A Possible Alternative

        So what do you do if Obama's Affordable Health Care has wrecked your health coverage, as it has done for thousands?  Well I guess you could purchase a plan with huge deductibles and restrictions.  Many of you are doing that.  Or you could take a chance and go without any coverage at all and pay the fine for not having a plan. Some have chosen to do that. Or you could look for a job where your employer provides some coverage as part of a benefit package.  But those jobs have become few and far between.
Now here is another choice.  Wait patiently and don't get sick until you reach 65 and then go on Medicare, if it still exists then.  Now until the government ruins this and runs it bankrupt, it really is good coverage.  When you go on Social Security you can get Part A free and that covers most costs of being in a hospital, but nothing else.   Then you can also purchase Part B which runs about $105 a month at the moment.  It will pay 80% of your bills for doctors and tests.  And you may choose your own doctors.  You don't need referrals.  And all normal services are covered.

          Most people then also buy a supplemental policy that may cover the costs, with the exception of co-pays, for the 20% not covered by Medicare.  This policy will usually also include Medicare Part D which helps with the cost of prescriptions.  These supplemental policies can be expensive, dependent upon what coverage you want.  Ours is a good one but it costs an additional $500 per month.  

          Now any insurance is a gamble.  If you don't have any illnesses, meds, tests or surgeries, you get nothing in return for these major costs.  If, however, you have a challenging year, as we've had this year, you are thankful for the coverage.  Without it you'd probably be very deep in debt or going without needed medical help.  This year insurance was a great choice for us.

          Now most doctors don't care for Medicare because the government controls what they actually receive, no matter what they normally charge.  And the amounts that they receive can be very small.  For example, my recent neck surgery bills totaled $94,376.  Medicare approved only $62,648 of that bill and covered $57,000 of that amount.  Our supplemental policy took care of $5,594 and our personal cost was just $120.  Dianne's heart surgery bills were $81,239 and only $18,546 of that was approved by Medicare.   They paid $15,330, our insurance $3,140 and our only cost was $75. The rest, $62,693 was written off. So without any insurance, we would have been out $175,615 rather than the $195. That would have amounted to about 24 years of our present annual insurance costs.  Wow, who could afford those surgeries without any insurance?

          Health care has become a major concern for all of us and the so called Affordable Health Care Act has only made it worse for many.  And I haven't even talked about the cost of medicine.  Even with insurance, we have already spent over $5,200 out of pocket this year for our meds. Several of ours are very expensive. And we know of folks who are not taking needed meds because of the cost.  For them it's either eating or taking their meds, and that is so sad.

          Is there a good solution other than not getting sick or taking a gamble with your health?  I don't think so.   But a day is coming soon when believers wll have brand new bodies without any pain or sickness.  I guess that will really be Affordable Health Care. What a day that will be!