I’m Canadian. And I’m already sorry for asking an ignorant question.
I know you have to pay for hospital visits in the states. I know lower economic status can come with lower access to birth control and sex education. But then, how do they afford to give birth? Do people ever avoid hospital visits because they don’t feel like they can’t afford it?
Do hospitals put people on a payment plan? Is it possible to give birth and not pay if you don’t have the means? How does it work in the states?
How does it all work?
Again. Canadian. And sorry.
Healthcare in the US generally screws the middle, not the poor, even then it’s the lower middle. The poor qualify for Medicaid which generally pays for anything major and basic healthcare, though options may be limited. The old get Medicare which covers pretty much everything outside a nursing home for fairly little out of pocket. The middle and upper class generally has decent insurance that isn’t crazy expensive to have and doesn’t have a ton of out of pocket costs provided by an employer.
It’s the people with high deductible plans that can’t or won’t contribute to an hsa, and those that don’t have employer provided healthcare that really get screwed.
Idk where your coming from but as someone who had $12k in an HSA and employer medical that’s bs.
I went to the eye doctor and needed glasses. Tried using my HSA. Nope. Not an approved medical expense. Tried paying a copay at the er. Nope not an approved medical expense. Wife got a kidney stone removed via surgery. Wanted to pay coinsurance. Nope not an approved medical expense. I needed a cpap for my sleep apnea. Nope not an approved medical expense. Year rolled over and all that money disappeared. I asked where it went and was told I either used it or lost it. So I got rid of it. Fucking garbage.
As for the employer coverage, we had a zero dollar deductible plan. My wife gave birth last year. Ambulance ride from her work? Nope, not necessary. All the gyno visits? Nope, not necessary. The ER visit when she slipped and fell at 6 months? Nope, not necessary. The 2 week hospital stay when she went preeclamptic? Nope, not necessary. The delivery? Nope, not necessary. The NICU stay for our premature daughter? Nope, not necessary.
I payed $1700 per PAY for my health insurance and they didn’t cover a cent from our entire family last year. We racked up over $70k in medical debt. Our MOOP was $5k/$10k and they said none of it applied.
Hospital sent it to collections because we couldn’t fit their minimum payment of $9k/mth (fuck duke lifepoint but this is an insurance rant). We complained to the pa board of health insurance and were advised to get a lawyer but no lawyer would take it. They said it would be years to get anything back, let alone the full amount.
We ended up proving that my employer doesn’t offer comprehensive insurance. The main component is covering pre and post natal care which they claim to, but they deny every time. So now we have insurance through penni for $60/mth with government help. Oh and we went through bankruptcy to get rid of the collections debt.
Fuck Cigna, fuck duke lifepoint, fuck insurance, fuck for profit healthcare, fuck the American healthcare system.
I mean yeah fuck insurance but everyone of those things you listed is definitely covered by HSA. I use my HSA every year for glasses, hospital bills and doctors appointments. also it sounds like you had an FSA since you lost what you didn’t spend. HSA has rollover. But all those expenses you listed are also eligible for FSA.
Those are definitely all HSA things, and something I use mine for all the time. Dunno how it worked for you but I basically just have a debit card I can use that has my HSA balance on it. Functions like any other card.