now it's just Repeal. If they really wanted to foster that entrepreneurial spirit, they'd make sure that individuals could buy health insurance on their own---instead of being tethered to a corporation. I know quite a few people that gave up their businesses simply because they needed health insurance for their families.

  I really think they believe that health care should be reserved for those that can afford it. Nothing else fits the narrative. They just really don't care.

  The biggest obstacle for many Americans that have the talent to start a business is health care. My brother get's million dollar contracts---but could barely get health insurance. Something is terribly wrong with this system, but to say so is to be a socialist or to wage class warfare. If we want healthcare options, we really have to hope none of them take the White House. They like that Americans are indentured servants to big corporations---who want to keep all the talent to themselves.

  NC

  NewChapter, something about this must be a bit off. I have worked for a small company (6 employees total) for the last seven years. When I first started the gross (not net) income of the company was around a million dollars. Today it is about three million. Yet, the company has always provided top-notch health insurance. In the past the company paid the majority of the premium, but the employees kicked in a good amount too. If your brother is getting million dollar contracts (plural), why can't he find good group health insurance?

  This year we tried something new. We went on a high deductible plan. The premium is quite low. To offset the high deductible ($3000), each employee gets an HSA account that we can contribute to pre-tax. Even after the contribution, my total expense went down! BUT that's not all - The company's contribution to the premium dropped a lot too, so it was decided that the company would prime the HSA account with $3000 for each employee. My exposure for health care is LITERALLY $0. No copays. I get a debit card to use at the drug store, and I can get direct deposits from the HSA prior to paying any doctor.

  MeanMrMustard
• 

  Terry

  What are these "Rights" everybody talks about so glibly? Where do they originate?

  The Founding Fathers indicated we are "endowed by our Creator" with certain "unalienable" rights.

  Really? Rights come from God?

  Then, I suppose we should expect God to heal us when cancer or Diabetes is visited upon us.

  In Reality, we humans have only the Rights we grant each other in whatever social construct we find ourselves in.

  In our Family who has "rights" and how far will they take us? Doesn't it really depend on who has the POWER? Doesn't it really depend on who has the MONEY? Otherwise, we have to go out and earn it ourselves---don't we?

  In a wider social construct, in school, for instance--what Rights do we have on campus? We can we automatically expect to be able to do--what?... and who does THAT depend on for enforcement?

  See where I'm going with this? Magical "Rights" are imaginary! Our "Creator" is very UNinvolved, I assure you!

  According to the founding document, the Constitution, we have the Right to "Life, Liberty and--" ??

  What is the next phrase? Is it healthcare? No.

  Is it Happiness? No. It is the "pursuit" of happiness. It is self-responsible. It is up to us.

  If, when a child is born, an account were opened in that child's name BY THE PARENTS for the healthcare and regular contributions were made.....with interest....any child who grows up would have millions of dollars cash at their disposal for such emergencies as might arise.

  But, Nooooooooo.....

  We helplessly flounder about hoping some elected officials will have domain over us and will benevolently provide for us. Why? Oh---because our Creator "endowed" us with that RIGHT. Look on your money...see that phrase? IN GOD WE TRUST. Even the Government is passing the "buck".

  Right? Wrong.

  Reality check: We are responsible for ourselves. That should include our power to arrange a social contract with our family and friends. Any of us---all of us here--IF WE SO DESIRED--could pay into a fund as a GROUP and create group insurance.

  But, no. Somehow we have to trust politicians to do it for us. After all, they've never wasted our money before, have they? They've never screwed anything up have they?

  Sigh....

  When GOVERNMENT gets involved you are forcing strangers to pay for your benefits by law. Their freedom to do with their own cash as they so choose is now encumbered. You've placed a heavy "invisible hand" in their pocket. For what purpose? Oh, so that YOU can have your RIGHT to healthcare.

  The smokers, drinkers, illegals, addicts and layabouts will automatically have access to your wallet when Government gets into the game. All so that some of us can feel we have protection.

  What we really need is protection from such ideas!

  There is NO freedom when politics starts forcing things to happen.