Medical care is a necessity, but many people go without it because of the cost. Health insurance can help alleviate those high costs in some cases, but in others, it does little to help.
One woman learned this lesson better than most when she got insurance in an effort to help her pay for a procedure she couldn’t cover herself.
TikTok user Macy Schrock documented her experience trying to lower the cost of a medical test she needed.
“I needed an MRI, but I didn’t have insurance, and the out-of-pocket price was $1,000,” Schrock explained.
So, Schrock did the only logical thing she could think of. Since health insurance is, technically, supposed to help you pay for things like this to medical care, she decided to sign up.
“So, I got insurance,” she said, “and now I just have to pay 20% of the MRI.”
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Many would hope, and even assume, that Schrock would be billed a much more reasonable amount.
Health insurance brings down the cost of procedures and tests like this, right?
Not in this case.
“But with insurance, 20% of the MRI is $1,040,” Schrock said.
Yes, even though Schrock got health insurance so she could get this specific medical test done, it still cost $40 more than it would have if she had just paid the original out-of-pocket cost.
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Health insurance is not cheap and, as exemplified here, does not always help with medical costs as much as you would like for it to.
USA Today said“Health insurance is an essential safeguard against unexpected and unaffordable medical expenses, but policies can be pricey.”
They noted that many people only take the cost of their monthly premium into consideration when thinking about how much health insurance will cost. However, it is much more than that.
“You can spend thousands a year on premiums, and even with health insurance, you may face copayments, coinsurance, and a deductible. The costs can add up,” USA Today said.
You can get health insurance through your employer or through the Marketplace (also known as Obamacare). While we don’t know the exact coverage plan she got because Schrock did not already have insurance, we can assume she got it through the Marketplace.
Health insurance plans through the Marketplace vary by state. However, USA Today did say that “for 2024 nationwide, the average benchmark premium is $477 per month or $5,724 per year.”
That means that in addition to the $1,040 copay Schrock had for the MRI, she was already likely paying close to $500 a month for insurance coverage. It just adds insult to injury.
Many point to the United States as being one of the only advanced countries in the world that does not have a solid healthcare system in place for its citizens that lowers costs.
David Cutler, a professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, wrote about why healthcare is so expensive in the U.S., arguing that it has basically become a luxury.
“Nearly half of Americans say they have delayed or skipped medical care because of the cost,” Cutler said.
MRIs can be used for many different purposes, and it’s possible that Schrock’s was for a non-serious issue. However, it’s also possible that cost was a deterrent to her receiving important diagnostic testing.
It feels wrong to live in a world where people cannot receive the medical care that they need because of how much it costs.
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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.
