Co-pays - what a dumb idea! I have an autoimmune disease

[Hoyt]

1. Right or wrong, co-pays, deductibles, etc., are part of what you buy with insurance in this country.

Even Medicare has co-insurance (or co-pays if you are in Medicare Advantage Plans). You can go broke and get on Medicaid which occasionally has a copay, but it's relatively low.

You can get no-copay/insurance under Medicare, but you'll pay more for it. Even if Medicare eliminated co-insurance, we'd have to pay more through the Part B premium or in taxes for Part A. Of course, you can eliminate that by paying several hundred bucks a month for a good supplement, or joining an Advantage Plan.

Again, right or wrong, if not on Medicare, you can purchase a policy with low co-pays, deductibles, or maximum out-of-pocket costs. But, it costs us more each month.

It's a balancing act in a screwed up system that won't get any better until everyone involved is ready to make some major changes -- physicians, hospitals, other providers, insurers if still involved, and even patients.

Not encouraging, I know. Take care.