OT: waaaaaaay OT....

[Aisling]

FIFY

(And rapidily diving for cover)

Haha they can be assets .....

[Aisling]

so...now he's saying pittsburgh...

i could get behind DC because its got the whole MD/VA surrounding areas...not too far from snow when i want to ride in the winter... plenty of work and good pay...lots of dance schools...

but ... pittsburgh... i think there's a reason it starts with "pitts"...

i looked at job opps... omg... holy underpaid nursing batman. 2 dance schools, both kinda meh... and um... yeah...

i realize we sacrifice for loved ones... but having ones pay cut in half (literally.. in HALF!!) makes one feel a smidge hesitant. oish. scared. maybe a better state will pop up in his quest for the best phys ed college that the military will pay for..? meep?

[Michelle]

So for now I will have to stick w this job til June for the health insurance

Health insurance is overrated. I haven't had it for years.

Good luck with the move or non-move. Tough decisions you are making for a guy. Apparently life has changed for you since starting this thread! LOL

[Ray]

Health insurance is overrated. I haven't had it for years.

I hope you are kidding. Health insurance is the one you always want to have, but hope you’ll never ever really need to make use of it. I mean in a serious matter!

[Michelle]

I hope you are kidding. Health insurance is the one you always want to have, but hope you’ll never ever really need to make use of it. I mean in a serious matter!

Nope. Not kidding. I am NEVER sick, have never had a major injury, disease, or illness, and to start with the highest deductible insurance for a single woman is over $350 a month. No thank you, I'll take my chances.

[Ray]

Nope. Not kidding. I am NEVER sick, have never had a major injury, disease, or illness, and to start with the highest deductible insurance for a single woman is over $350 a month. No thank you, I'll take my chances.

Wow, wish you much good luck! Sometimes life presents itself with all kind of difficult surprises. Hope you will be fine.

[queequeg]

I hope you are kidding. Health insurance is the one you always want to have, but hope you’ll never ever really need to make use of it. I mean in a serious matter!

Yep. My mother died of a very rare kidney disease that developed very unexpectedly. At the time my family had very good insurance. The doctors did all kinds of stuff to keep her alive as long as possible. (I believe) I owe my existence to their efforts (as well as to my mother... of course). If my family had not had good insurance at the time, my mother would never had lived as long as she did, the medical bills would have ruined my family financially, and I would almost definitely not be here typing this message.

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

As I now sit, I'm waiting to hear of the passing of an old friend. Like me, he is in his late forties and was generally healthy. However, he had some kind of heart issue while driving and wrecked his car. People on the scene were able to do CPR, but recent MRI scans show extensive damage to his brain because of a lack of oxygen. He's been in a coma for the last 10 days or so in a room that costs $17,000/day, and he has no insurance. The decision was made a couple of days ago to let him go, and we are just waiting for him to continue on his journey. As for the costs, this will likely eat up the majority of his estate, and we expect to be passing the hat around.

I've been on high deductible, HSA-eligible, catastrophic-only insurance for the past few years. Here in WA, I have been able to get this for $155/month but I think that the rate will go up soon. There is a possibility that I might move to CO this year, so I sure hope I don't have to pay some crazy rate when I have to shop for insurance again. I'm not eligible for group insurance generally, so I'm at the mercy of whatever individual plans are available.

Regardless of anyone's personal choices on insurance, it is always a good idea to have a simple estate plan in place, along with a living will and healthcare power of attorney.

[kieran]

have a beer, comrade BobD.

[BobD]

have a beer, comrade BobD.

Pet peeve sorry.

I'll delete the post

[two_ravens]

BobD, I do agree with your deleted comments, but I also find it disappointing that I live in a country that deems some people not worthy of having access to health insurance. With a genetic autoimmune disease, the only insurance I have been able to find is Wyoming's high risk pool insurance at about $800/month. I can't afford that - I would be bankrupt in a few months. So I spend my health care dollars on broccoli and acupuncture and the like, and am far healthier than the vast majority of Americans. Just have to hope I don't have a major accident.....

And back to the topic... I'm quite sure there's a way to blame this on men... ;-)

[BobD]

And back to the topic... I'm quite sure there's a way to blame this on men... ;-)

So hows the kayaking going? Shoulder holding up I hope.

I'm determined to get back in a boat this summer after a four year break. Too out of it for the spring stuff though.

Edit - I just read the dislocated shoulder thread....

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I hope you are kidding. Health insurance is the one you always want to have, but hope you’ll never ever really need to make use of it. I mean in a serious matter!

I aggree. As a single guy, no children it is often hard to hear about the rates the company pays per person (averaged out within the work group, many with 3 children and husband/wife of course under the coverage). Last I heard it was about 1200$ per month per employee. We pay a percentage and deductables. After nearly 30 years without serious illness or injury I seldom have used the health insurance. However, the last four years have been expensive, without insurance the broken leg in Aspen would have been over 50K. The broken arm was allot and the broken back not so much (no surgery)

The lost work and co pay was pretty hard on me financially. Without good health insurance I would have been in a very bad way. Likely loosing the house, etc. I hope to retire fairly soon and not looking forward to paying all of my insurance costs. I don't dare be without it.

[Aisling]

i was damn happy to have health insurance when they hospitalized me at the beginning of this month... i have a big deductible and some big co-pays for ER and the like but w/o the insurance i'd be completely screwed...

does anyone know if you quit a job can you still do COBRA?

and yes Michelle life HAS changed...its weird... but different!

[kieran]

Pet peeve sorry.

I'll delete the post

i agree with what you said. i've got a nice lengthy discourse in my head but maybe i'll spew it on the pointless argument thread instead.

[kieran]

And back to the topic... I'm quite sure there's a way to blame this on men... ;-)

no no no no no no no.

Nearly 75% of the more than 23.5 million Americans who suffer from autoimmune disease are women, although it is less-frequently acknowledged that millions of men also suffer from these diseases.

hmm, 75%. like a 3:1 ratio in XX+XY.

[Michelle]

BobD, I do agree with your deleted comments, but I also find it disappointing that I live in a country that deems some people not worthy of having access to health insurance. With a genetic autoimmune disease, the only insurance I have been able to find is Wyoming's high risk pool insurance at about $800/month. I can't afford that - I would be bankrupt in a few months. So I spend my health care dollars on broccoli and acupuncture and the like, and am far healthier than the vast majority of Americans. Just have to hope I don't have a major accident.....

And back to the topic... I'm quite sure there's a way to blame this on men... ;-)

I happen to agree with this. I choose to spend my money on healthy food, lifestyle, and exercise and NOT pay for the people who are doing the opposite(which is what elevates health care costs). At under $200/month for life threatening catostrophic things and emergencies I would gladly pay it. But that is not available, and I'm stuck with paying for "$20 co pay to the dr" which I will never use and then on top of that an astronomical amount if something does happen, plus the $350/month just to "have insurance". Ok, now please someone don't take me out!

It's also probably what's wrong with my riding and why I can't be more aggressive in my turns

Two_ravens - of course there is always some way to blame it on men. At least they die earlier usually by some form of Darwinism.

[dantheman0177]

I was very glad to have health insurance when I got sick riding in Canada about 10 years ago and had to be flown back to Oz. Between my travel insurance and health insurance, it didn't cost me a cent, even though I was hospitalised in a private room for 8 days.

When Vanessa had our baby, again because of the insurance, we were hardly out of pocket, which is almost unheard of at home.

I agree Michelle, it's not cool to have to effectively subsidise unhealthy people - though in Oz you can actually get rebates for things like gym memberships and other heathy practices - but like car insurance, it's not you as a good driver that usually causes the problem, it's something completely unexpected. And in the case of an avid snowboarder, that something is probably as likely as anything to be an out of control gumby who takes you out mid turn, or a soft patch of snow that you can't possibly know is there (Brian can attest to that!)

Yes, it's costly, but far less than the (unthinkable) alternative.

My dad always taught us - very wisely, I might add - that if you can't afford to insure it, you probably can't afford to own it. That goes for house, car, valuables and, most importantly, your body.

[dantheman0177]

Has anyone noticed Aisling's new status: "groupie"

Nice one admins!

[patmoore]

I've applied twice for VA coverage but been declined. I screwed up by not applying twenty years ago when my financial situation was in the toilet as I'd be grandfathered now. As it is they've tightened up the requirements and are rejecting applicants based on income/assets, etc.

I'm approaching Medicare age (turn 65 in October). At present I'm on my wife's health care plan. It would be nice for both of us to retire in a year when I hit the full Social Security age of 66 but she'll only be 60 then and five years too young for Medicare. She may have to continue working just for the health care benefits.

We have Long Term Care insurance but the premiums are prohibitively high.

I can't go without insurance. Although I've never had an injury snowboarding other than a SLAP tear of the shoulder, I've spent more than my share of time in the OR from ski racing and unicycling: broken foot, broken hand, broken ribs, torn ACL..... This past season is the first in a long time that I was able to compete without an injury and it went well:

NASTAR Nationals:
60-64 Snowboarding - 1st
60-64 Skiing (Platinum Div.) - 5th

Mt. Dew Finals:
56-65 Snowboarding - 3rd
56-65 Skiing - 1st (11th fastest of 787 total racers all ages)

I want to stay healthy!

[dantheman0177]

bumpedy bump

[ncermak]

bumpedy bump

thank god someone brought this back to relationships!

[Michelle]

thank god someone brought this back to relationships!

this is a family site!

[leeho730]

You guys might want to head to NZ.. Lots of promiscuous women (and men, if you swing that way).

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10737380

Average 16.9 partners for males? That means there's one lucky A-hole that scored 26.8 chicks!

[Gcarve]

thank god someone brought this back to relationships!

No, no, no, this is supposed to be the "i'm tired of dating a$$holes. you guys are all such sweethearts where can i meet a nice guy for once?" thread

[Gcarve]

You guys might want to head to NZ.. Lots of promiscuous women.....

I've always wanted to go to NZ for the surf, and the boarding. Now to hear they have lots of promiscuous women too !!!!

[Michelle]

No, no, no, this is supposed to be the "i'm tired of dating a$$holes. you guys are all such sweethearts where can i meet a nice guy for once?" thread

You get it!

[Allee]

You guys might want to head to NZ.. Lots of promiscuous women (and men, if you swing that way).

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10737380

Average 16.9 partners for males? That means there's one lucky A-hole that scored 26.8 chicks!

I'm a New Zealander, and those surveys make me laugh every year. There are an awful lot of New Zealanders lying through their teeth.

And what does 0.8 of a chick look like? Is that everything down to the ankles, or is she missing the top of her head?

[Gcarve]

There are an awful lot of New Zealanders lying through their teeth.

Nooooooooooo!!! Say it's not so!!!

[Gcarve]

And what does 0.8 of a chick look like? Is that everything down to the ankles, or is she missing the top of her head?

Either way, I'd probably prefer a whole 1.0 women, not a 0.8.