Where do you go for medical care?

I have insurance, so I go to the closest doctor that takes my insurance, which is only a few blocks away. But I agree that insurance options in this country are truly awful and the fact that one of the leading nations in the world hasn't figure out how to provide universal health care for its citizens drives me to distraction.

@NeverSleeps I am too fortunate to have insurance which provides me with access to a decent Midtown practice but I do hope this health issue is sorted out soon as ajadedidealist said there is no beating the NHS. Yes people in England pay high taxes but they seem to get benefits, here in the US we pay high taxes too but don't seem to have the same advantages. How messed up is that?

I do have health insurance. Since I am close to Bellevue Hospital, that is where I go for medical care.

Obviously it's time to break down and get some insurance - you never really realize how important it is until you end up in the ER!

@NeverSleeps You may want to look at the options offered by organizations like the Freelancers Union.

Some of the provisions for health care reform that Obama signed into law are officially in effect today. I can't believe how positive even these relatively "conservative" changes are and how good they are for the average person. Man!

http://www.talkradionews.com/news/2010/9/22/obama-marks-six-month-anniversary-of-health-care-reform-tout.html

@BroadwayBK I am covered under my husband's policy currently but I only go for dental checkups in the city.. I still go home to India for my annual checkups-mamograms, pap smears and the like. I go home every year hence it makes sense and moreover its still cheap though I have cover there as well. I hate going to the doctor for any reason and get incredibly stressed every time I do. My BP usually goes through the roof when that happens and then I have to explain myself to the doctor.

@Uptowngirl: I think we all get nervous when going to the doctor. Not knowing what to expect is what makes us so nervous, especially when you feel something not usual in certain areas of the body.

@NeverSleeps: According to the reform build, not giving insurance to anyone regardless of medical is tantamount to disobeying the reform law. I think. Isn't it?

They'd be flat out disobeying the law if they refused to insure kids with pre-existing medical conditions. However, if they plan to not give ANY kids ANY policies, they sort of skirt it. This hasn't happened yet, it's just what the news is saying some of these companies plan to do. Obviously the new reforms already need to be further reformed to keep companies from finding ways around them.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/09/21/130013723/colorado-insurers-skirt-new-coverage-requirement-for-kids

Apparently the state of New York is doing good work to crack down on companies who are trying to raise premiums without saying why: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/24/2010-09-24_dont_blame_obamacare_new_york_cracks_down_on_health_insurers_rate_disinformation.html

Obviously insurance companies are doing all they can to hang on to their cash flow. Pirates.

@NeverSleeps too true they are hugely profitable and they want to keep the money flow chugging.. but it is the government that gave them all this power in the first place by linking insurance with the workplace. If that had never happened and everyone was compelled to buy insurance I am sure the issue would be as contentious as it is now.. really for such a rich country to have such a broken health care system is tragic.

I do realize that the US is an intensely capitalistic economy but to operate solely on for profit basis even for basic necessities like health care is truly abominable and I am not talking of small margins here.. margins which are as much as 200-300%.

Ugh, @neversleeps, I'm disgusted! I'm such - *such* a proponent of universal health care, and for us to lack it, especially in a place like NYC, where the combination of federal, state, and city taxes ends up approximating the taxes in the UK et al, is shameful and degrading to all concerned

The insurance industry truly is a racket - they work hard not to have to insure people they are actually going to have to spend money on. And you're right, @ajadedidealist, health care should be considered a human right - like it is in every other wealthy country but this one.

@ajadedidealist What you say is so true.. we really would like to see concrete results for our tax dollars.. yes having free libraries etc is nice but universal health care should be the most important issue on the agenda.

Folks, the problem is greed, power, and money. The insurance companies are tied to government and get a lot of aid from the government, just as the insurance companies contribute a lot of money to lobbyist to keep Senators voting in their favor. Until these senators are replaced and the law gets stricter with insurance companies, we will all face high insurance costs.

Another problem is the loss of jobs that free medical care would create in the insurance industry and in this shaky job market. Not that I'm saying we shouldn't go for it.

@Uraniumfish also I don't know if you have faced this but there are many people in the US who think freelancers are lazy, gad-abouts who don't want to/can't join the corporate sector so unless that perception changes, I don't think much will be done. Just look at the opposition Obama recently faced when he put forth his health care reform plan.

Uh, I go to my local pharmacy. If the problem is more serious than what I think they can cover, it'll have to be the local County ER. Without any insurance, I don't really have another choice, do I? So much for healthcare reform.

@BroadwayBK Health care reform wouldn't necessarily mean that health care is free, just that it is made affordable. When I lived in Europe, the law said that everyone was required to have medical insurance, and if your income was too low or you were on public assistance, you would qualify for a form of subsidized medical care that fulfills the requirement.

@Deena Yeesh. That sucks.

@uptowngirl I know, freelancer seems to be synonymous with deadbeat. However, there are indeed record numbers of freelancers in the work force, and eventually the number is going to reach such a tipping point that they will have to start being heard.

@Uraniumfish I sure hope so. Its not only us freelancers who suffer what of all those small business owners ? they must have the same problems about the cost of health care. I remember reading in the 'Letters to the Editor section of the New York Metro newspaper that health care years ago was indeed affordable in NYC but then slowly over the years got linked to employment and subsequently became prohibitive. That letter was written by a New Yorker in her 80's who was commenting on the health care reform bill. It would be interesting to know which government introduced these changes and linked health care to employment.

@uraniumfish - I hate that perception! I was at a dinner in Tbilisi last month where I was the only non-embassy/"official" person there, and I felt that everyone thought "freelance writer" was a dirty word! Really disgusting...

@Denna: Sorry to hear you do not have health care. It does suck. I also did not have it at one point. I do have it now, though.

I've started using the term "1099 contractor" and it seems to work insofar as people don't dismiss me right away. Same thing as freelancer but people assume you know what you're doing and are a real adult. Funny, that.

Uraniumfish - I bet they think you work in Construction. :-) I like the term 'Independent Contractor" or "Consultant". Yeah, it's kind of a haughty term. But it DOES accurately describe what I'm doing - working temp and freelance jobs to make ends meet.

My other health care option is participating in medical studies. Hard to find since I don't have any serious medical problems. But I have been called every 6 months for the past 5 years to see if I qualify for high blood pressure studies. I do have a problem with blood pressure/hypertension. I go when they call and get it checked. My readings have not been high enough to qualify for the study, but higher than normal. So the doctor gives me a a prescription for maintenance medication. It's only $11 bucks for 3 months. The bonus part is: I don't pay a dime for these visits. In fact, they pay ME! I get reimbursed in cash for my travel expenses. It's not as good as health insurance as we all know it. But it's a little better than nothing at all.

Deena: Hey, be smart about it. That is the way to do it. Good going.

@Deena - that's a pretty good idea! As long as they're not injecting you with mouse brains or what have you, I'd say go for it...

@Uraniumfish People don't look at you even stranger if you declare yourself a 1099 contractor?

@all It's been my experience that freelancers actually end up putting in way more hours than 9-to-5ers. Those people get to go home at 5, and I get to work until the project is finished.

@NeverSleeps so true!

@NeverSleeps Half of people don't know what I'm talking about, but it sounds official and important enough.

@Uraniumfish I have started using a new term too.. social media strategist . When I first used it my husband thought it sounded more important than managing director hah hah!

Yes it's very important sounding indeed.

@Deena have always seen those classifieds in the local papers asking for volunteers for clinic trials and studies at NYU and other hospitals and have been curious about them. Glad to know that you have had a good experience so far.

@Uptowngirl: Oh, those million dollar words.

Uptown - Thanks! There's not enough wrong with me (diabetes, high cholesterol, heart trouble, etc) to take more advantage of these studies. From what's left, I don't sign up for anything that involves injections! My BP problem is a win-win situation. They call me every 3-6 months to come in and see if I qualify. I get a quick checkup. If my pressure is high enough for the study, I get meds, regular monitoring, and they pay me about $400 bucks plus travel expenses to participate in their study. If I don't qualify, I get maintenance meds and follow-up appointment in 3-6 months, and they pay my travel expenses. Aside from that, I keep my eyes and ears open for any health freebies. For example: Dr. Oz (the TV doctor guy) is gonna be in Chicago next month, doing a HUGE and free health care fair.

Yowza, seems like a difficult thing to have to cobble together medical attention form freebies. I feel for you: the lack of affordable care options in this country makes my skin itch!

@Uraniumfish Okay, but health care doesn't have to be free to shrink the industry and create job loss. I mean, these people are raking it in at the moment. Any government reform is a threat to their golden castle and may mean downsizing.

@everyone Whenever people ask me what I do and I respond that I am a writer, a popular response is "Oh, like a struggling one?" If being a freelancer is an unworthy profession, the writer part is the cream cheese frosting on that unworthy cake. Maybe I'll try that 1099 contractor thing and just confuse people instead of being immediately dismissed like some kind of disillusioned child.

@BroadwayBK - I hear you! It's like the two least accepted words - in one package!

@BroadwayBK Well said! The US needs to fix its health care system pronto .. fat cats and GOP be dammed!