Health Insurance?

[Crohnsnewbie]

I've never been able to afford health insurance and I'm in the USA. I was just wondering, if I ever get enough money to pay for health insurance, is it true that Crohnies have to pay twice as much as healthy people? Is it also true that they deny any person with Crohns Life Insurance, because they're afraid your going to die too early? :shifty-t:

p.s.-Keep in mind I can't be on my parents insurance because they don't have any. I'm going to be 24 this year. I've lived on my own for almost 4 years now anyway. ....Well with my sister.

Good things I found out:
*HCAP is still paying for all of my hospital ER/statcare visits. It's a charity run by the nuns at the hospital.
*The ambulatory free clinic I go to at the hospital works with my doctors office and I guess if I was really in pain they'd still give me surgery if I needed it without money hopefully.
*I went to the ER with chest pain and hives they lumped it up to stress but it's good to know the doc said if I got too sick or hurt extremely bad they'd keep me overnight and watch me and they'd do tests on me, CAT Scans etc and try to help me get better.

 

[Miss Underestimated]

I've never been able to afford health insurance and I'm in the USA. I was just wondering, if I ever get enough money to pay for health insurance, is it true that Crohnies have to pay twice as much as healthy people? Is it also true that they deny any person with Crohns Life Insurance, because they're afraid your going to die too early? :shifty-t:

p.s.-Keep in mind I can't be on my parents insurance because they don't have any. I'm going to be 24 this year. I've lived on my own for almost 4 years now anyway. ....Well with my sister.

Good things I found out:
*HCAP is still paying for all of my hospital ER/statcare visits. It's a charity run by the nuns at the hospital.
*The ambulatory free clinic I go to at the hospital works with my doctors office and I guess if I was really in pain they'd still give me surgery if I needed it without money hopefully.
*I went to the ER with chest pain and hives they lumped it up to stress but it's good to know the doc said if I got too sick or hurt extremely bad they'd keep me overnight and watch me and they'd do tests on me, CAT Scans etc and try to help me get better.

Sounds like you are getting good care even though you don't have insurance. I'm wondering why you're asking about it, at this point.

Each state has a "pool" of high risk individuals, and you pay your premiums to the state authority, they "assign" you to a regular insurance company. It's done this way so that no one insurance company ends up with most of the already-sick people. If you are familiar with "assinged risk" auto insurance, this is "assigned risk" health insurance. The premiums are higher than they would be for a healthy person.

If you go to work fora company that offers group health insurance, you would be covered the same way as everyone else who works there, at the same premium.

If you continue as you are, with no insurance, and you had to have surgery or extended hospitalization, there are severa different ways it could be handled - all state-supported hospitals are required to take a certain percentage of their patients "pro bono" - that means without being paid, so they might write your expenses off that way. In most cases, a social worker would take your information (no income, or not much income) and apply for medicaid for you.

 

[Miss Underestimated]

Living in the US is a real pain.

The most powerful contry in the world and they still let their citizen suffer...

I'm sorry I can,T really help you but like most insurance companies, even in canada I have to pay a surplus for my life insurance. The rest is the same but life is always more expensive.

As an American, and as a retired insurance agent, I am offended every time I read these ill-informed, often politically motivated posts by people who have never seen or experienced what they are talking about. My only solution other than just not visiting this board, is to put those individuals on ignore. I know I may miss some tidbit of information by doing this, but I doubt it.

 

[moogie]

As an American, and as a retired insurance agent, I am offended every time I read these ill-informed, often politically motivated posts by people who have never seen or experienced what they are talking about. My only solution other than just not visiting this board, is to put those individuals on ignore. I know I may miss some tidbit of information by doing this, but I doubt it.

It's good to be offended on occasion. However I am not going out of my way to do so. SO I do apologise.

I am very open minded.

Why don't you enlighten me, what is it that so many of us seem to not get?

 

[shamrock15]

I think that there may be a real opportunity for you to enlighten many on this board. I know that where I live in Canada, I WILL NOT get coverage unless I am part of a group plan. I tried, was prepared to take minimal coverage for a high premium. Despite that, and an hour long phone call with a rep, they wouldn't touch me. Didn't even have the courtesy to tell me in person, just a letter in the mail. I am hoping that the plan my wife just got as part of her job will cover remicade. Even if it does, I will still likely need assistance - I can't afford $700+ every six weeks.

 

[Miss Underestimated]

I think that there may be a real opportunity for you to enlighten many on this board. I know that where I live in Canada, I WILL NOT get coverage unless I am part of a group plan. I tried, was prepared to take minimal coverage for a high premium. Despite that, and an hour long phone call with a rep, they wouldn't touch me. Didn't even have the courtesy to tell me in person, just a letter in the mail. I am hoping that the plan my wife just got as part of her job will cover remicade. Even if it does, I will still likely need assistance - I can't afford $700+ every six weeks.

Oh wow! Sorry you're having problems with it. I don't know much about benefits in Canada, but I know, in the US, the drug manufacturers give away their drugs to people who cannot afford them.

I'll dig around for some info on Remicade. I finally got some assistance with Humira, although since I'm on Medicare now, the government here limits our access to the free and low cost drugs from the manufacturer - in an effort to force the drug manufacturers to lower their prices.

There's help, we just have to find it.

have you tried getting help here?

http://www.remicade.com/crohns-disease/patient-support

more
http://www.janssenaccessone.com/pages/remicade/patientassist/intro.jsp