Duggars by the Dozen 42: Managing without TLC

[cacophony_grey]

Annual checkups, including those that require vaccinations, are the ONLY appointments that are fully covered by my insurance, with no co-pays required. So the COVID vaccine being given at no cost to individuals is in line with other vaccines in the US.

[PinkGreyBrown]

13 hours ago, Smee said:

Any time FJ thread drift ends up with Americans comparing healthcare plans I cry a little inside and resolve never to move to the US. I mean, there are other reasons too, but as a single mum with next to no income, the ability to just… go see a doctor when someone gets sick or  injured is something I often take for granted.

I know the Covid vax was made free, do you have to pay for childhood vaccines? Or the health checkup appointment where they’re given?

The Clinton Administration passed the Children's Health Insurance Program back in the day & it continues to be the federal program that underwrites vaccines, check ups, & similar routine care for children. I note carefully that the US relies upon charity to provide cancer treatment & quite a bit of other care for children with serious medical issues; Shriners, St Judes, & similar.

[Expectopatronus]

What happens if someone needs medical care and doesn’t have insurance? Are people actually left to die? I complain about the cost of dental care but I can’t imagine not being able to go to the doctor if I get sick or injured. 

[feministxtian]

35 minutes ago, Expectopatronus said:

What happens if someone needs medical care and doesn’t have insurance? Are people actually left to die? I complain about the cost of dental care but I can’t imagine not being able to go to the doctor if I get sick or injured. 

I have absolutely shitty "insurance" right now. So, I avoid the doctor. I need to go to a primary care and get referrals for pain management and whatever doctor handles arthritis. I haven't been to a dentist since 2016. I can't afford the copays and co-insurance costs. There is no way in hell I can come up with 25% of the cost of a doctor's appointment. My psych meds are prescribed by the county sliding scale mental health services (thank GOD!!) and I have a therapist and psychiatric NP. Thanks to Good Rx and Walmart I can afford my meds. 

It's all bullshit. If you don't have insurance and need medical care you can take your chances and try to negotiate the bill or forget it and die like a good little poor person. 

[indianabones]

3 hours ago, Expectopatronus said:

What happens if someone needs medical care and doesn’t have insurance? Are people actually left to die? I complain about the cost of dental care but I can’t imagine not being able to go to the doctor if I get sick or injured. 

Hospitals can't refuse to treat people who aren't insured, but they'll charge them a lot of money (anywhere from $1,000 to over $200,000 based on your treatment and length of stay) after the fact. Most hospitals allow people to negotiate that number down if they're in financial need and can prove it. Pretty much all hospitals will let you pay your bill in installments. If you don't pay, they sell the debt to debt collectors who will hunt you down for everything you're worth. Or they'll sue you for non-payment.

50% of Americans owe at least $1,000 in medical bills as of this year- $140 billion total.

[PinkGreyBrown]

Hospital emergency rooms in the US are required to provide acute care (for example, heart attacks) but they do not have to provide treatment for chronic conditions such as the underlying diabetes that might cause the heart attack. Cannot get cancer treated in the emergency department, have to see oncologists for that. There is a fine tradition of stiffing the bills &/or going bankrupt. Medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy in the US. Some 45,000 people died in 2009 from lack of access to needed healthcare.

[Skyline]

10 hours ago, feministxtian said:

I have absolutely shitty "insurance" right now. So, I avoid the doctor. I need to go to a primary care and get referrals for pain management and whatever doctor handles arthritis. I haven't been to a dentist since 2016. I can't afford the copays and co-insurance costs. There is no way in hell I can come up with 25% of the cost of a doctor's appointment. My psych meds are prescribed by the county sliding scale mental health services (thank GOD!!) and I have a therapist and psychiatric NP. Thanks to Good Rx and Walmart I can afford my meds. 

It's all bullshit. If you don't have insurance and need medical care you can take your chances and try to negotiate the bill or forget it and die like a good little poor person. 

Is there a low cost dental clinic in your area or a dental school? My husband and I have extended insurance now through his employer (in Canada so basic healthcare is already covered) and we still go to a university training clinic. 

My husband just had two appointments including cleaning, Floride, x-rays, and filling repaired. He paid 17.50 after insurance, before insurance it was about 250. 

[HeartsAFundie]

There is a NY based charity called RIP Medical Debt.  Founded by two debt collector executives in 2014, their mission is to negotiate with medical providers and drastically reducing or erasing owed medical debt, using donated funds to pay the debt off.    https://ripmedicaldebt.org/about/

I remember reading an article about RIP Medical Debt in USA Today.  The article stated that several Christian churches have been in touch with RIP Medical Debt to assist putting their funds to work by assisting with families' medical debt.  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/05/31/church-pays-medical-bills-debt-rip-medical-debt/1286600001/

 

[VixenToast]

Man, oh man, I have the best insurance now but it came at a cost.

My depression in 2020 got very very very bad and I needed to check myself into the mental health ward in May of this year. I had neglected my mental health in 2020. (Doing better now though!)

I qualified this year for Medicaid because I lost so many hours in 2020, otherwise I wouldn’t have checked myself in without insurance. Somehow my insurance cared enough to speak with me in the hospital, and filed with the state of Nebraska to have me be declared medically frail. Now I will have not only top tier Medicaid but I will have it for 3 years solid.

I cried the day I recieved that letter. I didn’t know anything like that was possible. No more copays, and no paying for medicines. I can and do go to therapy every week, the psychiatrist once a month. I have dental and vision included, admittedly not fabulous plans.

Sweet Rufus on a biscuit, why can’t all Americans have this??? Why? It took me trying to hurt myself to get it…. Why did I have to get to that point in the first place?

Edited November 24, 2021 by VixenToast
Autocorrect sucks

[AussieKrissy]

1 hour ago, VixenToast said:

Man, oh man, I have the best insurance now but it came at a cost.

My depression in 2020 got very very very bad and I needed to check myself into the mental health ward in May of this year. I had neglected my mental health in 2020. (Doing better now though!)

I qualified this year for Medicaid because I lost so many hours in 2020, otherwise I wouldn’t have checked myself in without insurance. Somehow my insurance cared enough to speak with me in the hospital, and filed with the state of Nebraska to have me be declared medically frail. Now I will have not only top tier Medicaid but I will have it for 3 years solid.

I cried the day I recieved that letter. I didn’t know anything like that was possible. No more copays, and no paying for medicines. I can and do go to therapy every week, the psychiatrist once a month. I have dental and vision included, admittedly not fabulous plans.

Sweet Rufus on a biscuit, why can’t all Americans have this??? Why? It took me trying to hurt myself to get it…. Why did I have to get to that point in the first place?

Love and continued healing sent your way xoxo 

[mpheels]

Hospitals in the US can presume Medicaid eligibility for patients that reasonably fit the criteria, help the patient get Medicaid coverage, then get reimbursed for care during the “presumed” coverage period. This is less helpful in states that didn’t expand Medicaid eligibility under the ACA. Some states also use Medicaid to cover prenatal care for immigrants, on the presumption that the fetus is a future US citizen.

[GuineaPigCourtship]

Planned parenthood helped me figure out how to qualify for Medicaid when I was so poor I couldn't deliver pizzas because I couldn't afford to replace my headlights. Fucking poor person problems.

I will donate to them forever.

[Mela99]

Gag.

[shesinsane]

Mike Huckabee's creepy Duggar love is strong as ever.

[feministxtian]

that's the shit. My VA school stipend puts me over the income limit for Medicaid. Don't you just love the USA? 

[Idlewild]

4 hours ago, Mela99 said:

Gag.

Well I hope that endorsement comes back to bite his backside.

JB really believes he can use Josh to his advantage by invoking both cancel culture whining and his family has problems just like anyone else. All families have problems but most don’t have a paedophile who enjoys watching children being abused who the rest of the family tolerates or enables. 

[SorenaJ]

Why is it always the same blibber-blabber? It's so unoriginal. You are against abortion. We get it. Woopdy fucking do. What about all of the other gazillion issues facing your community? Are you voters really some robots who are gonna jump for joy as soon as they hear a few key words? Stop dry humping your wife, and go an make an actual difference. 

[Idlewild]

Is that statement in support anywhere on Huckabee's social media? I can’t see it.  Where did he say this, or is it an old quote JB has rehashed? 

[JermajestyDuggar]

I may sound mean with saying this, but I’m so glad there were so few people at the Duggar thanksgiving. Jinger was in CA with her family. Jill’s family wasn’t there of course. Jessa’s family went to the Seewald’s. Joy’s family went to the Forsythe’s. I didn’t see Jed and Katie so I’m thinking they were with the Nakatsu’s. I think Joe’s family must’ve been at the Caldwell’s. I also didn’t see Josiah so they might’ve been with the Swansons. I know these are all just other fundies families. But at least they aren’t with the Duggars and Josh. I hope the family goes many many different ways in the years to come and JB and Michelle are lonely as hell in their big house. They deserve it.

[SassyPants]

On 11/24/2021 at 11:51 PM, Idlewild said:

Well I hope that endorsement comes back to bite his backside.

JB really believes he can use Josh to his advantage by invoking both cancel culture whining and his family has problems just like anyone else. All families have problems but most don’t have a paedophile who enjoys watching children being abused who the rest of the family tolerates or enables. 

And most don’t sell their family, values  and child rearing tactics for easy cash and public consumption! What an asshat-

[Not that josh's mom]

There's a picture of Kendra and the littlest one with Jana, Claire and Justin at the Duggar's at Thanksgiving. 

[imokit]

I was impressed at how many pictures they put up of the boys cooking.  Not just the turkey, but also boys doing something with dough.  It looks like the quality of food in that house has gone up hugely as the numbers eating gone down and with no littles to wrangle.  Everyone there including the littlest is old enough to not need supervision and be productive and it actually looks like they all did stuff (including the resident boys).

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by imokit
for clarity

[JermajestyDuggar]

40 minutes ago, Not that josh's mom said:

There's a picture of Kendra and the littlest one with Jana, Claire and Justin at the Duggar's at Thanksgiving. 

I did know Jana, Claire, and Justin were there. I must’ve missed the Joken Clan.

[Not that josh's mom]

12 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I did know Jana, Claire, and Justin were there. I must’ve missed the Joken Clan.

Joe has a beard now, so I have to look twice e to recognize him.

[DalmatianCat]

2 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I may sound mean with saying this, but I’m so glad there were so few people at the Duggar thanksgiving. Jinger was in CA with her family. Jill’s family wasn’t there of course. Jessa’s family went to the Seewald’s. Joy’s family went to the Forsythe’s. I didn’t see Jed and Katie so I’m thinking they were with the Nakatsu’s. I think Joe’s family must’ve been at the Caldwell’s. I also didn’t see Josiah so they might’ve been with the Swansons. I know these are all just other fundies families. But at least they aren’t with the Duggars and Josh. I hope the family goes many many different ways in the years to come and JB and Michelle are lonely as hell in their big house. They deserve it.

I think Thanksgiving is the holiday the married kids typically spend with the in-laws (Jessa and Joy anyway) and then they spend Christmas with the Duggar side.
So far only Jill has missed Christmas with the Duggars regularly for awhile now. 

Jinger has missed the last few years, but with covid, pregnancies, etc. it’s hard to tell if it’s itentional or not (I have a sneaking suspicion she and Jeremy prefer Christmas with the Vuolos because his parents tend to join them wherever they are).
One year Abbie and JD went to Oklahoma for Christmas, so maybe they’re doing the rotating thing.
I’m guessing Claire wants to spend her first married Christmas with her family so that’s why they’re out for Thanksgiving.

I’ve always been surprised that more of the Duggar kids didn’t rotate holidays with their family/their in-laws, but that seems to be changing.