this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
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Good insurance won't, but the problem is, most companies don't provide "good" insurance. In most cases you are better off without it.
One company I worked for had the worst insurance I've ever seen.
I paid like $180 per paycheck JUST FOR ME! and I had no co-pay woooooHhhOoooo! Well anytime I'd go to the doctor i'd be fucked, with one visit really sticking out in particular: I went in knowing I had strep throat and just needed a doctors note. Doc took one look (didn't do any tests or anything because it was really obvious) said "yep, you've got strep. " gave me my note, and I was oit of there in like 5 minutes... A week later? A $200 bill…. What…. The…. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!? Yeah bad insurance will ruin you.
The only time you're better off without insurance is if you never use it.
The insurance company isn't only paying part of the bill, even if it's ridiculously expensive and pays laughably little of the bill.
They're also negotiating the price down. Without insurance you're pretty much bare assed to the healthcare industry, who can and will charge you whatever they want. They'll charge you for every individual wet wipe at hilariously inflated prices. They'll charge you for the presence of a tray in your room to set a drink down on. When a nurse pops her head in for 30 seconds suddenly you're billed for an hour of her time. And you're stuck with that bill, no matter what, without insurance.
The insurance company will require them to verify the hours billed, they'll reject charges for shit they shouldn't be billing for, and negotiate down the price of stuff they can bill for.
The difference even for simple visits can but several thousand dollars. For more serious visits the sky is the limit.
This isn't necessarily true. I've seen and heard of multiple doctors who had a lower price for those without insurance.
That could be true for a GP or something like that, but not for a serious issue where you need tests for a diagnosis, a hospitalization, or ER visit.
Nah, a lot of hospitals do that.
Hospital margins are razor thin because of the constant battling with insurance companies (and the high payscale for doctors and surgeons, high cost of equipment, etc, obviously). They will often negotiate reasonable rates for uninsured people.
I was recently in the ER. Insured. I received a $2000 bill, "negotiated down" from $2,500. $1,800 of it was for 5 minutes with a doctor.
I had a friend recently (regularly... she's a hypochondriac) in the ER. Uninsured. $500. Same ER. Same complaints. Same tests. Same treatment.
so is it better not to have insurance?
i just got a job with insurance for the first time in my life, now covering myself and two kids - pay is just enough to take them off state insurance. the high deductable plan still REALLY hurts to pay the premiums. but not having had insurance in my adult life, i can't tell if it's worth it or not - i have never gone to doctors i couldn't pay for out of pocket at the time of service (so almost never).
I didn't say that. Ignoring tax benefits, it's better not to have insurance "9 years out of 10". The tax benefits (employer insurance is paid is pre-tax) changes the equation a lot.
Admittedly, it also matters about what your doctors charge, and what your medical conditions are.
Heaven forbid, if you have a major critical event that puts you in the hospital for a month or two (happened to a friend this year), then insurance is the only way to maybe not be bankrupt, assuming they even treat you at all (past keeping you from coding) knowing you won't pay.