# Anything else you motherfuckers need? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 16, 2009, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231 "2009-07-16T16:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 49
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/961 "2009-07-20T16:10:58Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Just to expand on it. If you’re laid off you can continue your coverage (by paying the full amount your employer paid) for three months. After that you need to get a new job or get private insurance. Can’t you get a COBRA for 18 months? I realize they are VERY expensive, like $2000/month for some, but they can’t cut off your coverage if you start your COBRA immediately upon losing your job. The COBRA counts as creditable coverage if you have a period of unemployment and then start another job with insurance before the COBRA runs out. For a diabetic, the COBRA might be cheaper than paying out of pocket for diabetes care, with the added benefit of keeping you covered so you can’t be denied coverage at your next job. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/962 "2009-07-20T16:11:05Z")
Don’t people with type I diabetes generally live long healthy lives as long as they have access to insulin and monitor their sugar intake? Provided there are no other huge risk factors (overweight, smoking, etc)? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/963 "2009-07-20T16:17:54Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > Can’t you get a COBRA for 18 months? I realize they are VERY expensive, like $2000/month for some, but they can’t cut off your coverage if you start your COBRA immediately upon losing your job. The COBRA counts as creditable coverage if you have a period of unemployment and then start another job with insurance before the COBRA runs out. For a diabetic, the COBRA might be cheaper than paying out of pocket for diabetes care, with the added benefit of keeping you covered so you can’t be denied coverage at your next job. I honestly thought it was three months. My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/964 "2009-07-20T16:32:54Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Agree. But she claims she wants a job. If her parents are currently paying for her meds, and she is capable of working, what’s stopping her from getting a job at McDonald’s? At least it’s work. Oh yes…let’s let her have a grand mal seizure while operating the fry maker. My, what an insufferable pinhead you are! ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/965 "2009-07-20T16:44:53Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Apparently she ( **curlcoat** ) was grown in a vat & skipped childhood. Ah, this explains so much. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/966 "2009-07-20T16:50:22Z")
> [@C3](#): > > Ah, this explains so much. [Hey!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11357788&postcount=948) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/967 "2009-07-20T16:56:56Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Just to expand on it. If you’re laid off you can continue your coverage (by paying the full amount your employer paid) for three months. After that you need to get a new job or get private insurance. > > If you can’t find a new job that gives insurance you’ll need to get private coverage and it might be impossible. If you can get it, it’ll be expensive and have very high deductibles. > > Perhaps we can get an insurance agent to give you numbers, but I’m an asthmatic and when I was looking for private insurance before I started my business it was crazy how much even a bad policy cost. I have lupus and, last time I made the foray into individual coverage, I could not find anyone to cover me, at any cost. I’m 36 and my lupus has been in remission (i.e., no meds) since I was 19. When I was pregnant, they did a few extra blood tests, noted that I had lupus, and I had to take one baby aspirin per day throughout my pregnancy. I also had to have a fetal echocardiogram (basically, an ultrasound done by someone trained to detect heart defects in a fetus) during each pregnancy. If I hadn’t had that extra care during pregnancy, I would have qualified for the insurance because my illness would not have been noted in my medical record for over 10 years. Meanwhile, we get insurance through my husband’s job (which is, incidentally, in health care). We pay over $800 per month for our family to have a high deductible plan (my husband is 100% covered, so our premium is just for me and our two boys). We have a $5000 deductible and pay everything up to that point - no copays or anything like that. We do not have dental or eye coverage. We have no choice but to pay it, because we can’t get an individual policy because of my health record. We lived for several years in Australia, which has single payer health coverage. It was a dream. I had a baby there and my baby turned out to have some respiratory issues, which required three hospitalizations. While my child was lying in a hospital bed, with oxygen tubes and monitors beeping, I didn’t have one worry about how we were going to pay for it. If that happened here, I would be a nervous wreck about him and our finances. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/968 "2009-07-20T16:58:05Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > [Hey!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11357788&postcount=948) > 😉 Damn! I read through the replies, shocked that I was the only person to think of the joke! Foiled again! ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/969 "2009-07-20T16:59:48Z")
[QUOTE=Bridget Burke] Apparently she (curlcoat) was grown in a vat & skipped childhood. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=C3\*] Ah, this explains so much. [/QUOTE] (_And NinetyWt) I don’t think it can be the only explanation. They used the same technique on Kyle XY_ and he didn’t turn out to be an asshole. \*That was a documentary, right? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/970 "2009-07-20T17:09:33Z")
Hey, I thought of something I need. Sometimes when I order the chicken salad at Wendy’s, the slicer doesn’t go all the way through the chicken, so it’s just sort of perforated instead of actually sliced. I’d really rather it be sliced all the way through. If you could fix that, that would be great. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/971 "2009-07-20T17:22:33Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Who cares? > > Why is that my problem? Why should I care if your taxes go up? I don’t make enough to be affected by the tax increase. Why should I care if the government takes 60% of your income? Why is that my problem?? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/972 "2009-07-20T17:30:22Z")
Presumably for the same reason you want **Crafter\_Man** to give a damn if you have health insurance. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/973 "2009-07-20T17:33:14Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Presumably for the same reason you want **Crafter\_Man** to give a damn if you have health insurance. Exactly. He has convinced me we shouldn’t give a damn about what other people think. From now on, it will be tyranny by the majority; agreed? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/974 "2009-07-20T17:34:07Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Just out of interest, so I can understand the US system: > > I am a 35 year old Type 1 diabetic. I found out at the age of 19. As I expect you all know, Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, it has no factors involved like obesity. In fact, I was extremely healthy up to a few months before diagnosis. There is no way I could possibly be held to blame for my illness. > > I am well educated, with a BSc in Pure Mathematics and an MSc in Software Engineering. I like to work. I had exactly one week between finishing my education in 1997 and starting work. > > An unfortunate problem with Type 1 diabetes is the need for regular insulin injections. Without these I will die. Not “have a crap life” or “be a bit unhappy”. I will die. > > If I was to get a job in the US and move there, a “proper job” if one wishes to use those sort of terms, what would be my options for healthcare/health insurance? Could I be covered for non-diabetes related things? Could I be covered for diabetes related things? What sort of costs would I be looking at? > > I welcome responses from people of all political persuasions. I’m genuinely interested. I worked for a company that, for one year, wouldn’t insure a co-worker of mine who was diabetic and a double transplant survivor who required anti-rejection meds. Her parents had to help her, and it was extremely difficult for them. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/975 "2009-07-20T17:38:13Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > If I was to get a job in the US and move there, a “proper job” if one wishes to use those sort of terms, what would be my options for healthcare/health insurance? Could I be covered for non-diabetes related things? Could I be covered for diabetes related things? What sort of costs would I be looking at? > > I welcome responses from people of all political persuasions. I’m genuinely interested. A lot of your cost would depend on what insulin(s) you were on. My husband was type II (though also not obese. Type II runs in his family) and his insulins varied from about $20/month to about $500/month. I still have hundreds of dollars worth in the fridge because I hate to throw them out but am not allowed to give them away. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/976 "2009-07-20T17:43:10Z")
**jsgoddess** , you might want to check the expiration dates on those. If I remember correctly, insulin expires after… 6 months? A year? Definitely no longer than a year, even if refrigerated. Knowing that they’re expired might help you to be able to finally chuck them. Then again, my grandfather never did get rid of my grandma’s blood sugar meter. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/977 "2009-07-20T17:45:36Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > A lot of your cost would depend on what insulin(s) you were on. My husband was type II (though also not obese. Type II runs in his family) and his insulins varied from about $20/month to about $500/month. I still have hundreds of dollars worth in the fridge because I hate to throw them out but am not allowed to give them away. You can donate the vials to a pharmacy, county hospital or nonprofit clinic, which can then give them away for you. See [here](http://www.ncsl.org/IssuesResearch/Health/StatePrescriptionDrugReturnReuseandRecyclin/tabid/14425/Default.aspx). ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/978 "2009-07-20T17:48:38Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Don’t people with type I diabetes generally live long healthy lives as long as they have access to insulin and monitor their sugar intake? Provided there are no other huge risk factors (overweight, smoking, etc)? Yes, they do, provided they are diligent in regulating their blood glucose level on a regular basis. If they frequently let it get out of hand, the excess glucose will take its toll on the vessels and organ systems, which can cause an array of health problems, which can reduce life expectancy. To what extent depends on the severity. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/979 "2009-07-20T17:50:59Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Exactly. He has convinced me we shouldn’t give a damn about what other people think. From now on, it will be tyranny by the majority; agreed? Good luck with the gay marriage thing, then. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231/980 "2009-07-20T17:52:19Z")
Even well-controlled type 1 diabetics are at higher risk of complications from the disease, just because it’s impossible to stay in perfect (i.e., non-diabetic) blood sugar control all the time, without being in danger of having severe hypoglycemic episodes. And by severe, I don’t mean, “I feel vaguely punk,” I mean, “I went to sleep and didn’t wake up.” Tight control is a lot easier these days than it used to be, and diabetics can look forward to a long and healthy life if they do maintain strict control, but there’s still elevated risk of complications, pretty much no matter what. And insulin, insulin supplies, blood sugar test strips and meters, and regular visits to the endocrinologist can get spendy all on their own. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231.md?page=48) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anything-else-you-motherfuckers-need/503231.md?page=50)