What's a Bigger Spending Priority than Health Insurance?

Do some volunteering so that you can see how people who live on the "other side of the tracks" live. Those are the ones who work in the convenience stores, have 2 or 3 jobs, take the bus to work and live hand to mouth. As Jimmy Stewart said in "It's a Wonderful Life", they're the ones who do the living and the dying. In other words, they are all over. They are just one sickness away from being thrown out of their apartments too.

I think that if you did some volunteering you would understand a little more and it would help you answer these types of questions. For those of us who have a very comfortable life, it's easy to lose sight of it.

I appreciate that you are trying to see things for what they are, J.. Don't stop thinking about it, and go find a way to help make a difference.

Dawn

I am currently living on food that others are willing to give away. I don't have cable. I dont' pay for TV in any way. I was given the TV I have. Thankfully, we paid for the car completely before I lost my job. My husband and I don't have cell phone. Because of my chronic health condition, a home phone is a necessity for me. Our health insurance premium doubled last year-literally. My husband's job thankfully gave him a "raise" to cover the increase but it didn't cover all of it so we are still in more debt now than we were. As for public health insurance, if you are above the income ceiling for your family size-even by a dollar-you get NOTHING. Besides that, you have to be pretty dang poor to qualify in many states. We are WAY below the averge "middle-class" American and yet, we make too much for any kind of help. I can't tell you the last time I was able to go shopping for food. I can see how someone would have to choose between food, basic clothing, shelter or health insurance.

Victoria W,

A telephone may be a necessity. You may need one in an emergency. You will likely need one if you want to get a job and/or are interviewing for jobs. And the cost at $20-$30 a month would come no where near covering health insurance (at least several hundreds of dollars a month).

There are a whole lot of people on the cusp of being considered "poor," but who aren't quite eligible for government services, who actually are pretty much living in poverty. I don't need to see them living in cardboard shanties and rummaging through garbage piles to accept that they are living in poverty.

Not to mention, the instant some folks use the government assistance, many of you would be all over them for that.

Well, here's the thing, private insurance is freaking expensive, like take half of your years income expensive. Look at it this way, I pay 400 dollars a month for private insurance. My husband makes a good living now, but before...

I made 1,200 a month (after taxes) and my husband made basically nothing because he went into business for himself and it didn't pan out. So let's do the math.

Rent - 500 a month
Daycare 400 a month
Food (and I was good at getting by) 200 a month
gas, utilities, electricity etc another 200 a month

that leaves....well that left us with less than I brought in. Luckily my husband did make just enough to keep our selves feed.

Now let's take another example. My mom worked for 15 years at a plant that shut down. She was offered the opportunity to go back to school, and she did. A couple months later, she finds out she has breast cancer. My dad only made about what I did, so the above math still applies. They couldn't afford to add her because they simply couldn't survive on it.

So she goes on Medicaid for her care. The kicker is, the field she is going into may make her get her own personal insurance. Yeah, good luck. I doubt any insurance is going to take a 55 year old cancer survivor. So, yeah, before the Obamacare took place she would have been without insurance because she COULDN'T get it.

So, you know, there are lots of things to factor in. This always gets me riled up, because people ASSUME things and in reality they know JACK SQUAT.

Just like the person who told me that people are on Medicaid because of their own poor choices. Well let me tell you, my mother didn't CHOOSE for the plant she worked for shutting down because they mismanaged, she didn't CHOOSE to be without a job, and she sure as hell didn't CHOOSE to get breast cancer.

So, 8kidsdad, instead of public assistance, we should encourage everyone to do what they can to survive? You didn't "collect" the gasoline out of those hoses, you stole it. The gas belonged to the gas station. Don't brag about not being on public assistance when you resorted to illegal measures. No malice intended, I just think it's important to call a spade a spade.

Geesh, I am so sick of people bashing the less fortunate. J., you are compassionate enough that you listed government assistance as an option, but there are people who think so badly of those who need assistance. The reality is that many in our country can't afford the basics. They are hungry, cold and suffering. The thought of someone dying just because they can't afford health care breaks my heart. There are a lot of loop holes for government health care so many who should fit the criteria are turned away. It's so awful!

Kristen W. said it well! A thousand flowers for her!

You are not missing anything. You are a "THINKING" individual. You see and know that YOUR HEALTH IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. Not the government's.

For some - it means that they can't afford it. For others it means they EXPECT someone else to provide or take care of them. There are those who do NOT feel as you do - and truly believe that EVERYONE should shoulder the cost of health care. What they fail to realize - is we ALREADY DO!!! DAH!!!

When my husband was unemployed - we paid $1500 a month for COBRA. Was it expensive? yes.

Some people have their priorities messed up. They put material possessions above insurance and say "I can't afford that" - when if they took the time to BUDGET and carefully look around, they might find insurance they can afford - not necessarily attached to an employer, etc.

Just know, you are NOT MISSING ANYTHING!!! You have it right.

Hard as it might be to relate, FOOD and SHELTER are bigger priorities for people that can't afford it.
Google "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." The theory is that until basic survival needs are met, people cannot be concerned with higher needs.

J.--sometimes once food and shelter are paid for there IS NO leftover money! That's my point.

It's not as easy as it seems. While my husband was unemployed for the beginning of this year we learned that the hard way. For our family of 5 our COBRA payments were just shy of $1300 a month. We tried to see if we qualified for any of the state or federal government programs, at least for the kids, and learned that we didn't because we "earned too much". They look at the pay you used to get, not the fact that you are getting nothing now. We got the max for unemployment in CA which is $450 a week before taxes, so $1800/month pre-taxes. So, more or less minimum wage for a 40 hour week. So we have $500 left for a whole month to pay Everything Else, and that is assuming we don't have federal taxes taken out which would mean we have even less than that $500 if we did. Can you take care of a family of 5 on $500 a month for every single other things you need? Keep in mind that we qualified for absolutely NOTHING..no food stamps, no WIC, no nothing because we "made too much" because before getting laid off we made a decent salary. If it weren't for the fact that we had a healthy savings account, we were able to get a couple small one time consulting jobs, got a decent tax return and went into it without any prior debt we would have lost everything and be living in our car by now...and still not qualify for any assistance because we "made too much". The company didn't give us a severance package like you hear off. We were thrown out on our own. They laid off more than 60% of the company after the buy out. They laid off the day after the acquisition was final. There was no waiting. Those that were offered the chance to stay were all demoted and got pay cuts, every one of them.
It really can be the difference between having a roof over your head and food on the table. Even if you can get a low premium policy that means the out of pocket is so large that you still can't afford to see the doctor and be able to pay your portion of the bill. Even with our COBRA health insurance we had a lot of out of pocket. One child needed new glasses, 2 needed dental work, my husband needed his wisdom teeth emergency extracted, one child had to go the ER because his ear was bleeding and it wouldn't stop and it looked like it might be a ruptured ear drum.
The majority of people do not choose to live in poverty, unable to take care of themselves and their family. Everyone keeps thinking that the one or two bad eggs represent the entire batch. What will it take to make it stop?
I do think health care is a Human Right. Not treating someone that is sick and treatable because they can't pay is no better than torturing them. Might as well Hang Draw and Quarter them or boil them in oil, it might feel better then their suffering from illness. Why is it OK to let someone die because they can't pay the bill, possibly taking away a mother or father from their children? I can't believe people are so selfish!!

Well, I lived for many years without health insurance.

Some of can't afford it simply because we were denied. I have been denied. I am not critically ill, diabetic, a smoker or have any major health issues. I do have a uterus, had poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. For this, I was denied.(Research the reasons a person could be denied insurance in the not-so-recent past. It was appalling. For acne. For a history of depression. Little stuff everyone deals with- all pre-existing conditions which disqualified a person from receiving basic care. ) And it did cost me more because without insurance, I couldn't go see the doctor when I badly needed to, so I ended up in the ER with a bill I could not pay down fast enough.

Should I have not forced myself on the ER and instead made a bad situation worse, racking up even more bills for more extensive problems?(Which would ultimately result in unpaid debt for the hospital? For example, not treating a UTI can lead to bladder and kidney infections and hospitilization.) Lack of insurance for me meant a lack of accessible care from a doctor, in a doctor's office, at a lower rate of payment. I had lived at below poverty level for a good portion of my life, so I'm not sure that I could have afforded rent, heat, electrity and food, (all human needs) a phone (because you need one to work) AND insurance. When I had jobs that offered insurance, you can bet I got it--only because I couldn't be disqualified as an employee.

Sometimes you can have all the money in the world and not be able to afford insurance. Thankfully, I can now be insured through my husband's employer.

I'm willing to have my rights violated by Obamacare if it means that I will never have to worry again about getting insurance for myself and my son, should something happen to my husband. Frankly, I'm not a big proponent of 'so sad, too bad' and letting the poor die because the doctor's services are 'not charity'. You are right, they aren't. Which is why we need someone to level that playing field for us. Remember, too, that we used to be able to pay the country doctor with services, bartering goods and work for their care. We don't have that same system set up now.

Ditto Elyse E, entirely. And every other Mama who has truly lived through it.

So our society should not have designers and musicians unless they make enough money to pay for health insurance. What about the maids, field workers and dishwashers? There are millions of jobs that need to be filled and that offer neither health insurance or a salary high enough to pay for it.

Of course there are people who choose to pay for luxuries when they should pay for health insurance. There are many more people who must choose between necessities and since you only need insurance when you need it that would be the first expense to go.

I too am sick of the blame the poor people game. People of means do not need to make those life threatening decisions. I do not begrudge anyone their financial success I just believe our priorities as a nation are screwed up. When the most fortunate in our society pay a much lower tax rate then the majority of us and children go without basic needs (yes healthcare) we are revealing our true character as a nation.

"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." ~ Mahatma Ghandi

We are immigrants and got aid when we moved here (thankfully). The thing is, my parents didn't stay on it and by the 7th grade, I had no health coverage (six kids) and yes, we lived poor. My parents could not afford it and yes, we lived on rice and tea. Thankfully we never had major emergencies, just got cheap doctor visits meant for low income families. If you are wondering why we didn't continue to receive help, it was because my parents got a decent job (still poor but slightly above the poverty line so we were no longer eligible). Funny how that works because now that we had to pay for everything, we were poorer than when we had help and made less money... but I digress... we were proud to be off it.

Today, we are all grown up with out own families, college degrees and great jobs. My parents, on the other hand, still can't afford health insurance and with no children in the household they don't apply for help. They can barely afford the basics, trust me, they aren't living the high life. We help when can but yes, when it comes to helping them out, it is indeed food, shelter and then car insurance (such is being mobile to work) and then health. I know they could take a bus but seeing as my dad is a gardener, it's not feasible to tote your gear onto a bus.

It used to be much easier. After college I needed health insurance and so for $30/month I could get a major medical plan. So even though I only made $6000/year, I could afford it. But now, low cost major medical plans have gone the way of the dinosaurs in exchange for all HMO style health plans which are very expensive. One of the biggest reforms we could make for the short term would be to require insurance companies to make some low cost, basic plans available.

And I will argue that transportation has to come before health care. If you can't get to a job using public transportation (where available) or a car (unless you manage to find a work place biking/walking distance from your home) where public transit won't work, then you won't have a job very long!

Here is a good example of a common scenario for you:
1 wage earner plus one child

Assume $8/hour for a 40 hour week = $1280/month (by the time you subtract medicare and soc. security tax and other taxes, you get to take home a hair over $1000 for the month).

In my area, if you hunt carefully you could get an apartment for $500/month. Now you have spent 1/2 your month's pay just to put a roof over your head.

You have to pay utilities and for laundry. (varies but let's say we can do all that for $50/month)
You have to buy food and remember you are trying to raise a healthy child so just rice and beans would be rather unrealistic. You'll need milk, fruit, and veggies. Let's say you are frugal and can manage to feed you both on $50/week (I currently spend $50/person/week and I buy very little processed food...cook from scratch every night). That takes away another $200/month.
You have to have transportation to work. Even if you depend 100% on public transportation in our region (very hard to do unless you live and work in just the right places) it will cost close to $5/day for 20 work days a month. That is another $100 gone!

So we have bought anything extra like shoes or clothes and we only have $150 left this month to buy health insurance. A high deductible plan (where you have to pay the first $2500 of your medical expenses out of your own pocket) costs a 35 year old woman plus a child a minimum of $500/month in our area.

So now that family is IN DEBT $350/month!

I feel fortunate every day that I have a job that pays a decent wage and covers my health insurance cost!

FOOD!

We live on 1 income. If I work I would only make enough to pay for daycare/preschool. My daughters are on Medicaid. Hubby and I do not qualify for any government insurance, unless we can come up with $200/month. We also don't qualify for foodstamps. We were a whole $100 over their budget so we lost that. We also don't have car insurance. We pay for rent, electricity, gas, phone. Absolute necessities. We can't even afford new clothes, etc.

It's easy to judge when you're not in someone's shoes.

I didn't have health insurance for 6 years because I couldn't afford it:

$800 per month per person meant that $2400 per month would be need purely to insure the 3 of us.

At the time we made 2500 a month.

So, yep! For us it would have meant being homeless with $100 a month for food in order to insure us individually.

How did we live WITHOUT health insurance? With a home, bills paid, 2 cars, our son in preschool & sports, myself and my husband in school. Moving forward.

So the difference being : good life v destitute.

__________

For our area where the poverty line was at 44k per year for a family of 3... Where the poverty line is at doesn't actually "matter" even though we "qualified". We were well below the poverty line. But when you've got a family of 4 at 12k per year, they're even below US, and then the millions of families with $0 per year.

Not even all the $0 per families got state health insurance.

Hence the add to the reform schtuff that ANYONE at (400%?) below the poverty line auto gets insurance that was in the bill last time I read through. Because those 40,000,000 without health insurance? MOST qualified. But their individual states couldn't afford to give health insurance to everyone who qualified and the federal govt didn't pick up the slack. Many states tried to just make sure all KIDS got it, but even then, the ages kept lowering in a lot of states.

*****Added to your sentiment in which if you have to work to cover health care, why doesnt' everyone. Here's an answer for you since I'm a SAHM: I worked ft for 17 years and NONE of my jobs except for TWO (spanning about 4 years) OFFERED insurance. I was just as uninsured working ft as not working, and LARGE CHUNKS of my salary went out to out-of-pocket medical bills during those times. Fortunately, I was working and NOT prioritizing saving for a rainy day (which I can't now either), so I could pay pay pay all medical costs as they came. Now we've COMPLETED paying for three child births including emergency c-section and we'll keep pay pay paying for everything else. Only the unemployed and EXTREMELY poor qualify for aid (to the mortification of the wealthy and their covered non-working spouses). Millions of others just CANNOT AFFORD insurance on their salaries. There are NOT ENOUGH insured jobs to go around. My husband's job does not offer insurance. Millions of people's jobs do not offer insurance. Look around you each day, and those working bustling around you? MANY have no insurance and some are working multiple jobs.

Also, you are set in the mentality that the medical industry SHOULD be for profit. That's and OPINION held by SOME Americans. I have lived in various countries where you wouldn't be able to convince anyone medical care should be for profit and not a right. Because it's not what THEY'RE used to. In your own preference, you think you should be working for insurance and so should everyone else, but it's not physically possible.

****

Adding: well, in theory, fashion could be fun, but I had the down and dirty factory production oversight, long hours, high stress, rare time-off type job. Not the Devil Wears Prada type job where people probably do have insurance. My husband's job is also extremely grueling. But that aside, there are thousands of "un-fun" jobs in which people are uninsured.

***

For your answer, you only need to know the cost of private family insurance. It's comparable (or higher than) rent or mortgage payment. So for many, it's a choice between a roof or health insurance.

Our family lives in a cheap location. Our mortgage is cheaper than rent or mortgage would be anywhere in the country basically. We share one used car. We have no cable/satellite, smart phones, daycare, housekeeping, second homes, shopping habits, etc. We have always been prudent and frugal. I'm a SAHM mom right now (after 17 years working ft) because the cost of daycare for three would not leave any funds to contribute to our monthly nut. Private insurance for us would be $900/month on the low end for coverage that would still leave us paying for all of our appointments. $1200/month for decent coverage. Our "splurges" are $250/month worth of lessons for kids. Quitting those would not mean we could have insurance. My husbands income varies. Some months we could pay the premium, some months not.

We're having a good year, so we're about to buy some, but we'll be unable to keep it for the long haul and it's a lot of waste if no one gets ill or injured. While uninsured, we always pay out of pocket. So we "pay down" medical debt monthly at about $300-$400/month which is much less$ than having a premium. My son got two stitches which cost $1200 in the ER. It took months to pay it down, but still less than $1200 monthly.

We are wealthier than many. Anyone with low-earning jobs which do not provide insurance COULD NOT POSSIBLY afford it, no matter what they cut. It's not a matter of choice. Many large companies keep employee hours JUST BELOW ft to avoid providing insurance. This leaves it impossible to afford on these salaries.

There are a lot of cracks.
So food, housing, transportation (no car, no job) utilities, child care (no child care, no job), clothes (yes you have to wear clothes to have a job, and even wal-mart clothes cost money and have to be replaced), supplies for growing children, etc.
Then you have to be able to afford health insurance if your job doesn't provide, or you are required to work multiple part-time jobs so you can't get benefits. Basic Insurance for an entire family can start upward of $500 a month (that's $6000 a year).

Sit down and figure out if a person that makes minimum wage can afford health insurance.

Do this for a person making $10. Per hour , then $15. Per hour. Working 40 hrs a week, withholding. Rent lets say $600. Per month. (Way below the average here in Austin) Electricity, food...daycare. Not much left. If they own a car, gas, car insurance.

No car, public transportation. Diapers, food, clothing...

The working poor really struggle. So people that are not educated and doing hourly work, many times, cannot afford insurance for themselves much less the whole family.

I found your observation that health care is a privilege, not a right, interesting. I think it is that mindset that is actually driving the cost of health care - and then directly the cost of health insurance - skyward.

Last month, my pop-pop had a mild stroke. Did not take an ambulance to the hospital, has whatever insurance a veteran has, checked out fine but was required by the hospital to stay the night for observation.

His bill was $11000. Yes, $11K. For one night. Not in an ICU ward or anything. Not in a fancy new hospital. Not even in the closest hospital to his house b/c his insurance plan doesn't cover the one across the street from his neighborhood. No special machines needed for him, no specialists called in, a few x-rays and a $110/month prescription order sent home with him the next day. Hospitals aren't charity but they sure as hell aren't gods either. Can we level the playing field?

As long as we allow the drug, medical and insurance companies to get away with these charges, they will. And as we do, it is true that their coffers get larger while ours - rich, poor and in-between - shrink if we need their services. Why should an ibuprofen cost me 10 times as much in a hospital than at Aldi?

*warning: rant ahead*

I can see where people could get to the point where they feel that even with whatever plan they could afford, it still won't fully cover them or prevent bankruptcy if disaster strikes. At one point, we could afford to raise another child, but could not afford to have one - that is to deliver one - b/c my insurance did not cover maternity. Nor could I find one I could afford that would. For the health of our family, we did not sacrifice what we already had for what we might want.

I've had group healthcare, individual health care and no health care. I LIKE having health care, but I hate being scared that if on my current group plan I get a diagnosis like depression, I could be turned down the next time I need individual (job loss, whatever) for a pre-existing condition. It makes me NOT want to be proactive for fear of getting screwed when I really need help. It makes me distrust the industry as a whole. It makes me not want to give up everything to buy a better policy so they can make more money. And it makes me weep to think that even with health insurance I could still be denied the privilege of care.

As for people having "fun" jobs, I'm sorry you don't like your job and instead chose money over happiness. Or to buy happiness. At least in that aspect. And I suspect that many people rich and poor have to work hard to follow their dreams and that it is not always fun. Maybe their happiness just makes it seem so.

I see people saying that the Affordable Healthcare Act will create a shortage of doctors as no one will want to be one anymore. So they were all in it for the money? Not to help anyone (and I'm not completely sarcastic about that; I know it is often true)? But what if they really like what they do? Is it a fun job?

Where would we be without some of those fun jobs? Or not-so-fun but someone's pursuit of passion jobs? I assume you buy clothes and listen to music. Have visited an art museum. Have purchased or received jewelry as a gift. Enjoyed a meal. Asked an IT friend for help. Had your car fixed. There is more to success than money. Or insurance. Our society is made up of everyone. EVERY one. We make a big show about caring for our society but shirk at 'put up or shut up' time. If we don't want to do that, fine, but we should stop lying to ourselves.

Yes, there are millions of people working a minimum wage job who live in limited housing, eat basic food, have no car at all who literally cannot afford health insurance. Even if they stopped spending for what we would consider extras they would still not have enough money for insurance.

Someone here said that they paid $400 something for insurance for a family of 4. Well, when you earn $1000/month there is no way that they can cut expenses to pay $400. And if the employer does not provide group coverage the monthly cost would be more.

I, too, believe insurance is a necessity but I've always had a well paying job. I did go to college and was fortunate enough to learn how to plan for the future. I had hard working and responsible parents who not only taught me how to successfully live but also provided me with emotional support. There are millions of people in the US who did not have that good fortune.

You're also talking about those who don't work and who aren't able to work. It's easy for us who have jobs, who had family support, who learned how to take care of ourselves to say they should do better. They're adults and it's too late for most of them to catch up on what they missed growing up.

My concern is for the children. Our welfare system is broken. It does no good to say that they can't have health care. The result is that they grow up to be just like their parent's. Instead of taking away health care, lets add ways to support parents so that they're better able to raise their children. For example, we could add mandatory parenting classes and more enrichment opportunities. We must find a way to stop the cycle of poverty.

After your SWH: You said that you don't want to pay for others health care. Your taxes pay the government programs. Yes, there are government programs but I think that you're saying that people shouldn't rely on those.

Katrina. My daughter was laid off and she's getting unemployment. The amount she made while employed determines the amount of unemployment she receives. However, the amount of public assistance she gets is based on her current income. For example her family now qualifies for reduced payment for school lunches but not for food stamps. Her assistance is based on her current income on unemployment. I've worked with many people over the years and it's been the same for all of them. I suggest that you misunderstood. You are not eligible for assistance because you made too much money when you were working which gives you a higher amount on unemployment.

Your point that people literally cannot afford to pay insurance nor are eligible for assistance is still very much correct.

Um, yeah..you are missing something - the larger picture. Yes, SOMETIMES when people say they can't afford it, it is because they don't want to make sacrifices in order to pay for it. But other times (and I think most of the time) when people say they can't afford it, it's because they don't qualify for these programs and they really CAN'T afford it on their own.

You would have a much different view if you knew someone in a situation in which they honestly could not afford health care and then died as a result. Happened to our security guard at my former job. That always stuck with me.

I love how some people's responses are to get a job and pay for insurance on your own, etc.. In our State (BTW, I'm not in D.C.), it is getting harder and harder to find FT jobs with benefits because EVERYONE is looking for that type of job right now. It's hard to find a job period. I'm so fortunate to have a job myself but it's only b/c I've had the same job for 12 years and I HATE it but it pays the bills and offers medical insurance. Even though I still have to pay $515 per month & then have a $400 deductible every yr. And that doesn't include copays. I also haven't seen a raise in years!

Pretty much for me, food, shelter, water, car but only because you can't get to work here without one. Of course car insurance or I wouldn't drive the car.

I know people who make six figures, have a mc mansion, who claim they can't afford insurance. What they are really saying is it isn't a priority for them, they think they are healthy and don't need it. It is cheaper to pay for your routine care out of pocket after all. I don't think that is a bad choice, it is their choice. Still crying when you do get really sick that you couldn't afford it? Yes, you could afford it, you thought you didn't need it.

We have no frills, haven't taken a "real" vacation. We always pay our medical bills(all bills really) and buy used cars and now gently used clothing. We have one vehicle(used) We are all fairly healthy, however our insurance premiums for a family of 5 is 700$/month after open enrollment this year we found out we are going to be paying 100$ more per month. We can afford it but not much else! Not sure if that answers your question...
****We also make too much for something like WIC and have no credit cards. We are careful with our money but now our premiums are higher than rent, meanwhile food prices and gas is going up, by Gods grace we are able to pay our bills but we rarely have more than 100$ left sfter groceries, rent, gas, etc.

Health insurance wouldn't be so expensive if we didn't insist on keeping everyone alive, no matter what their condition ... no matter what the cost.

At this point if I didn't have group health insurance coverage it would be pointless to purchase individual coverage that did not cover my preexisting conditions. The odds are slim that I would have anything wrong with me that couldn't be pegged as part of a preexisting condition and therefore not covered.

There's an old saying, "You can't judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes." I still hold that to be true. I'm sorry I cannot answer your question. I am middle class, but I am also one of the more fortunate middle class, that does have health insurance supplied through my employer who takes a percentage out of my pay for it and pays the rest. Many people have different beliefs, different wages, and different health problems in America. All that is a factor as to whether they can or cannot affor health insurance. It's not a case of one-size fits all. There are many bills and taxes to pay just to keep a roof over your family's head. Most of the people in the U.S. do not live in a city that they can just walk to work, ride a bicycle, or use public transportation. This means there's a lot more money to shell out to even get to work for a lot of people. There's a increase in families that can't even afford food, which is why our food shelters keep running out of food/supplies. I see it all the time. Food shelters here posting their earnist pleas for people to donate food/clothing/suppies. You can ask all you want about government programs, but sometimes people don't know about them, don't qualify since they own a house, (Doesn't matter if there's a morgage to pay.) or are too proud to take government help. (Yes, we do still have proud U.S. citizens, who are too embarrassed to take what they view as "hand outs.") Then you have insurance companies that don't want to pay any medical bills for pre-exsisting illnesses like diabetes or cancer. Do you even know how much a hospital stay is? It's a lot more than buying a brand new car. Here's a small break down of what a lot of Americans already have to pay:
1. Income tax to the federal government, the state government, and the local government amounting to 40% of their income. (I know, I do my own taxes and that is what I pay.)
2. Property tax with the bulk of it going into the public school system, which can be $5,000 to $10,000 per year depending on the location, age, and style of your home.
3. Car insurance so you can get to work, since many places do not have public transportation which is around $300-$600 every 6 months. Plus gas for the car, which keeps going up. It can be $30-$80 per week depending on the distance you travel and the type of vehicle you drive.
4. Home owner's insurance, which is around $1,000/year.
5. A morgage, since you didn't have $150,000 in cash to purchase your home so you had to take out a loan from the bank with interest....$1,200 and up per month.
6. Clothing for your kids to go to school every year, since they just won't stop growing. Shoes being the most expensive.
7. School supplies for your kids every year, since the school does not hand out notebooks, backpacks, lunch pails, pencils, pens, note paper, etc. plus supplies for the projects the teachers think up.
8. Children must have a physical, get vacinations, and go to the dentist every year by law. That costs money too. No one is asking a doctor to do it for free, but a little help from the insurance company would be nice if you have insurance.
9. Food for your family, which is usually costs at least $100 per week. (This does not include fast food.) Groceries are not cheap, especially if you want to eat healthy.
10 Just think....I didn't even include illnesses like the flu, asthma, allergies, etc. I just hope you get the point, that there is "no such thing as a free ride" here.

After living the last 20 years in Canada (and the first 30 in the States), I can't imagine why anyone would not want universal health care. While my family and I are extremely healthy, 5 years ago my youngest needed surgery, long and complicated, that saved his life. We would have either gone broke or he would have died if I had lived in the US (even with coverage it would have cost us a fortune). We pay our taxes and therefore contribute to health-coverage in that way, but I did not pay one extra penny for 6 surgeons and a weeklong hospital stay.

We have superb doctors and nurses. All my fears about this sort of health-care system (that I carried across the border when I first moved here) have evaporated.

I don't think you are missing anything.

I am always dumbfounded when it occurs to me that Americans today consider a telephone a NECESSITY. I mean, I get that they are pretty standard to have these days, and that we all pay subsidies on our bills every month to help those who "can't afford it" on their own... and how useful they are... But a "NECESSITY"? I don't think so. But I'd bet dollars to donuts that every person between the ages of 20-50, even if receiving government assistance, has either a home phone or a cell phone.

I think that generally speaking, it is a choice people have made that it isn't "worth" doing without the other things they want.

You aren't missing a thing. I had family members who said "I can't afford health insurance" but they could they just didn't want to buy it. It wasn't a priority to them. Other things were. It did become a priority when one got ill. I have several employees here who will decline the insurance and they say "ah, I don't need it and if I do, I just go to the ER". Really???

Our family has always had insurance and some of it has been crappy but we had it. That is MY health. No one is responsible for it but me.

Ok, so this is my situation. I was in an abusive relationship. Very depressed. Got myself into a mountain of debt because I just didn't care anymore.

A few years later I got on antidepressants, left the jerk & was a single mom. $62/ month in child support doesn't do much. Her father is paying for her medical insurance.

I quit my job which offered health insurance for a less stressful, higher paying job. But, with all my debt, I couldn't afford private insurance.

I lived in a crappy apartment. No cable, cheap internet, living on mac & cheese, etc. I didn't qualify for Medicare through my state because I made too much money. They don't account for debt. My fault anyway.

Now, almost 4 years later, I have private insurance because my employer pays most of it & I have 90% of my debt gone. I have an awesome husband & we have a house.

I could afford insurance without my employers help, but it would be a stretch. We are by no means well off, but we live well & all our needs are met. We have a bit of savings.

I agree with your post and don't think you're missing a thing.

Do you have any idea of how low the poverty level is? Some people live above the poverty level on paper, but in reality they are truly poor! It varies by state as to what you can make and still qualify for government insurance programs. In CA they get Medi-Cal, but I bet the threshold for qualifying is different than the government sponsored insurance program in Oregon or Washington or any other state.

It really depends on what sort of medical history the person has. The more extensive medical history, the higher the premiums. So, yes, I do believe that someone who has an extensive medical history very well may not be able to afford health insurance after paying for housing, food and clothing and they might as well get a car and pay car insurance so they can have transportation. No sense not having a car just because you can't afford health insurance! If you have a good driving record, car insurance can be extremely how especially compared to health insurance.

Amen! I can't say it better than you just did.

The health of my family and myself is a priority. Comes before other non essentials. So for us the essential order is food,shelter and health care. And the food and shelter should be very modest if it is a tight squeeze each month to fit in the health insurance. I believe we have a country full of people that follow our government's economic plan... mismanagement of funds and a spending spree by incurring debt..

Also,I do not want the government in charge of health care. It would mean utter doom to our health care system.

You got it right that America is still a free market, where we have the freedom to create our own industry, make our own money and strive to keep as much of it as we can. So medical companies, medical personnel and medical organizations have every right to accept/deny health coverage/services to anyone, Hippocratic Oath or not.

What you are missing is the fact that there are people out there trying to brainwash you into thinking all those people who can't afford health insurance make up 100% of the deserving poor. You are missing the fact that just because someone says they can't afford health care doesn't mean they really can't afford it.

Awesome question...sometimes I ask the same question myself.

Some people honestly cannot afford insurance. In fact, most can't. It's ridiculous. Hourly wages just aren't enough. And there are lots of people who are poor by no choices of their own, there is an awful cycle to poverty, and it becomes a culture of sorts that is hard to break out of.

With that said, I do get pissed off when people talk about having children when they have no insurance. Why should I have to pay 10k (what I will spend on my third baby), while also paying for taxes for you to have kids? Mine is so high because my midwife is considered out of network. But if I went to the county and qualified, my midwife would be covered. Hell, all providers are covered! So I'd get better care!

Some of it is choices. I know a lot of poor people that make really bad decisions. Unemployed hubby with serious anxiety and depression issues, let's have another baby -- the 5th ! You get the drift. I worked with poor people for years. I blame it on literacy. We are a very illiterate country, and so you end up with adults with a 7th grade literacy level making really bad decisions and lacking skills to improve their situation. It's sad.

I've always had health insurance, even if it was cheap (200 a month) emergency medical. I paid that when I wasn't making much money either (1000 a month).

Health care should be a right. We need to take the money out of health care. Insurance companies should be like car insurance companies. Everyone should have to have it, and you pay as you go. If we get rid of insurance companies, then the Dr's and hospitals will have to compete. They will have to tell us what things costs. Things need to be transparent, and we need to stop allowing insurance companies to take billions of our dollars without actually doing much. Costs are high because the medical industry and insurance companies are making themselves rich. Get rid of the profit, and we will all see great improvements.

Interesting question. I think you have it right. People do things the do because of their priorities. And if they have a necessity they can get others to pay for, they don't care if it hurts anyone else as long as they are taken care of.

That's why so many are in favor of Obamacare. They don't care about the country or their neighbor as along as they are taken care of. Greed and selfishness.

My priorities
My wife, my kids, my grandkids, their well-being, Shelter, Food & water, power, my medicine then clothing. (Its very temperate in California and if I ended up naked someone would give me clothes to save their eyes.) ;~))

ETA: I have been in the economic situation where I would go to gas stations after hours and collect the gas left in the hose and pulled oil cans out of the trash to put in my motor scooter (50cc) so I could get to work. I have had to "recycle" stuff from the dumpster behind the grocery store. It wasn't what I chose to do, but I knew I could survive. (No, I've never taken any public assistance.)

Good luck to you and yours.

Well soon everyone will have to make a way to afford insurance, thanks Obama...for my family it's always been a priority, and always will be. If something were to ever happen with my husbands job we would make a way to afford it.

J.,
I have been blessed to always have employment and the ability to pay for health insurance. However I have known a few families that have not had health insurance for much of their lives. Since these families are close to my family and both of them tend to be "over sharers" when it comes to personal info, I would say that from what I have seen it is a little of both.
My brother and his wife have 3 kids and are low income. His wife has worked very little time during their marriage, partly due to not liking jobs, claiming health problems, and also having a hard time paying for child care. They receive WIC, food stamps and food through their church. They struggle to pay rent and often don't have enough gas money to drive anywhere. From what I see, they often are barely scraping by enough to eat, have a roof over their head and get to work. So I can see why health insurance would not make the cut. However they are also really silly with money, as soon as they get any, then they are going on cruises, buying brand new cars and other gadgets, Christmas is always an extravaganza of gifts, they pay twice as much in rent just so they can have granite counter tops and be allowed 3 dogs in the apartment....it is very strange to me that they barely scrape by most of the time and then life like royalty in other ways. BTW they visit the emergency room at least once a month as well, no wonder they are always out of money... seems so strange that they don't make an appt with primary care physician as it is never actually emergency health issues. The other family I know is identical. I have to say I do not get it!

People that are poor have always received medicaid i know because i work with elderly people who have no resources and are entitled to medicaid which covers all their expenses. The middle class are the ones being squeezed as usual because they have good paying jobs but can barely get by after paying the mortgage, health insurance, and daycare to have a family. But contrary to popular opinion obamacare will not help people pay for health insurance it will only force people to have health insuranc who don't have it or pay a fine which will save healthcare companies millions and tax payers millions for paying for uninsured patients because they can't turn anyone away. I personally feel there are better compromises out there like lower pharmaceutical costs and insurance costs in general.

I havent read all the answer, but I appreciate your question. I read a few responses and they seem a bit strong handed but I hope I can give you another idea.

My employer's health insurance is actually "Student insurance". My husband's father works in healthcare and I explained to him my plan and he said "um...yeaa ...that is student insurance". Basically, a small deductable but only covers up to 10k per person ...which is basically a broken leg maybe? MAYBE! Vision was not included and dental was limited to one free cleaning a year (yes a year). The whole time I was worried there would be a major problem and the insurance wouldn't cover it, and thank goodness that wasn't the case!! We're all on my husbands, which is an awesome plan (but our monthly bill is WAY higher) but we're more happy to pay that HIGH premium then continue using my crappy, basically NO insurance, insurance.

The reason I tell you this is because, it was almost worth my while not to even have insurance because the plan was so worthless and HAD something happened, insurance wouldn't have even covered it (As in hospital stays, a severe disease/sickness etc) . Luckily, we are in a position to pay for the health care plan we now have but I can see how some famlies might not be in a position to do so.

I feel like a lot of people do put other priorities ahead of health care but then use those priorities to justify why they dont have healthcare. That isn't fair though because when they become sick their prorities will change to them wanting to be healthy but they wont have insurance so everyone else will foot the bill. Then once they are well again their priorities will then revert to what they were pre-sickness and shove the bill off on everyone else.

As a Canadian living here in the US for the last 8 years I think fears about Universal health care are based on misinformation & fear of the unknown. Sometimes I have to not laugh when people tell me stories they've heard about universal healthcare .
If you ask any Canadian I think very few would ever switch to the US style of healthcare. My spouse & I thought we would have so much more disposable income in the US because of the tax differences but we actually have significantly less because we pay insurance premiums & deductibles.

I would not have had my son if I could not have paid for health insurance for DH, myself and him. I do not understand how people can have children, take vacations and eat out when they don't have health insurance.

ETA: This is a portion of why I am thrilled about the Affordable Care Act. Right now - I am paying for health care for all the people who choose not to carry health insurance (because we as a society do provide care for them - we do not generally let them bleed to death on the street). In the future - the burden will be shared much more fairly.

You have to fit the qualifications or have a classifiable "life hindering" disorder to qualify for medicaid. Which is why so many people are having themselves put on disability for one thing or another. Government also reimburses money paid towards private insurance for children. Majority of people seem to want to be taken care of anymore, no matter what the cost to their fellow human beings and future generations.
I am a stay-at home mom, and I choose to go insurance-less. When this law hits next year I will first be fined, then my things will be taken and sold, then kidnapped and put in a cage. But people will still tell me I live in a free country!?
The fact that insurance companies are doing a terrible job at serving their customers is why people weren't buying from them. Now that these insurance companies lobbied to pass The Affordable Healthcare Act (now making it a forced "right" instead of a privilege) they have raised their prices. Now we are losing doctors and dentists due to this law. Between required minimum wage, malpractice preparedness, the large numbers of people on these programs, and the debt of student loan it is no longer feasible for them to stay in business!
If government would have gotten out of the way of capitalism and free-markets, all healthcare would have been more affordable for everyone a long time ago! But Americans in their apathy are convinced some strangers are more fit to make decisions that pertain to your life than you are. This world is run on debt, and with The Federal Reserve( a private bank) likes it that way...purposely making the value of money go down so it makes their gold worth more.
Sorry about the rant.

we are still paying 1900 a month for cobra. and every time we go to a doctor's office for something we are told 'you don't have health insurance,' because the insurance refuses to pay. it's the same insurance we had through employer and when my husband lost his job we started paying for cobra.
let me tell you something, some people need free healthcare, and those would be the old people. as for everyone else, i would put through a ringer to see why aren't jobs being found, how much effort is being put into finding a job, and where is the money given to them going? i would ask for receipts at the end of every month to account for money taken for assistance.
so back to us, we didn't file for unemployment or any free healthcare available out there. we wouldn't even know where to begin, but we felt we didn't need to. half a year later, my husband found a job, and thankfully with it insurance.