Is health insurance really worth it? I mean I have a plan for me and my son which runs $252.25 for dental and medical.

If I payed myself $252.25 a month into my own "insurance" bank account, I'd have $3027 by the end of the year. I'd have $30,270 in 10 years.


For all you older people who have lived for multiple decades, have your medical bills added up to be way below, about the same as, or way above the $30,270 mark?


I forgot to mention I still pay $20 for copay and $2500 deductables per year too

I have insurance through my job....and not a dime comes out of my paycheck.

A visit to the the doctor costs me 5$ and any meds I may need are pretty much covered.

So for me....its worth it.

You pay $2500 deductible each year????

I think insurance is worth it, if for nothing else in case of a catastrophe, car wreck, major surgery, etc. I had surgery in April, cost was $25,000, only had to pay about $1000 of it. My deductible is $200 a year, don't have a copay if I use a clinic that is owned by the hospital, $20 if I go to a specialist in our network. Meds are $5 or less for generics, $20 for name brands, and they take $17 out of my paycheck each payday for my part of the premium. Over the years, I am sure it has paid for itself. My daughter had issues, surgeries, was hospitalized 3 times, drug and alcohol, an attempted overdose, etc., so I wouldn't want to be without it, but it is your call. I would be afraid if I had the money in the bank, something would happpen, a major home repair would come up and I would "borrow" from the account and then would need it for medical and it wouldn't be there.

My 2 cents.

It just depends on how you look at it. If something were to happen that caused medical to be high, like an accident or cancer or something like. If you don't have to go to the doctor regularly, then you may be better off saving it like you think. And having it for when you need it. If you have any pre-existing conditions, I wouldn't let it go.

Cost a little over $4000. to take my daughter to the emergency room at 430 am.
I paid $250.
Health insurance is not there to take care of you. Its a product that is sold to make money for the Co. that sells it. Its a bet, you bet $250 a month that you will need it. The Co. puts up the extent of the policy betting you won't.
And they welsh on the bet when they lose too.
There will be no true universal 'health care' in this country until they eliminate the insurance co.s

Opps, I forgot, when my brother had cancer he maxed out a million dollar policy, in less than 5 yrs. Good thing the company his wife worked for changed health ins. every couple of yrs.

I'd like to add that I hate... note effin hate... the insurance standards, practices, and corruption in this country.




and there's nothing I can do about it

Medical insurance is a must in this country. I have one myself, gives me unlimited medical coverage with 0 deductible, and covers just about anything, wouldn't dare to live here without it. Costs me about $800 a year

I hear ya there.....loud and clear. I pay over 400 dollars a month and still have copays and deductibles and all that. It's a gamble I'm not willing to take though, not having it. As my Grandma used to say.......I'm insurance poor.

I feel your pain Genius. I pay $455 a month for health insurance for me and my children. But I've also had $20k in hospital bills more than once.
Thing is the med payments are also tax deductible .. for me it's pretax $. so that's also a plus.
And one bad thing .. just ONE .. your done for. They don't have Million $$ caps for nothing hon.

With 3 kids I still insure .. it's worth every dime

I've been self-insured (read UNinsured) and have had insurance at various coverage levels/deductible levels/etc. It's always a gamble but if you evaluate your health, the risk you are willing to take in terms of having a big bill should something come up and go from there, you'll make the right decision. I go with the lowest coverage/cost that makes sense, personally. Don't cut yourself short...jut crunch the numbers and find your comfort zone.

They should call it "in case sh!t", because it's money you pay "in case sh!t" happens.

Well, if sh!t doesn't happen, shouldn't I get my money BACK?

I have pretty good health insurance through my company. Yes, I do think it's worth it.

My son has allergies, so insurance is very cost effective. A $25 copay is cheaper then $427 every 90 days.

As someone else said, you never know what will happen in life...it's MUCH better to have to pay what you do monthly then have to worry about how to come up with thousands of dollars in case of an emergency.

I don't consider myself a much 'older person'..., however, between myself and a few major surgeries I had, and my fiance who passed away due to cancer, we had hospital/doctor's bills that were probably close to $500,000 within a few years. (we were 35/36 at the time)

Thank God we were both covered, or I would spend many years of my life trying to pay everything.

I am self-employed, so my rates are much more expensive having to pay it all on my own. I pay almost $600.00 a month for coverage; but it's not an option to me. I hope to not "need it" again anytime soon, but it's nice to know it's there should I.

So please keep yourself and son insured...I know it can be frustrating, but it's better to be safe than sorry where this is concerned.

Just another note here...

The chemotherapy pills he was prescribed cost over $18,000 without insurance. We literally saw patients have to leave the hospital who were sick but couldn't afford the medicine they needed. He was a very healthy man, you never would've thought cancer would come into his life. Which is the point, none of us know what can happen... age doesn't matter...

K, hope this helps you some to feel better about you and your son being covered.

Dawn

Unfortunately I had this life lesson several years ago. I lost big time. You can justify not spending the money now, however financially you will get wiped out by one major illness or injury, for you or your son. One years worth of savings can get wiped out in one day.

It just depends on your circumstances and your health situation. Of course, if you come down with a chronic or serious illness and you don't already have it, you'll have a hard time getting it.

i've worked for 2 health insurance companies and multiple medical offices. first of all.. why don't you have vision? i can't stress enough how important vision is!!!

second... health insurance is a joke but racking up medical bills can be more expensive depending on how sick you or your son get a year. also its a necessity thing. your son should see a dentist twice a year. thats if he doesnt need braces.

what you're describing with what you spend sounds like a flex spending account situation. you'd benefit more with a health savings account or flex spending account. the down side of this benefit is if you don't use it by the end of the year.. you lose it.

but yeah that 3 grand... flex spending.

insurances rates almost double every year depending on the company. its gotten to the point that even the dr's can't afford to carry certain companies like United Health.. they are expensive and insane to deal with for doctors and now for patients. we at my medical office stopped accepting them. ;(

but we give 25% off any patient who has them but would like to stay with us. its the same savings they get with them sadly.

i can go on and on about the horrible sh*t i see while dealing with the insurance companies but now i have to go to work. feel free to ask me anything you may wanna know..

like about the dreaded deductible.

those jerks.