>Over the course of the last week, I’ve had two of the worst doctor’s appointments a woman can have. Honestly, I don’t know which is worse, going to the gyno or going to the dentist. One good thing, my gynecologist isn’t going to try to sell me some product I don’t need. I hate it when dentists do that. No, I don’t want my teeth whitened, thank you. So what if they aren’t as pearly as the gal who reads the evening news. She’s on TV and I’m not.
I’m pretty sure I have the worst dental coverage out there. I went to a dentist in my network just to get a filling replaced and I still had to pay $111. Seriously! Who can afford that? I barely can. Let’s see, do I want to pay my SMUD bill and keep the lights on at home or do I want to get my tooth fixed? I don’t care what people say, I think medical and dental insurance companies are a racket.
From my experience, they are evil empires out for money under the guise of helping people. You give them money, so you can afford to go to a medical professional just in case you need it, only to be told that you still have to pay said medical professional more money once the treatment is received!
Pharmaceutical companies are just slightly a step above them, which isn’t saying much. I wish those commercials were banned. People think they need whatever new pill Astrazeneca, GlaxoSmithKline or Eli Lily is currently hocking on an ignorant population. That’s why I go to the doctor…to have her tell me what I need to take to make me feel better.
People make jokes about how slimy lawyers can be, but I am of the opinion that insurance companies are worse than any opportunistic attorney. I don’t go to an attorney to cure a disease or prevent my teeth from falling out of my head. It feels like doctors don’t get to treat patients anymore, it’s the insurance companies that mandate who gets treatment. They limit how much they will pay out, which prevents most people from seeing a doctor when they need it because those people cannot afford to make up the difference in order to stay or get healthy.
Like most Americans, I cannot imagine what kind of debt I would be in should some dread disease befall me. Yes, I know I can cut down on my cell phone bill, stop watching TV altogether and find a roommate in order to save money. But honestly, I don’t have many extravagant expenses. I think my lifestyle is pretty average. So I either live an austere life in order to save money for a rainy day or I enjoy the things I can pay for with the cash I earn now, while living on a wing and a prayer that nothing disastrous occurs…ever.
>As much as it is nice to complain about insurance carriers (and believe me, I don't think they are benevolent gods or anything), it is your employer who designs your plan. It is your employer, who is providing your dental coverage, who dictates the coinsurance levels. And it is medicare who determines how insurance carriers submit reimbursement. They usually set their physician reimbursement rates based on whatever medicare is doing. Now that I work for a physician group, it is interesting to see both sides of the health care process.
And, in reality, insurance was never meant to be used in the manner it is currently used. You don't use car insurance to pay for an oil change or when you need a tune up, right? In the olden days (60s & 70s) health insurance was primarily a catastrophic kind of thing. People paid for their own physician's appointments.
Also, you should never be balance billed by your provider if the insurance billing rate is less than what the provider charges.
>Car insurance is a scam too. I have had insurance agents tell me not to report something because it would only increase my premium. What's the freaking point then? Seriously, if I didn't have to have car insurance by law, I wouldn't have it.
Besides, my car and my health are vastly different issues. I can live without a car. It's not easy, but it can be done.
I think my health insurance is pretty typical of the working person. If something catastrophic happened, like most Americans, I'm totally screwed.