[Crayzee]

i figure some of you who gamble for a living and dont have a job might be able to recommend good insurance
thanks

[chiliv5]

all insurances are a racket... pay pay pay, and when you want to use, deny deny deny.

[kiefynugs]

tricare

[Joe Dogs]

Surebethealth

[WvGambler]

yes I recommend it

[lacesout]

I recommend Health Insurance as well, do a search of what you're looking for... "Inexpensive etc..." Good luck!

[irishbettor92]

i agree with chiliv5 hes right

[mw00]

if you're fairly healthy and just want something just in case...look into hsa plans. i used to sell insurance like 3 years ago and that was the new thing they came out with. you can deduct on your taxes, so benefit there also

[mvp123]

i am so sick of these hmo plans they have out there , so crazy and they never want to pay anything like they are supposed to , sometimes i think i am the wrong color

[Slim]

Insurance is the biggest scam in the world. I like what Chris Rock said about it. They should call it Incaseshit.

[zr2786]

Blue cross blue shield is cheap

[hhsilver]

whatever you get, be prepared for rate increases every year.

[andywend]

When people say that medical insurance companies won't pay for claims once you've been approved and start paying premiums, it is clear they have no idea what they are talking about.

You fill out an application for the medical insurance and answer a bunch of medical history questions. As long as you remember to include any major procedures that you had, then you have nothing to fear. The medical insurance companies use the "reasonable man standard" which means if you forgot to tell them about having your tonsils removed when you were 5, that would be considered a minor omission and would have very little, if any, negative effect.

However, if you had open heart surgery 2 years ago and made no reference about it, then that would be a different story.

Once you complete the application, the company may write to any Doctors that have attended you and there are 4 possible outcomes:

1. They will accept you at regular standard rates.
2. They will decline you
3. They can choose to accept you at higher than standard rates
4. They might choose to accept you but exclude certain things based on your medical history

You are under no obligation to accept the medical insurance even if the company approves you at standard rates.

Once you have gone through all this, you are covered and the medical insurance company will pay for just about everything less deductibles and co-payments that are clearly outlined in the policy.

You can go the cheap route and purchase HMO type of insurance and you'll get what you pay for (crappy medical services for a cheaper price). You can sign up for a PPO plan which gives you total free choice of Doctor but this luxury comes with a much higher price tag.

I'm in my mid 40's and I pay over $600/monthly for my medical insurance but its the best plan available.

The reason why medical insurance rates are so high is because hospitals are forced to charge obscene rates to those who have insurance to make up for all the medical services they wind up giving to DEADBEATS who refuse to have insurance or pay their bills.

If everyone was forced to pay for the medical services they use, then medical insurance rates would be less than half of what they currently are. To make matters worse, the deadbeats who freeload off the system use a far greater amount of medical care services than those that are responsible enough to obtain insurance for themselves.

The only solution to the escalating rise in medical costs is to start turning people away who can't or refuse to pay for the medical care they use. Medical care is NOT a right of every American and we have to stop thinking that it is.

[chilidog]

600 bucks a month? Wow. Universal health care in Costa Rica. Monthly cost = $0.

Even private hospitals are so cheap. Last year, I had a shattered kneecap, broken/dislocated shoulder. Total cost of everything (including ambulance ride, 3 day stay in hospital, everything) = $5,000. My wife is having a c-section tomorrow morning. Total cost = $4k ($2,000 to the hospital and $2k to the doc).

And everything is first-world standards. I guess a big reason is that nobody is sue-happy like so many that live in the states.

[levski2006]

lets play poker donkies!

[19th Hole]

Yeah...I would recommend it.
I know a guy named Vito.
He'll come to your place of business and
sell you health insurance. If you
want to stay healthy...Buy from Vito.
You can pay weekly or monthly premiums.

[andywend]

Chilidog,

A couple of questions and comments to your post about Universal Health care in Costa Rica.

#1 - These "private hospitals" you speak of, are they forced to treat people who refuse to pay for the medical services they use/need or are all medical accounts "cash accounts" where money is paid in all cases for services rendered?

#2 - There is one big difference between the U.S. medical care system and that of Costa Rica. When complex, highly specialized medical care is needed, the U.S. system is far superior to that of Costa Rica or any other country that is run under a universal care system.

The reason why my medical insurance premium is $600/month is because hospitals/doctors overcharge patients who carry medical insurance to make up for all the patients they treat who don't have it and don't pay for their medical care.

Universal health care systems provide almost the same quality of medical care AT FAR CHEAPER COSTS when you're talking about family practice type medical care or minor surgeries. Where universal health care falls far short are during the rare times when people get really sick and Doctors are having trouble figuring out what the problem is.

Here in the states, just about every diagnostic test is available under the sun and the same can not be said for universal health care.

Heres hoping you never get seriously ill while under a universal health care system. However, if that time does come, you will then understand its pitfalls.





#2 -

[unusialsusp5]

just go to the emergency room if you need something repaired and charge it...run up a tab and send barebone payments if they press it...don't buy insurance and don't cave in to the mandatory threats if you don't have it...

[hostile takeover]

i pay so much in insurance and all i get is hassle in return

[Dabeergod]

I canceled mine....a freakin rip off.... Just give give give

[jw]

Where universal health care falls far short ...

How many universal health care plans have you experienced first hand ?

Personally I've lived in three separate countries that had universal healthcare .. and I would take any one of the three over the system they have here in the US any day of the week.

:0)

The care you receive, the lead-in time before specialist consultations/operations, the facilities, and the procedures available in all three countries were at least on par with anything I have received here in the US ... if not better.

I have never met one person that has experienced universal healthcare first hand who would rather switch to a US style healthcare setup .. (and trust me I know hundreds of people who have lived with both for an extended period)

The reason costs are so high here in the US are because of all of the secret handshakes and behind closed door deals that are done between the insurance companies and the healthcare providers to ensure that the most amount of money as possible is extracted from each and every person that "pays in" to the system.

e.g. my employer pays around $15k per year for my coverage -- on top of this - I pay $1800 per year .. in other out of pocket expenses (co-pays and ddrug costs etc) I pay approx another $2k per year ...

If I buy the same level of coverage online I can pay $600-650 per month .... around $10k cheaper than the price my employer pays for the same level of coverage ... (Insurance company Happy - and I don't have a choice where my employer buys the coverage)

When it comes to using the service ... I can get my blood work done at my own doctors office for around $280 (and had been for the past 5 years) - this was covered all but a co-pay of $15 by my insurance company - up until the 1st of this year .. when I would have had to pay more than 50% of the costs out of pocket ... now my best option is to go to a place where the insurance company pays $820 for the same tests ... my out of pocket expenses ... zero ... so my out of pocket is less .. if I use a provider that costs three times as much ... (Provider happy - the deal they have with my insurance company ensures that they can overcharge for a service and get more customers at the same time)

Costs are out of control because of the back-door deals that are done to artificially inflate the charges that providers can get away with. Simple as that.

The only people getting screwed with the current system in the US - is us - the end user.