5 ms·

When a healthcare bill could bankrupt you easily, hard to feel secure with even millions in the bank. Americans are right to feel exposed.

YetAnotherNick 5y ago
Why depend on a bill? You could buy insurance with the interest of millions in bank.
- mmcconnell1618 5y ago
  In the United States, private health insurance often includes a lifetime cap on coverage of certain conditions. Before the ACA was passed under President Obama, many policies would not cover pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies no longer deny coverage for pre-existing conditions but there are no price controls on premiums. It is very conceivable to end up with a multi-million dollar healthcare bill in the United States, even with a good private health insurance policy. Insurance reduces the chances of that happening but it does not guarantee freedom from the chance of a medical bankruptcy.
  - ctdonath 5y ago
    Healthcare providers will work out manageable/fair billing and payment plans, if the patient will simply take the initiative to discuss it. They're just not going to advertise the fact.
  - refurb 5y ago
    There are no lifetime caps any more. You seem worried about things that don’t exist.
    - mmcconnell1618 5y ago
      The limit on lifetime and annual caps only applies to "essential health benefits" which gives insurance companies the ability to deny first and force the insured to fight to get payment. Grandfathered legacy policies are also allowed to maintain lifetime bans. https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-aca/benefit-limits/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-aca/benefit-limits/...
      - refurb 5y ago
        Pretty much anyone with ACA insurance (through employer or exchanges) does NOT have a grandfathered plan. They are an exception and usually tied to exempt plans through unions, etc.
- AnimalMuppet 5y ago
  Yeah, exactly. I mean, you could have something so expensive that you run out of your insurance's maximum benefit. But, first, that's really rare (not that that's any comfort if it happens to you). And second, if you were somewhere like Canada or Britain that has "real" health coverage, they probably hit the brakes somewhere before you burn $10 million in care, too. (I admit that I don't actually have evidence of this statement.) There seems to be this "but medical" narrative (GP is not the only example in this thread), and I suspect the hidden message is "we need real healthcare coverage so that it doesn't bankrupt you!" And, maybe we do. But claiming it could bankrupt the multi-millionaires just makes you look silly. That's not the way to persuade people.
  - medvezhenok 5y ago
    I think that if we fixed the costs of healthcare in this country we could set reasonable limits (i.e. $10M lifetime maximum or something as you said - perhaps it could be a sliding scale with age even though that's taboo to talk about). If you run beyond that - it's unfortunate, but the medical system will not help you anymore - you can go to hospice and pass on your own terms (if it comes to that). It will be a painful tradeoff, for sure - but the keeping people alive at any cost mentality also has externalities. We're all going to die someday in the end. The main thing is to make healthcare more affordable and have reasonable limits (i.e. $10M) to ensure people are not bankrupted by it.

YetAnotherNick 5y ago

Why depend on a bill? You could buy insurance with the interest of millions in bank.

mmcconnell1618 5y ago
In the United States, private health insurance often includes a lifetime cap on coverage of certain conditions. Before the ACA was passed under President Obama, many policies would not cover pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies no longer deny coverage for pre-existing conditions but there are no price controls on premiums. It is very conceivable to end up with a multi-million dollar healthcare bill in the United States, even with a good private health insurance policy. Insurance reduces the chances of that happening but it does not guarantee freedom from the chance of a medical bankruptcy.
- ctdonath 5y ago
  Healthcare providers will work out manageable/fair billing and payment plans, if the patient will simply take the initiative to discuss it. They're just not going to advertise the fact.
- refurb 5y ago
  There are no lifetime caps any more. You seem worried about things that don’t exist.
  - mmcconnell1618 5y ago
    The limit on lifetime and annual caps only applies to "essential health benefits" which gives insurance companies the ability to deny first and force the insured to fight to get payment. Grandfathered legacy policies are also allowed to maintain lifetime bans. https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-aca/benefit-limits/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/about-the-aca/benefit-limits/...
    - refurb 5y ago
      Pretty much anyone with ACA insurance (through employer or exchanges) does NOT have a grandfathered plan. They are an exception and usually tied to exempt plans through unions, etc.
AnimalMuppet 5y ago
Yeah, exactly. I mean, you could have something so expensive that you run out of your insurance's maximum benefit. But, first, that's really rare (not that that's any comfort if it happens to you). And second, if you were somewhere like Canada or Britain that has "real" health coverage, they probably hit the brakes somewhere before you burn $10 million in care, too. (I admit that I don't actually have evidence of this statement.) There seems to be this "but medical" narrative (GP is not the only example in this thread), and I suspect the hidden message is "we need real healthcare coverage so that it doesn't bankrupt you!" And, maybe we do. But claiming it could bankrupt the multi-millionaires just makes you look silly. That's not the way to persuade people.
- medvezhenok 5y ago
  I think that if we fixed the costs of healthcare in this country we could set reasonable limits (i.e. $10M lifetime maximum or something as you said - perhaps it could be a sliding scale with age even though that's taboo to talk about). If you run beyond that - it's unfortunate, but the medical system will not help you anymore - you can go to hospice and pass on your own terms (if it comes to that). It will be a painful tradeoff, for sure - but the keeping people alive at any cost mentality also has externalities. We're all going to die someday in the end. The main thing is to make healthcare more affordable and have reasonable limits (i.e. $10M) to ensure people are not bankrupted by it.