Nelie,
have you ever had any direct experience with the VA? I have, I am a Vietnam Veteran. I have actually spent 3 weeks in a VA hospital. I have many friends who are veterans.

Most health organizations that I know of are non-profit. Certainly some are in it for profit but is that always a bad thing. Kaiser is taking it's profits and building new hospitals and improving their infrastructure.

Yes we do spend more than the Canadians and the UK - would I trade my health care for what they get - not on your life. Do I trust the government to wisely spend my money - hell no. Socialized medicine has many downfalls and you need to be more factual and specific. We have one of the best health care systems in the world. Prove me wrong.

I have to totally agree with Bob that if the government gets it's hands on the money for a universal health we will be universally f****d up.

What we are really talking about here are the 15% of Americans who do not have a health plan. 85% of us do.

I am not arguing that all Americans should have some form of health care, just that addressinbg the 15% that don't shouldn't require a "universal" health care system.

Did you know that the American health system demand for state of the art medical devices constitutes 52% of the entire global market?

Did you know that we have more comprehensive cancer centers in California than all of Canada!

Sorry for being gone so long, but after the lose of a dear friend on this site and everything with my husband..things have been crazy here. Wondering if anyone else has been through this or has advice. As you know my husband has Stage 4 oral cancer, he was told the only way to get insurance to cover treatment was to quit his job to get insurance..done. Got insurance, did treatments, applied for SSDI..got it..now the problem. Since he was approved for disability(2 children getting check from him too) your income is above the qualifing guidelines (this is Tenncare) and you are losing your coverage. WTF.. now what?? Am I supposed to quit my little job, get legal separation, divorce, sit back and watch him suffer??? It seems everytime we get a few steps ahead, we get knocked down again. There is no way we can make it on what they draw a month, but Tenncare doesn't care. Any advice..done venting..for now.

SSDI shouldn't be considered taxable income. I would find a good tax expert in Tennessee. It probably is your income they they are considering. Most state health care systems practically force you to be impoverished before they will cover you. In California you can't own real property or they can put a lien against it to repay Medical. You also can't own a vehicle worth more than a than a few thousand. It sounds like you are in the infamous "donut hole". I take it that he didn't have insurance at his job? If he did you might be able to COBRA it (that's not cheap either). After 2 years on SSDI he will automatically get Medicare - but it's the first 2 years you have to worry about.

You are so on with these statements Gary. I am very familiar with the Canadian health system, most of my extended family lives there, and trust me..........they pay a fortune for their health care! AND they have to wait forever to get treatment. Seems like we Americans always want to look at the bad side of everything...........we forget that we live in the most abundant country in the world. I agree that the uninsured need help, well, at least most of them do. But let me play the ass here and say that I know of many people that CAN afford insurance.......they simply choose not to. My husband and I raised a houseful of kids and we managed to pay for health insurance, it was a matter of having our priorities straight. We had friends on the same income as us, less children, that flat out refused to pay for insurance. Instead would go to the ER for everything and never pay the co-pays. They were not worried about their credit I'm assuming! And all of this is coming from me who just had to go to battle and go broke to have my last surgery. I realize it's not perfect, but 99% of the time, my health care needs are taken care of.

Gary,

They need to check the State's definition of "income" which doesn't have to be U.S. "taxable income". Some States define "income" as "gross income from all sources". A call to the respective agency or reading an on line pamphlet may be cheaper than getting one of those high priced CPA's involved.

Go to Mexico and cross a fence to get back in the US, Tell them you are an illegal and you will get treatment free. Plus other benefits. LOL

TNKAY,

Does your cancer treatment center have a social worker on staff? That person might be familiar with what others in your situation have done and might be able to present some options to you.

I wish you and your husband well.

Yes, they had us as a charity case before he was approved for Tenncare, but his rad/chemo drs wouldn't set up treatment plan until he had coverage.

[quote=mhupe]TNKAY,

Does your cancer treatment center have a social worker on staff? That person might be familiar with what others in your situation have done and might be able to present some options to you.

I wish you and your husband well. [/quote]

My Cancer Center had a "Patient Advocate." That nasty little piece of work called me on Friday afternoon at 3 PM when I was to start my treatment on Monday morning to tell me that If I didn't tell her when and where I was going to get the money to pay the estimated difference between what my insurance covered and their bill, I could not start my treatment. They already had $14,000 in cash in my account.

Two and a half years later I'm still at odds with the billing department who seems to misplace my payments and doesn't credit my account. They are incapable of accounting for anything but are really good at just pushing buttons on their computers. They have received a registered letter stating that the account is in dispute.

Don't rely upon anyone working in the cancer center to help you with finances.

After my Ins. UPMC out of Pittsburgh said they would pay to have my teeth removed because it was a medical necessity, today Ireceived a statement from theOral surgeon for $2013.. How sweet it is. Tomorrow is big go round time for all involved.