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n2doc

(47,953 posts)
Sun Dec 1, 2013, 04:19 PM Dec 2013

Medicaid expansion's tale of two states

Lorinda Fox of New Albany, Ind., hasn’t been to a doctor since her last child was born 21 years ago. Poor and uninsured, she treats her illnesses with over-the-counter remedies.

At age 58, she knows she’s taking chances with her health, especially since she recently began having heart palpitations and chest pain.

“I’ll do the same thing I always do — gut it out,” said Fox, who lives with her hearing-impaired daughter and earns about $12,000 a year working in retail. “I don’t know what else I can do.”

If Fox lived in Kentucky, she would qualify for expanded Medicaid next year under the Affordable Care Act. But she lives in a state where she makes too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid, and politicians have chosen not to expand Medicaid as Obamacare intended, contending that Indiana taxpayers can’t afford it.

more

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20131130/BUSINESS/311300038/Medicaid-expansion-s-tale-two-states-Kentucky-haves-vs-Indiana-nots-?nclick_check=1

effing supreme court.

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Medicaid expansion's tale of two states (Original Post) n2doc Dec 2013 OP
Someone should ask all of these indigents why they continue to vote (R) Doctor_J Dec 2013 #1
Or don't vote at all bluestateguy Dec 2013 #3
There needs to be some sort of easy to read chart for cost of uninsured joc46224 Dec 2013 #2
You should not be responsible for that ER bill Curmudgeoness Dec 2013 #4
 

Doctor_J

(36,392 posts)
1. Someone should ask all of these indigents why they continue to vote (R)
Sun Dec 1, 2013, 05:37 PM
Dec 2013

and listen to hate radio all day.

joc46224

(62 posts)
2. There needs to be some sort of easy to read chart for cost of uninsured
Sun Dec 1, 2013, 06:24 PM
Dec 2013

I read the article and then read through all the comments. The overwhelming majority against expanding Medicaid keep using the argument about affordability, claiming the states (or Federal government) can't afford the costs. I'm just shocked at the ignorance of that argument because the cost is so much higher--to EVERYONE--when people aren't insured and inevitably get sick. Just the cost of emergency rooms versus regular visit is an astronomical cost difference. I had a recent visit to the emergency room when I slipped and hit my head on my desk at work. I was fine and tried to refuse the ambulance ride but HR insisted on it. The cost of the ambulance ride was $3000 (it was a less than 5 mile drive). I sat in the waiting room and told the ER nurse I was going home because I was fine. She told me to wait and let her get the doctor real quick. The doctor came out into the waiting room, literally talked to me for less than 60 seconds, didn't do any sort of tests like shining light in my eyes, blood pressure, nothing. Imagine my shock when I got a bill for $1,900 for that 60 second "conversation". The charge was "Emergency Room Physician services". Luckily I had insurance but my portion still turned out to be over $1500.

Why the astronomical costs? Because of those people who don't have insurance! Duh!!!! Hospitals are required to treat everyone and so need to recoup those costs somehow. It's so obvious to me that giving everyone access to insurance is going to cost far less than the system we have now but so many don't seem to grasp that. If only there was some sort of easy to read chart that could display the costs of the uninsured to the average tax payer. Because people can't touch it or see it they think it's not there. Somehow they think those uninsured visits to the ER aren't costing them a dime. Who do they think is paying for it???

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)
4. You should not be responsible for that ER bill
Sun Dec 1, 2013, 07:21 PM
Dec 2013

or anything to do with that bill. Because you were hurt at work, that is a workers' comp case. The employer's w/c policy should be paying all the expenses....all of them. Don't let them put that copay on you.

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