american freedom insurance

Does the American health care system really give you "freedom of choice"?

In following the various debates about universal health care on Yahoo Answers, several people who oppose it have said that they want to preserve their freedom of choice. Do you really have the freedom to choose the doctor you want in the United States, or are you limited to whoever is approved by your insurance company or H.M.O.? A secondary question: does your doctor have the freedom to choose what treatment he or she wants to give you?

I'm genuinely interested in real answers here, not rhetoric. I'm a Canadian, so I'm at a disadvantage as to how the American health care system works.
After rz1971's clarification, perhaps I should add a supplementary question: Do you have freedom in choosing a doctor while still remaining covered?
HOFF_MOM: Thanks for your comprehensive answer.

In Canada, health care is a provincial repsonsiblity, so how things work varies a bit from province to province. In Alberta, where I live, most of the cost of health care is covered by taxes. In keeping with Alberta's right-wing politics citizens also have to pay "health care premiums." They're pretty affordable and if you can't afford them, you can get them waived. The premiums go into government coffers so these premiums are basically another tax. There are other provinces with no health care premiums; everything is covered by taxes. Prescriptions are paid for out of pocket or through insurance, usually with what you would call a "copay." If you can't afford insuranced for prescriptions, the government will subsidize your premiums.

Doctors in Canada are basically self-employed businesspeople. Whatever doctor you see is reimbursed by the provincial government health care plan for the cost of your visit.
HOFF_MOM, cont'd:

Medically necessary services are covered, things like plastic surgery are not (although there are exceptions to this as well). You're free to see whatever doctor you want to see, although specialists require a referral from a General Pracititioner.

Canada in general, and Alberta in particular, have gone through a period of budget-cutting that resulted in hospitals being shut down, medical personnel leaving for other countries due to lack of work or frustration with budget cuts. During this period of restraint, the number of medical school openings was also cut back. As a result, we have a bit of doctor shortage now, particularly when it comes to General Practitioners or Family Medicine doctors, as many new doctors are opting for training in higher-paying specialities.

In general the system still works okay. If you need something that's not a medical emergency, you may have to wait for treatment. Thus there are waiting lists for things like hip replacements.
HOFF_MOM, cont'd:

On the other hand, when I needed emergency eye surgery, not only did I end up jumping the waiting list for my opthalmologist (he saw me the same day I phoned his office), but I got into surgery the very next day. The biggest obstacle was that I needed a medical to be sure I could handle surgery; I found a doctor in the same building who gave me a quick going over and that was solved the same day I saw my opthalmologist.

The quality of health care has deteriorated somewhat due to budget cuts and, in the case of Alberta, an oil-producing province, sudden rapid growth. As well, governments have been experimenting with American-style "reforms" (most Canadians do not consider America's health care system to be desirable). Even so, everybody who needs care gets it, and almost everybody who needs care quickly gets it in a timely fasion.

Whatever the faults of the Canadian system, in Canada you know you're covered. I prefer it to the American system.
HOFF_MOM cont'd:

The government does not make decisions about patient care, other than coming up with a list of things that are covered by the health care plan. As I mentioned, things like plastic surgery or liposuction are not covered unless a physican can make the case that they're medically necessary. I answered a question from one American woman in Yahoo Answers who wrote that her insurance company was going to "allow" her to switch from one sleeping medication to another. This does not happen in Canada; as long as a treatment or medication is on the list of approved treatments (and we get some drugs approved faster than the U.S. if they're being used in Europe due to our British roots), the doctor is free to prescribe what he or she wants to. I've had experience in working in the prison system and I know that there are people with AIDS or hepatitis C who get expensive drugs for their conditions for free when they're "on the outside." As I said, in Canada, you're cared for.

Good question. There isn't one American health care system, per se. Some people are uninsured altogether and must pay for everything out of pocket.

Some who are low income, especially children of low income families, are on state-run health care programs; these are usually quite flexible and offer a great deal of coverage. There may be no deductibles, and co-pays are inexpensive or nonexistent. Prescriptions and office visits may be covered in full, or nearly so.

Some pay out of their own pockets for insurance programs, which vary in coverage, depending on how expensive they are. If you pay a lot for coverage, co-pays and deductibles are lower; if you pay less for coverage, you end up with larger co-pays and deductibles.

Some people's employers offer insurance. Usually, they cover a percentage of the insurance premium, and the employee covers the rest of the premium. Then, again depending on the type and quality of the insurance program, there are deductibles and co-pays. For example, my husband pays a certain amount toward his insurance premium, say 20%, and his employer pays 80% of the premium. Then for doctor's office visits we have a $20 copay, for prescriptions we have a 25% copay, and for labs/hospitilization, etc. we have a $500 deductible, after which the insurance pays 80%. (Not exact figures, but you get the general idea.)

Most doctors decide independently whether to accept patients covered by state health care. Other insurance companies contract with certain doctors. They list these as "approved physicians," meaning that they will offer the most coverage to patients who choose their physician from this approved list. If they choose a physician from outside of the approved list, most insurance companies will cover a significantly lesser amount of medical expenses; for example, with our current insurance program, if we chose an unapproved doctor, we would pay 80% of our own expenses.

Hope that's kind of clear. I'm curious whether you're satisfied with the Canadian health care system, as well. I'm not too familiar with its benefits and drawbacks. Do you feel it is fair and allows you enough freedom to make the medical decisions that are necessary for you? Or do you sometimes feel that the government plays the role of doctor in some instances? Just curious; I had this discussion with someone very recently, and I'd be interested in your perspective.

I have been sued by an insurance company but my insurance co will not show up for court what do i do?

I have made two court dates and the insurance co american freedom insurance (Illinois) has not shown for the neither court date I have notified them in writing fax and phone. I have a letter of coverage notice from them from an accident two years ago when state property was damaged as result of the accident they paid the claim and also paid for my car which was totaled. I have not reached my maximum coverage eiher. Now a person involved in the accident insurance company has filed suit against me and another driver we are both listed on the summons by the way he has not showed up for court one time neither has his insurance company. I have been to court twice and have a nother date next week. They have not responded and i believe their intention is not to respond. What should do they are suing for $12,000. If my insurance company never show up will i bestuck with a judgment HELP!!!!!

You need to sue them to honor the terms of your policy. But in the meantime, they are not a party to the other lawsuit.

Why should freedom-loving Americans be forced to have health insurance?

Liberals like to make alot of noise over the fact that 40 million Americans (45 by some estimates) have no health insurance. …to which I always respond, "so what -and- big deal"

If Americans choose to not participate in a health insurance program, who are we to judge? Is that not their right? Some people might feel that they are young and healthy enough to risk doing without such insurance, and I'm am sure that the Founding Fathers would agree they are guarenteed such liberty under the US Constitution.

Some eschew modern medical techniques for religious reasons. Some people don't feel motivated enough to earn enough income to cover such a plan. Others opt for homeopathic remedys. Still others like to gamble that they will not need insurance coverage, especially in their youth.

WHATEVER their reasonings, this should be respected and NOT overruled by the plotters and schemers trying to cram mandatory Socialist Medicine coverage down our collective throat.
joey's back: " don't think that anyone should have to choose between feeding their families and having health care for their families"

Ah yes, I agree with you…to a point. Therein lies the problem. If people are unable to afford health insurance (which they desire), they should not, therefore, irresposibly sire children

They shouldn't. The government should run government and the individual should take responsibility for themselves. The limpy liberals want the taxes to skyrocket so the government can take care of everything, whats next government toilet paper? Why don't we have the government tell us what to do throughout our whole life, what to eat where to shop where to work, hell Castro can give us some ideas. What needs to be done is pressure on the insurance companies to make health care more affordable. Stop the malpractice suits from the filthy lawyers and the welfare rabble would keep costs down also.