So I called the hospital in trepidation to discuss payment options for what my private insurance didn't cover in my daughter's birth. I gave the woman the account numbers, and she quoted me a very reasonable monthly payment and told me that if I needed it lower, they had another company they could outsource me to. I asked her if I could start next month, as everything beyond food/electricity/etc. for this month had gone to a car repair, and she said I could. I told her I could make these payments and thanked her for her help.
My hospital stay was excellent. Due to complications during the birth, the staff had to act quickly, professionally, and competently. They did. As a result, in a situation where babies have died or been brain-damaged, mine came out perfectly healthy. (They accelerated delivery under the correct suspicion that the cord was around her neck. She came out blue, but did not need resuscitation and shows no sign of oxygen deprivation.)
Thanks to our current healthcare system, and I admit it could use some work, I was able to afford the best of care. That's right, this working-class/lower-middle-class (how do I figure out which one I'm in?) was given access to the best medical care. There was no tier system, like they have in Holland, in which lower-wage workers have lesser levels of coverage. There was no government decision on whether my baby was viable enough to deserve care, as there is in England. There was no lack of diagnostic machinery, as there is in Canada.
Why on earth would I be interested in Obama patterning our healthcare after any of these countries? The way things are now, the lower class (as long as they aren't unfortunate enough to fall under the government care that liberals want to expand for all of us) can afford and receive medical care. The trick is that you have to be willing to do as I have done, to call, to explain what you can pay, and to set up a plan. You have to be willing to talk to them and let them know of your situation. The help is readily there, if you care to... 'Look' may be too strong a word. If you care to even speak.
I said before that it could use some help. I can think of two models that would be an improvement over the current setup.
Auto insurance is mandatory (in my state), but you can choose whichever company you like. Since it isn't linked to your employer, you aren't placed in the position where employer-subsidized coverage is the only type you can afford. You can also choose the extent of insurance once you've gone above the state minimum. There are factors in your lifestyle that can lower your payments, because they lower your risk. As a result, our auto insurance payment is one-fifth of our health insurance payment, and that's after the company has paid its part.
Though pet health insurance is available, it isn't mandatory or common. Veterinary medicine simply cost what it cost, and you pay at time of service. You can choose your veterinarian. As a result, most families that own a pet are capable of affording that pet. Veterinarians do not charge $100 for a band-aid. They know that the families involved will be paying the entire bill, and if their care is too expensive, their customers will go elsewhere. What about people who really can't pay for their pet's care? Organizations abound to help them. I had my cats spayed when I was a college student with a part-time job, and I had it done at a mobile unit for less than half the price of an office visit. The care was just as good.
You may notice that neither of my examples involve increased government regulation, intervention, or spending.
