Yet another healthcare rant (Page 2)

You know when I started working for my current employer I was given 3 plans to choose from, one of which is a high dedutable plan.  I chose to go with a plan with higher premuims rather than risk the deductable.  Many things went into the decision including cost and the fact I have a pre teen son.  I could have gotten cheeper premiums but the plan I chose was what I considered the best option.  If you cannot afford the dedutable may be you shouldn't get the plan.  No one ever said you get everything you want handed to you in a nice package with a pretty bow.  Some times you have to make difficult choices then live with those choices.

That's lovely for you. I'm very happy - and very jealous - of your situation. But that is not the reality for me, or for a lot of other people. I make nowhere near 50K, I am nowhere near debt-free, and I doubt I have anywhere close to the number of toys you have. And I was over the moon that I was able to save $1500 in one year.

As for the high deductible and the people-know-going-in argument - sometimes they don't have an option. Look at the number of people saying they have no other option from their employers. I agree that the biggest mistake in our health care system is employer-tied insurance. Also, as said, it is a gamble. Let's say I'm barely scraping by, and even if I HAVE a choice between HMO/PPO or HDHCP, I'm gonna choose the one that lets me put food on my table every week and pray like the dickens that nothing big happens. If you want the people-know-going-in argument, where does that leave those who have NO insurance? I went without insurance for many years doing fairly high-risk activities, and I prayed a LOT. Sure, I knew it was a risk, but it was a risk I had no choice but to accept. Same for a lot of folks on HDHCP - they know the risk, but they have no other option.

Isn't this person at risk for ANY type of major problem? She'll be just as toast if she has a major car problem, house fire or loses her job. Her inability to come up with 5k has little to do with the fact that the healtcare system is screwed up.

Slugger,

I was really talking to Acesfull about the secretary situation.

But on your note about having no choice, I know what you mean. My wife and I for a few years were totally uninsured. Our boys were under medicaid as were were well below the poverty line. We made it by luckily and had no major health problems for either of us.

I guess my major point is this. Insurance is there so you don't get to a point you can never recover from. This is especially true after the Bush admin signed the idiotic bill to "reform" bankruptcy law. Now health care expenses aren't able to be put into a bankruptcy. So if a 5k deductible is the worst case scenario, I don't care who you are, but it's not that bad.

Also Slugger, awesome on saving 1.5k Every little step counts. Check out Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover. It really helped me get out of debt, which makes saving about 100000x easier.