dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 19, 2019 18:36:24 GMT -6
cnf , and anyone else dealing with post partum or other mental health concerns, huge huge huge hugs. Please feel free to reach out if you need anything.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 19, 2019 18:38:47 GMT -6
lemondrop ohhhhhh to hell with your insurance company. that's terrible.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 19, 2019 18:41:43 GMT -6
s/o, this is fresh in mind bc my kid had a specialist appointment that required follow up bloodwork so today was very expensive for us but, people who understand health care better than I do (e.g jaygee) how is the current system not an unreasonable tax on those living paycheck to paycheck? So, for example, our deductible resets Jan 1. We are very blessed in that we have money in savings to cover our medical bills in the first part of the year, but under the deductible 'nothing is covered at all period full stop until your deductible is met' system, is that not unreasonably awful for families living on a strict budget? What do you do if you're on a high deductible plan and your kid happens to get strep throat in February?
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jkjacq
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Post by jkjacq on Mar 19, 2019 18:52:48 GMT -6
I felt rage when I heard a Viagra commercial on the radio advertising Viagra by mail so you don't have to go to embarrassing doctor's appointments. Boo freaking hoo. Roman? All the damn time I can’t get fucking birth control that I’ve been on most of my adult life without a pap but sure it’s cool that random dude can answer a few questions online about his medical problem and get his pills delivered next day to his door
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athn64
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Post by athn64 on Mar 19, 2019 18:57:03 GMT -6
s/o, this is fresh in mind bc my kid had a specialist appointment that required follow up bloodwork so today was very expensive for us but, people who understand health care better than I do (e.g jaygee ) how is the current system not an unreasonable tax on those living paycheck to paycheck? So, for example, our deductible resets Jan 1. We are very blessed in that we have money in savings to cover our medical bills in the first part of the year, but under the deductible 'nothing is covered at all period full stop until your deductible is met' system, is that not unreasonably awful for families living on a strict budget? What do you do if you're on a high deductible plan and your kid happens to get strep throat in February? We're not on a high deductible anymore, but we did a payment plan. Took us almost 2 years to pay off DH's trip to the ER with chest pain right after DD2 was born. And thankfully, we go to a non-profit hospital so they don't charge interest on that.
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stringy
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Post by stringy on Mar 19, 2019 18:59:58 GMT -6
Wtf is this infusion even of? I’ve never heard of anyone offering up infusions for non-PP depression. Is it an SSRI? I didn’t click.
How about just cover therapy and the meds that exist and make it easier to access rather than this BS.
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stringy
Opal
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Post by stringy on Mar 19, 2019 19:02:07 GMT -6
Also. Are they going to let you take your baby to the inpatient clinic with you? Provide care for him/her while you are there?
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Post by lemondrop on Mar 19, 2019 19:04:24 GMT -6
s/o, this is fresh in mind bc my kid had a specialist appointment that required follow up bloodwork so today was very expensive for us but, people who understand health care better than I do (e.g jaygee) how is the current system not an unreasonable tax on those living paycheck to paycheck? So, for example, our deductible resets Jan 1. We are very blessed in that we have money in savings to cover our medical bills in the first part of the year, but under the deductible 'nothing is covered at all period full stop until your deductible is met' system, is that not unreasonably awful for families living on a strict budget? What do you do if you're on a high deductible plan and your kid happens to get strep throat in February? They give not one single fuck. In 2018, I had a $4k deductible. I went through that $4k relatively quickly with pre-pregnancy and pregnancy tests and appointments. I left my job in November, recruited by another firm. My new job has a $3k deductible. I’ve gone through about half of that so far in 2019, and giving birth in April will take care of the rest. My new job plan resets in June. So basically any follow up appointments I go to will go towards ANOTHER $3k deductible. I’m thanking God that I have money in the bank, because $10k in deductibles just for myself in 18 months would = me never going to the damn doctor.
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athn64
Ruby
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Post by athn64 on Mar 19, 2019 19:12:20 GMT -6
s/o, this is fresh in mind bc my kid had a specialist appointment that required follow up bloodwork so today was very expensive for us but, people who understand health care better than I do (e.g jaygee ) how is the current system not an unreasonable tax on those living paycheck to paycheck? So, for example, our deductible resets Jan 1. We are very blessed in that we have money in savings to cover our medical bills in the first part of the year, but under the deductible 'nothing is covered at all period full stop until your deductible is met' system, is that not unreasonably awful for families living on a strict budget? What do you do if you're on a high deductible plan and your kid happens to get strep throat in February? They give not one single fuck. In 2018, I had a $4k deductible. I went through that $4k relatively quickly with pre-pregnancy and pregnancy tests and appointments. I left my job in November, recruited by another firm. My new job has a $3k deductible. I’ve gone through about half of that so far in 2019, and giving birth in April will take care of the rest. My new job plan resets in June. So basically any follow up appointments I go to will go towards ANOTHER $3k deductible. I’m thanking God that I have money in the bank, because $10k in deductibles just for myself in 18 months would = me never going to the damn doctor. This is a big part of it. Basically you never go to the doctor unless you are dying. Which means you actually end up costing the system more. It'sa poor model.
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Minerva
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Post by Minerva on Mar 19, 2019 19:26:56 GMT -6
We just finished up two weeks without health insurance while DH switched jobs. Costs for two weeks of mundane medical care for our family (a few physical therapy sessions, strep test and abx) amounted to hundreds of dollars. I am thankful we are in a place where we can absorb the costs - I know that many families cannot.
We are so lucky that we have had solid health insurance plans over the past 5 years. I don’t know where we’d be otherwise. We hit our deductible and OOP max every year and have to budget very carefully. Our family has a few unusual healthcare needs, but so do many families in the US. Healthcare costs in this country seriously suck.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 19, 2019 19:29:24 GMT -6
s/o, this is fresh in mind bc my kid had a specialist appointment that required follow up bloodwork so today was very expensive for us but, people who understand health care better than I do (e.g jaygee ) how is the current system not an unreasonable tax on those living paycheck to paycheck? So, for example, our deductible resets Jan 1. We are very blessed in that we have money in savings to cover our medical bills in the first part of the year, but under the deductible 'nothing is covered at all period full stop until your deductible is met' system, is that not unreasonably awful for families living on a strict budget? What do you do if you're on a high deductible plan and your kid happens to get strep throat in February? We're not on a high deductible anymore, but we did a payment plan. Took us almost 2 years to pay off DH's trip to the ER with chest pain right after DD2 was born. And thankfully, we go to a non-profit hospital so they don't charge interest on that. Eff that. I'm sorry, friend.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 19, 2019 19:31:53 GMT -6
They give not one single fuck. In 2018, I had a $4k deductible. I went through that $4k relatively quickly with pre-pregnancy and pregnancy tests and appointments. I left my job in November, recruited by another firm. My new job has a $3k deductible. I’ve gone through about half of that so far in 2019, and giving birth in April will take care of the rest. My new job plan resets in June. So basically any follow up appointments I go to will go towards ANOTHER $3k deductible. I’m thanking God that I have money in the bank, because $10k in deductibles just for myself in 18 months would = me never going to the damn doctor. This is a big part of it. Basically you never go to the doctor unless you are dying. Which means you actually end up costing the system more. It'sa poor model. This is me. Even though we can technically afford it, the cost is so ludicrous for me to seek basic medical attention, I put it off. And thos time, I put it off until I knew I had been exposed to strep bc my kids had confirmed cases. Modern American healthcare has caused me to fear and loathe medical attention and that's not hyperbole.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 19, 2019 19:33:08 GMT -6
I mean lemondrop fuq, that's so not ok. I'm really sorry.
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Post by lemondrop on Mar 19, 2019 19:41:17 GMT -6
This is a big part of it. Basically you never go to the doctor unless you are dying. Which means you actually end up costing the system more. It'sa poor model. This is me. Even though we can technically afford it, the cost is so ludicrous for me to seek basic medical attention, I put it off. And thos time, I put it off until I knew I had been exposed to strep bc my kids had confirmed cases. Modern American healthcare has caused me to fear and loathe medical attention and that's not hyperbole. I actually considered a med free home birth as a cost savings. And then I realized I was fucking insane because momma really is going to want the good drugs. My cousins in Montreal used to complain about the Canadian healthcare system and I would laugh and laugh. Oh, sweet northern family. Shut up.
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Post by lemondrop on Mar 19, 2019 19:46:11 GMT -6
I mean lemondrop fuq, that's so not ok. I'm really sorry. It’s really ok - I mean, finding out the plan reset in June was a kick in the teeth, but the fact is I’m privileged to have money in the bank and options for payment plans if it came down to it. I don’t know how the impoverished manage in the same system with less advantages. It’s a damn travesty that healthcare in this nation is considered a privilege.
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Post by oreobitsy on Mar 19, 2019 19:51:49 GMT -6
We spread our hospital/doctor payments out so that it matches closely with our HSA contributions for the year. My kid is finally done with his chemo treatments as of this year. I'm looking forward to not hitting our max by March next year.
To be fair to my kid's hospital, the billing department has always been very willing to accommodate us and I am grateful for how much was covered by insurance. But I do wish that insurance and medical bills were easier to understand.
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 19, 2019 19:53:01 GMT -6
I mean lemondrop fuq, that's so not ok. I'm really sorry. It’s really ok - I mean, finding out the plan reset in June was a kick in the teeth, but the fact is I’m privileged to have money in the bank and options for payment plans if it came down to it. I don’t know how the impoverished manage in the same system with less advantages. It’s a damn travesty that healthcare in this nation is considered a privilege. Exactly. If people require medical attention, they should have it. Full stop. End of. And then we talk about marginalized populations, well, how about the number of people who need mental health care but can't afford it? What are we doing to help them? What if they fall victim to the opioid crisis bc they can't get appropriate pain management or mental health care? How are we helping them? What are we doing to keep these people out of the incarceration system, the debt system, the poverty system?
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Post by flippinchica on Mar 19, 2019 20:00:35 GMT -6
This is a big part of it. Basically you never go to the doctor unless you are dying. Which means you actually end up costing the system more. It'sa poor model. This is me. Even though we can technically afford it, the cost is so ludicrous for me to seek basic medical attention, I put it off. And thos time, I put it off until I knew I had been exposed to strep bc my kids had confirmed cases. Modern American healthcare has caused me to fear and loathe medical attention and that's not hyperbole. I grew up with parents who owned a small business and couldn't afford or get good insurance (preexisting conditions and all that) so we avoided the doctor unless one was really, really sick. I have trouble changing that mindset even as an adult with my own decent insurance.
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Post by hawkeye2015 on Mar 19, 2019 21:38:12 GMT -6
s/o, this is fresh in mind bc my kid had a specialist appointment that required follow up bloodwork so today was very expensive for us but, people who understand health care better than I do (e.g jaygee) how is the current system not an unreasonable tax on those living paycheck to paycheck? So, for example, our deductible resets Jan 1. We are very blessed in that we have money in savings to cover our medical bills in the first part of the year, but under the deductible 'nothing is covered at all period full stop until your deductible is met' system, is that not unreasonably awful for families living on a strict budget? What do you do if you're on a high deductible plan and your kid happens to get strep throat in February? This was us when I was pregnant with ds. $6000 deductible, living paycheck to paycheck, no real savings. We still owe two Dr.s and the hospital. Ds is 3.
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Post by enchanted on Mar 19, 2019 22:27:15 GMT -6
s/o, this is fresh in mind bc my kid had a specialist appointment that required follow up bloodwork so today was very expensive for us but, people who understand health care better than I do (e.g jaygee) how is the current system not an unreasonable tax on those living paycheck to paycheck? So, for example, our deductible resets Jan 1. We are very blessed in that we have money in savings to cover our medical bills in the first part of the year, but under the deductible 'nothing is covered at all period full stop until your deductible is met' system, is that not unreasonably awful for families living on a strict budget? What do you do if you're on a high deductible plan and your kid happens to get strep throat in February? You eat ramen for every damn meal until you either pay it off or declare bankruptcy. If the latter, you eat ramen for life. *Sorry for the quickity quick poof. I put a lot more identifying details than I usually do and panicked. Basically, even with good insurance, an unexpected hospital stay nearly bankrupted us almost ten years ago. It took a long ass time to pay the medical bills and pay back the family who loaned us rent and that was with me working two jobs. And it's sad that's considered lucky (because we could pay it without losing our home or anything else except a little pride).
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Post by enchanted on Mar 19, 2019 22:36:29 GMT -6
I know it's easy to say "reach out" and a lot harder to actually do it, but if anyone struggling needs to talk, there are a lot of us here willing to listen.
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AmyG
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Post by AmyG on Mar 19, 2019 23:47:49 GMT -6
WE are currently without insurance. Just passed the deadline to sign up for COBRA from dh being let go. No money coming in, so it's hard to pay for any insurance plan on the marketplace. There is some money in the bank (luckily) to provide food and electricity and housing etc, but it's a finite number. So.... Luckily he's over a year since his heart attack, knew the lay off was coming and hit all his docs, changed his meds to the cheapest meds to cover his conditions, and filled all pills with 90 day refills. And most of his meds are free under the kroger rx drug plan when they are due for refill next month we are likely going to choose that. support.krogersc.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000853403-What-is-the-Kroger-Rx-Savings-Club-It's $36 sign up fee, $72 for family (including your cat, dog lol) Then most of his drugs are free or $6 for 90 day supply. kroger.grxdev.com/static/files/KrogerRx-Program-Drugs.pdfwalmart has an rx plan with cheap meds, but doing the math in a year it would cost more for most of his meds to get them at walmart instead of paying the kroger start up $36 Of course check carefully for what meds you take, cause omg the price differences between pharmacies is crazy. If we suspect strep throat its the CBS minute clinic for $69 or their online doc and hope they can diagnose and prescribe without the test which is extra... actually I'd walk across the street to my good friend who is a nurse practitioner and see if she thinks strep and see if she'd prescribe something on the cheap med list at kroger.
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Post by ladybrienne on Mar 20, 2019 6:04:27 GMT -6
Wtf is this infusion even of? I’ve never heard of anyone offering up infusions for non-PP depression. Is it an SSRI? I didn’t click. How about just cover therapy and the meds that exist and make it easier to access rather than this BS. I am DD'ing my original post - I get what you're saying here. But the idea of the infusion is pretty awesome. Hopefully in time something like this can be the norm, not expensive AF. The idea behind it though is a breakthrough to me.
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Minerva
Ruby
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Post by Minerva on Mar 20, 2019 6:21:37 GMT -6
Ugh. I hate the way health care costs work in this country. Having insurance tied to employment or means to pay is so problematic. Health care is a human right.
For everyone suffering, I am so sorry.
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Minerva
Ruby
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Post by Minerva on Mar 20, 2019 6:22:01 GMT -6
For some levity:
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dc2london
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Post by dc2london on Mar 20, 2019 6:29:27 GMT -6
AmyG, I'm so sorry. You and your H have obviously been very smart about handling this, but it shouldn't require a Normandy invasion strategy to make sure you stay healthy
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Post by ladybrienne on Mar 20, 2019 6:42:43 GMT -6
AmyG hugs to you lady. I am sorry.
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Post by justkeepmoving on Mar 20, 2019 6:57:51 GMT -6
AmyG I’m so sorry. I am in awe on how you guys prepared for this situation though. I don’t think I would have figured out the Kroger prescriptions and such. It’s a horrible situation to be in though.
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richard
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Post by richard on Mar 20, 2019 7:12:00 GMT -6
AmyG , I'm so sorry. You and your H have obviously been very smart about handling this, but it shouldn't require a Normandy invasion strategy to make sure you stay healthy Exactly this. AmyG, I hope everything stays very uneventful for you and DH and you can make it through. Right after DD was born, I dropped to self-insured with basically just catastrophic coverage so we could pay for DD to be on DH's insurance until I found a full-time job (instead of three part-time jobs) and that lasted for more than a year. Luckily nothing happened because we would've been so screwed.
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Post by cakewench on Mar 20, 2019 7:16:09 GMT -6
Gillibrand has introduced a bill to limit opioid prescriptions to seven days for "acute" pain:
Twitter seems very upset. I get the reasoning behind it, but for chronic pain sufferers, wouldn't something like this be pretty terrible? (Genuinely asking, I am not a medical professional and have only been prescribed opioids once or twice for very limited things.)
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