WatchHe, on principle, decided that he did not "need" insurance, which his brother roundly criticized as the height of irresponsibility. The teabagger said that he did not want to pay COBRA and expected his new job to start in a few weeks and he would be insured after his waiting period.
He broke his foot while innocuously on the way to the laundry room. Now, he's screwed.
Some plan. I guess someone else can pay for his visit to the ER.
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A real man would set the foot himself or put himself out of his misery with a hunting rifle.
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APOCALYPSEFUCK is Shostakovich says
He's a boy trapped in a man's body.
Ruki says
I was posting this since we had the debate about whether this was a good idea or not. It wasn't a good one for him, since his stay was expensive and I'm thinking he will need some therapy (in more ways than one).
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Does he wear teabags. I am thinking of dressing up as one for Halloween. Wear teabags and carry a sign saying, " Get the Guvmint out of my Medicare."
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Ruki says
Bat shit expensive.
as for the OP, is he a Racist? I heard all Teabaggers are racist, is that true?
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The Original Bankster's website
hey I've got a friend who is a flaming homosexual, he actually enjoys gerbils in his butt and group sex with negros, not that there's anything wrong with that. Now that I've established that I'd like to say that I support Chick-Fil-a and I like their Chicken Sandwiches a lot.
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The Original Bankster says
I haven't heard the word "negroes" in about 40 years. Takes me back to the bad old days. But the gerbils thing sounds kind of interesting... Is your friend on Youtube?
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CaptainShuddup says
Yes.
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The Original Bankster says
Troll comment of the month!
I'd be opposed to such a deliberately inflammatory comment but it's so well-crafted to elicit indignation from the unwary.
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Patrick, you must censor him!
I'm like, so offended by his words,,,,
\ sarc off /
As to the OP, how screwed is the guy, really? Why did he go to the ER? I would think that this is the kind of thing, in a reasonable society, one would be able to pay cash for the services. How did humanity ever survive, before the unaffordable insurance, that we need to help us afford the unaffordable health care?
Hopefully this brief moment of stupidity marks the height (or trough) of this leg down the de-evolutionary chart. We cannot be this dumb, can we be?
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errc says
I'm sure he will be paying cash. Is there any other way? I don't think he's destitute or anything. Maybe he will be after this and any rehab he'll need.
I don't talk to him any more because his politics got so discombobulated. I spoke with his brother who relayed the info about him being screwed now.
I'll try to find out the damage he incurred though.
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leo707's website
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jhall says
I guess you don't read many of Bap33's posts.
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I just don't get how a broken bone, should break someone. Health insurance on the other hand, is crushing us all. Why the hell would a sensible person fork over so much of their income to insure against something like this? It just doesn't add up.
In the eight years I've been at my current job, I've "spent" over 40k on health insurance. I've gotten four physicals, cast for a broken knuckle, anda lipid profile done. For 40 fucking thousand dollars. If I up and leave this job tomm, all that money is gone forever.
If you back what my boss pays for health insurance into my annual wages, to get total compensation package, its now just over 15% of my annual compensation, and I get absolutely nothing in return.
I don't even want health insurance, but I figure that it is tax advantageous for the boss to offer it, or else he'd be more willing to compensate with cash instead.
The only thing dumber then our system of health insurance is the people that love the dems so much that they claim to support ppaca,,,,they never seem to know why, but they sure are fans
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errc says
That one's easy. When you get treated, you are agreeing to be charged whatever the doctor/hospital decides to charge you, and you will not be told the amount in advance of treatement.
Therefore you are legally obligating yourself to pay an infinite amount of money, and that will bankrupt you should the doctor/hospital decide to take all of your money.
This is why we desperately need a law which obligates explicit and exact presentation of bills in advance of treatment.
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He's not screwed, financially he's going to be hurting, but I'm sure not more than 5-10k, which today is not that much money. They'll take x-rays, set the foot, put it in a cast, and he can spend more time sitting in front of the TV watching Fox media/propaganda. He could be spending that time educating himself, looking for a desk job where you don't need your foot, but we know he won't.
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Sort of like going to a restaraunt and ordering off the menu with no prices
Then they bring the bill and they charged you
13,000 for a 16 oz tbone
800 for iced water with lemon
If you had known that before hand, you might have opted for something else
That still brings you back to the problem that at times, its pretty hard to shop for health care. When you really need it, you can't say "ambulance driver! Take me to the next hospital, no way am I paying the exorbitant rapings at this hospital" as you bleed out
But I did read a link here on patnet about how insanely different the charges are for identical procedures from hospital to hospital. Competition and information are good things, for everyone involved. How does ppaca help us out there?
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Ruki says
COBRA costs whatever your company was paying for you, plus a 10% markup as a "management fee" for an external company that pretty much just funnels your payment on to the insurer.
Not sure why this middleman even exists. Maybe the rationale is something like "the HR department does not want to be bothered with helping your sorry ass if you should ever have a question or need some assistance". I don't know. I'm sure the middleman is making a big profit, though.
The big picture is that you get the good "group" insurance rate and there should be nothing to complain about.
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errc says
True. I should have said that bills should be presented in advance for non-emergency care. But emergency care costs should then be regulated, not infinite.
errc says
I don't think that the PPACA (also known as Obamacare) changes anything about the unknowably large amounts of medical bills.
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elliemae's website
The Original Bankster says
1) You have friends? (ya walked into that one)
2) I've never been to Chick-Fil-A, but I hear their sandwiches taste like chicken.
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GameOver says
?
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=teabagger
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If somebody refers to somebody else, as a tea bagger, assume that they themselves either are, or desire to be, a tea baggee.
tea - baggee : someone that desires to get tea bagged
teabagging - To have a man insert his scrotum into another person's mouth in the fashion of a teabag into a mug with an up/down (in/out) motion.
not really my cup of tea,,,,,but whatever floats your boner
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GameOver says
I think there is a commonly accepted definition of folks who may be "Tea Partiers" who, although enthusiastic, are often light on facts since they get in the way of their ideologies.
There is no parallel on the left, partly since there is no "organized" enthusiastic movement, but also because we are guided by facts and such.
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there are no facts, only interpretations
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errc says
Yeah! That's what he says too.
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CL says
Given the Tea Parties prominence and political power within the GOP and how they have an entire news network that caters to their beliefs there is not equivalent on the left.
However, an organization like Peta is very similar to the Tea Party in their relationship with facts and choices on how to interact with the rest of humanity.
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errc says
Only the ladies get menus with no prices. If you take your date to a such a restaurant, you may want to vet her choices. Not dating advice.
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clambo says
Gay sex act? You just don't know the right girls.
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CL says
I prefer That's what she said.
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CL says
I must say that given the title, I was very disappointed in the anecdote. I was expecting something more along the lines of the classic
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And hopefully full of TWSS's.
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leoj707 says
There are conservatives and Republicans in PETA.
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COBRA coverage is retroactive if you sign up during the election period. The election period is a minimum of 60 days or 60 days after you've been notified by your plan administrator which is required to notify you within 30-60 days. So you essentially get anywhere from 3-4 months of "coverage" without paying for it because if you need it, it is retroactive.
If you are starting a new job, and will be covered within 3-4 months, you should not sign up for COBRA and only do so if necessary. You should probably let your "friend" know about this if it's not too late.
"Within what time period does the Qualified Beneficiary have the option of electing COBRA?
A qualified beneficiary may elect COBRA coverage at any time within 60 days after the date plan coverage terminates, or, if later 60 days after the date of the notice to the qualified beneficiary from the plan administrator. The 60-day period permits a qualified beneficiary to "adopt a wait-and-see approach to continued coverage, and then elect if and when medical care is required during the election period. If the plan administrator has not sent the notice of qualifying event, the election period remains open. The 60 day period is a minimum."
http://www.cobrainsurance.com/COBRA_FAQ.htm
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Rent4Ever says
Good to know. Thanks for the info! Now, do I want to reestablish ties with him? :)
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elliemae's website
Rent4Ever says
Sure, in theory this works. However, in order to meet the pre-existing condition clause, the person can't have a lapse of coverage of more than 63 days. If the insurer notifies the beneficiary that they can elect COBRA coverage, there are 60 days to elect the coverage from the date of notification. At that point, the person must pay retroactive to the date the coverage is first available.
So, even if the company doesn't notify the ex-employee for 2-1/2 months, the ex-employee must pay for the coverage retroactive to the date on the letter or he will have a pre-existing condition. Doesn't matter if he has coverage immediately through his employer...
Don't confuse the election period with actual coverage. You must be covered continuously without a 63 day lapse - so if you quit in December & start a new job in April - and for some reason you weren't notified until March, you still have to pay the retro monies or you have a lapse in coverage that results in pre-existing conditions.
Pre-existing conditions are supposed to be phased out in 2014 - but until then, they are a huge issue. almost any healthcare condition can be considered pre-existing. For example, if you were at the doctor and had slightly elevated blood pressure within the past couple of years, then you get new insurance and you have a heart attack - it probably won't be covered due to the pre-existing condition.
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CaptainShuddup says
True.
I pay $200 something for my family of 4. Includes medical, dental, vision etc..
When I was in between jobs, Cobra wanted almost $1200.
Needless to say, we declined.
My doc charges $80 cash visits, and my dentist offers substantial discounts for cash.
Guess you could say we took the risk.
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joshuatrio says
Who offers that? We pay close to $800/month for a family of 4 with an $8,000 deductibe via Blue Shield.
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errc says
I've been to that restaurant; it's in Times Square. I pretended to go to the bathroom and snuck out the window, abandoning my jacket and date.
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bdrasin says
ROFL!
Unfortunately, the medical system takes names and follows up with lawsuits for what they ordered for you off the arbitrarily high and secret menu.
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Monterey, CA
Patrick says
Patrick, that $200 is my monthly deduction out of my paychecks for benefits. The employer picks up the rest of the tab.
I am not self employed - work for a large defense contractor where the benefits are pretty good.
Edit - that number may actually be closer to $250-300 with dental, vision etc.. I can't remember since it's been so long since having to redo the insurance stuff.
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Patrick says
You know, this could make an excellent viral mini-film on YouTube:
Guy enters fancy restaurant, sits down, and doesn't get a menu.
He asks for the menu and is told not to worry about that, just to enjoy his meal, they will order what they think he should have.
He asks about prices and is told that prices are not available before the meal, but will be presented on the bill.
He eats a nice lunch and is told he should be grateful that he's getting "the best service in the world".
He gets the bill:
$13,000 for a 16 oz tbone
$800 for iced water with lemon
He says he won't pay, but is told he already agreed to pay just by eating the food.
Cut to narrator explaining: "This is medical billing in America. No prices are available, the staff orders whatever they choose for you, and you are legally obligated to pay the bill, no matter how high."
Another glance at the restaurant shows the waiter as a doctor and waitresses as nurses.
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bdrasin says
I waited for hours, then washed dishes with the help. I was too fat to follow you out the window...