Health Care and Homesteading

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Talk about two incompatible concepts! How could anybody on a homestead income even think about participating in the currently accepted model of health care? Who can look at health insurance premiums ($500-700/ mo for our family, not including dental) and think they could EVER spend that much on doctor's bills? We pay as we go, and spend about the equivalent of a month's premium per year on actual costs. Just curious whether other homesteaders pay for health insurance, and why/whether they consider it a good investment. It's not that we want it, we're way too alternative, but just wondered!

-- Anonymous, April 21, 2001

Answers

While you may not be spending anywhere near the premium amount on health care per year for your family, are you considering catastrophic health care and setting aside for that? Many families reach a one million dollar maximum cap with just one major health incident.

As an example of costs: My brother became ill and went into the hospital February 28, 1997. He died from a swift form of cancer on March 19th of the same year. In those 20 days his medical bills rose to nearly $80,000. He had no medical insurance.

As you must realize while health insurance seems unaffordable, without it you are flirting with medical bills that you might never be able to pay. Consider what a head trauma/coma might cost. What about heart disease leading to bypass surgery? How about a stroke and rehabilitation?

As a note, my brother's estate was able to pay the medical bills because of a fluke of luck, he had signed up for credit life insurance on a loan he had obtain and had all but paid off. This is something that my brothers or I have never done before. I always thought credit life only paid off the remainder of a loan, but his paid the full face value he had signed up for which was over $60,000. Very lucky for his family.

What the answer is to high medical costs I certainly don't know. For me at the current time it is a part-time job that offers affordable medical insurance for myself. I only work a few hours 14 days per month. It is rare that medical insurance is offered to such workers. Whatever your solution, good luck, and to the rest of you as well.

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001


David: This is the one major area that could ruin my homesteading way of life. I retired early at 50 with 1200 bucks a month. I have health care that costs 250. If something bad happens I would have to go back to work!! Yikes can't have that! But The biggest reason for me to carry it is so my grown children don't spend all their money trying to save my life. Like Greenbeanman I may have to work a little later on but I feel I have to have it. I swear I'm lucky. There are so many people that its just out of the question financially. Coverage may simply turn into another perk for the rich pretty soon.....Kirk

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001

I heard a television report this week that a ruling has let many insurance carriers EXCLUDE injuries of what we cll weekend warriors. Those folk that go out and play softball or other such sports. Since I bicycle quite a bit I called my carrier and was told the contract has not been changed and I would be covered. However, the representative was aware of the ruling.

If you can't afford it, but have it, you may still not be covered. Wonder what impact that ruling will have on sports for kids?

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001


We heard once that a surviving spouse was not liable for medical bills amassed by the deceased spouse. Don't know how true this is, but it's probably something worth finding out. Maybe a will has to be written with appropriate language.

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001

Sure, you could spend that and much more on medical bills. The costs of health care are obscene and incredibly corrupt. Doctors and hospitals - especially hospitals - bilk the insurance companies bigtime, and in turn they harpoon us. It's a monstrous, immoral racket.

My husband is retiring on the first of May, and that will end our union supplied health care through Kaiser Permanente. We never used it anyway, but it was there just in case.

Before I quit trucking 12 yrs. ago I had to get a DOT physical every two years to keep the commercial license - took about 5 minutes, if you were breathing, you passed. It was just another source of revenue for the state, a complete joke. Aside from that I haven't seen a doctor for well over 25 years, avoid them like the plague.

I called a bunch of insurance brokers and settled on a really high deductable from Utah Blue Cross. It's still $240. a month for the two of us! Makes me crazy but I guess it would be even crazier not to go for it at our age, Roger's 60 and I'm 54. Far as I can tell, you can't win this one.

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001



I moaned and groaned at having to pay $186 for medical coverage for my husband through my work until I saw how much folks on these forums are paying, now it seems like a bargain. We didn't have medical coverage for about 10 years when our sons were growin up and we had no problems. Had to take youngest to the doctor once for an ear infection and oldest once for a dog bite, he had a large open wound and there was no choice. I took him to the emergency room of our local charity hospital (they have a reputation for having to wait hours before being seen) and he was seen and treated within twenty minutes. I guess it was the nature of the problem. The follow up visit was another story, we have to wait several hours. I was grateful for an option, but felt blessed that basically we were all healthy. My boys are 21 and 23 and neither one of them have health insurance, their employers don't offer it and they can't afford it on their own. Health care is way too expensive.

Namaste, Judy

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001


Health insurance, The only reason I and tens of thousands like me stay employed! For all the short comings of socialized medicine,I'm afraid it's far better than what's not available to us now. Our gvmt. realizes that if we didn't have this terrible medical yoke hanging over our necks, we'd no longer be available to pasify the 1.4% who presently have 40% of the money in this country. Oh well, down off my soap box before I slip!

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001

I think the cost of health insurance (and dental) is rediculous nowadays. My husband and I only carry accident insurance and we can only pray that we stay reasonably healthy. We have a home auto repair business and the cost for general insurance would be astronomical. We just keep our fingers crossed and take lots of vit. C!!! Any extra money we can put aside goes into CD's which, hopefully, will help cover any potential health problems. In 9 yrs. my husband hopes to retire, and all I can hope for is that the Medicare is there if we need it!!

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001

Well.... this is a subject that is dear to my heart and also causes my blood pressure to go up!!!!!

I say that I have two home owners insurances.... one for the house in case something happens in the way of storms...

and the other is personal pay health insurance.... and like you others... it is a bear...

I battle over this dilemna all the time... just last week received a letter of my premium going up 22% this year...and my cost of living didn't go up as much...

course, last year it went up 48% and I dropped that company... however, the company that I am with is "ify" yet too... with either company I have a $5000.00 deductible...I figured that I could afford that much and whittle it down.. and my payment is close to a 1/4 of my income... tho I work part time... I have no insurance benefits and I have 5 kids on my policy yet...

my hospital told me... whether it is truth or not... if I had outstanding bills due to a major catoshpere... they could take my house in payment of the outstanding bill... so much for free health care...

I don't want to be nosey with folks... but what companies are all you using???? as I'm considering changing again...

I have Mutual of Omaha... $5000. deductible... after that is met it is 80/20 and 2 million cap... there are 6 of us on the policy...

Otherwise I don't use the policy... had a broken arm in the last 7 years... and sure seems that I could use the money better... but until the kids are gone.. you know what I am saying...

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001


Yarrow... Maybe I'm wrong, but I've always thought that as long as you were paying something on your medical bill that legally they couldn't "bother" you. My husband and I have just accident insurance from Combined Insurance Co. I think that's a national outfit. They do have sickness ins. bu we can't afford it...yet!

-- Anonymous, April 22, 2001


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