Health Insurers Making Record Profits as Many Postpone Care

[hellaine]

The nation’s major health insurers are barreling into a third year of record profits, enriched in recent months by a lingering recessionary mind-set among Americans who are postponing or forgoing medical care.

The UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest commercial insurers, told analysts that so far this year, insured hospital stays actually

Comments

[sakura_no_miko]

Not gonna lie--I have a laundry list of things that, in an ideal world where I had insurance, I would get checked out. Granted, by the time I get insurance, it's probably going to count against me as pre-existing conditions.
No winning.

[deathchibi]

Pretty much this. :/ I'd love to get several things checked out but ... unless they're actively killing me, bleeding or what have you, it's nothing I can spend money on.

[romp]

This. When I was finally covered in Canada, my coworkers wondered why I was having medical appointments every other day. It was because I was 10 years overdue on preventative care as well as what needed to be dealt with!

[carmy_w]

I have been pointing this out to the more level-headed commenters on the HuffPo (also known as the not-trolls); namely, that people would be happy to wait in line if it meant they could just actually afford to see a doctor.

Funny-no one replies back. I guess that means I win the discussion.

And it gets the word out that too many people have no care at all.

[apocalypsos]

It's so strange reading articles about health care costs when you work at a call center for Medicare prescription plans. Ours also has Medicare Advantage plans and is going to end up taking on Medicaid for some states as well in the future. It's profoundly depressing and frustrating to spend all day on the phone talking to the members, although they've finally stopped complaining about "Obamacare" on a regular basis.

The other day, our CEO had a town meeting sort of thing and was asked what the privatization of Medicare would mean for the company and he basically said the business-speak equivalent of, "We're going to make bank, big-time." I wasn't there, so I'm not sure if he followed that statement by twirling his mustache and cackling maniacally.

[romp]

I'm going to assume he at least cackled.

Privatization of Medicare = Ryan's plan? I can't believe the US is actually going to go through with that. That "privatized results in more competition, better results, lower prices!" bullshit for at least 30 years now and it hasn't played out. Why can't people over 40 at least SEE that?!

[thenakedcat]

If the Democrats in the Senate have ANY teeth left whatsoever, it won't happen. But it's fucking sick that the idea has gotten this far.

[erunamiryene]

signaling the possibility of a fundamental change in Americans’ appetite for health care.

There's so much wrong with this. I don't have an "appetite" for health care, I'D JUST LIKE TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO GO TO THE FUCKING DOCTOR.

That said, FUCK PRIVATE INSURANCE COMPANIES. I'm so fucking tired of this goddamn highway robbery.

[serendipity_15]

here's so much wrong with this. I don't have an "appetite" for health care, I'D JUST LIKE TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO GO TO THE FUCKING DOCTOR.

THANK YOU

All I want to be able to to is be able to afford to actually go the doctor when I need to/be able to afford to use any insurance I may have and you know, NOT go into more debt for a medical necessity/procedure than I would if I were to go to med school.

[maynardsong]

This. Health care, and that includes abortion, is NOT A FUCKING MARKET GOOD and for the love of all things good, can people quit treating it like one? I don't *enjoy* going to the doctor. And when I'm fifty, I won't *want* to fast and then give myself diarrhea so that I may have metal put up my butt. But it's a thing I'm supposed to do so that I won't get COLON CANCER. And I don't *enjoy* going to the dentist. But I don't want my teeth to rot, because if that happens, there will be a LOT of consequences, including losing the ability to eat nutritious, fibrous foods, which will then screw over my heart and bowels and reproductive system, and just, what the fuck people? Think for five seconds.

[lucia_tanaka]

:sighs: Yeah, pretty much. My knee has been doing wonky shit for a while now, but I still have $1700 of bullshit charges to pay off before I can even think about going to a doctor. Just thinking about it makes me depressed.

Relatedly, is it odd for your insurance to okay two MRIs when they know your policy doesn't cover it?

Re: smalltext message

[thenakedcat]

There's usually a clause in pre-approval statements that allows the insurance company to refuse to pay, but those are rarely used. Did they give you a reason beyond your policy's stated limits?

Re: smalltext message

[lucia_tanaka]

My insurance only covers X amount of money before they full price falls to me. So I pay the deductible, they pay X, and everything after that is mine to pay off.

I just wish I knew that before my doctor sent me to get two MRIs on my ankle that I didn't actually need. :sighs:

Re: smalltext message

[thenakedcat]

Ow! At what stage in the process did you find out about the cap?

[yooperchild]

I have insurance that I often can't really afford to use. I have a tooth that's been bugging me for awhile, but my baby is getting the surgery to put the tubes in her ears this week and even with insurance that's going to cost $375. Which my husband I don't really have right now, but you do what you have to.

It is sort of depressing though because I didn't have insurance for the longest time and I thought when I got it I'd be able to take care of everything. And I still can't.

[roseofjuly]

That's why I can't stand when people bring up that only 20% of Americans are uninsured. Because even if that wasn't a ridiculously large amount of people, there's a sizable proportion of the remaining 80% who are underinsured and can't afford the coinsurances and copays their terrible health insurance gives them.

[mollywobbles867]

Right? My uncle just finished paying off his bills for the heart surgery he had last summer and he has good, government insurance (he's a retired postmaster). Unfortunately, he's back in the hospital again for gallbladder issues so he has to start over again. I imagine if he didn't have insurance, he'd likely be dead.

[romp]

I struggle to explain this to Canadians. Having private insurance does not make you secure.