HI
IAM SO SORRY, BART4U, I HAVE KAISER AND PAYING $310 PER MONTH, $1500 DIDUCTEBLE, I AM HAPPY WITH IT,
STAY HEALTHY,
DAVID

I just got health insurance last month, for the first time since I was 17, only because I got married. Its been quite a struggle to get medical treatment for my crohns with out any help.

I forgot to mention that before i was in the high risk pool I was getting my insurance through a creative industry group plan in 2005. I was paying 3500 then the plan went to 27,000 by 2008. How can our society allow this happen. This is why we need to take control over out health insurance. Having a for profit insurance company deciding who gets accepted, rejected, canceled, payment rates and treatment is disgusting.

I am so sad to hear your story. Unfortunately it has happened to too many of us. I am insured only because I am married. But as a self-employed person I have been through what you are going through. I have written and called many times to inspire politicians to do the right thing and I will keep doing so. We all need to keep persisting and voting to make this happen.

Good luck!

California isn't a good place to be these days...
Insurance everywhere is really doing poorly - due to the economy and job loss. Health Insurance is at all time highs. What we pay for ours is hardly worth it...but you don't want to drop it (you don't know when you'll get sick.) A real rat race. They keep paying less and less - more out of pocket every year.
There just aren't enough people to pay into the system that are taking out of it...today who the heck can pay these ever rising premiums??? Insurance Companies can't keep running if they aren't making a profit, and I don't beleive they are making a profit anymore.
I don't know any fat rich uncles... I really hate politics these days! They all need to get on board and strive for solutions - wish we could take all their pays and put that toward health care. None of us get paid for doing a lousy job...
We may all learn too quickly what it was like before insurance we certainly didn't have it when I was growing up and rarely went to see a doctor. We were healthier too...
Hang in there, something's got to give!
We might be smarter to deal directly with the drug companies...

I am so sorry to hear how much you are paying for your ins., It is outrageous. Before I got sick, I had no ins. at all, and almost died because the hospital refused to do ant tests without any ins. I went 2 different times and got sent home both times and told nothing they could do for me. Was told to see a GI. I tried, but none of the GI's would even give me an appointment without ins. After being out of work for 8 weeks and losing 65 lbs. my family doctor told to to go again and tell them that he insisted that they run some test to see what was wrong before I died. That time, after being there for about 12 hours, they finally decided to see me and run some tests. That's when they found out that I had UC, and was so dehydrated, that I was close to death. Only because I was out od work for so long, I finally qualified for county assistance ins. for the poor. Thank God Phillly has this or I would have died. It's a shame what is happening in this country with regards to ins. I was one of the lucky few that qualified and still have the ins, only cause my doctors have to sign papers every 6 monthe stating that my meds are life sustaining and too expensive to buy myself, so they let me keep the ins. Good luck with your ins. I hope you can continue to afford it or get the federal ins. Will keep you in my prayers.

Thanks for responding everyone look at what happened to JeanCarlin. Man that is just wrong. Glad to see you are doing better. That is so why we need national insurance. Imneiss the insurance companies are doing just fine and Blue Cross of California recorded a windfall profit for year 2009 plus they paid their CEO a multi million dollar bonus. The fact is nobody knows when they will get sick and I am tried of hearing people say they are not sick so they do not need insurance or my company pays for my insurance If you have no insurance or you lose your job and your Cobra runs out and you have to pay cash for a hospital stay you have a great chance of losing your home. The US courts can make you sell your home to pay your hospital bill. If I go without insurance I have a plan for my home before I stop my insurance. Only in America they can they take your home away for a medical bill. National insurance works well in Canada, Japan, England, Germany, Norway, France, Italy, Taiwan, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Austria and South Africa. It has to be done in America, I have read so much on this issue. Our model is failing and will fail more because of us doing nothing for so long with little regulations. The Obama plan is a start but it is a very watered down weak plan. The insurance companies are so greedy. Having Crohns has been a long and painful journey for my for 38 years now and I have to be self employed due to my disease and only since 2005 the insurance the rates have increased beyond mention. The Bush administration did nothing about it and look where we are now. I guess is seems I am angry and yes I am very angry about this. I also get upset when I hear people say write your congressman or senators. Like I said before I have written and called their offices. Only once did a California State Senator call me back. When your write or call your federal representatives the calls and letters are picked up and read by college interns and your representatives never never see your message. Well I just hope we get our insurance problem fixed not just for me but for everyone else out their that needs medical care.

I too am going thru insurance crap right now as well. I left my job to start a new one. Of course the COBRA premiums are thru the roof, but I have to pay them until my new insurance starts or I will not be able to get any of of my meds because of the cost. I also had to start working "full time" once I was diagnosed so that I could get better benefits to help pay for my UC costs. I too think that this country has it all wrong with health insurance! We are AMERICA, the only country you can go BANKRUPT in over your health! It's just not right. Maybe it's because the people making the "laws and rules" get lifetime benefits if they serve for "2 years" at least that's what I hear. I completely feel your pain and wish you the best :>)

I've been trying to stay out of the political opining on this site since I don't think this is the proper forum for it and people are going to think what they think without much persuasion otherwise, but to offer a different view...

PPACA doesn't deal with, in a meaningful way, the cost of health care delivery, which is the overwhelming flaw with it. It mostly addresses insurance carrier regulations but really so what? That's insurance reform and since insurance carriers were already regulated by states and to some degree the feds, that's nothing new. HHS acts like they invented reform, but it's not a new concept. The law doesn't address real health CARE reform.

So, for me, if I were to be angry, it would be that the the people of this country were bullshitted by politicians, again. The democrats were completely pressured into voting for a bill that they didn't even understand fully or likely read in any great detail. I've read the law, from the first word to the last; that's what I do for a living. It's at once convoluted and yet written so broadly. I bet you a year's salary that not every legislature who voted on the bill read it from front to back and understood what exactly they were voting for. Shame on them; that's what they are elected and paid to do. That's part of the reason why you have dems who are going to lose their shirts this election, because they weren't brave enough to say, I can't vote on this bill because it doesn't tackle what's really at issue here so lets take the time to do it right. Instead they likely skimmed a lengthy bill without understanding the bigger long term effect of such a bill and where it lacked some real vision, but voted on it anyway. Freakin' sheep.

And why isn't anyone up in arms over the cost of health care delivery? Because there is such a strong lobby for providers. No politician has balls big enough to take them on.

I dislike politicians: republicans, dems, I don't care which. Politics is for power seekers and cowards. The sooner we quit relying on them to fix everything and seeing them as saviors, the better. Holy cow, I sound like my grandpa right there.

I've always thought we only need two health insurance regulations. One that requires everyone living in the United States to buy basic insurance through a US company in order to get medical care. And one that limits each insurance company to charging one price for the basic coverage for everyone who buys their insurance, but can offer more expensive policies to those who want them. That's the way group insurance works now and if you're in a large, diverse group, your premium is low no matter what pre-existing conditions you have. If everyone who buys from an insurance company were in the same group, the premiums would be even lower and the insurance companies would truly have to compete with each other. Oh, and any government employee could only have the average insurance coverage of the people he/she serves unless they pay for extra coverage out of their own pocket.

Bart, I hope you find an answer soon. The constant worry over paying for health care can't be good for your Crohns. I have a little over three years to go until I qualify for Medicare and I pray I don't lose my job before then. But sometimes when I'm in pain, it's really hard to go in.

In my opinion I dislike all politicians but on this one I have seen the Republicans just stone wall themselves on health insurance with no plan what so ever and the rise of insurance was on their watch. I don't like politics but when this bill first came out I could not stand all the lies I was hearing from Fox News and the Sarah Palins out there. Obama first wanted a national plan which would allowed competition between existing insurance companies which would mean a lower price and he wanted to drop the age rate to 55 for Medicare. The Republicans blocked him on every step of the way and their was not enough votes. Joe Lieberman who leans Republican played a big role in not allowing this to happen. His wife worked for an health insurance company lobbyist. So I believe there was a conflict of interest and his vote should have not counted. I am 53 and the 55 age for Medicare would have really helped me. Right now I don't know what to do. My savings and any retirement monies have been depleted due to my Crohn's medical costs. I am sorry to say I know who to blame for this. You might not agree with me but on this issue I feel so strong and I feel sorry for the other Crohn's health insurance/nightmare stories I am hearing on this post.

Every day I thank my lucky stars I was born in Canada. I was bitterly disappointed to see Obama not even bring Universal coverage to the bargaining table. Keep fighting its the greatest feature of our society.

Sorry if my post this time is political but I had to get this off my chest. I have been keeping this inside me and the stress is not good for me. I feel none of my elected officials are listening to me about our health insurance problem and I find our country to be very selfish and greedy. I do wish I was born in Canada, at least they respect their citizens.

I really know what you mean about this issue. I'm currently self employed, and have had numerous insurance issues, even before being diagnosed with UC. These insurance companies will take your premiums when you're well, but as soon as you get sick, they try anything they can to try and not pay your health claim. I almost lost mine due to them constantly raising my premiums. I raised my deductibles really high, and luckily I qualify for free Lialda directly through Shire. I get so frustrated because I've put off getting medical care, due to the fact that although I have health insurance, it still really only helps me if something catastrophic happens.

Don't keep stuff inside and push it down. That will kill you. So will anger. And so will watching Fox News. Raging against what you don't have any control over is sometimes an exercise in futility.

I love Canada and have been there many times. As far as respecting their citizens, I don't know if that's always a 100% the case. I mean, Im sure there are people there who go through a hell of a time. I've been to Toronto a million times and see so many homeless young people living on the streets. Thats a terrible thing. That happens in any big city but clearly, they're not immune to some social ills there as well.

It's naive to think that elected officials will respond to each person's anguish. I mean, they do the whole "I feel your pain" thing on TV when there's a disaster or something, but really, that's a photo op. There are so many people who suffer daily, who are sick, who are poor, who are disenfranchised, who scream to be heard, but are ignored, by politicians, by society, by you, by me, if we are honest. Thats pretty much any where you go. Compassion starts with people, with each other, not government.