People Can't Pay Their Medical Bills Because of the Government Shutdown

[Dulcinea]

Jo Ann Goodlow’s 17-year-old son’s wisdom teeth are growing in sideways. The dentist says he needs oral surgery, and she has insurance — but she’s too afraid to make the appointment. As a federal employee who’s been on furlough for three weeks, Goodlow can’t afford it.

“He came to me [saying] ‘Mom, my gums are splitting, I need help with this,'” she says. “I don’t know when I’m going to have the next check.”

The guilt is crushing, but so are the bills. Goodlow is already struggling to cover her $605 car payment and $1,652 mortgage. She’s working a part-time job and donating plasma, but it’s barely generating enough cash for gas and groceries.

http://time.com/money/5499602/government-shutdown-medical-bills/

[3Hotdogs]

1. Some dental schools have no cost or reduced cost.

[JayhawkSD]

2. And there's the whole fallacy of our system.

"he needs oral surgery, and she has insurance" Now, if insurance was really insurance, that would be followed by, "So there's no problem, the insurance will pay for the surgery."

But we all know that medical insurance is nothing of the sort. People go bankrupt all the time from medical bills, and the vast majority of them have medical insurance. Let me make that statement again, to be sure everyone got it; years after "health care reform," people who are paying for health insurance still go bankrupt from medical bills.

That doesn't happen in civilized countries like France, Germany, Denmark... Hell, the list is dozens of countries who provide universal health care. It happens here routinely.

[Dulcinea]

4. Sad but true.

Insurance companies aren't in business to pay medical bills. They're in business to MAKE MONEY. Period.

Health care is regarded as a human service in much of the world. It's a for-profit enterprise in this country. Nothing will change until & unless the profit motive is removed.

[JayhawkSD]

5. Well, yes, but no.

Insurance companies do make money, but if there were no copays or deductibles, if they paid everything that providers charged, they would have to charge premiums that no one, including the government could pay.

Insurance companies do not make outrageous profits - in the range of 10% to 15%. The markup over cost is regulated at 25% of cost and premiums are regulated at the state level.

Providers do make outrageous profits. Hospitals routinely make profit margins of 50% and more. Doctor groups make $millions. Medical provider pricing is completely unregulated.

Insurance companies are a very small part of the problem. An infinitesmal part of the problem. Medical providers are by far the main part of the problem.

[rsdsharp]

3. I certainly sympathize with this lady's perdicament,

but what kind of car requires a $605 monthly payment? I think the highest car payment I ever had was about $325.

(Can't edit the title to correct the spelling error.)

[JayhawkSD]

6. Yeah, and the mortgage representes quite a sizeable home, too nt

[rsdsharp]

7. It probably depends on where she lives.

The article says she went to the store in Arizona, but it doesn't say where. Housing prices are relative; my mortgage in Iowa is a little over $1200 a month. That would buy a mansion in some places (it's not) and a closet in others.

A car payment is a car payment. It's not going to vary much from one place to another, only from one car to another.