Nobody should have to worry about taking their sick child, parent or loved one to the hospital, but we do. I'm one of the "lucky" ones who has health insurance on myself provided by my job. My child is not covered and if he breaks a leg or gets a fever that could possibly be meningitis then I run the risk of paying that premium for taking him through those hospital doors.
I'll tell you about the "lucky" ones first. Those who HAVE. Most of those who have health insurance also have deductibles, copays and co-insurance. When I was younger I would not have understood all of that. I thought if you had health insurance you were all set. So you go to the hospital with your health insurance because of an emergency and hand them that all powerful card thinking you are covered. You can hear the angels sing as you hand them the card. About a month later you get what is called an "explanation of benefits". Many people get them and see "this is not a bill" or "you may or may not owe this balance" and think their bill is paid which leads to other issues. I'm here to tell you to read that paper and please be organized. You need to keep all medical bills, explanation of benefits, and other pertinent information in a file where you can easily find it even four or five years later. You'll thank me later. So, you read your explanation of benefits or (EOB) and find that the visit to the hospital was $4000 and the insurance applied $1000 to your deductible, they paid the "reasonable and customary fee" (whatever that is) we'll say $2000 and they had a "contractual write off" of $500. Which would leave you paying the $1000 deductible plus $500 copay. Then you get another EOB a few days later only to find out you have to pay the physician you saw a separate amount, the lab another amount and the radiologist another amount because they all are different medical providers. Then there are so many types of insurance policies the insurance could outright refuse to pay, or say that it's not a covered benefit, or say that it was a pre-existing condition. Insurance companies have all kinds of excuses for not paying. There's the untimely filing excuse, which means it didn't get billed to them quickly enough and it's too easy for them to "lose" paperwork. Insurance companies are in it to make money just remember that, they wouldn't be in business otherwise.
Now for those who HAVE NOT, lucky me I fall into both categories. Your child doesn't feel well, do you put off taking him/her to the doctor because it's only a fever? Do you take him/her to the doctor or rush him/her to the hospital in fear they may die in 24 hours? Your decision think quick! Okay you're a good and loving parent it's midnight the doctor office and walk in clinics are closed so you rush him/her to the hospital. A month or two later you have to pay those thousands of dollars that you don't have and you don't qualify for charity write offs or medicaid because you're middle class. Oh did I say medicaid?
Medicaid, medicare, VA, there's a whole other subject. Don't get mad or jealous at people with State medical or medicare for the elderly or VA coverage for the vetrans. They get picked on too. All of these are insurances and they can make excuses not to pay just like any other insurance. These people can end up with the same bill as the uninsured. There's all of the same excuses, not a covered benefit, not filed in a timely manner, and so on and so on. Quite often there are people who would qualify for charity care or medicaid and nobody tells them to apply. If you do get medicaid (state medical) quite often the medical provider only gets about 10% or less. They are not supposed to treat you differently but it happens. How would you feel if you did $1000 worth of work and only got paid $100? On the other hand, how would you feel if someone treated you differently for being poor. Then there are some medical providers who see the people who HAVE insurance like medicare as cash cows. Medicare pays more like 80% and since elderly receive medicare it's too easy for doctors to order all kinds of tests on them. Our vetrans find if VA rejects their claim they have to appeal it which can take years and they can even have to go before congress to appeal their claim.
I'll tell you who gets free healthcare in this country. The foreigners and scammers do. Who pays for it? We do with our tax dollars and with rising costs of healthcare. It upsets me to know that the same kind of people who terrorized our country on 9-11 can come here and get the best care in the world, go home and let us foot the bill. If that doesn't open your eyes nothing will.
Regardless of who you are in this country, the Haves the Have Nots, our current healthcare system is driven by money, capitalism at it finest. Many of us avoid the doctor to avoid the bill more than anything else. With proper healthcare in this country we would have longer lifespans less fatalities and healthier people. If we were all treated equally as we should be, then healthcare could be what it needs to be. Healthcare needs to care for the sick and the suffering. Why should anyone have to suffer?