Harbaugh field trip has been cancelled

Ree4 said:
Yeah a ton of people go to the doctor way too much, some to the ER way too much, others not enough. I've gone to the doctor twice in the last 2 years and feel like I'm in reasonably good health. Can still run a 5k without dying. I could eat less. drink less and smoke less for sure though :)
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But can you run a 5k while drinking and smoking?
 
Ree4 said:
Guess it's all fine and dandy because you and some people have friends who have good plans, even though almost all metrics show our system is average at best. Try being in the service industry, or being a small business owner and providing for your employees, rising insurance costs are killing the competitiveness of small businesses. I work at a bank dealing with commercial customers, I see it all the time. Should small businesses' biggest concern be the cost of providing insurance to their employees or how to make a quality product and sell it at a reasonable price? Employer provided insurance is incredibly antiquated and needs to go.

I have terrific insurance through my employer too, but I know tons of other people who aren't so fortunate. Who ever said healthcare is free? It isn't and should never be.
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You're confusing "healthcare" with "insurance" and/or "access".

Employer-based insurance isn't what has caused prices to skyrocket. Union plans with first-dollar coverage, unpaid medical Bill's, and researc and implementation costs are far more the villain than employer-based insurance.
 
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hawkeyebob62 said:
You're confusing "healthcare" with "insurance" and/or "access".

Employer-based insurance isn't what has caused prices to skyrocket. Union plans with first-dollar coverage, unpaid medical Bill's, and researc and implementation costs are far more the villain than employer-based insurance.
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I never said employer based insurance has caused prices to skyrocket, I'm saying the skyrocketing prices has greatly affected the viability of small business, quite the opposite of what you're suggesting I said.
 
Ree4 said:
Another issue with HDHPs is they really dissuade people from visiting an ER - possibly stopping you from getting care you desperately need. With regular insurance and for people that don't get sick that often, a $600 bill is a lot less scary than capping your OPM at $4k.

How many symptomatic people do you think will want to get tested if they think they're going to leave with a bill like this guy? Link For some reason the article doesn't say it but the google article title:

Novel coronavirus test for Miami man leads to $3,275 bill ...
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I think you're a pretty reasonable person so please don't take this as an attempt to carte blanche refute everything in the article.

But...here's a couple of observations on my part.

1) A $3,200 bill isn't really a $3,200 bill. If he were to call that accounts receivable department and say, "I can send you a check today for $2,500, otherwise I can't swing it and it will have to just go through collections they would more than likely take it because that's about what the collections agency will pay them and way more than they'd get from someone's insurance. Still expensive? Yes. But still less than $3,200

2) If that wasn't something he wanted to do any hospital will take 0% interest payments over the course of a year. He makes $55K, he will not starve, die, get kicked out of his house, or lose his vehicle over $3K worth of medical bills spread out over a year (and that's without negotiating). If that size bill ruins him, then he didn't live his financial life the right way. The article is definitely a skewed piece making iot out to seem like this guy got hosed and he didn't. He hosed himself. Independent of how one feels about privatized healthcare, medical bills didn't just get really expensive overnight. This dude knew medical's expensive, rolled the dice on a super risky plan like a dumbass, and it bit him. He's using his own ignorance to try and tug on heart strings.

3) And this comes down to what I mentioned before. This guy has a choice. He chooses to work at a place that doesn't offer insurance. I cannot stress this enough...one's benefits (vacation time, insurance, etc) and the potential liability are absolutely part of your compensation. His $55K salary doesn't tell the whole story if his employer doesn't offer insurance. He should probably consider it maybe a $45K job at that point and choose what he wants to do differently. If insurance is a concern (remember, he chose to buy the high-risk plan) maybe a place with a different insurance offering would have been smarter. Would there be a possibility that he would have to swallow his pride and work a tougher job or one that's not in his educational wheelhouse? Possibly. Would he maybe have to move? Also possible. But regardless, those opportunities with good insurance (for example) are out there for everyone and it's absolutely not accurate to say this guy is getting screwed by "The Man." He screwed himself when he got his job.

Trust me when I say this, if someone as lame-brained as me can live comfortably in this world, anyone can.
 
Fryowa said:
I think you're a pretty reasonable person so please don't take this as an attempt to carte blanche refute everything in the article.

But...here's a couple of observations on my part.

1) A $3,200 bill isn't really a $3,200 bill. If he were to call that accounts receivable department and say, "I can send you a check today for $2,500, otherwise I can't swing it and it will have to just go through collections they would more than likely take it because that's about what the collections agency will pay them and way more than they'd get from someone's insurance. Still expensive? Yes. But still less than $3,200

2) If that wasn't something he wanted to do any hospital will take 0% interest payments over the course of a year. He makes $55K, he will not starve, die, get kicked out of his house, or lose his vehicle over $3K worth of medical bills spread out over a year (and that's without negotiating). If that size bill ruins him, then he didn't live his financial life the right way. The article is definitely a skewed piece making iot out to seem like this guy got hosed and he didn't. He hosed himself. Independent of how one feels about privatized healthcare, medical bills didn't just get really expensive overnight. This dude knew medical's expensive, rolled the dice on a super risky plan like a dumbass, and it bit him. He's using his own ignorance to try and tug on heart strings.

3) And this comes down to what I mentioned before. This guy has a choice. He chooses to work at a place that doesn't offer insurance. I cannot stress this enough...one's benefits (vacation time, insurance, etc) and the potential liability are absolutely part of your compensation. His $55K salary doesn't tell the whole story if his employer doesn't offer insurance. He should probably consider it maybe a $45K job at that point and choose what he wants to do differently. If insurance is a concern (remember, he chose to buy the high-risk plan) maybe a place with a different insurance offering would have been smarter. Would there be a possibility that he would have to swallow his pride and work a tougher job or one that's not in his educational wheelhouse? Possibly. Would he maybe have to move? Also possible. But regardless, those opportunities with good insurance (for example) are out there for everyone and it's absolutely not accurate to say this guy is getting screwed by "The Man." He screwed himself when he got his job.

Trust me when I say this, if someone as lame-brained as me can live comfortably in this world, anyone can.
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Yeah, I absolutely agree with everything you said. My point about the article wasn't about the guy being hosed, more about the people who put themselves in poor situations like he did but that some will actively avoid being tested out of fear of a large bill. Sorry, I should have made my point more clear.
 
Fryowa said:
I think you're a pretty reasonable person so please don't take this as an attempt to carte blanche refute everything in the article.

But...here's a couple of observations on my part.

1) A $3,200 bill isn't really a $3,200 bill. If he were to call that accounts receivable department and say, "I can send you a check today for $2,500, otherwise I can't swing it and it will have to just go through collections they would more than likely take it because that's about what the collections agency will pay them and way more than they'd get from someone's insurance. Still expensive? Yes. But still less than $3,200

2) If that wasn't something he wanted to do any hospital will take 0% interest payments over the course of a year. He makes $55K, he will not starve, die, get kicked out of his house, or lose his vehicle over $3K worth of medical bills spread out over a year (and that's without negotiating). If that size bill ruins him, then he didn't live his financial life the right way. The article is definitely a skewed piece making iot out to seem like this guy got hosed and he didn't. He hosed himself. Independent of how one feels about privatized healthcare, medical bills didn't just get really expensive overnight. This dude knew medical's expensive, rolled the dice on a super risky plan like a dumbass, and it bit him. He's using his own ignorance to try and tug on heart strings.

3) And this comes down to what I mentioned before. This guy has a choice. He chooses to work at a place that doesn't offer insurance. I cannot stress this enough...one's benefits (vacation time, insurance, etc) and the potential liability are absolutely part of your compensation. His $55K salary doesn't tell the whole story if his employer doesn't offer insurance. He should probably consider it maybe a $45K job at that point and choose what he wants to do differently. If insurance is a concern (remember, he chose to buy the high-risk plan) maybe a place with a different insurance offering would have been smarter. Would there be a possibility that he would have to swallow his pride and work a tougher job or one that's not in his educational wheelhouse? Possibly. Would he maybe have to move? Also possible. But regardless, those opportunities with good insurance (for example) are out there for everyone and it's absolutely not accurate to say this guy is getting screwed by "The Man." He screwed himself when he got his job.

Trust me when I say this, if someone as lame-brained as me can live comfortably in this world, anyone can.
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How many people do you know that bitch about their situation and don't want to take on more responsibility at their job to improve their situation. A lot of people just want the mental comfort of knowing exactly what they are going to do every day and not have to be responsible for anyone else and when they clock out they are out for the day.
 
Not to go off subject, but since Harbaugh's field trips got axed does that mean he'll have more sleep overs and pool parties?
 
Ree4 said:
I never said employer based insurance has caused prices to skyrocket, I'm saying the skyrocketing prices has greatly affected the viability of small business, quite the opposite of what you're suggesting I said.
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You said it's incredibly antiquated and needs to go. Not sure what else to make of that statement other than it's one of the factors in skyrocketing prices.
 
Fryowa said:
I think you're a pretty reasonable person so please don't take this as an attempt to carte blanche refute everything in the article.

But...here's a couple of observations on my part.

1) A $3,200 bill isn't really a $3,200 bill. If he were to call that accounts receivable department and say, "I can send you a check today for $2,500, otherwise I can't swing it and it will have to just go through collections they would more than likely take it because that's about what the collections agency will pay them and way more than they'd get from someone's insurance. Still expensive? Yes. But still less than $3,200

2) If that wasn't something he wanted to do any hospital will take 0% interest payments over the course of a year. He makes $55K, he will not starve, die, get kicked out of his house, or lose his vehicle over $3K worth of medical bills spread out over a year (and that's without negotiating). If that size bill ruins him, then he didn't live his financial life the right way. The article is definitely a skewed piece making iot out to seem like this guy got hosed and he didn't. He hosed himself. Independent of how one feels about privatized healthcare, medical bills didn't just get really expensive overnight. This dude knew medical's expensive, rolled the dice on a super risky plan like a dumbass, and it bit him. He's using his own ignorance to try and tug on heart strings.

3) And this comes down to what I mentioned before. This guy has a choice. He chooses to work at a place that doesn't offer insurance. I cannot stress this enough...one's benefits (vacation time, insurance, etc) and the potential liability are absolutely part of your compensation. His $55K salary doesn't tell the whole story if his employer doesn't offer insurance. He should probably consider it maybe a $45K job at that point and choose what he wants to do differently. If insurance is a concern (remember, he chose to buy the high-risk plan) maybe a place with a different insurance offering would have been smarter. Would there be a possibility that he would have to swallow his pride and work a tougher job or one that's not in his educational wheelhouse? Possibly. Would he maybe have to move? Also possible. But regardless, those opportunities with good insurance (for example) are out there for everyone and it's absolutely not accurate to say this guy is getting screwed by "The Man." He screwed himself when he got his job.

Trust me when I say this, if someone as lame-brained as me can live comfortably in this world, anyone can.
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So did you buy the $1M winner in Correctionville? Had never heard of the town.
 
westender said:
So did you buy the $1M winner in Correctionville? Had never heard of the town.
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Nope, it's an hour south of me.

Fun tidbit, though...

Correctionville is on Hwy 20, and now that the four-lane is finished that's where we start heading east when we go to Hawks games. If you ever pass through, the Hardee's there is the best one in existence (I'm a connoisseur of Hardee's).
 
hawkeyebob62 said:
You said it's incredibly antiquated and needs to go. Not sure what else to make of that statement other than it's one of the factors in skyrocketing prices.
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I mean you can draw the conclusion you want to but I thought I spelled it out pretty clearly:

"Try being in the service industry, or being a small business owner and providing for your employees, rising insurance costs are killing the competitiveness of small businesses."
 
Fryowa said:
Nope, it's an hour south of me.

Fun tidbit, though...

Correctionville is on Hwy 20, and now that the four-lane is finished that's where we start heading east when we go to Hawks games. If you ever pass through, the Hardee's there is the best one in existence (I'm a connoisseur of Hardee's).
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What a lovely drive that must be. You get to drive right past my old stomping grounds in Coalville.

I have a good buddy up in Chicago who was from Mansfield, OH. We used to crush brews and shoot the shit in the office after work and one day I made the bold proclamation that there is no east west highway as shitty as Highway 20 (we excluded interstates, just highways). He objected and said Highway 30 was shittier. After analyzing the towns each traverse, we concluded 20 was probably slightly worse, as it had Durty Dodge, Waterloo, Rockford, Gary, South Bend. Lot of up and coming towns. 30 is pretty bad, too, though. The smells on 30 from Cedar Rapids and Clinton make it pretty bad, and Marshalltown brings it down a peg, but it misses Gary.
 
okeefe4prez said:
What a lovely drive that must be. You get to drive right past my old stomping grounds in Coalville.

I have a good buddy up in Chicago who was from Mansfield, OH. We used to crush brews and shoot the shit in the office after work and one day I made the bold proclamation that there is no east west highway as shitty as Highway 20 (we excluded interstates, just highways). He objected and said Highway 30 was shittier. After analyzing the towns each traverse, we concluded 20 was probably slightly worse, as it had Durty Dodge, Waterloo, Rockford, Gary, South Bend. Lot of up and coming towns. 30 is pretty bad, too, though. The smells on 30 from Cedar Rapids and Clinton make it pretty bad, and Marshalltown brings it down a peg, but it misses Gary.
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20 is still close enough that you can hear the gunshots from Fort Dodge. Luckily there's lots of 'hood south of Central Ave to catch the majority of the bullets before they get to the highway.

Before the four lane was finished that drive was enough to make someone contemplate suicide as an alternative.
 
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Ree4 said:
I mean you can draw the conclusion you want to but I thought I spelled it out pretty clearly:

"Try being in the service industry, or being a small business owner and providing for your employees, rising insurance costs are killing the competitiveness of small businesses."
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There are so many other things killing the competitiveness of small business. Insurance is but a small piece.
 
Fryowa said:
20 is still close enough that you can hear the gunshots from Fort Dodge. Luckily there's lots of 'hood south of Central Ave to catch the majority of the bullets before they get to the highway.

20 before the four lane was finished was enough to make someone contemplate suicide as an alternative.
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The expansion of 20 into a 4 lane road was like winning the "Ghetto Lottery" for a bunch of people. The government used eminent domain to take some land, but you still had your farm. People got a cash influx in pretty hard times. A guy down the road from us who farmed land that became the new highway 20 and got some land taken. Dude bought a new Firebird and probably had the whole check spent within a week.
 
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