Comments on: STORIES OF THE UNINSURED – PETER MACDONALD http://commonhealth.wbur.org/stories-of-the-uninsured/2008/03/stories-of-the-uninsured-peter-macdonald/ CommonHealth Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:23:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Pam Sheridan http://commonhealth.wbur.org/stories-of-the-uninsured/2008/03/stories-of-the-uninsured-peter-macdonald/comment-page-1/#comment-8002 Pam Sheridan Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:49:40 +0000 http://www.wbur.org/weblogs/commonhealth/?p=405#comment-8002 Peter, you hit the nail right on the head! The reason why there are so many uninsured people is that they can't afford it! Too expensive, especially if you are older. The older you are, the more expensive it is. It was stated when this mandated insurance first was announced, that the reason why the don't have health insurance was that they just didn't want it and had the monetary resources just to pay out-of-pocket. No, even the well-to-do want health insurance and they should be able to have it. The uninsured who don't have insurance "CAN'T AFFORD IT"! The only choice we have is to purchase health insurance and stop paying for rent, food and vehicles. I am unemployed and have been searching endlessly for employment. No luck yet. I have just about exhausted my IRA from my many years of work. It is very discouraging. Early last month I applied to commonwealth care and have not yet received a response. My COBRA from my last job is up in a month (I was paying 489 a month just for me). My husband has no insurance. He has a job that doesn't pay health and even if it did, his wages wouldn't even cover that! The worst part is is that we are being punished by the state for not having insurance. Peter, you hit the nail right on the head! The reason why there are so many uninsured people is that they can’t afford it! Too expensive, especially if you are older. The older you are, the more expensive it is. It was stated when this mandated insurance first was announced, that the reason why the don’t have health insurance was that they just didn’t want it and had the monetary resources just to pay out-of-pocket. No, even the well-to-do want health insurance and they should be able to have it. The uninsured who don’t have insurance “CAN’T AFFORD IT”! The only choice we have is to purchase health insurance and stop paying for rent, food and vehicles. I am unemployed and have been searching endlessly for employment. No luck yet. I have just about exhausted my IRA from my many years of work. It is very discouraging. Early last month I applied to commonwealth care and have not yet received a response. My COBRA from my last job is up in a month (I was paying 489 a month just for me). My husband has no insurance. He has a job that doesn’t pay health and even if it did, his wages wouldn’t even cover that! The worst part is is that we are being punished by the state for not having insurance.

]]> By: LThompson http://commonhealth.wbur.org/stories-of-the-uninsured/2008/03/stories-of-the-uninsured-peter-macdonald/comment-page-1/#comment-6567 LThompson Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:26:43 +0000 http://www.wbur.org/weblogs/commonhealth/?p=405#comment-6567 Peter- It is people like you who say they want the freedom to choose whether or not to have insurance who then cost all of us more and more taxes to cover the care of your children when they get seriously ill, your wife when she has breast cancer and you when you fall off the roof and shatter the left side of your body. If I were sure that people like you REALLY would pay for themselves, or choose not to use the system, then I would agree...you deserve the choice. HOwever, it never seems to work that way. Peter-
It is people like you who say they want the freedom to choose whether or not to have insurance who then cost all of us more and more taxes to cover the care of your children when they get seriously ill, your wife when she has breast cancer and you when you fall off the roof and shatter the left side of your body. If I were sure that people like you REALLY would pay for themselves, or choose not to use the system, then I would agree…you deserve the choice. HOwever, it never seems to work that way.

]]> By: Ron Norton http://commonhealth.wbur.org/stories-of-the-uninsured/2008/03/stories-of-the-uninsured-peter-macdonald/comment-page-1/#comment-6549 Ron Norton Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:06:11 +0000 http://www.wbur.org/weblogs/commonhealth/?p=405#comment-6549 Chris, Spoken like a true insurance industry shill! The fact of the matter is that plenty of folks have health insurance and still end up bankrupt in the event of serious illness. Insurers look for reasons to rescind policies or deny care in the hope that you'll simply go away, pay out of your own pocket, or die before they have to pay off. Peter appears to have made a rational decision to forgo the purchase of an expensive product of questionable quality and bank his money for eventualities. That seems like truer peace of mind. Peter, Thanks for sharing your family's story Chris,

Spoken like a true insurance industry shill! The fact of the matter is that plenty of folks have health insurance and still end up bankrupt in the event of serious illness. Insurers look for reasons to rescind policies or deny care in the hope that you’ll simply go away, pay out of your own pocket, or die before they have to pay off. Peter appears to have made a rational decision to forgo the purchase of an expensive product of questionable quality and bank his money for eventualities. That seems like truer peace of mind.

Peter,

Thanks for sharing your family’s story

]]> By: Chris http://commonhealth.wbur.org/stories-of-the-uninsured/2008/03/stories-of-the-uninsured-peter-macdonald/comment-page-1/#comment-6527 Chris Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:00:18 +0000 http://www.wbur.org/weblogs/commonhealth/?p=405#comment-6527 While I am happy the financial planning abilities of Peter and his family has worked out thus far, I am concerned that this is a dangerously short sighted approach to maintaining his family's well being. Imagine his son or wife had not hurt their nose, but instead - like thousands of others across the state - received a cancer diagnosis. While there is a difference between a $900 fee and a $10,000 annual premium, that is nothing compared to a $10,000 premium and the cost of diagnosing, treating, and recovering from cancer - which easily exceeds <i>several hundred thousand dollars without insurance</i>. And that's before prescription drugs. Another issue which is often overlooked with cancer is that once you are diagnosed, there is not option to become insured after that (as part of pre-existing look backs). So by deciding to not have health insurance now, Peter is closing that door for his family for some time to come. The point of insurance is to safeguard against the unexpected; one's history of health doesn't mean there will never be a real health problem (or accident or emergency) in the future. There is a vast difference between self-reliance and self-denial. If having affordable and reliable security against a medical emergency and potential financial ruin does not allow you to "enjoy the simple things in life", what would? Health reform is not a symbol of people forgetting to strive for a more peaceful quality of life, it is exactly what is enabling us to do so. While I am happy the financial planning abilities of Peter and his family has worked out thus far, I am concerned that this is a dangerously short sighted approach to maintaining his family’s well being.

Imagine his son or wife had not hurt their nose, but instead – like thousands of others across the state – received a cancer diagnosis. While there is a difference between a $900 fee and a $10,000 annual premium, that is nothing compared to a $10,000 premium and the cost of diagnosing, treating, and recovering from cancer – which easily exceeds several hundred thousand dollars without insurance. And that’s before prescription drugs.

Another issue which is often overlooked with cancer is that once you are diagnosed, there is not option to become insured after that (as part of pre-existing look backs). So by deciding to not have health insurance now, Peter is closing that door for his family for some time to come.

The point of insurance is to safeguard against the unexpected; one’s history of health doesn’t mean there will never be a real health problem (or accident or emergency) in the future. There is a vast difference between self-reliance and self-denial.

If having affordable and reliable security against a medical emergency and potential financial ruin does not allow you to “enjoy the simple things in life”, what would? Health reform is not a symbol of people forgetting to strive for a more peaceful quality of life, it is exactly what is enabling us to do so.

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