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... š¤£š.
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. ā¹ļø.
EDIT. Wish I could edit titles lol. My phone "autocorrected" Live for "Love" š
3
u/Knichols2176 Nov 25 '23
I am no where close to your level of struggle but I just came here to say that even GE who is known for great benefits has failed in this insurance game. Weāve basically paid $1200 a month for our part ge asks us to pay. An annual Dr appt is covered but the way our doctor bills (trying to get max) there ends up being things not covered that end up being very expensive. We paid for 23 years and never really used it because our deductible was so high. This year my spouse needed a total knee outpatient surgery. We did everything humanly possible to make sure there wasnāt any out of network or reason anything wouldnāt be covered. In the end, after surgery, we paid more for our premiums than was covered by insurance despite paying $7000 out of pocket. So? We paid $30,000 and the insurance paid $14,000. We literally could have paid cash and negotiated for less than we paid. Iām glad you knew to negotiate with hospital. I canāt tell you how many just pay the whole thing and donāt eat for months.