The state of health care on this island
So...it's nearly the end of another fiscal year for Govguam. 'Tis the season for "open enrollment". For me, 'tis the season of ever-increasing insurance rates and ever-decreasing insurance coverage.
I mean....what's the point of fucking health insurance, if you end up paying for everything after all?
What I'm talking about - the new rates for health insurance for Govguam workers - is always on the rise - doubling, tripling, quadrupling the previous year's rates - making it completely unaffordable for workers - and workers often go WITHOUT insurance as a result. At the same time, these higher rates do not mean better insurance coverage - in fact, it means less coverage, and more "out-of-pocket" expenses, because the health insurance companies are "losing money" if they give us more coverage.
Health care is a fucking BIZNESS. I spell it like that, because that's how I feel about it - it doesn't deserve to be spelled correctly...it's a bitch that sucks money from you, when you don't even have money to begin with.
Everyone wants to make money. Nobody likes to lose money. Prime example (that never ceases to piss me off) - Gross Receipts Tax a.k.a. GRT. This is a tax that the fucking BIZNESSES are supposed to pay the government - whatever they gross in a year, the government wants a peice of it. It is a tax that is owed by the BIZNESS. BUT, the fucking BIZNESSES are passing this tax onto its consumers - essentially making it out to be like the consumer owes the government the tax, and not them, the BIZNESS.
Making sense? Following me? By now, I am completely irate.
Back to health care - money needs to come from somewhere. The health care BIZNESS passes its costs down to the consumers to stay in the "green".
In Govguam, there are three classes of workers (I prefer workers than employees, because we do work hard). Number one are active employees, no dependents. Number two are active employees with spouse and dependents. Number three are Retirees.
The health care BIZNESS is saying that Class 3 workers are draining their profit - making them go into the "red", and these Class 3 workers are too costly, expensive, require so much care and have many health problems to treat.
I say - What the fuck did you expect? They are Retirees - past their middle age - and health problems are bound to exist - as they get older, health care needs increase. NO FUCKING NEWS HERE.
So, what does the health care BIZNESS do? They pass on those high costs to the Class 1 and Class 2 workers - whom don't often utilize or access health care. And mostly these workers are relatively healthy, not requiring much at all.
Now, do you think that's FAIR???
Everybody's passing the buck. No one wants to lose money.
Now....another thing - Govguam. Realistically, there is no benefit to being a Govguam worker. At least, I see no benefits. You work hard, you are not guaranteed a paycheck at payday, you are subject to ridicule because the public's view of any govguam worker is poor, or the view of govguam as a whole is negative. You also are not taken care of the way, let's say, the federal government cares for its workers.
So, why even bother working in Govguam?
Well...who the fuck else will do it, if not I?
So, last year...what did I do? I tried to gain health care elsewhere, not relying on Govguam's ridiculous health plans. I joined GFT (Guam Federation of Teachers) - because they had a kickass health plan (Moylan's Netcare) - affordable and very good coverage - which I used so much, because I am a rare case od a Class 1 employee who actually accesses or uses health care very much.
The PROBLEM NOW: Netcare is stopping its GFT health plan because...guess what....THEY LOST MONEY.
I say - what did you expect??? Who do you think flocked to your nice kickass health insurance? The healthy people? NO!!! It was workers like I, who needed health care, and actually USED healthcare that went to you, because you were AFFORDABLE!!!
So...where does this leave me? I still pay my GFT membership dues every payday, but now, what's the point of being a member when that nice kickass health plan benefit will not exist come the new fiscal year?
I am seriously in a bind here. Do I pull out of GFT and save me a little money on membership fees, and try to find healthcare elsewhere? I tell you right now, with the insurance rates that Govguam released recently - I will surely NOT be able to afford health care anymore (through govguam).
Or, do I try to find my own health insurance plan elsewhere? Should I try to stay on with Moylan's Netcare as an individual subscriber? Even if I did this, my rates would probably still be high and not affordable either.
The whole point to group insurance plans, like for governments, is to make health care affordable for the workers, and have the employer (govguam) pay for it as a benefit for their workers, to keep them working. But, of course, govguam doesn't like to pay for anything...it lets its workers pay for everything, and expects them to keep smiling at work...
*sigh* what a fucking mess....
Or should I go the way that many govguam workers go - just don't have any insurance, self pay for everything, or even become medically indigent (relying on the government to pay for healthcare).
I know I wouldn't qualify as a medically indigent person. I work and make money, but apparently not enough to afford health care, and not too little to be indigent. Fuck.
I mean....what's the point of fucking health insurance, if you end up paying for everything after all?
What I'm talking about - the new rates for health insurance for Govguam workers - is always on the rise - doubling, tripling, quadrupling the previous year's rates - making it completely unaffordable for workers - and workers often go WITHOUT insurance as a result. At the same time, these higher rates do not mean better insurance coverage - in fact, it means less coverage, and more "out-of-pocket" expenses, because the health insurance companies are "losing money" if they give us more coverage.
Health care is a fucking BIZNESS. I spell it like that, because that's how I feel about it - it doesn't deserve to be spelled correctly...it's a bitch that sucks money from you, when you don't even have money to begin with.
Everyone wants to make money. Nobody likes to lose money. Prime example (that never ceases to piss me off) - Gross Receipts Tax a.k.a. GRT. This is a tax that the fucking BIZNESSES are supposed to pay the government - whatever they gross in a year, the government wants a peice of it. It is a tax that is owed by the BIZNESS. BUT, the fucking BIZNESSES are passing this tax onto its consumers - essentially making it out to be like the consumer owes the government the tax, and not them, the BIZNESS.
Making sense? Following me? By now, I am completely irate.
Back to health care - money needs to come from somewhere. The health care BIZNESS passes its costs down to the consumers to stay in the "green".
In Govguam, there are three classes of workers (I prefer workers than employees, because we do work hard). Number one are active employees, no dependents. Number two are active employees with spouse and dependents. Number three are Retirees.
The health care BIZNESS is saying that Class 3 workers are draining their profit - making them go into the "red", and these Class 3 workers are too costly, expensive, require so much care and have many health problems to treat.
I say - What the fuck did you expect? They are Retirees - past their middle age - and health problems are bound to exist - as they get older, health care needs increase. NO FUCKING NEWS HERE.
So, what does the health care BIZNESS do? They pass on those high costs to the Class 1 and Class 2 workers - whom don't often utilize or access health care. And mostly these workers are relatively healthy, not requiring much at all.
Now, do you think that's FAIR???
Everybody's passing the buck. No one wants to lose money.
Now....another thing - Govguam. Realistically, there is no benefit to being a Govguam worker. At least, I see no benefits. You work hard, you are not guaranteed a paycheck at payday, you are subject to ridicule because the public's view of any govguam worker is poor, or the view of govguam as a whole is negative. You also are not taken care of the way, let's say, the federal government cares for its workers.
So, why even bother working in Govguam?
Well...who the fuck else will do it, if not I?
So, last year...what did I do? I tried to gain health care elsewhere, not relying on Govguam's ridiculous health plans. I joined GFT (Guam Federation of Teachers) - because they had a kickass health plan (Moylan's Netcare) - affordable and very good coverage - which I used so much, because I am a rare case od a Class 1 employee who actually accesses or uses health care very much.
The PROBLEM NOW: Netcare is stopping its GFT health plan because...guess what....THEY LOST MONEY.
I say - what did you expect??? Who do you think flocked to your nice kickass health insurance? The healthy people? NO!!! It was workers like I, who needed health care, and actually USED healthcare that went to you, because you were AFFORDABLE!!!
So...where does this leave me? I still pay my GFT membership dues every payday, but now, what's the point of being a member when that nice kickass health plan benefit will not exist come the new fiscal year?
I am seriously in a bind here. Do I pull out of GFT and save me a little money on membership fees, and try to find healthcare elsewhere? I tell you right now, with the insurance rates that Govguam released recently - I will surely NOT be able to afford health care anymore (through govguam).
Or, do I try to find my own health insurance plan elsewhere? Should I try to stay on with Moylan's Netcare as an individual subscriber? Even if I did this, my rates would probably still be high and not affordable either.
The whole point to group insurance plans, like for governments, is to make health care affordable for the workers, and have the employer (govguam) pay for it as a benefit for their workers, to keep them working. But, of course, govguam doesn't like to pay for anything...it lets its workers pay for everything, and expects them to keep smiling at work...
*sigh* what a fucking mess....
Or should I go the way that many govguam workers go - just don't have any insurance, self pay for everything, or even become medically indigent (relying on the government to pay for healthcare).
I know I wouldn't qualify as a medically indigent person. I work and make money, but apparently not enough to afford health care, and not too little to be indigent. Fuck.
EDIT:
Okay, so I was very pissed when writing this blog entry, and only today did I realize that I was not accurate about the classes of workers in Govguam (after reading about it in the PDN).
But I won't rewrite that part of the blog, just be aware that it's not entirely correct.
Per PDN:
Class 1: Employee or Retiree with no dependents
Class 2: Employee or Retiree with one or more dependents
Class 3: Government-employed(or retired) husband and wife with our without dependents enrolled in the same plan.
Posted by
ronnie |
8/24/2006 11:07:00 AM
My coworkers who have been under such coverage for a while say that plans with deductibles - which is all Govguam health insurance plans - are actually "money-saving" if I do all the "calculations" at the end of it all. They claim it's because you pay for the actual prices of health care costs (medicine, doctor visits) more often than paying high premiums.
I say...I don't have time to do fucking math. I never minded paying premiums, as long as all I have to worry about when I'm at the doctor or pharmacy, is a co-payment, and not a full price tag.
I know...I'm backwards, and maybe not so cost-effective, but that's how it was done for most of my life, when I had the best insurance ever under my dad with Pacificare, through the FEDERAL government. Sure, the premiums were high, but I got good care, and always payed copayments of 5 or 10 bucks for visits, medicine, etc. And I got used to that, and liked it.
But, now that my only choice are deductible-type plans, I will have to be forking out full costs at a time - which is sometimes not so easy to plan for and do, when on a budget. And only when I meet a deductible limit, of say, 1000 or 1500 bucks, does "insurance" kick-in - and even at that - it's not full coverage - it's only 80/20. And that to me, fucking SUCKS ASS.
>_< <---that's me...pissed...
Posted by
ronnie |
8/26/2006 11:29:00 AM
On Wednesday I edited a project report for work (UOG's Cooperative Extension Services) that they are about to release about a study of Guam's uninsured population. Is this fate or what? And this is why I'm so freaked out about losing my Tricare coverage under my Dad. I'm currently fully covered until 2009, and then I can either go up for renewal again, or (and this is what I hope for) I'll have a nice job with great insurance so I won't have to worry about it. Or I'm moving to Canada and becoming a Canadian.
Posted by
sabete |
9/03/2006 10:34:00 AM
I don't know how the Canadians do it, but it must be really nice.
Yeah...I think I nearly cried when I lost my Pacificare coverage under my Dad...I tried my best to hold on to it, even trying to get my own individual plan - but that shit's so expensive - practically a whole paycheck a month.
*sigh*
Posted by
ronnie |
9/04/2006 01:31:00 AM