This is about right... on the Peoria.com Forums - Page 2

Read the article carefully... it wasn't using credit scores to determine your likelihood of paying. The hospitals were using it to find out whether someone had the 'capacity' to pay versus claiming 'charitable' care. So there is this woman who has very low income but has some room left on her credit card before she maxes it out. She had $1200 on the card but had $400 more to go to reach her $1600 limit. So the hospital in its infinite wisdom thinks she should be maxing out her card. Nevermind that the $1200 she currently had charged is probably very burdensome at her income level.

Then there is the other person who the hospital felt should have to tap their 401k of a mere $3000, for a hardship withdrawal before considering charitable care.

Article suggests there is a growing trend in hospitals looking for every possible avenue to deny extreme low income people charitable care to the point where they EXPECT these people to be fiscally irresponsible.

From my observation there is no such thing as charitable care anyways. The bureaucratic vampires of the medical community will take anything that they can get a hold of (like your car) in lieu of payment before they write it off ("charitably").

Our system is utterly broke.

You know, I always thought they should take that into consideration when they write an insurance policy Kat... I too have logged over 1400 miles a week when I drove cab back in Florida and the fact that I've got "safe driver" written on my license should carry a little more weight. After all, a person who logs 60+ thousand miles a year has more experience and well... your lucks going to run out eventually don't you think? How many other people have driven that many miles without a ticket or accident? I want some kudos or a discount for crying out loud.

Mahkno -

I was just expanding on the credit issue in addition to the insurance crap in the article.  My bad for not making that clear.

Hipkat, who considers the color of your car for insurance purposes? I've heard that's not true...that the color of your car doesn't matter one iota. Our insurance company has never asked us that question--unless it's coded into the VIN??

As for national healtchare, wow, that idea just scares me. The feds have already taken over the banks and the mortgage companies and expected to take over the car companies...and now healthcare? This is the same entity that buys $80 hammers and builds bridges to nowhere and can't adequately fund schools and now they want to take over healtchare? I'd rather leave them out of it so I can continue to have choices.

Speaking of choices, I believe health insurance companies would do better of they 1) implemented a mandatory preventive medical care plan--such as people earning discounts if they log so many hours at the gym per year or test negative for nicotine or something like that and 2) they start dropping people who don't participate (unless they can prove they physically can't but even these people could do things to stay healthy) and who smoke and who don't do anything to stay healthy. I also think people with devastating illnesses they have no control over, like cancer and cystic fibrosis, should be exempt.

It would be great--and to their benefit--if every employer was forced to allow employees 30 minutes per day to work at work--whether it be through walking around the building or having a couple of treadmills and some hand weights around.
Most of our stress is job-related, why not be allowed to work it out there??

Just my 2 cents and I realize this is all very ideallistic but it does tick me off that I'm paying higher insurance rates to cover the costs incurred by 40-year smokers and diabetics who've never cared to take care of themselves.

Does anyone consider HSA's? I think there are a variety of them out there now. We've had 1 for over a year. My husbands employer matches our contribution and also puts in a lump sum at the beginning of each year. So far I've loved it. We pay for all of our own medical bills w/ a check or debit card. We are responsible for the receipts. And you a little bit less inclined to abuse your health care provider whne you are the 1 paying for your health care. We do have insurance that kicks in after a certain cost point..but so far it has worked for us. I can't help but wonder if this wouldn't fill in the health care need cracks for a lot of companies or private individuals w/ no health care coverage.

I'm hoping he was simply being facetious about the color thing Lily. Although it would not surprise me because they adjust your rates dependent on the area of town you live in. If they hold color against you it's a new one on me. With regard to the health care issue... well, this is another way they manage to make us "share" with those who do not have and have no desire to better themselves other than through the efforts of those willing to work for it.

It never ceases to amaze me that the first ones to demand we share and share alike are those who have nothing to share.

JMHO... by the way... I have nothing, but I'll work for what I get. I don't mind.

Nope, swear to God, Progressive wanted to know the color of my car, and my agent, a broker with The Able Agency, back on NY told me that if it was red, it would be more.

As for what Mahkno said about charitable care, it's really no different than what nursing homes have BEEN doing.
My grandfather had to basically sell everything he owned before they would administer "Charitable Care" until my Uncle stepped in and took him home and took care of him until he passed.

Carly, we have a Health Savings Plan. It's how we managed to pay for the Surly Teen's braces this year. We wouldn't have done it otherwise. Right now we are planning for next year's medical costs so we know about how much to put into it. I love that it's a tax free plan!

Christi: our insurance rates dropped when we moved here. Living on the border is pretty expensive regarding car ownership. There is a high rate of accidents involving uninsured drivers so our monthly premiums were high, regardless of all of us being accident- and moving violation-free for over 20 years. As you said, it's just another way the law-abiding have to pay for those who won't.

HK: Progressive sucks. Sorry.

Statistics show that people in red cars drive more aggressively and are also more likely to get pulled over. It doesn't matter what the make of the car is. If its red, people on some subconscious level think they are in a hot rod.

I knew red had a higher resell value, but the other stuff.... hmmmm... the handiwork of some poor statistician with nothing better to do.. sheesh

Except get paid by our premiums to screw us even further.

Since we are talking about insurance and went off topic. In Mississippi where I am stationed right after Katrina Allstate cancelled all home owners who did not carry auto through them. Insurance companies want a monopoly.
When nationalized heath care goes through and it will we have a dem white house and a dem congress, we will be waiting in line for a routine mend exam. You get what you pay for if everyone has it it will be crap. Next they will git rid of lawsuits for malpractice and be forced to simply take what we are given.

Best reply yet.

If its red, people on some subconscious level think they are in a hot rod.



I absolutely do NOT AGREE!!! My car is red and I never once thought it was a hot rod....some people would think i drive too cautiously!