[Crybaby9112001]

I am 18 and I don't have insurance. I don't have parents to help me or any financial support. I was wondering if anyone knows if there is anyway of getting health insurance for free but immediately near Oakland California... I am having a lot of physical and emotional problems and I need to get it before I get worse... please help if you can.

[Fr_Chuck]

You may check with social services about the state welfare system.

You may try to find a job that offers health coverage.

As for as regular health insurance, it costs a lot ( alot) of money each month and if you buy it, it would not cover any current medical problem for at least one year. ( pre-existing condition clause)

An example at 50 my policy costs me about 600 dollar a month, and my 5 year old has a policy that costs us 120 a month.
So it is far from free.

[valinors_sorrow]

No need for insurance. Look for resources in the front of your phone directory or try calling 2-1-1 (it may be established in your area) and here is their website url: www.211.org. There may be lots of help out there for you and you just need to tap into it. It is good that you are seeking help and thanks for posting.

[andrewcocke]

My wife has no insurance, and I must say, as a young person, unless you get diagnosed with some life threatening disease such as cancer, then you can probobly wing it until you find a job that offeres coverage.

Insurance is getting to the point now when the premiums are higher, and the benefits are lower. I can remember when a $300 deductable was about average, now if you can get $1000 deducatable at an affordable rate your doing good.

Anyway, as I was saying about my wife, she recently broke her leg, snapped both boes in two in the lower section of her leg. Our hostpital, and many of the doctors have given us discounted rates for being uninsured, and they accept partial payments.

This whole ordeal turn key will probobly cost us about $6,000.

Another thing to consider, is if you don't have insurance, the hospital will waste NO time getting you out of there, to them, you are most likley costing them money, and they feel that if you bill gets to high, you will just bankrupt.

It's a different world for those without insurance, most with insurance can't imagine what its like to lay on a sofa with a 105 degree temprature, can't afford to go to a doctor. But Im "living" proof that it is survivable.

In some states, courts don't look to fondly on hostpitals and collection agencies for hospitals taking hard working families to court who are truly doing the best they can. If you get taken to court, explain to the judge that you are doing the best you can, carry with out as much documentation as you can prooving this, such as paystubs, and other bills you must pay. Keep your fingers crossed and with any amount of luck, he'll hit is gable and dismiss the case stating "paid in full".

[andrewcocke]

This whole ordeal turn key will probobly cost us about $6,000.

Well, it is now time for me to eat CROW!

Apparently the $6,000 was just for the Q tips. The hospital bill alone stands at $30,000
She still has two more procedures to go, each one will take about 10 minutes and cost about $10,000. That's $1,000 per mintue.

Okay, I'll say it, there really should be a law against this. It's a permit to steal. This bill is more than I make in a year.

Back when this happened, my wife wasn't bringing any income. I could have added her to my insurance, but it cost about $400 per month to add her. It was an expense I just couldn't afford. Now she is bringing in a small amount of income. I hoping its enough to make it after they garnish my wages.

I will no longer remain positive about this, I have learned that the medial trade, from insurance to the hospitals are nothing but crooks, and they have now got me right where they want me. I, along with the other 50,000,000 other uninsured in this country will lay the foundation for their gold lined ivory filled retirement.

My revised advice for the day:

Yes, do your best to insure yourself when ever possible. Don't marry or financially attach yourself to anyone who is uninsured. Jobs that offer affordable insurance on the family scale are growing more scare by the day, its up the individual to find his/her own insurance.

That's all Ive got to say about that.

Regards,

Broke in Virginia.

[Fr_Chuck]

Yes Andrew, I was in for out patient treatment ( in doctor owned outpatient surgary) my bill was about 19,000 for about 4 hours.

But the reason a lot of us have to pay that amounts is because in the ER they have to see emergacy cases that can't pay. So the bills are being paid, but by everyone that will buy insurance and by everyone that has money in the banks.

[andrewcocke]

Yes Andrew, I was in for out patient treatment ( in doctor owned outpatient surgary) my bill was about 19,000 for about 4 hours.

But the reason alot of us have to pay that amounts is because in the ER they have to see emergacy cases that can't pay. So the bills are being paid, but by everyone that will buy insurance and by everyone that has money in the banks.

Well, Ive decided that Im going to make an effort to pay it back. Really, what else can I do? My wife filed bankruptcy (right before we got married) 3 years ago, so I guess we can't do that for another 4 years.

But to be honest I have had to come to a realism about this, nobody gets a free ride.
What do I mean by this? I was blessed with a paid for home when I graduated, through a sort of inheritance. It was no mantion, only tax assesed for about 40k, I sold it and moved ot Pulaski, purchased another home, and then when the furnace blew up, I took out a 15,000 equity line on it for various repairs.

So my "house payment" is right under $200.

Like I said, nobody gets a free ride. We all have to pay sooner or later. Since my wife got approved for her dissability, she makes a little money now, thanks to that, Im hoping that the hospital will accept my $400-$600 per month payments. (about what a typical months rent is anyway). If not Ive been told that they can only garnish our wages for 25%, that comes out to about $400-$600.

Id really like to get through this without losing my home, this is why I hope that if I ever do have to go to court, I hope I can show the Judge that Im making a very reasonable effort, and he will have mercy on me.

I told my wife that each payday, we're going to pay all the bills, then take about $75 for ourself for spending cash, then give the rest to the hospital. I think that's reasonable. On overtime rich months, this could be as much as a $800-$900 payment.

I will also add that she is applying for what they call a "medicaid spindown" which might knock a few thousands off the bill as it is based on income. But Im still planning for the worst case scenario.

To be honest Chuck, I know that with all the high tech gadgets, frivilous lawsuits, etc, hosptials have more liability now than before, but at the same time, they are not hurting for money either.

My wife has several other problems too, that she needs to see the doctor for, she hasn't been to the doctor for a checkup in 7 years. She has very strange periods, she has mental problems, and all of this is going unchecked. She is going to die young because she slipped through the cracks, and that's not right.

I believe in America, and it turns my stomach when I see these people who refuse to work so they can draw off the government get off scott free, when here we are, an average working family, making a modest $25k per year, doing the best we can, and we can't get jack because we are legally above the poverty line.

There is one solution, I could quit my job, then we would fall in the nessesary income bracket for medicaid. See my point?

[andrewcocke]

I will also add that I wasn't being stubborn when I didn't insure her. My employer offers my health benefits at no premium to me, the only cath is, if you add anyone, you have to pay the difference. To add my wife would have costed about $200 biweekly. When you bring home about $700 biweekly, and have a wife who isn't working, and have a child to take care off, it makes it a little tight, even with a low $200 house payment.

Now that she is bringing in income, we can afford the $200 per payday deduction, but there is only one problem, its now pre-excisting, and the insurance company won't cover any future procedures. And now with this hospital bill that is worth more than our house, I can't afford to put her on the plan now AND pay the hospital.

Im just screwed screwed screwed.

Ive searched and searched for a job that will offer a reasonable family health plan, to no avail. It seems that no company offers this anymore, they all boast "great health benifits" yea, for YOU, but not nessesarilly for your family.
I honestly thought when I started working for this HOBART agency that being such a powerful name as HOBART would offer some pretty decent family benifets, once again, I was mistaken. However I do really enjoy the job other than that, and I have done my share of complaining about it to the man in charge. He says the company is doing the best they can, I personally think they just don't want to spend money.

Sorry Crybaby, didn't mean to hijack your question with my own problems. But it was in your thread that I made a false answer and I just wanted to correct it and got carried away, however, perhaps my post on this matter can help you at least understand why insurance is very important if you ever want to have a financial future.