I need surgery...blah

[The Unknown 1087]

So after sitting in the ER, and finding out I have a hernia and need to have surgery, i am NOT happy. Blah, I don't have health insurance either, so i am REALLY fucked there.

I swear if its not one thing its another.

I have to call some surgeons and find out who will work with me having no insurance. Although the DR and the ER said if it "pops out" and causes great pain the ER would do an Emergency Surgery, but in the mean time i have to find out if i can get it done sooner. hmph

[shefearsnothing]

I thought Obama was making sure everyone had insurance?

On a serious note, I am sorry to hear this. I hope you can get it resolved.

[The Unknown 1087]

I thought Obama was making sure everyone had insurance?

On a serious note, I am sorry to hear this. I hope you can get it resolved.

haha yeah. it would be nice if there was a "good for one time free medical bill paid!!!" but that wont happen either.

[Perkascene]

You can get it spread out into payment plans, usually. I had surgery in May. I had health insurance, but they even gave me the option to pay my outpatient copay in installments, interest free.

[BIGSHOVEL]

I have been walking around with an abdominal hernia for over a year now. It needs operated on but I don't have time to be down and it isn't so painfull I can't stand it, yet. It's kinda cool if you push on it it gurgles. Good luck with it.

Brad

[The Unknown 1087]

You can get it spread out into payment plans, usually. I had surgery in May. I had health insurance, but they even gave me the option to pay my outpatient copay in installments, interest free.

Good, hopefully some place will allow me to do it. It would be impossible for me to do it any other way.

[Perkascene]

Good, hopefully some place will allow me to do it. It would be impossible for me to do it any other way.

Their attitude seemed to be that they couldn't undo the surgery (like they can repossess a car), so they would rather get paid over a period of time then not be paid at all and have to forward you to collections, etc.

Also, sorry to hear about your situation. I'm still having problems with what I had surgery over in May, my doctors can't seem to provide an answer for me. I lost my health insurance in November when I got laid off and recently got health insurance again, so they just picked up where they left off, guessing what's wrong.

[eXceLon]

I recommend that anyone who doesn't have health insurance look into a high-deductible health plan with an HSA (Health Savings Account).

They are relatively inexpensive compared to the type of insurance typically offered by employers, by virtue of the fact that they typically don't begin paying out until after you've covered the first $2700 of health care expenses in any given year. I had such a plan when I was in college which cost me about $80 a month, though fortunately I never had to use it.

$2700 might sound like it's not doing you much good, but that's basically one trip to the Emergency Room. And as far as a surgery of any sort goes, you're easily looking at $10,000+ for even the simplest of procedures. Anything even the least bit complicated, or a chronic health condition of any sort, and you're looking at many times that amount.

You can beg and borrow $2700 in a year if you have to, but digging yourself out from underneath tens of thousands of dollars of medical bills could ruin you financially for decades.

The HSA portion of this is useful, in that you can make contributions to it tax-free and then use that to pay the deductible. And on the plus side if you don't use it, it's just a bank account, so you just keep the money into the next year until you eventually do need to use it.

[The Unknown 1087]

Yeah, I am looking around for insurance too. I just wish it was easier. If not, payment plans will work out great if they do them where I call.

[eXceLon]

Yeah, I am looking around for insurance too. I just wish it was easier. If not, payment plans will work out great if they do them where I call.

If I recall correctly, I priced out my plan through this site: eHealthInsurance

Just enter your information, and then search on the "high deductible + HSA" plans.

Unfortunately you might have trouble getting a plan since you already need the surgery, as they may consider that a "pre-existing condition" and refuse to cover you. Which sucks, but that's how it often works out.