How Do You Really Feel About People Without Insurance?

40 something percent of this country is uninsured. They can't all be lazy leeches. We couldn't survive as a country if nearly half of the country wasn't working and contributing!!

Good people, can't afford insurance. People are choosing between insurance and food, electricity, hot water. The people without, are typically unemployed (But have worked their lives,) or underemployed. Our system is expensive, confusing, and broken.

I don't look down on people without insurance. I can't, I know how screwed up everything is. I would hope that people wouldn't down on your poor sister.

When I hear stuff like this I thank God I live in Canada. Everyone is covered by Medicare. Private insurance is only necessary to pay for things like drugs, ambulance, private hospital rooms, chiropractic, dental, massage, physio and eyeglasses.

In 2011 an estimated 48.61 million American's were without insurance.
Why?
I think an awful lot has to do with companies not offering insurance.
My husband works like a dog. Manual labor. 50-60 hours a week for two different companies. Neither one offers any type of medical insurance. They are both small companies.
After we pay the bills, pay the rent, and put some gas in our cars, we have NO extra money. None.
My children qualify for state medical care and I am SO THANKFUL for that. I am constantly more worried about my children than I am about myself.
So my husband and I cross our fingers and hope that we never get sick. When we do, we wait it out as long as we can before going to see the dr. When we go, we go to the crappy low income sliding scale facility. $50 a visit, plus whatever you are perscribed. I wish the drs. at those places cared more about their patients.
How do I feel about your sister? I sympathize. Her situation is exactly what we fear.
L.

This is why I'm a fan of some type of universal health care (not universal health insurance). Everyone would be provided with basic and necessary care, and those who have the money to buy private plans could upgrade to private rooms, extra services, etc. But everyone should be able to get preventive care and treatment for illnesses and serious problems.

So sorry to hear your sister is going through all of this. No judgement here that she doesn't have health insurance. Families all over the place have to decide where to spend their money, and putting it into an insurance plan they hope will never have to pay out doesn't always make sense. For what it's worth, I've never been uninsured, but I've always had employer provided plans so it was easy to get insurance. Why should it be easy for me and hard for your sister?

I don't really have an opinion. Health insurance is expensive, unless you are lucky enough to work for a company that offers it at a reasonable price.

I can understand why people do not get any. For some it is cheaper to just pay out of pocket as needed, but like you pointed out they are taking a chance if something serious was to happen.

I had a cousin in a similar situation. They are farmers, so they look good on paper. their equipment is expensive, but without the equipment they have no lively hood. Their Dd was born with Multi-Cystic Dysplastic Kidney, my DD was too, but my DD has never had any complications from it. Theirs did.

The only way they could have any of the testing done was if they paid cash upfront, yeah poor farmers have thousands of dollars laying around. They tried for state help, but because they look good on paper they didn't qualify.

They did eventually appeal enough that they got the state help they needed, but until then it was family and friends who pitched in to get most of the medical paid for.

Our healthcare, no matter which side of the fence you are on, does need to be reformed. How is where everyone get's hung up.

I hope that your sister can find the treatment she needs!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It doesn't irritate me because I know how confusing the system is. Between politics and business no one is ever given the needed information to make informed choices. That isn't the fault of those that make poor decisions, ya know?

The sad thing is there were always affordable options for your sister but the system doesn't push them.

I always love the people that act like Obamacare is the answer to all our problems. Yeah, someone can't afford low deductible insurance, now they can afford low deductible insurance? Right! I just don't think they get the straw men put out as the victims aren't real. Most of the people that choose not to buy insurance earn too much to get any help from Obamacare's subsidies. They are people like your sister who don't have access to employer based pools because they are a business of one or few.
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See looking at the answers that is why I say the system is confusing. All health insurance is is prepaying for the care you will probably receive. Health insurance can never be affordable because health care is not affordable. Health care will never be affordable because health insurance distorts the costs! Health care will never be affordable until we can make informed choices and that means knowing the actual costs. Obamacare does not do that.

Since you asked for opinions.... This is the sort of situation in which a Universal health care could have some benefits. Sure, they should have had insurance. However, it is really hard to find affordable health insurance as an individual. I absolutely agree that insurance is very important. However, if you are struggling anyway, most people just do the best they can to keep food on the table and the lights on NOW, rather than worry about something that might happen later on...

I feel sorry for folks like this. Even if insurance is offered through someone's job, it doesn't make it affordable. In college I worked waiting tables. After being at a place a year, I was offerred health insurance, but the premiums would have taken my entire check and then some. I like most folks there did NOT take the insurance due to cost.

I think basic health care should be available for our citizens. No one should have to die because they cannot afford to pay for basic medical care.

It is very frustrating to be in that situation.... we were uninsured for almost 2 years when my husband was laid off..... COBRA for just the two of us would have bee over $900 a month! His unemployment was about $475 a week.... not enough to try to live on and pay for insurance.. I was working as a substitute teacher at the time.... we did have some savings, 401K (which we cashed out), but he was unemployed for 2 1/2 years.....

I did get a job and got myself insurance the first year, and then am now paying for is insurance, too...

The thing that is SO frustrating is when I see the EOB from the insurance company and see that on a $500 lab bill, the insurance company only pays maybe $80, and the rest is charged off...... why can't the providers reduce their prices for EVEYRONE, and help lower the cost of insurance overall? Medical prices are so high because the providers charge the inflated prices to the people that don't have insurance or have minimal insurance to make up for the low amounts they get from insurance, or for those that don't end up paying their bill.....

I don't think President Obama's plan is going to fix the problem... but something does need to be changed...either with the insurance industry, or the medical industry..... there are too many people out there that can't afford either health care OR insurance.....

How do I feel about people that don't have insurance? I feel sorry for the situation they are in... we've been there, also... and it is SO scary! (Hubby and I aren't young... he was 57 when he was laid off, I think....we could have easily ended up with a catastrophic health issue that would have totally wiped us out....)

I was uninsured for a little over a year when I lost my job. I could not afford the COBRA payments (over $800 per month), and did not look into buying private insurance due (1) the cost (I had no income and was living off savings and retirement withdrawals and (2) fell into the "I am healthy trap".

So, yup, I got majorily sick with a kidney stone. I am still paying my urologist off at $50 a month, and trickling money to all the other medical providers involved. I had to pay the surgery center up front (over 2K) in order to have the stone removed.

It sucked. What I learned, is that if I am ever between insured jobs again is that I will find a way to pay for health insurance.

So, it does not irritate me when people do not have insurance - it worries me. Medical bills pile up quickly and can, literally, bankrupt a family.

ANYONE who would say anything awful to you about your sister when you're asking for prayers for her, whether they are people in front of your face or your facebook friends, is an awful human being, G.. If ANY of your FB friends do that, defriend them immediately. I mean it, too.

There is a time and place for everything. It is NOT the time to lecture someone on political views when they are being told that someone's family member has cancer and you are worried because they are uninsured. They should offer condolences and then keep their big smart aleck mouth SHUT.

I hope that your sister can get some help. It's such a terrible thing, cancer. God knows, we are all in the same boat, that it could happen to any of us.

Dawn

I would love the idea of universal healthcare for everyone in a form that works. Unfortunately, Obamacare doesn't make the best form of it. The root problem of the healthcare system and why it makes people with insurance mad is that although when you see the copays and it seems small, you factor in all those months you've been paying hundreds to the companies. In return, the cost of going to the hospital is so inflated that they make it look like it cost milllions and then you feel good about shelling "only $5K". And because healthcare is so inflated, now people with no healthcare can not closely afford it. Thus forcing everyone into buying health insurance. But here's the kicker, if you are really poor, it's all paid for. If you are like your sister, just the average person, you "make too much".

If they want to fix anything they would make healthCARE affordable, not healthINSURANCE affordable.

I guess to answer your question I am mad when I hear stories like this but not at the person, I get mad at the system.

I feel so worried and scared for them. Insurance should be something people can afford. but some people have jobs without insurance and those jobs do not pay well.

How do you feel about people who are uninsured because they are turned down for insurance? It's very easy for the insurance people to find a reason to turn you down. It's harder than you think to get private insurance. For us it cost $1300 a mo for a family of four and then my husband and I were denied coverage completely for common past medications and mild conditions. Even if they were healthy enough to get it, I can imagine $1300/mo would be tough on a plumbers salary.

I feel sorry for them.
Employer based coverage or state aid have become, for many, the only two choices out there.
The problem with employer based coverage is that too many corporations just don't offer it to their employees or it is simply too expensive compared to what they pay.
I know a woman who paid for 18 months under Cobra to jeep her employer based coverage. After that she was dismayed to find that private policy was hundreds less per month. (And this is recently.) For 18 months she assumed the COBRA option was best for her and thought a private policy would be much more.
Insurance companies have cherry picked for far too long. The ACA will stop that.
I always find it amusing that critics of ACA ( who have complained for FOREVER about these "sponges" clogging up our ERs and driving up the cost of OUR care) don't see the ACA as part of the solution.
Health care in the USA is messed up. Most people that think its "working" are the ones covered by employers and have never gone without it.
I'm sorry about your sister, and I will pray for her health and her family.

Updated

I am in the same boat as she is. We live on SSDI and are raising 2 of our grandchildren. Money is super tight.

Even if I was offered insurance for $20 per month I could not afford it. So Obama's health stuff would not do me any good nor would it do anyone else who is really in the cracks.

My hubby gets medicare, the kids have Sooner Care which a state medical card, and our income is too much so I don't qualify for any sort of medical assistance. We don't have any extra money so I can't even afford to go to the low income clinic in the next town over. It's a sliding scale clinic so an office call for me is only $20. Then it's $20 for blood work, another $20 for an X-ray, and so forth. Affordible for someone who has money but not affordable for someone who's really sick like your family member.

I believe that I will die due to not having adequate health care because people think that it's my fault that I'm too old to work full time and have health issues that prevent me from working full time even if I were younger.

I don't feel that I am owed anything. I think that if we lived like the bible and other scriptures say we should live then no one would be going to bed hungry in this country or any other, no one would be laying on the ground with no home, no one would be living outside society's norm's due to mental health issues that won't allow them to work, there are people in your town that are hungry right now, there are kids who don't get enough to eat and they'd be glad to eat your tofu burgers and veggie goo that your kids turn their noses up at.

Our society has gotten so selfish and self absorbed that it's crazy. We are all human beings and have our own trials that we have to live through. If everyone thought of their neighbor like they do themselves then a LOT of our social problems would cease to exist.

It's our job to help our neighbor. If we don't then it's our own karma that someday will come back on us.

Insurance costs so much partly because of the uninsured. I thereby have problems paying more to cover those who aren't responsible.

When I was poor, I had emergency insurance. it was a burden, but I paid it so I wasn't a burden to others.

It does tick me off when irresponsible people get better care for free while insurance paying folks end up bankrupt. And while I feel sorry for your sister, I would never have three children without having enough money not only for health insurance but also for life insurance. But I do feel sorry or her.

The system is very broken. I strongly support a single payer system. Health care is a right.

After paying dearly for private insurance for 30 years, my husband and I were on the verge of having to drop our policy. Our work with a small non-profit netted the TWO of us together a bit less than ONE average schoolteacher earns, and yet our premiums were increasing by about 20% a year for the past ten years. My policy was finally about half of my paycheck – I was working to support this system, with no benefits returning to me.

We paid for a policy with a $6000 deductible and MAJOR exclusions that meant not a single penny of either of our medical care was ever covered. It's an obscene and evil system, set up for the benefit of insurance companies and their stockholders. And I will NOT retract that statement; our current system is obscene and evil. Only those who have decent coverage through their employers can ignore how terrible it is, or unobtainable, for everybody else.

I made it to Medicare, and find that, while I now have actual coverage for less money, the system is still terribly flawed; so complicated that I have to wade through masses of information and spreadsheets to determine which company I want to buy a policy from. Many seniors do not have the ability or the experience to do that. And it is still skewed for the benefit of the insurer. The dozens of mailings from competing companies every month are a testament to that.

I believe we'd do better with a single-payer HEALTH-care, not insurance, system. We'd pay a bit more in taxes to cover everybody, but we'd all have greater security as a result, and MUCH lower medical bills.

I'm so sorry about your sister. :-(

I wouldn't intentionally go without insurance unless I had no choice. I do have a friend that was uninsured for a couple of years. It was either food/shelter or insurance. Fortunately, she was okay during that time.

I know someone who was recently diagnosed with cancer, but at least he doesn't have to worry about getting medical care. He lives in Canada so there is the national system, plus he has an additional policy of some kind via work.

I think... you don't know how it feels unless or until you are one of the uninsured.

I am SO over FB "friends" that post & repost things with a political undertone. I've realized I have nothing in common in many of them.

I too am with out insurance and I fear the day something like this happens to me. In TX it was not an issue, my fiance's work allowed me to be on his insurance because we co-habitated and had a child together, but here not so much. My feelings/thoughts/ability to send prayers etc would not be conditional on if she has insurance or not.

Well one I just deleted my FB because I noticed a change in my attitude throughout the day when I would check it in the mornings. People can be so cruel on there, it's not a very profitable tool. It could be, but people have taken it way out of context. Secondly, I feel sorry for your sister. I hope she is able to find insurance. I'm sure it's hard. I don't think insurance should be outrageous anyhow. That's just my thought. I'll be praying for you and you sister and family. Good luck!

I do not have private health insurance. I live in a country where we have universal health care. That is why I pay my taxes. We can choose to have insurance if we want to stay in a luxury hotel-style private hospital, and choose our surgeons, but for all major surgeries, treatments etc are the same.

I feel worry and compassion for your sister. I hope that everything works out for her.

I feel terrible for her . . . I am so sorry!

I am not a fan of the Affordable Care Act, especially after I read that the pre-existing condition pools had filled and that portion is now closed (at least for now). I just feel that we are all going to pay more and get less. Insurance companies always get their money. And people like your dear sister are still left out in the cold. That really upsets me. I would have preferred an expansion of Medicare/Medicaid.

Is there any way her husband could take a regular W-2 job at a bigger company where he could get on their insurance plan?

Again, I am so sorry. Praying for her. <3

Wow how sad that you cannot be open with your :"friends" because you are worried by what they may say or think. Real friends support and empathize. No judgement, no second guessing..

I know exactly what she is going through. We once went 2 years without health insurance when my husband was pushed out of a job. I was afraid to allow our daughter to even go to Roller skating parties, in case she broke a bone. I was a nervous wreck..

We honestly, just could not afford any insurance, except catastrophic.. For her..

Some people have no idea.. They spout a lot of opinions, but they have never first hand experienced the desperation others feel. Or they have opportunities others do not have. Education or skills to find a goo paying job. Childcare. Family that can help.

I have worked for super large companies and enjoyed great benefits. I have worked for small companies that their insurance would have costs more than half my paycheck.. Or, I would have had such a a huge deductible, we figured ut it was better, to just purchase catastrophic..
Now that I own my own small company. have not reached a place where I could afford to provide insurance at a good price. All of my employees are part time, on call.

And yet in all of these situations, I worked or am working my butt off. If I was not married to a spouse with excellent insurance, I would not have any..

I cannot judge anyone else. I know that there are so many adults working hourly wages and trying to support their children and keep a roof over their heads, but there is barely enough money for day to day expenses, much less, hundreds of dollars a month for health insurance.

People that judge. Are truly clueless. I dare them to sit down with a family that says they cannot afford basic necessities and then come back and find this magical insurance money..

Also guessing and assuming, by what you think you see, with Tv's, vehicles, whatever,, does not always tell the truth.. How many of you have nice things, but because of a circumstance?

We have some super nice furniture, but we purchased it at garage sales. Or we have found top of the line appliances again, though craigslist , used... Our "fancy cell phones" my husband has purchased through criagslist.
All you need to focus on is making sure your sister is love and supported.. and then you will all need to ask for help..

Honestly, I feel both irritated and compassionate. Insurance is a basic need, right there with food, shelter, clothing. It isn't a luxury It should come before cable tv, internet, cell phones, new cars, gaming systems, alcohol, cigarettes, etc....lots of things that people take for granted and don't consider "lavish" but which are not ncessities that many uninsured consider important enough to pay for.

All of that said, I feel bad for someone in your sister's situation. My neighbor was uninsured and contracted bladder cancer. By seeking assitance through the cancer society, she was able to get some of the best medical treatment in the country at MDAnderson in Houston. Her case was handled on a charity basis. They not only paid for all treatment, but they also covered airline tickets to Houston and an apartment there while she was in her treatments. Your sister should also contact the American Cancer Society for any contacts or assistance that they can share.

The plight of the lower/middle class working America. I am lucky to have insurance through my husband's work but I see where they are coming from. My husband is very interested in politics and we have been following this since day one. They recently released the numbers for the cost of the plans with the Affordable Care Act (they aren't set in stone yet) and the lowest cost plan is still more per year than we pay for private insurance (including the portion the company pays) So our rates went up because everyone's did and while we can afford it right now that might not be the case next year. Just doesn't seem like a plausible option for anyone at this time.

I am very sorry this is happening to your family. I am truly very happy about the Affordable Care Act. A single payer and universal coverage would be better, but it is a big step in the right direction. What I feel about the uninsured? I am generally angry at them. I pay for my family AND my employees. I own a small business (max 6 employees) and have ALWAYS paid for their health insurance. I would NEVER had had my son if I could not have paid for health insurance for DH, myself and my son. I am paying for my family and my employees because it is the right thing to do. I am ALSO paying for the uninsured (in higher premiums) because they choose to take a chance. When that doesn't work, I pay for their ER visits and for Medicaid. Yes, I understand that people can loose their jobs and with it their insurance and I have nothing but empathy for people to whom this happens. The Affordable Care act should fix this. But people who DECIDE not to carry insurance - nope, I do resent them. I also do NOT understand the states that are declining to expand Medicaid.

People who are judgmental against the uninsured are usually covered through an employer or better yet-through their spouses employer and don't even work-yet everyone not in their shoes is "feeling entitled".

Anyone who has been working for years without insurance paying out of pocket for medical treatment, or coughing up half their paycheck for private insurance only to be denied care when they need it understands completely.

Dont' worry about ignorant opinions. My husband and I have spent countless thousands out of pocket over the years for medical bills for being guilty of "pre-existing conditions" like pregnancy three times. Do we have a retirement fund? Savings fund? College Fund? NO. We have a running tab at our local hospital but are now up to speed on all payments unless tragedy strikes. Meanwhile, it is not possible to pay outrageous private insurance premiums while CONTINUING to pay for all medical care unless we exceed outlandish deductible. We've never taken a government dime and we've spent WAY MORE MONEY on healthcare than our "insured" friends who beef about all the "moochers". We also only go to the hospital when needed and turn down tons of tests to keep the bills down, unlike people with insurance who go all the time and have slews of unnecessary tests because they're not paying so they don't care how much it costs.

We realize there is no way EVERYONE who has an employer or self-business that does not provide insurance could possibly pay what we have paid in bills. And we've been lucky and healthy so far.

In other words, we feel compassion like anyone who has been in a situation. Only spoiled people judge others in a negative way for having less. It's easier to pick a few bad examples and pretend it's all about "unwise life choices" to quote my rich friend. Guess she means everyone should have chosen to marry a husband in a pharmaceutical company like she did so they could have movie star-style insurance and never work a day in their lives just like her.

Prayers to you, your sister, your family! Cancer is a scary word and I hope your sister can get the help she needs to put it behind her.

As for the insurance, it is so very hard to get insured when you are self employed, I know. For the people who are lucky enough to have a job that provides affordable insurance, good for you! But don't put down those who cannot afford it. I honestly feel that in your sister's case it's not like they didn't want to pay for it, it was just a matter of not having the means. No one should look down on your sister's family for that.

Best of luck to her and I hope she gets the insurance and treatment she needs as soon as possible!

~ALIEN

I have always thought that Adults should never live together unless the are married to each other. That includes adult kids, all adults. Because once you know everything about someone, it becomes impossible to ignore glaring differences, harsh judgement and distorted view points. When you know the opinions, decisions and day to day, moment to moment stuff in people's lives, it's like living together. NEVER a good idea.

There was a day when you could quote the line, "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers" and identify with it. Now, it's your "friends" you can't depend on for kindness.

Do want people to pray for your sister to an all knowing, compassionate God and are you willing to make yourself vulnerable for that benefit?
I would be. But I might discontinue my Facebook afterward! (I don't have one)

May your sister be cared for by kind and knowledgable people.

And for your question, it doesn't matter what I think.

Health insurance is not the answer - it's part of the problem.
We need a single payer system where all citizens can obtain health care no matter how much or how little they make.
No system is ever going to be perfect but the system we have now even with the changes that are happening is absolutely ridiculous and fairly barbaric.

I think most people are compassionate to the plight of the uninsured AND underinsured. It can be financially and emotionally devastating. I do have faith in the goodness of people, despite how nasty people can seem. You might be surprised how people will rally around someone they love and care for, and will be quick to lend a hand when someone needs it. A friend of mine went through this same thing with her husband who was uninsured. He received a cancer diagnosis. The church and community held fundraisers to help cover the costs of treatments, provided them with food night after night, helped with their childcare, etc.
When it comes down to it at the end of the day, we are all human beings with a right to live. I don't think anyone, even those with political agendas, can disagree with that.

I'm sorry to hear about your sister. Now to answer your question - I think that people that don't have insurance are irresponsible. I get that she is paying for health care out of her pocket, and that is great, but there are policies out there that you can buy incase of a catastrophy. That is only smart. We have our own business too, and you just have to budget for it. I hope that all the tests are wrong, and she is OK. Will be praying for her.

Depends on why and what they expect. BIL doesn't buy health insurance for himself. Thinks it's a waste. But then he had to pay out of pocket for back surgery. I don't sympathize with him at all.

However, I've been uninsured. I was a recent grad, on my own, with a couple of PT jobs cobbled together. Nobody gave me insurance as a benefit and I couldn't afford anything on my own. I've also used COBRA very very sparingly between jobs. It is incredibly expensive. Insurance is important because when you don't have it, you can easily go broke or die because you can't get treated. There are a lot of reasons a lot of people can't get health insurance and I don't look down on them for it. I have a friend who has a pre-existing condition. She's watching the news here because her ability to retire to her US dream home hinges partially on the ability to get medical care for a an auto-immune disease she developed after moving to another country. Another friend's child has renal issues. They were relocated by the military far from the facilities and doctors they'd used for years and the mother needs to kick down doors because their insurance doesn't cover the doctors the child needs for various stupid reasons and nobody seems to get how important a specialist is for this child. So is it the insurance or the health care system or both letting this kid down?

If you think your friends will look down on your sister because of her financial situation (which is what it boils down to, really) then maybe you need new friends. I feel very fortunate to have insurance as a freelancer (because of my DH's employer) and know what it's like to fear a serious illness or broken bone because it's food or medical care. And, IMO, that is not a choice people should have to make. Bottom line, our system is broken and I'm all for steps that start to fix it.

I'm so glad Lesley B. recovered and got the help she needed. Yep, having no insurance is hard. My parents had no insurance for us and then I got an ailment that required them to go get some in a hurry--luckily we could wait the month it took. Glad they didn't have to go bankrupt.

We can afford to take care of each other for the basics. So why don't we?

I don't think negatively about people without insurance overall. However, I do think it's a very bad choice not to have insurance if there is a way to tighten your budget and make it possible. Anything can happen to anyone at anytime. The thought of not being able to treat a major disease or injuries from a major accident because you're uninsured is horrible to me.

I think those without insurance should do whatever they can to get at least some form of coverage for major injury or illness.

Hugs to you and prayers for your sister. She is scared of the results of her medical tests, the diagnosis and of the financial burden that she is putting on her family. I do feel bad for people that are stretched to the limit and truly cannot afford to pay for health insurance. I don't feel bad for people who have access to insurance through an employer, can afford it and don't take it and then rely on the emergency room for all of their care. But i have a lot of compassion for people I know that are facing medical emergencies and have no insurance. It is scary. She cannot put off finding out for sure or starting treatment. You sister can work out a payment plan with the hospital for the tests or maybe even qualify for reduced care costs. The hospital and doctors may also be willing to write off some of her bills. She needs to ask. She also needs to check with social workers at the hospital and the American Cancer Society for organizations that may be able to help her. There may be specific funds available for people with specific cancers. Also check with the pharmaceutical companies for any drugs/chemo she needs to get. They have patient assistance programs for people with no insurance and the income levels to be eligible are a lot higher so even people with good incomes may qualify if they need help. Good luck to you and your sister and her family.

If he has his own business, unless he is fudging the books, somehow I do not think they would be classified "indigent." Hospitals will work with a sliding scale for those uninsured. Hope it turns out ok.

Dear G., I haven't read the responses nor do I want to. I just want you to know that I have a deep feeling of compassion for your sister right now. I will lift her up in prayer and I know the Lord will provide for all her needs insurance or no insurance. The God that raised Lazarus from the dead has no limitations. I'm pretty sure Lazarus didn't have insurance : )
Blessings

Insurance = savings for a rainy day. If your sister could afford to pay for her minor medical with cash, what is wrong with that? However, being diagnosed with something that is going to require MORE money, just means she did not plan or prepare for such an event. This is not something political, it is personal.

Why do you feel the need to share your personal need on facebook to get prayers? You are putting yourself out there to be judged. You can ask for prayer without all that.

It is normal for your sister to be scared now, but the best she can do is take out insurance now, plan for what she would do if she had to leave this earth and take care of herself. Buying insurance is almost as expensive as the medical bill she is going to incur, so how do you weigh the options? Don't feel bad or obligated, you do what you have to do for your family.

I am truly sorry about your sister. I hope and pray that the doctor is wrong.

How do I feel about uninsured people? It all depends upon the situation and their circumstances.

My husband was unemployed for 11 months - we paid $1500 a month for COBRA...we checked for different policies with Kaiser Permanente, BC/BS and others, while one was cheaper than COBRA for a per month fee - the deductible was $10K - so there was no point in it, we would have been paying out of pocket for everything up to that point/deductible. So we stuck with COBRA. This was a choice we made. Was it tight financially? OH HECK YEAH! But it's a choice we made.

Some people are uninsured by choice as well and have good working relationships with their doctors and those doctors give them discounts for paying by cash.

Others expect the rest of them to care for them.

Obamacare or the ACA will not help anything nor will it change anything. Well, yeah, it has, it has already made it more expensive and, in my opinion, hasn't changed a thing. If people couldn't afford insurance before - low deductible - how can the afford it now? We have increased the load on the system. And the system is broken. Getting government involved in it won't make it better. It will only make it worse. Remove regulations, allow free market and free enterprise to work and prices will come down due to competition (think Ma Bell and how things changed when the monopoly was removed).

In instances like your sister and brother in law - I feel sad and bad for them that, due to regulations, again my opinion, they can't get the insurance they want or need.

It is my stance that it is NOT the government's job to insure the people. So, I don't support nor back Obamacare or the ACA.

Again, I hope that your sister's doctor is wrong. I hope that is it NOT cancer and she gets the care she needs.

Good thoughts and healing thoughts coming your way...God Bless!

No judgement here. I think it's really sad.

HMM. When I worked in the hospital I loved that we offered charity care and housed other private companies that would help families who didn't have insurance pay for their bills in the event of a tragedy. On the other hand it enraged me when a drunk driver almost killed himself, ened up in the ER, his life was saved and as a result of his injuries racked up a more than $3million bill that was passed on to the hospital. So I see it from a really different perspective.
That said, I do hope your sister gets the support she needs from the indigent care office. I also would encourage her to contact the patient advocates at the hospital where her physician has privlidges and will perform any surgeries or diagnostics, etc. They may have resources for her as well.

I wouldn't hesitate to let others know about your sister and her situation, even those with insurance need positive energy and financial help when faced with something like this. But really, you can share without saying she's uninsured. My family has insurance and our current financial burden due to medical issues is way more than we can afford. To answer your question, I only feel compassion for those faced with a health crisis and sometimes anger at our dysfunctional healthcare system, but never anger at those suffering.

I have very mixed feelings about people without insurance.

Actually, I believe that the way that we do medical insurance here in the US is broken and that we need to fix it.

I believe that we need to have basic, universal coverage. After that, people should be able to buy extra care if they choose - kind of like our educational system. It is an investment in our populace to provide such. People should be able to get extra care without penalty just like people can hire a tutor, go to a private school, or get a music teacher or athletic coach for their child.

I have always had insurance, even when it has been a great sacrifice. I had it when I only made $600 per month and it cost $68, which left me with $32 for food, gas, clothing, and other miscellaneous expenses. Later, with my employer, I paid $200 per month for maternity insurance for 9 years until we had a baby. I also had to pay $2,000 out of pocket. Ironically, when I visited the hospital about my care, they said that that cod reduce my bill to $2,500 if I was not insured. So I paid all that money to save $500. I may be an idiot.

Then, we I got sick, I had to go on high risk insurance - $1,800 per month for full coverage. That was out of the question. I was too sick to work, so how could I pay that? We did buy catastrophic coverage for Only $800 per month with a $5,000 deductible per illness. I found out later that the catastrophic coverage didn't do much good. Hospitals believe that it is unlikely that they will get any money, so they do not treat unless a condition is obvious. I had two strokes while under catastrophic coverage and I was sent home from the hospital without testing or being admitted - diagnosis carsickness and migraine.

Of course, I would have sympathy for someone without insurance. I believe that basic coverage is good for everyone and often saves us money. I went to school with a young lady who was uninsured so that she had to rely on the emergency room to treat her asthma. It would have been much cheaper to provide medication such as an inhaler - and it may have saved her life too. She died at 19 from an asthma attack.

I do have mixed feelings though. I gave up a lot to provide myself with insurance. I didn't go to college. Instead I worked two jobs. I didn't have a tv until I got married. I couldn't afford it. I haven't had cable or a cell phone until recently, but I've always had insurance.

I have personally never been without health insurance through my employer, so I have not had to experience of this worry. But in terms of what do I think...I think our country expects universal health care but is not willing to pay the price. I work in a global country and can say that my work friends pay upwards of 50% in taxes. Even with those high taxes, many countries are struggling to keep up with inflation of medical costs. Given our very large population, I just don't think it would be feasable if smaller countries with high across the board taxes are struggling. Additionally those other countries don't always offer "good" insurance and people pay extra for supplemental insurance. I think that there is a cycle that is very broken of welfare and then medicare. What I mean is that I live in an upper middle class area and have personnal with my own eyes seen people go through the grocery store, buy a ton of junk food, soda, chips and pay with food stamps then get into a newish luxury car. The mom and kids were all way overweight. So now my tax dollars are paying for their poor food choices and it's reasonable to assume do to that and weight, they will have at some point medical issues - which then I also get to pay for.

At the end of the day, we ARE paying for those who don't have insurance. A friend (a democrate) who works in a hospital explained how her MIL came for a visit from Africa. She got very ill and did not have insurance. She went to the hospital where she was cared for. In the end, it's a write off to the hospital and a reason they are then allowed to raise rates for the paying public.

I have been on both sides. So I have a lot of empathy for those who are uninsured. I will say that it does irritate me the generationally uninsured. Those that teach their kids to use the system and have never worked but yet have subsidized housing and a nice black shiny escalade!

Insurance these days are out of control and need serious help. I hope your sister is ok.