Why Hate Health Insurance Companies (& the American Healthcare System)

This is one thing I never take for granted as a Canadian. We may not have the perfect system but I can't imagine the stress of not only dealing with a serious health issue but also the stress of it potentially bankrupting you.

I could talk about myself and how I almost died 5 years ago because I put off seeking medical help for nearly 6 months because I was worried about how much it would cost, but I'd rather talk about my friend. He was a vibrant hilarious charismatic actor in local theater here in South Texas. He had entire audiences eating out of his hand with his performances and left an indelible impression on anyone who was lucky enough to meet him. He began walking with a limp that got worse over time. He wasn't able to move as easily and stopped acting. He was a waiter, so obviously he didn't have insurance through his employer and couldn't afford it through the marketplace. So he put off seeing a doctor until walking had become very difficult. He found out he had a degenerative hip disease that would require surgery that he could not afford. Of course now that he had this diagnosis getting health insurance would be more expensive. He also had depression aside from these new medical issues, but they definitely added to it. He self medicated by abusing alcohol, which worsened his condition. Then one day he had a seizure. He thought this was hereditary since his father had had them as well. Little did he know it was from his drinking. He ultimately did try several times to stop. One time he actually got clean, saved up for insurance and found a specialist. The specialist told him at this point he would need two surgeries, as his second hip began showing signs of similar degeneration. But my friend was focused and determined. He would have the first surgery, recover and rehab and then go in for the second. He was excited and this was the happiest I had seen him in years. Then he told me he got a letter from his insurance company stating that they would not approve his second hip surgery and that it was errant of them to have approved his first, so they were billing him for his first surgery in full as well as denying him any coverage for his second. He was inconsolable. Even on the call he made to me telling me about this I could tell he was drunk. He began having seizures more often. They would prescribed him medications for his seizures that would have horrible side-effects, including suicidal feelings. One day while I was at work I got a call from him at 11am, he was in tears telling me he didn't want to feel this way anymore, and admitting to me last night he tried to take his life with pills. I felt so hopeless. I didn't know what to do except tell him I loved him and tried to get him help. Obviously they got him off those medications. The next three months were hopeful. He seemed like his old self again. He took every day one day at a time. We talked often and had longer and deeper conversations than before. Then one day I got a Facebook message from his sister telling me he died in his sleep. His organs had given out. I felt like the rug had been pulled out on both of our lives. This wasn't supposed to happen. He should still be here. I think often about if we lived in a different country where anyone could go see a doctor regardless of the cost, maybe he'd have a primary physician. Maybe all of his medical issues would have been caught at the start and dealt with preventatively rather than the way things went. It fills me with anger and rage. No one should have to go through any of this.

Was diagnosed with lymphoma 5 months ago, got a medicad application that was supposed to help offset my bills while I couldn't work during my chemo. They put it in for my last name that I haven't gone under in 14 years, so now I'm out almost my entire 6 month treatments with no pay on any medical 🙃 I have my medicad card but it's not valid since my legal last name isn't my adopted legal name. I havent had health insurance for most of my adulthood, usually to expensive

My job is hard as fack and long but every time I got to the dentist and see how much I would have paid without my insurance I feel grateful. Feel bad for people who don’t have insurance.

Tri-care. Even that is kind of wild.

I am German , and i am sorry for you all…

laughs in german

Universal healthcare now!

Might I recommend this Adam ruins everything for a quick rundown of what he's talking about.
https://youtu.be/CeDOQpfaUc8

I have free health insurance b/c I live in Canada.

Let me start by saying I'm in my 50s. That said, I was diagnosed with kidney disease at age 6, went into kidney failure and was on dialysis at 10. I got my first transplant at 11. I remember my mother screaming at insurance companies over the phone (back in the 70's) to not only get care, but to get it paid for as well. Insurance companies tried to block and dictate substandard care and kept attempting to stonewall care because they 'didn't believe' a child was going through end-stage renal failure.
As an adult, and long after that first transplant had run its course, I wound up on dialysis again for 8 years before getting another transplant (I'm a hard match). I have fought with insurance companies while having flashbacks of my mother dealing with insurance companies when I was younger. I even had issues dealing with Medicare and Medicaid. Everything from denied prescriptions and coverage for necessary tests. The back and forth phone calls never end, asking why coverage is denied, only to have the doctor resubmit.
Along with my condition comes complications throughout my life, which means I always need to see a specialist for any issue that arises, which comes with it's own set of problems. I have sat in an emergency room waiting for a referral. I've gone a month without medication. I've done without a lot because you always have to worry when the other shoe is gonna drop where your health is concerned. Luckily, I have a good career with decent insurance at the moment. But that can always change, I know too well how fast things can go south overnight.
Universal healthcare and an overhaul of the American healthcare system is a hill I will absolutely die on. Every time you've posted a health related video, I relate in my own way. I wash you the best, and know that you're not alone in your struggle.

My insurance horror story. Finishing college, being required to have insurance, not able to afford insurance (atleast nowhere near comfortably,) very little jobs even offering an form of insurance, and being an avid rock climber. Its easy to price gauge and have shitty business practices when its "required" with no other options.

Im doing an assignment on healthcare and I work at a hospital so I asked a couple doctors and physicians Assistants there thoughts on the topic and it’s really crazy. The United States spends more money on older people then other countries spend on their whole population. It’s outrageous. Many people think that if we had free public healthcare we would have to pay more in taxes but the truth is we’re already paying more in taxes. Many people visit the emergency room and don’t pay for the visit. People who DO pay are paying for others who don’t pay as well. Overall we need a total revamp on the system. Prices would also go down if monopolies were allowed to decrease cost on supplies. So funny that you post this at a convenient time.

This is fucked. In Australia, child birth is FREE. Broke your arm playing with your school friends? You walk into a hospital, get care, a cast and medication …FREE
Only specialist appointments are not free

In a Country that made sense all health insurance companies would be disbanded and their CEOs would go to prison for life.

My wife does a lot of medical billing for a local hospital network. She is constantly making remarks about the insane loopholes and excuses insurance companies will use to get out of paying medical bills. It's quite sad really, but hey, we should be thankful these insurance companies are here for us to help us along our journey (in case you couldn't tell, that last part was sarcasm).

I have been working 5 1/2 years at an insurance company and I always want to know more. What problems are user error, what problems are contracting, etc.

Most insurance I see for my area has safeguards for ER and certain OON (out-of-network) situations. I can't believe some of what was said, it just seemed unethical. Not calling you a liar it's just shocking.

My biggest problem with working with doctor's and members is that doctors offices don't bother or forget to do their job. Or tell one of our members a lie so that they call us instead of handling the issue. Then I have to call the provider anyway and tell them they need to submit their clinical info for xyz drug they want to inject into said member.

I think we need a lot more education on insurance. Especially people that rely on their jobs for it. Businesses can just change plans as the contract holder and expect employees to understand what happened.

I remember I had employees of a business call in upset that we weren't paying their prescriptions and then I find out the business is way behind on premium payments and we're in like the final acts of terminating an entire company's insurance contract and the business did not let any of there employees know there was a problem.

Grey Disciple seems better equipped to help you. I saw their message earlier but I'd be willing to listen as well.

My story isnt exactly a horror story but it was very stressful and a bit scary when i found out. Anyone who has gone to college in America, since obamacare, will know youre required to have insurance when you go and unless you provide proof that you are already insured, youll be automatically billed by your school for a super basic health insurance plan. I was never told this so i never opted out and when the new insurance card came i figured it just an updated card for my parents policy. In reality it was for this plan i didnt even know i had signed up for, which I didnt find out until about a year later when i went to apply for a credit card meant for college students and got denied. Essentially what happened was that both my insurance companies figured out about my other plan and refused to pay my bills on the basis that the other company should be responsible so for an entire year none of my medical bills that went thru insurance got paid and i had no idea until this point. It took about a week of talking to many different insurance agents to finally get them to pay the bills they were supposed to be paying but luckily it all got sorted out in the end and any effect on my credit was reverted.

I would like to leave too, but there's so few countries that are taking immigrants it's almost impossible.

I have been saying for years pick a percentage, take it out of my paycheck, and then I don't want to pay a penny anywhere I go for any medical need.

I have 2 horror stories, my son needed 3 crowns and then COVID his and everything shut down and there was only one dentist within driving distance that was open so we had to go there but my insurance then deemed it an out of network provider and cost us almost $2,000. Then my daughter fell on her scooter in front of our house and sliced open our knee which needed stitches so we took her to the hospital and AFTER both my insurance companies were billed I still owed over $1,000 for quite literally 5 stitches, what a joke.

I am dealing with some tumors and believe me I FEEL YOU!! ITS A JOKE AND A SCAM…every month they keep raising the bill and don’t cover sh1t 😡🤬🤬🤬 sometimes i just want to give up..but hells nah

Move to the UK, we can have some beers and chill, and then if we need healthcare it's there, for free.

me when america makes life pay-to-win

It’s amazing that people defend this system. In the UK we complain that you have to pay something towards dental work.