Do Americans go broke over medical bills?

[HereWeGoAgain]

So you're either employed and your cheap employer doesn't want to provide insurance, or you're self employed and don't want to share the net cost after you get your subsidies.

Nope. Retired two years ago at 46. Try again.

So no annuity to pay for healthcare? Did do your do diligence, did ya.

Dont have any problem paying my insurance premiums or deductible.
You see they have these things called medical savings plans that cover my deductible.
My hospital bills ran well over a quarter million last year and It didnt cost me shit in unexpected bills. And those years I dont need medical care? I just roll the money back into the savings plan.
It's called being responsible. Something that seems to be lacking in this country these days.

 

[Political Junky]

A $50,000. hospital bill can be devastating to an average family who was denied insurance for a pre-existing condition, let alone a several hundred thousand dollar bill.

A better idea is to force me to pay your bill?

Agree but I don't think Ronnie Ray-gun's Socialist EMTALA will be ending any time soon.

What's the pub's plan?

In spite of all the blubbering, they don't have one. Well, there's medical savings plans and selling insurance across state lines .. both bullshit.

 

[Noomi]

Yes, we're the only country where people go bankrupt because of medical bills.

Which is fucking cruel and ridiculous, given that healthcare is a 'luxury' in your country and not a God given right.

 

[Noomi]

If you can't pay your medical bills then you likely aren't paying your rent, car payment, etc. If you lose your job because you can't work, or simply can't work due to illness, then none of your bills get paid and all of them lead to bankruptcy, not just the medical bills. Besides, Obamacare doesn't do anything about that issue anyway.

A $50,000. hospital bill can be devastating to an average family who was denied insurance for a pre-existing condition, let alone a several hundred thousand dollar bill.

A better idea is to force me to pay your bill?

Yes. And its not force. There is no force in paying taxes.

 

[hunarcy]

There is no force in paying taxes.

Then don't pay your taxes and let's see what happens to you.

Ever heard of Wesley Snipes? Willie Nelson? Martha Stewart? Heidi Fleiss? Al Capone?

All of them (except Willie Nelson) were guests of the Government in a Federal prison because they did not pay their taxes Willie Nelson lost ALMOST all of his possessions because the Federal government seized them and auctioned them to pay his tax debt

You either don't understand what happens when you don't pay your taxes or are just making stuff up, but obviously your opinion is not to be trusted.

 

[MeBelle]

A better idea is to force me to pay your bill?

Agree but I don't think Ronnie Ray-gun's Socialist EMTALA will be ending any time soon.

What's the pub's plan?

In spite of all the blubbering, they don't have one. Well, there's medical savings plans and selling insurance across state lines .. both bullshit.

You're right, they don't have one.

They have several.
Problem is the bills are all sitting on Harry Reid's desk gathering dust.

 

[OnePercenter]

Nope. Retired two years ago at 46. Try again.

So no annuity to pay for healthcare? Did do your do diligence, did ya.

Dont have any problem paying my insurance premiums or deductible.
You see they have these things called medical savings plans that cover my deductible.
My hospital bills ran well over a quarter million last year and It didnt cost me shit in unexpected bills. And those years I dont need medical care? I just roll the money back into the savings plan.
It's called being responsible. Something that seems to be lacking in this country these days.

Sure you do......

 

[MeBelle]

is it just me or does every other rw'er on this board claim to be in the individual insurance market like Joe the Plumber (not really a plumber)

Yep and every single one of the pays lots more than anyone else. Why have my costs gone down? Why have I gotten two premium refunds, cheaper scrips and now, not paying co-pays for some things?

Like I've said before - Its obvious that Prez Barry knows who voted for him and their insurance costs reflect that knowledge.

Is it just me or does the OP troll his own thread?

As to why your health insurance is less expensive it's because of your age.

 

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

A better idea is to force me to pay your bill?

Yes. And its not force. There is no force in paying taxes.

Tell that to the people who show up at your door step pointing a gun in your face when you don't pay them.

I can't believe you actually made such a ridiculous assertion.

 

[oreo]

NerdWallet Health finds Medical Bankruptcy accounts for majority of personal bankruptcies | Health


56M Americans under age 65 will have trouble paying medical bills
– Over 35M American adults (ages 19-64) will be contacted by collections agencies for unpaid medical bills
– Nearly 17M American adults (ages 19-64) will receive a lower credit rating on account of their high medical bills
– Over 15M American adults (ages 19-64) will use up all their savings to pay medical bills
– Over 11M American adults (ages 19-64) will take on credit card debt to pay off their hospital bills
– Nearly 10M American adults (ages 19-64) will be unable to pay for basic necessities like rent, food, and heat due to their medical bills
Over 16M children live in households struggling with medical bills
Despite having year-round insurance coverage, 10M insured Americans ages 19-64 will face bills they are unable to pay
1.7M Americans live in households that will declare bankruptcy due to their inability to pay their medical bills
– Three states will account for over one-quarter of those living in medical-related bankruptcy: California (248,002), Illinois (113,524), and Florida (99,780)
To save costs, over 25M adults (ages 19-64) will not take their prescription drugs as indicated, including skipping doses, taking less medicine than prescribed or delaying a refill


Medical Bills Are the Biggest Cause of US Bankruptcies: Study

Bankruptcies resulting from unpaid medical bills will affect nearly 2 million people this year—making health care the No. 1 cause of such filings, and outpacing bankruptcies due to credit-card bills or unpaid mortgages, according to new data. And even having health insurance doesn't buffer consumers against financial hardship. ...

Medical Bankruptcy by Age
Age Range % of Total
Bankruptcies
2013, Estimated US Medical-Related
Bankruptcies 2013,
Estimated Size of
Household People Living
in Households
with medical-Related
Bankruptcy
2013, Estimated
18-24 2.3% 14,618 2.41 35,229
25-34 18.7% 120,708 2.86 344,622
35-44 28.9% 186,812 3.35 624,888
45-54 26.4% 170,875 2.81 480,159
55-64 15.8% 102,080 2.18 222,534
65+ 8.0% 51,719 1.76 90,767

In another thread, someone said that Americans don't go broke over medical bills. That's simply not true.

Most people who go broke over medical bills--is because they had NO medical insurance.

Now they're going to go BROKE over the monthly Obamacare premiums and or by the fines that will be imposed by the IRS if they don't pay the premiums.

This weekend brought the astonishing news out of California that health insurance prices are increasing as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

I can imagine what a shock this must be to supporters of the president's law, often referred to as Obamacare. Who could have predicted that forcing insurers to provide coverage for people who are already sick would lead to rate hikes across the board? Or that requiring insurance plans to offer more services than customers have asked for would cause the cost of those plans to go up? Or that the burden of paying for these changes would be disproportionately borne by young, healthy, middle-class Americans?

Of course, many opponents of the ACA did predict these things. Still, it must be disconcerting for supporters to discover their adversaries weren't just inventing reasons to oppose the law. It seems to have become canon that hatred for the president is the only possible explanation for how anyone could be against the ACA. It apparently never occurred to them that opponents might genuinely believe Obamacare would lead to perverse outcomes, or—heavens to Murgatroyd – that their beliefs could be grounded in reality.

California Insurance Premiums Go Up Under Obamacare - Stephanie Slade (usnews.com)

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Do Americans go broke over medical bills?

Basically, your answer is not really because your source used a faulty study to make faulty assumptions.

 

[Stephanie]

So now healthcare is a god given right

isn't a Unicorn from the government a god given right too?

my gawd, the people in the societies today just want to live off and devour others in it

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

So no annuity to pay for healthcare? Did do your do diligence, did ya.

Dont have any problem paying my insurance premiums or deductible.
You see they have these things called medical savings plans that cover my deductible.
My hospital bills ran well over a quarter million last year and It didnt cost me shit in unexpected bills. And those years I dont need medical care? I just roll the money back into the savings plan.
It's called being responsible. Something that seems to be lacking in this country these days.

Sure you do......

The jealousy and insecurity just flows from you. Take responsibility for yourself and you'll feel loads better.

 

[Noomi]

A better idea is to force me to pay your bill?

Yes. And its not force. There is no force in paying taxes.

Tell that to the people who show up at your door step pointing a gun in your face when you don't pay them.

I can't believe you actually made such a ridiculous assertion.

You don't believe you should have to pay taxes?

 

[Politico]

I will go broke paying the 150% increase in my premiums under the ACA.

You happy now?

You don't get any subsidies?

A lot of people aren't.