Will You Pay More So That I MIGHT Live?

[AVG-JOE]

The Scenario:

I am a 63 year old male. I'm married with grown children and grandkids. To everyone but my family, I am somewhere between a nobody and a statistic. I work at a job that is tolerable and stable enough to look forward to retiring at my full retirement age of 66, even though I could live on the Social Security that was available to me at 62. I have health coverage through my employer via private insurance.

I have just been diagnosed with a very serious condition that breaks down like this:

Without treatment I will die within 3 months. There is a treatment available which has a 100% chance of extending my life for 9 more months and a 6% chance of curing me.

The cost of the treatment is huge in both dollars and health care resources.

Here is the question for discussion:

Are YOU willing to suffer a 5% increase in your premiums so that the insurance underwriter we share can afford to give me 6 months + lottery odds at a cure?

Is it fair of me to ask you to?

 

[xsited1]

I can answer this with a joke:

A rattlesnake bites Johnny on his John Henry.

“Don’t panic,” says Johnny’s camping pal, “My trusty medical manual’ll tell us what to do.” (The manual prescribes cutting an X on the snake bite, then sucking out the venom.) The befuddled pal keeps re-reading the advice to himself.

“What’s it say?” asks Johnny, panicking.

“Says you’re going to die.”

 

[Toronado3800]

Interesting way to word the problem. How about if it were a 1/10th of 1% increase.

I really don't know what to do about the medical problem. W/O any other ideas this socialized medicine thing seems worth the try.

 

[Modbert]

The insurance companies would of already said you fudged your weight and kicked you off. But don't worry, there is no "health care rationing" in this country.

And I'd do it if I had the opportunity.

 

[Annie]

The Scenario:

I am a 63 year old male. I'm married with grown children and grandkids. To everyone but my family, I am somewhere between a nobody and a statistic. I work at a job that is tolerable and stable enough to look forward to retiring at my full retirement age of 66, even though I could live on the Social Security that was available to me at 62. I have health coverage through my employer via private insurance.

I have just been diagnosed with a very serious condition that breaks down like this:

Without treatment I will die within 3 months. There is a treatment available which has a 100% chance of extending my life for 9 more months and a 6% chance of curing me.

The cost of the treatment is huge in both dollars and health care resources.

Here is the question for discussion:

Are YOU willing to suffer a 5% increase in your premiums so that the insurance underwriter we share can afford to give me 6 months + lottery odds at a cure?

Is it fair of me to ask you to?

Ah, but you needn't to. It's part of the actuarial tables in use already.

 

[Care4all]

Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.....

Does that fit this scenario?

 

[Modbert]

Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.....

Does that fit this scenario?

And the classic, What Would Jesus Do?

 

[Care4all]

Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.....

Does that fit this scenario?

And the classic, What Would Jesus Do?

Not necessarily.....

The Golden rule, is present in all religions or regions of the world, not just Christianity....

http://www.religioustolerance.org/reciproc.htm

 

[Modbert]

Not necessarily.....

The Golden rule, is present in all religions or regions of the world, not just Christianity....

Very true if you look at it in that way.

 

[Care4all]

Not necessarily.....

The Golden rule, is present in all religions or regions of the world, not just Christianity....

Very true if you look at it in that way.

Versions of the Golden Rule in 21 world religions

 

[AllieBaba]

Except in Islam. Where the golden rule is: "Do unto other Muslims as you would have them do unto you. Kill everyone else."

 

[Care4all]

Honestly, I am uncertain if this scenario is even feasible.... since it is all WHAT IFS,

What if there were 100 people in the same scenario, and all cost us 5% more....to give them 9 months more of life.....that would mean a 500% increase in ones insurance price to cover them all which is truly unrealistic imo and impossible for the average joe to be able to afford any insurance at all for themselves and their family?

 

[The Rabbi]

While I might be willing to pony up money or not, it is currently my choice to do so. If Obamacare passes I will no longer have that ability to choose. I will be under threat of jail time if I don't. Is it fair to extort charity at the point of a gun?

 

[alan1]

The insurance companies would of already said you fudged your weight and kicked you off. But don't worry, there is no "health care rationing" in this country.

And I'd do it if I had the opportunity.

In this scenario, you do.
Pull out your own wallet and pay up, or shut up.

 

[AVG-JOE]

The scenario is actually a dramatization of a story I heard on the radio where a woman in Oregon was denied a very expensive treatment for cancer because of her age and the odds of of the treatment extending her life.

She died while fighting her insurance company, which did offer to pay for assisted suicide instead since she resided in Oregon at the time of diagnosis.

Before you ask for a link, I can't provide one as it was a story I heard on the radio on NPR this morning.

 

[AVG-JOE]

My humble opinion at this point in time is that it would be unfair for me to ask the rest of you to pay, considering my age in the scenario and the odds of success,

(Of course I'm not yet 10 months into my 5th decade and I'm not dying. Don't be surprised to find me on your doorstep with my hand out if things change in 13 years.)

 

[Luissa]

The scenario is actually a dramatization of a story I heard on the radio where a woman in Oregon was denied a very expensive treatment for cancer because of her age and the odds of of the treatment extending her life.

She died while fighting her insurance company, which did offer to pay for assisted suicide instead since she resided in Oregon at the time of diagnosis.

Before you ask for a link, I can't provide one as it was a story I heard on the radio on NPR this morning.

there is a cop who was shot in north idaho a few years ago, his family had to have a fund raiser to pay for extensive recontruction surgerory and to pay for the medical costs that his private insurance and the victims fund would not pay for. This is a prime example that our current system is flawed.

 

[Mr. H.]

My driver's license identifies me as an organ donor. I'm also on the Bone Marrow Registry.

Is that enough? Or do you want part of my fucking paycheck too?

 

[The Rabbi]

The scenario is actually a dramatization of a story I heard on the radio where a woman in Oregon was denied a very expensive treatment for cancer because of her age and the odds of of the treatment extending her life.

She died while fighting her insurance company, which did offer to pay for assisted suicide instead since she resided in Oregon at the time of diagnosis.

Before you ask for a link, I can't provide one as it was a story I heard on the radio on NPR this morning.

there is a cop who was shot in north idaho a few years ago, his family had to have a fund raiser to pay for extensive recontruction surgerory and to pay for the medical costs that his private insurance and the victims fund would not pay for. This is a prime example that our current system is flawed.

Actually it's an example that the system works fine. They raised the money privately. No one was coerced into giving for something they didnt want to. No jobs were destroyed in the process.
Sounds like a win-win to me.

 

[AllieBaba]

I won't give money to the GOVERNMENT to buy you time.

But if I'm not taxed into extinction, I might choose to contribute to a charitable drive, or contribute to an organization that researches and/or treats your particular ailment.