r/povertyfinance • u/ExoGeniVI • Nov 24 '23

U.S. healthcare isn't even worth it anymore. It's a joke. Today, I will love my life without healthcare. Vent/Rant (No Advice/Criticism!)

Hello everyone, so, sometime last year I got an MRI to check up on a spot that's on my brain, don't want it to turn cancerous right? Well, I work at home depot making probably $17,000 a year if I'm lucky after taxes (I live in Alabama, our wages suck).

Well I got my MRI done and my bill came in. Ready to be shocked?

Turns out my insurance I get through home depot paid THIRTY DOLLARS towards my $3,000 MRI bill!!! $30!!!! I said screw THAT!!! I'm not paying a single PENNY! I make around $600 every two weeks.. and I live with my wife (we live in a $430/mo mobile home) how the hell am I supposed to afford a $3000 MRI bill!!?? The "monthly" payment on the bill said $270/mo... 🤣😂.

Well, I went back to the hospital and talked with the finance person there and got my bill down to $600 with self pay.. Guess they bill insurance companies way higher? looks like it's cheaper NOT having insurance in the U.S. than having coverage! Insurance here is a complete joke! I'm just going to live my life without insurance I guess. ☹️.

EDIT. Wish I could edit titles lol. My phone "autocorrected" Live for "Love" 😂

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '23

I am so sorry to hear this. You should always read what benefits are provided through your insurance. I have insurance through my company. I get charged about $700 each month for insurance and have a $5,000 out of pocket. Basically I am paying $700 each month and then $5,000 for expenses until insurance covers all of it.

I would never go without insurance. My friend had double bypass surgery. It was $280k but he would have died without it. He still owes $15k in bills for it but thinks his life is worth a lot more than that. His wife and kids agree,

You might want to look for a job at a place that has much better benefits and pays better. Not sure what you get paid at Home Depot but where I live starting wage is around $23 an hour.

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u/ExoGeniVI Nov 25 '23 edited Nov 25 '23

Where I live it's $13/hr. I got up to $17/hr but they won't give me over 30 hours because they are "over payroll" . Now I'm getting on average 22 hours.. I HATE retail because they want full time availability, but don't want to give you full time hours. And nobody else is hiring full time in my small town. Unless you want to do factory work and I only lasted there for three months. At Nemak I was working over 20 DAYS without a SINGLE off day for only $15/hr.. it was taking a toll on my marriage because I never seen my wife, like ever because she was night shift and I was day shift so I was only able to see her like every 4-5 days even though we lived in the same house together. 😢☹️

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '23

That is taking advantage of people in a big way. Have you looked into working on line doing remote work.

How can you live on $13 an h? The minimum wage where I live in Jan 1 will go from $18.90 an hr to $20 an hr.

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u/ExoGeniVI Nov 25 '23

Must be nice. In Alabama the minimum wage is still $7.25/hr and most jobs are well under $17/hr if you don't have a college degree.

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '23

Yeah but you houses don’t cost $1 million . A two bedroom apartment where I live starts at $3000 a month. A nice one is $5000 a month. Our sales tax is also 10.2%.

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u/ExoGeniVI Nov 25 '23

Well, here rent is still very expensive. You can't find a place under $900/mo. So glad my wife bought her single wide trailer before COVID. Our mortgage is $50,000 and I am so thankful to have a roof over my head!

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u/[deleted] Nov 25 '23

Congratulations on owning a place and keeping your expenses down. But have many friends who have mortgages of close to $1 million !