vic,

i have to admit that i didn't read the responses right now.
however, my answer would be to do what is best for YOU. if you run the #'s and find one outweighs the other then i'd pick that option.

also take into consideration pro's and con's of each choice, not just the $$$.

i'm inclined to stick with the insurance, especially since you can afford it.
you will be better medical care IMHO. it still may not be cheap but i believe it's better to have insurance than to navigate as a destitute needing medical care.

hope this helps.
J

Hi, I'm new to this thread but would you clarify something for me? You are saying 12 people in this survey are w/o insurance and have NO out of pocket expenses?

If so, what meds, what docs, what hospitalizations have they had?

My friend, 31 yo with MS and very handicapped makes $400 SSI and is on Medicaid. She has to buy her own diapers, medical equipment except the electric wheelchair they bought her that she is unable to navigate now and is unable to get a manual chair so someone can push her around.

She is currently been trying to get on Ty for over a year with no luck.

So, at this point I would say pay the insurance if you can.

Cherie --

I have all kinds of opinions, about both the Canadian and American health care system. IMO, neither system is perfect. Both are broken, and need fixing.

I was appalled, 10 years ago in Canada, when my mom, who was terminally ill with cancer, had to wait many weeks before she was able to even see an oncologist. My goodness -- she only lived 7 weeks after her dx! What were they waiting for?

I have also been financially devasted, in the U.S., with $25,000 of uncovered medical costs, even with insurance. We were due to have our house paid off in 2008. Instead, due to medical expenses (MS and 2 surgeries) and lost income, we refinanced in 2003 and started over with a 30-year mortgage.

My brother and SIL have tried to talk me into moving back to Canada, because of their health care system, but I worry about the quality and waiting lists there. Here, I worry about the cost.

~ Faith
Canadian citizen; U.S. resident.
Grew up in Canada; married U.S. citizen

I am of the school of thought that you MUST do what you have to do to take care of YOUR family. These services are put in place for a reason, and we expect them to be used by folks that need them. yes, there are now, and will always be many who abuse, and bend the rules to get more. (my sister is one of them)

If your insurance/medical costs are overwhelming your family and finances, its time to get help. if that is social services then so be it. Once you get on the wagon, many doors can and will open. I dont view it as giving up, nor as a cheat. its a valid way to keep your head above water, to keep your family fed, clothed, and keep the roof over their heads. If you were just sitting home whining about your pimples, or depressed because a g/f left you college or you were passed over for a promotion, this would be different. you have been diagnosed with a quailfying disease, and have the war wounds to show for it.

If it were me (prepared for the egging) I would take the social services, and start saving my money for rainy days, and ways to care for and comfort my family.

you are loved and respected in many circles. I hope you are able to make a decision and know that no matter what you chose, you are still loved and respected in many circles.

Because from what I have read here Vic is considering not only what will be the best protection for his family but also the ethical issues regarding taking advantage of social services when you still have other options. I appluad him for being so thoughtful with regard to both concerns.

When I read stories about people who can't afford fricken diapers on their disability income it breaks my heart and I could not live with myself if I thought I was taking money from them unless I absolutely needed to. These funds are not unlimited.

Again I am in no way saying anyone that truly needs it should feel bad about applying, just that as long as I still have the option of taking care of myself and freeing up those funds for someone who truly can't get other insurance I will continue to provide for myself even though I have also paid into it for 30 years. I hope I can pay into it for another 30 without ever needing it for that matter.

Hi Faith,

My mom had what was immediately deemed as terminal cancer, and what they did was made the rest of her life as comfortable as possible in a hospice. I was thankful for how well the system cared for her in her final weeks . . but we also understood right from the get-go that there was absolutely nothing they could do to impact the outcome.

My BIL and best friend ultimately died of later stage cancer too, both discovered completely by accident on Fridays (one by an eye doctor and the other an xray technician). The day following the discovery, my BIL had already been operated on and was recovering in hospital. My best friend had her confirming MRI (the next day) and by Monday had met with the Onocologist. I couldn't believe she was already undergoing treatment by mid-week.

Perhaps they prioritize, based on the severity AND their perception of the opportunity to impact the outcome (triage).

I think we could find horror stories about what's happened to people on both sides of the border, in both types of systems. Unfortunately, your example hits very close to home, and perhaps has tainted your perception of the system overall. No, it's not perfect, but it has served me and everyone I know extremely well . . . at least so far, thankfully. No doubt, some have slipped through the cracks though.

Cherie

My employer sponsored insurance REQUIRES employees to takes Medicare when they are eligible. If Vic is looking for a backup for a catastrophe, then I would think Medicare is it. I don't know a lot about Medicare, because I'm not of the age to have it yet, but everyone I know who is does have it even if they use it as a backup to their private plan, which most that I know choose that route. Because Medicare doesn't cover a lot of the things they get with the private plan. Sorry, but just a few people not signing up for Medicare is not going to fix our system.... or make that much of a difference. But for those that are wealthy enough to do so, then more power to them.

Vic,

Those 25 people, who are paying an average of $35,000 . . . is that amount influenced by unusually high med costs, ie. is that JUST premiums, or does it include co-pays, some of the cost of the meds, etc.?

Cherie

Without knowing how the Canadian system works this was my first thought also especially since she passed away so soon after.

Cherie,
What I was wondering, for example, if I were a Canadian citizen and the wait to get into a MS specialist is longer than I want to wait, could I just pay out of pocket for whatever medical care I wanted?

We will have to agree to disagree.

I'm not talking about fixing it for sure but as the most basic example it is a fact that if there is $5 dollars in the fund and 5 people who need to collect they will get more money than if a 6th person signs up. And I would bet for that person who can't afford their diapers every penny sure does make a difference.


Edited to add: Medicare and medicaid are two different beasts.