XCD-
Me thinks you need to re-work your insurance terms. Maybe go for catastrophe coverage, i.e., high deductibles.
My wife and I aren't eligible for Medicare yet but here's what I've done and found it extremely beneficial:
Our coverage has a $10,000 deductible PER INCIDENT, not per year. Say I break a leg, I pay the first $10,000. Break the other leg a week later and I pay the first $10,000 for that leg. Total premium PER YEAR is $2300 (up 20% from last year). Think about how many bills you can pay yourself with the $10,300 you'd save each year.
In the fifteen years I've had this coverage I've saved close to $100,000. Now, given that our health is excellent we have little need for medical care but, naturally, we have to pay for the occasional visit or the $500 MRIs etc. Five years ago, I had a $55,000 back problem and, yes, it did cost me $12,000 out of pocket. That's been it, though, in all that time.
Interestingly, when you walk in for medical service and say you have no insurance (none, at least, that matters until the bills get huge) they are not used to accepting cash payments. Better yet, you can often negotiate their price down to what they'd otherwise accept from the insurance company, or something close.
The lesson here, imo, is that until people are forced to pay more of their own bills, the costs will never come under control. When you don't pay, what do you care how much it costs, right? The only catch is to be blessed with generally good health and be in a position to fork out the money when you do have a real incident. |
