Zombies Stop Healthcare Reform

I couldn’t have written “Where Am I Wearing?” today.

First, lenders aren’t exactly handing out second mortgages any more and I used mine to partly fund my global quest.

Second, our health care costs have skyrocketed.

In 2009 we were on four different health insurance plans the first four months of the year. Starting January 1st, 2009, Annie’s coverage at work became way too expensive. Still we had to bare the expense until Harper was born because…

Health Insurance is Killing us Reason #1: You can’t get coverage if you’re pregnant.

Health Insurance is Killing us Reason #2: Small businesses can’t afford to offer insurance because of the high cost.  Yet employees can’t afford to have a job that doesn’t offer them health insurance.  And if you aren’t employed…well…you’re just screwed.

Anyone know of any insurance carriers that are hiring?

I’ve been on my own plan for a few years.  After Harper was born Annie and Harper joined me.  We had a decent deductible and a low premium, but there was one problem. My Anthem insurance was in the state of Ohio and we lived in Indiana.  It would’ve been nice if our insurance salesman had noted this at the time…

Health Insurance is Killing us Reason #3: (Apparently) It’s much more dangerous to live in Indiana than in Ohio.  Why? Maybe it’s the zombies. That makes as much sense as any other reason, doesn’t it?

The exact same coverage through the exact same company was going to cost twice as much in Indiana. Indiana’s state motto: “the crossroads of America (and centrally located for zombie conventions).” Perhaps another reason for the proliferation of zombies in Indiana is that health insurance is more expensive and that means more dead people and, of course, that means more zombies.

We couldn’t afford the same coverage in Indiana so we bought into lower coverage with a premium that was still more than we were paying for the better plan in Ohio.

Now a good chunk of our income goes to health insurance, and yet when we’re sick we’re less likely to go to the doctor because we have to pay 100% of the cost.  Our deductible is set at the Struck-by-Lightning level.  By this I mean that the only way we’ll meet our deductible is if we are struck by lightning or incur some other major health problem.

It almost makes a fella wish he was struck by lightning so he could lay in bed all smoking and charred and for once be thankful that he shelled out so much for insurance.

Something needs done. If we continue to do nothing, the costs will continue to rise, more and more employers won’t offer insurance, and those of us who pay for our own will see our healthcare costs top/topple our mortgages.  Is the Senate plan the answer? I don’t know, but trying to step out of the way of a freight train is a lot smarter than standing there and taking it in the kisser.

Yes, I think it’s stupid that whether or not health insurance reform is passed comes down to a runoff for a Senate seat in Massachusetts, and that the hopes of the reform were shattered by a candidate that couldn’t spell the name of the state she sought to represent, and that one of the major reasons she wasn’t elected is because she thought that Curt “bloody Red sock” Schilling was a Yankees fan, and that anyone with a bloody sock in Massachusetts doesn’t have to fret much because they have universal health coverage, and yet these universal-healthcare-havers are denying the rest of the country the same privilege.

I don’t care about the politics of the situation.  I care that mothers and fathers can afford to take their kids to the doctor. I care that sons and daughters have healthy mothers and fathers that live long enough to become great-grandparents.

And what I’m really getting at is that the zombie lobby needs to be stopped before there isn’t a politician left with even half a brain.  Of course the Congress’ insurance probably covers zombie attacks.

UPDATE: Apparently some zombies are for reform

 
5 comments
Melissa says:

Yup, it’s no secret that Indiana has one of the highest health insurance rates in the country. We have one of the highest obesity rates, a high smoking rate, and poor records of prenatal/infant and preventative health care. So statistically, when Indianans get sick it’s big and costs a lot. While your family and I don’t fall into those aforementioned categories, we still pay for it (and next time an Indiana smoker says it’s not hurting you tell them it’s driving your health care costs up). And the costs are so high that people continue to not get insurance and preventative care, which just perpetuates the cycle. I actually had some hope when our governor started the whole INshape Indiana thing, but unfortunately the tanking of the economy hasn’t been helping this project.

Plus, ERs can’t turn people away, but the uninsured can’t pay so the hospital ups the bills for everyone who does have insurance. One of my favorite LA times writers did a piece on in recently:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez22-2009nov22,0,7897760,full.column

Sorry, hot button for me. Good post, Kelsey!

PS: Some physicians will give discounts for cash paid at time of appointments. Ask if yours will, so you don’t have to wait to be struck by lightening 🙂

Kelsey says:

Melissa,

Good point about Hoosiers being fat smokers, but that doesn’t really explain why insurance in Indiana is twice as much as Ohio. Buckeyes are fat smokers too. Actually, Ohio ranks 10th in obesity and Indiana is only 16th.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-07-01-most-obese-state_N.htm

Ohio is 5th in smokers and Indian is 7th: http://www.statemaster.com/graph/hea_tob_use_tot_cur_smo-tobacco-use-total-current-smokers

I just think there is no sense in trying to make sense of health insurance. The bastards bleed us however much their competition will allow them too.

Melissa says:

Apologies, my obesity data was “old” (2004). Looks like around 2006/2007 Ohio became heftier than Indiana.

Speaking of 2004…that’s the year of State Master’s data. Apparently Ohioans are quitters, as by 2008 Indiana was still up around ~26% but Ohio dropped from ~24% smokers to ~20% (perhaps after they quit smoking they gained weight?)

http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/st_SMOKE_20091113.html

Also, while we’re talking numbers, I thought it was interesting that according to 2009 CDC data the uninsured rate for Ohio is 11.0% while it is 17.3% in Indiana, and early prenatal care rates are 87.1% and 79.9%, receptively.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/data/Ohio09.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/data/Indiana09.pdf

Think that’s it for me, I’m going back to ex phys now. Good thing you’re the one with the journalism degree…

Let your voice be heard!