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Not true. Even the bronze plans cover doctor visits with just copays, no deductible to be met. Copays count towards deductibles. Now when you need hospital ser

Not true. Even the bronze plans cover doctor visits with just copays, no deductible to be met. Copays count towards deductibles. Now when you need hospital services, surgery, emergency, yes the deductible is formidable. After that they cover at some amount, 80% typically. So the notion you have to pay $12k first is a blatant lie. The bronze plans are akin to what low end employers used to/still offer. It’s better than nothing, for example in the scenarios listed in the article, max out of pocket would be their total liability, probably about $12k as you noted. None of this is good, but it’s better than plans literally designed to scam people. That’s what the “short term healthcare” being proffered is. Scams.

tempsy 7y ago
I said “except some very basic preventative care.” So you’re paying $12k/year for a 30m checkup and potentially still have to shell out $30 for a copay. Not sure why that doesn’t illustrate my point exactly.
- Johnny555 7y ago
  Aren't you paying for insurance against the exact same thing that happened to the couple in the linked article? You're paying for coverage against a $250K bill for an unexpected health problem, not coverage for routine care. I've paid for car and home insurance for over a decade, but have gotten no paying from either, but that doesn't mean that I haven't gotten value out of it. I'd still purchase that insurance even if it weren't required.
  - tempsy 7y ago
    Well again, you’re illustrating how screwed up American healthcare is. The reality is that most Americans need varying levels of routine care (vs insurance against catastrophic events only), and a system where healthcare is accessible via insurance instead of a system of universal healthcare doesn’t make sense for something that you need to access routinely.
    - Johnny555 7y ago
      No doubt, the American healthcare system is completely screwed up, I'm just pointing out that catastrophic healthcare insurance is not worthless. Unless you are completely destitute and have no assets that you can lose to pay off catastrophic medical bills, it may very well be worth the high cost. (assuming that it actually pays, unlike the insurance in the linked article)

tempsy 7y ago

I said “except some very basic preventative care.” So you’re paying $12k/year for a 30m checkup and potentially still have to shell out $30 for a copay. Not sure why that doesn’t illustrate my point exactly.

Johnny555 7y ago
Aren't you paying for insurance against the exact same thing that happened to the couple in the linked article? You're paying for coverage against a $250K bill for an unexpected health problem, not coverage for routine care. I've paid for car and home insurance for over a decade, but have gotten no paying from either, but that doesn't mean that I haven't gotten value out of it. I'd still purchase that insurance even if it weren't required.
- tempsy 7y ago
  Well again, you’re illustrating how screwed up American healthcare is. The reality is that most Americans need varying levels of routine care (vs insurance against catastrophic events only), and a system where healthcare is accessible via insurance instead of a system of universal healthcare doesn’t make sense for something that you need to access routinely.
  - Johnny555 7y ago
    No doubt, the American healthcare system is completely screwed up, I'm just pointing out that catastrophic healthcare insurance is not worthless. Unless you are completely destitute and have no assets that you can lose to pay off catastrophic medical bills, it may very well be worth the high cost. (assuming that it actually pays, unlike the insurance in the linked article)