While it is tragic that a family should lose its financial worth due to illness, there are often behind-the-scene details that don't get mentioned. I know people who choose not to pay for health insurance because they consider themselves healthy and would rather spend the money on something else. One of these people I know is 53 years old, self-employed and drives a brand new BMW. I used to tell him that he was taking a risk and that he could be wiped out financially if he continued to ignore the need for insurance.
He has been lucky so far, but too often people find out the hard way that they should have bitten the bullet and forked over the money for the premiums.
$5000 seems like a lot for a procedure at first glance but when you factor in all it has to cover then it starts to add up.
THE FACT THAT EVERYONE WHO IS AGHAST ABOUT THIS AMOUNT IS OVERLOOKING IS THAT IF THE GOVERNMENT TAKES OVER HEALTH CARE, THE RATIONING THAT WILL RESULT WILL PRECLUDE MANY PEOPLE FROM EVEN GETTING A COLONOSCOPY!!!!!!!!! AT ANY COST!!!
Everyone should try making a friend in England or Canada and then you will hear how government run health care really plays out. Until then, picture yourself getting a colonoscopy at the DMV or post office and you can imagine the lack of quality and care.
Health insurance should not be tied to employers....that's reform that should take place immediately! The only reason it is connected to job compensation in the first place is that decades ago, other liberal democrats tried to cap what people could receive for salaries and the employers started offering health insurance to prospective employees to make the compensation package more attractive. THIS IS INSANE! So, what has resulted in later decades is the HUGE hit of losing one's job being compounded by losing one's health insurance at the same time! Just another example of how the governement screws up everything they stick their noses into! Had government not interfered with free enterprise and business of the private sector by dictating the amount of salaries, then employers would not have tried to lure employees with employer-sponsored health insurance.
America became great because of free enterprise and smaller government that allowed the private sector to flourish. Pay attention to news stories that reflect this: one random example is how much rebuilding was done by private citizens and volunteers in New Orleans after Katrina vs. what the government accomplished...the difference is night and day! The government keeps sloshing money around different entities (and less comes out at the end each and every time when each corrupt entity decides to skim $ off the amount) and nothing gets done. You are CRAZY if you think they are going to get their act together to properly manage the health care of tens of millions of people.
If only the people who do not have the foresight to see what a disaster this would be could just secede and form their own nation and the logical and traditional Americans could be a separate country, too. Then you could all suffer the consequences of your BAD choices and not take the rest of us down with you!