On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:02:53 -0400, Billy Burpelson
wrote:


D Peter Maus wrote:

I don't have health insurance. I don't want it.

I can name 3 of my colleagues who don't have it, either. And
don't want it.

Art Harris wrote:

Perhaps you are very well off and can write a check for whatever
medical expenses you need.

Perhaps.

Or perhaps you don't expect to have any
serious health issues.

Right...just like the people that don't bother with a will because they
never expect to die.

But for most middle-class Americans, a serious illness or injury to
themselves or a family member could wipe them out financially if they
did not have health insurance.

Yes Art, this is quite true. Medical expenses have gone through the
roof. I recently had two relatives and a friend requiring medical care,
arthroscopic knee surgery, appendectomy and quadruple bypass. The prices
for these services ranged from a low of $18,500 to a little over $100,000.

$100, 000 for a quad bypass is a good deal! My heart attack and
stents were about $78,000; required more stents 16 months later at
another $63,000. Also, about $10,000 for a cardiac rehab program and
nearly a car payment a month for meds. Now here's where it's kinda
interesting. Those are the 'full billing prices' - my insurer, a PPO,
has 'negotiated rates' with the providers which are around a third or
so of the 'full billing prices.' I believe the premise by the health
care provider is that they end up 'settling' on so many bills at an
amount less than normal rate that they set up these guaranteed rates
to maintain cash flow and not have to take many months or longer in
trying to collect payments. Now, without insurance I would be liable
for the full amount and have to dicker with the hospital and show that
I don't have the means to pay and go to mediation to obtain a lower
billing rate. It would've wiped me out.

In short, healthcare is a complex issue that cannot be fully and
adequately addressed by campaing slogans.


Many families (but not all) simply do not have that much money on hand.
The ones who do have that much money didn't get that wealthy by being
stupid and 'going naked' (without insurance). Excluding the wealthy, the
savings rate for this country is a -negative- one or two percent (which
is to say, most have -no- savings and are dipping into whatever equity
they can scrape up).

There may be a few quirky or eccentric individuals that indeed do not
want medical insurance, but given their druthers, I think a LARGE
portion of people would prefer to have it.

I make a good salary, but I wouldn't
risk my family's well-being by not having health insurance.

Amen...and just speculation, but maybe the other poster doesn't have a
family to worry about.