What's Happening In Your Life?

[WalshFan88]

Surely if they discover it's something that needs urgent care they'll contact Austin and move his appointment up. They're not going to tell someone with a brain tumor who has two weeks to live to come back in a month, for instance. "No news is good news" in this case, I think.

Yeah I'm just hoping they can figure out what it is.... That's the frustrating part.

[Glennsallnighter]

Surely if they discover it's something that needs urgent care they'll contact Austin and move his appointment up. They're not going to tell someone with a brain tumor who has two weeks to live to come back in a month, for instance. "No news is good news" in this case, I think.

Really? The one disadvantage of our free healthcare system is that things like that HAVE been known to happen here, depending on the waiting list. Or between the time the test has been recommended and when it happens the illness could have progressed a lot. Of course as everywhere if you pay health insurance ( we pay about €1700 for a family of 4 per year) you'll be seen immediately! Not relly fair.... is it?

[Wildthyme]

Insurance is absolutely ridiculous here if you don't have it through your employer. I would have had to pay $1100 a month just for me in order to keep my health care after I was laid off. Needless to say I couldn't do that...

[Annabel]

Really? The one disadvantage of our free healthcare system is that things like that HAVE been known to happen here, depending on the waiting list. Or between the time the test has been recommended and when it happens the illness could have progressed a lot. Of course as everywhere if you pay health insurance ( we pay about €1700 for a family of 4 per year) you'll be seen immediately! Not relly fair.... is it?

The NHS might be better if it wasn't 'abused' my DH says.

[Glennsallnighter]

Insurance is absolutely ridiculous here if you don't have it through your employer. I would have had to pay $1100 a month just for me in order to keep my health care after I was laid off. Needless to say I couldn't do that...

Per MONTH....... EEEEEEK!!!! Very few employers here would pay insurance, but what you pay a month would be pretty much an entire annual premium on a standard (middle of the road) health policy.

[sodascouts]

Because I have a pre-existing condition, health insurance is ludicrously expensive for me as well unless I get it through an employer. With the university health care plan I'm currently on, my epilepsy medicine costs $20 a month. Without it, the medicine alone costs $1100 a month.

[tequila girl]

Because I have a pre-existing condition, health insurance is ludicrously expensive for me as well unless I get it through an employer. With the university health care plan I'm currently on, my epilepsy medicine costs $20 a month. Without it, the medicine alone costs $1100 a month.

Wowww that's a LOT of money!!

What would happen Nancy if you were unemployed and couldn't pay the insurance? would you be left to just get on with your epilepsy without medication....or would Social Security or some other body help towards cost of meds?

[Molly]

Nancy could apply for Medicaid benefits (which are funded jointly by the US government and the state in which a person lives) and then wait to hear if her application has been approved to begin receiving the healthcare benefits.

Depending on the level of disability, Medicare benefits could be put into effect. Medicare is funded by the US government and is generally what is used to take care of the older population, but has many exceptions to that rule.

Both Medicaid and Medicare are the healthcare portion of the US Governments Social Security Act which is our government run social insurance program. It is funded thru taxation.

[tequila girl]

Ahhhhh....Thanks for that Molly - very informative for those of us (me) that don't know how it works!

[Glennsallnighter]

Well I'm glad to hear that there is some mechanism in place to cover those that genuinely can't afford their healthcare. Over here if you spend any more than €100 per month per family on perscription medicines you get the balance refunded from the State. So it should cost no more than that. If you are on a GMS medical card all perscriptions are free.