re: Our friend Ben Coleman is not doing well...[EDIT 6/10/19, pg 4]

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So he didnt have insurance? Why? With subsidies and all, I thought it was free if you cant afford

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I'll take this at face value and respond. (tldr: medical insurance does not cover all the expenses)

Until someone is faced with a major health issue like cancer or stroke or terrible accident they are very unaware of the true costs.

Major medical insurance pays the bulk of the doctor bills. However you still have a deductible (nowadays typically from $500-$5000/person depending on the type of plan and if it is group or individual). After the deductible is met there is the 20% coinsurance for in network or 30%-100% for out of network. At some point you hit your plan's "annual out of pocket maximum". That ranges from $5000-$10000 typically depending on your plan. ($14000 for some of those "cheap" Obamacare plans)

So even with good health insurance a family is looking at $5000-$10000 annually for something major like cancer that can involve surgery, inpatient hospital stays, and ongoing treatment.

Double that if the treatment rolls over into the next fiscal year and your deductible/oop max resets.

Next factor in travel. Some people are fortunate enough to find treatment in their hometown. Others have to travel. I was talking to a friend today whose husband has been going through treatments in Albuquerque for 4 months now. At first it was 5 days a week, so they had to pay for gas to and from, eating out, and 5 nights of hotels each week. It is comparable to the cost of going on vacation when you add up all of the expenses. Now her husband has all of his treatments and tests on Friday so they drive up Thursday and drive home Saturday, not as expensive as spending the entire week away but it still adds up.

Lastly, factor in time off work. Every situation is different, not everyone is in a salary position where they receive their full pay if they are out of work for an extended period. First you burn through your paid time off (and donated PTO if you have a close knit group of coworkers). Then ST kicks in, but is typically 50-80% of normal paycheck. This means a loss of pay of 20-50%. Many jobs do not have any form of disability pay. If someone is self employed the pay cut can range from minimal (business does not miss a beat while you are away) to maximum (business stops while you are away). Many self employed people are able to keep their businesses afloat if they are dealing with long term treatment but they may not be bringing in a lot of new business or running things as efficiently. When the cat is away the mice will play.

The loss of income is even greater if a spouse is taking time off for all of this. Once they burn through their PTO that is it. ST/LT disability does not pay if you are not the one who is sick. (typically)

The friend I mentioned earlier who has been traveling with her husband to Albuquerque, he had to quit his construction job because of the ongoing treatment and she lost about 50% of her hours/pay so she could go with him.


Sometimes people are diagnosed with cancer and they have surgery and that is it. A few follow ups and done. The financial impact is not huge in these cases.

Other times people are diagnosed with cancer and the treatment goes on for months and months, with the potential for extensive travel and missed time at work. The financial impact can be huge, even with a solid major medical plan and ST/LT disability.

When someone is going through the physical, mental, and emotional strains of cancer treatment having something in place like a gofundme or local fundraisers or a cancer policy can be a huge relief for the family by stemming some of the financial stress.

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IllegalPete

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Thank you for taking the time for that, actually quite a bit I didn’t know or hadn’t thought of throughout there.

I have a coworker I’ve known for a long time through a couple different employers we’ve worked for and he’s been battling cancer as well. I’ve been donating to him as much as possible because he and his family have been wrecked by the costs, but I never thought about donating my PTO. There’s several others at my office who would gladly do the same too, we just haven’t thought about it, so thank you.

Now back to Mr. Coleman, this thread is about him.

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I'll take this at face value and respond. (tldr: medical insurance does not cover all the expenses) Until someone is faced with a major health issue like cancer or stroke or terrible accident they are very unaware of the true costs. Major medical insurance pays the bulk of the doctor bills. However you still have a deductible (nowadays typically from $500-$5000/person depending on the type of plan and if it is group or individual). After the deductible is met there is the 20% coinsurance for in network or 30%-100% for out of network. At some point you hit your plan's "annual out of pocket maximum". That ranges from $5000-$10000 typically depending on your plan. ($14000 for some of those "cheap" Obamacare plans) So even with good health insurance a family is looking at $5000-$10000 annually for something major like cancer that can involve surgery, inpatient hospital stays, and ongoing treatment. Double that if the treatment rolls over into the next fiscal year and your deductible/oop max resets. Next factor in travel. Some people are fortunate enough to find treatment in their hometown. Others have to travel. I was talking to a friend today whose husband has been going through treatments in Albuquerque for 4 months now. At first it was 5 days a week, so they had to pay for gas to and from, eating out, and 5 nights of hotels each week. It is comparable to the cost of going on vacation when you add up all of the expenses. Now her husband has all of his treatments and tests on Friday so they drive up Thursday and drive home Saturday, not as expensive as spending the entire week away but it still adds up. Lastly, factor in time off work. Every situation is different, not everyone is in a salary position where they receive their full pay if they are out of work for an extended period. First you burn through your paid time off (and donated PTO if you have a close knit group of coworkers). Then ST kicks in, but is typically 50-80% of normal paycheck. This means a loss of pay of 20-50%. Many jobs do not have any form of disability pay. If someone is self employed the pay cut can range from minimal (business does not miss a beat while you are away) to maximum (business stops while you are away). Many self employed people are able to keep their businesses afloat if they are dealing with long term treatment but they may not be bringing in a lot of new business or running things as efficiently. When the cat is away the mice will play. The loss of income is even greater if a spouse is taking time off for all of this. Once they burn through their PTO that is it. ST/LT disability does not pay if you are not the one who is sick. (typically) The friend I mentioned earlier who has been traveling with her husband to Albuquerque, he had to quit his construction job because of the ongoing treatment and she lost about 50% of her hours/pay so she could go with him. Sometimes people are diagnosed with cancer and they have surgery and that is it. A few follow ups and done. The financial impact is not huge in these cases. Other times people are diagnosed with cancer and the treatment goes on for months and months, with the potential for extensive travel and missed time at work. The financial impact can be huge, even with a solid major medical plan and ST/LT disability. When someone is going through the physical, mental, and emotional strains of cancer treatment having something in place like a gofundme or local fundraisers or a cancer policy can be a huge relief for the family by stemming some of the financial stress.

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Lord knows I have never been a fan of BenColeman in any way but all of this is VERY true for the vast majority of people dealing with shite like cancer and everyone who has donated and helped him deserves a lot of respect. He has to be going through hell so even the smallest donation has to help, TD has been awesome!

LINK

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but he used his actual name for his TD handle and her identity has been out there, so whatever.

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She updates everyone who donated via email. Always glad to hear he's doing well.

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hope I will be able to give you some helpful information. Please shoot me a quick email and I will send you my phone number so we can talk when you feel up to it

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I already sent you an email.

God bless you buddy! You are in my prayers. My best friend at my Law Enforcement Agency had this as well.......keep fighting the good fight brother, there are a lot of people behind you!

Who is the sick frick that down voted?

Ben Coleman...Jonesville misses you