How many here have been uninsured?

[Exalya]

With so many people talking about the healthcare debate, I'm just curious as to how many pre-meds on SDN are uninsured or have been (for a significant period of time) in the past.

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[KMFDM]

When I graduated from college in 2008, I was almost immediately dropped from my family's plan.

Spent almost a year without it. Stupid grant-funding stuff meant that I couldn't be a full-time employee for a while, despite the fact I was was working full-time.

 

[locus000]

My insurance kicked me off my plan, right after they saw my $45,000 hospital bill this year, they found some small loop-hole to cancel my plan. I was lucky enough to qualify for another plan so eventually I was cover again, long enough for them to pay my bills.

Being uninsured saves money when you dont get hurt but when you do, you are screwed

 

[MilkmanAl]

I think it's interesting that people associate being insured with having good health care. I'm insured, but I can't really go to the doctor due to my $1000 deductible. It's great if I have something really serious happen, but I can't afford to see doctors whenever I please or even when I need to.

 

[KMFDM]

I think it's interesting that people associate being insured with having good health care. I'm insured, but I can't really go to the doctor due to my $1000 deductible. It's great if I have something really serious happen, but I can't afford to see doctors whenever I please or even when I need to.

Absolutely. I think most people fall into your category, which I really hope is addressed in a major way with whatever plan eventually passes.

These deductibles have gotten absurd.

 

[buffywannabe]

wow I am the only one who picked never uninsured. But actually I am not too certain if I was insured when I was really young...

 

[LiveUninhibited]

I think it's interesting that people associate being insured with having good health care. I'm insured, but I can't really go to the doctor due to my $1000 deductible. It's great if I have something really serious happen, but I can't afford to see doctors whenever I please or even when I need to.

Deductibles are the worst kind of cost sharing. High-deductible insurance is catastrophic coverage and encourages people to skimp on primary and secondary prevention.

So glad I'm now with an employer who has open-enrollment and community rating. No individual policy with experience rating would cover me for a reasonable amount, if at all.

 

[ChiDO]

Deductibles are the worst kind of cost sharing. High-deductible insurance is catastrophic coverage and encourages people to skimp on primary and secondary prevention.

People need to take individual responsibility for their own health. Part of me wants to side with routine visits being an out-of-pocket expense. You have homeowner insurance to cover you for disaster and car insurance to cover you if you get in an accident, but your homeowners won't pay for the TV that stopped working or for the oil change/brake change. Thus, your health insurance coverage should cover you if you break your arm, but not for your physical checkup. And just like your car warranty, if you don't perform the maintenance required (yearly physical checkups), your warranty is void (some penalty for health insurance).

What irritates me the most is people who say they cannot afford health care or their $10 prescription durgs, but walk into the free clinic on their iphone and wearing the newest MJ shoes. We need to promote personal responsibility.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Did you not read my post? That's exactly what I can't afford, and I am covered if I break my arm and require some $10000 surgery. That's all good. It's the $200 office visits that aren't happening. I do "take individual responsibility for my own health" in the sense that I eat healthily and exercise constantly, but if I want a titer drawn or physical or Z-Pak for my sinus infection, I have to shell out a chunk of my food budget for it.

edit: I guess what I'm saying is that people - mostly us pre-meds and young med students - need to understand that there is a world of gray between getting all of your health care free or very cheap and being uninsured. Insurance does not equal good or useful coverage.

By the way, that is a horrible analogy for why basic office visits shouldn't be covered. Health and appliances are absolutely nothing alike.

 

[teenmachinery1]

People need to take individual responsibility for their own health. Part of me wants to side with routine visits being an out-of-pocket expense. You have homeowner insurance to cover you for disaster and car insurance to cover you if you get in an accident, but your homeowners won't pay for the TV that stopped working or for the oil change/brake change. Thus, your health insurance coverage should cover you if you break your arm, but not for your physical checkup. And just like your car warranty, if you don't perform the maintenance required (yearly physical checkups), your warranty is void (some penalty for health insurance).

What irritates me the most is people who say they cannot afford health care or their $10 prescription durgs, but walk into the free clinic on their iphone and wearing the newest MJ shoes. We need to promote personal responsibility.

wow.

 

[teenmachinery1]

I was uninsured during my last two years of college, and I've had to pay for it.

I got mallet finger from basketball. Uninsured, doctors visits, x-rays, splint, ownage.

I had - something pretty serious - for a quarter or two = major ownage. I went to the ER, twice. Trust me, you don't want a bill like this when you're young, unemployed, and in the middle of your education. (well, if i get into medical school I guess I'm just at the beginning..)

None of this is in my app, of course.

 

[PinkIvy08]

I was uninsured fall after graduating until I found employment and their 3 month wait period for benefits ended. It's fine as long as you're healthy and no freak accident happens to you or you don't catch something serious. I was re-insured through my mom during my post-bac prgm (finished in May) and then dropped again Sept. 1 of this year :/ Honestly, lack of health care coverage has been the only downside to "taking time off" after graduation.

What sucks is that I work full-time (for a university nonetheless) and they still haven't responded as to whether or not they're giving us health insurance (since they opted to just not pay us for 6 weeks, I'm going with no...smh). Oh yeah, Cobra costs about $650+ a month, which I legitimately don't have (between applying to med school and not being paid too much to begin with). And I just got a knee injury and have been limping around in pain for a few weeks - hello, natural medicine!

If you see a chick in heels limping around in upcoming interviews, it's me

 

[austinap]

People need to take individual responsibility for their own health. Part of me wants to side with routine visits being an out-of-pocket expense. You have homeowner insurance to cover you for disaster and car insurance to cover you if you get in an accident, but your homeowners won't pay for the TV that stopped working or for the oil change/brake change. Thus, your health insurance coverage should cover you if you break your arm, but not for your physical checkup. And just like your car warranty, if you don't perform the maintenance required (yearly physical checkups), your warranty is void (some penalty for health insurance).

What irritates me the most is people who say they cannot afford health care or their $10 prescription durgs, but walk into the free clinic on their iphone and wearing the newest MJ shoes. We need to promote personal responsibility.

Replacing your TV doesn't make it less likely to be stolen or (in most cases) make it less likely for your house to burn down. This isn't anywhere near an analogous situation.

 

[tjaze]

Replacing your TV doesn't make it less likely to be stolen or (in most cases) make it less likely for your house to burn down. This isn't anywhere near an analogous situation.

what he is saying is that it's time people became responsible for their own healthcare. his analogies are not meant to compare cars/houses with people. they're meant to convey the meaning of insurance (financial coverage when a very expensive situation arises). $100 says most people would rather buy an iphone and a $50/month data plan before spending that total on routine healthcare. people nowadays expect the govt to do everything for them so they can spend all of their money on nonessential goods.

 

[teenmachinery1]

Replacing your TV doesn't make it less likely to be stolen or (in most cases) make it less likely for your house to burn down. This isn't anywhere near an analogous situation.

 

[NightSwim]

After just graduating college in the spring, a number of my friends are uninsured. For those who don't have jobs or go to grad school, I bet many are still on their parents coverage. But if you're not on your parents coverage and you don't have a full-time job that offers health insurance, you really don't want to cough up what's left of your money for health insurance. You're basically forced to take the risk. I have a job. Thank goodness. Can't loose it!

 

[Depakote]

Routine office care is much more cost effective to cover, it's exactly what we should be taking care of.

If we can get someone in and identify their hypertension or diabetes early, get it under control, they're at a much lower risk for a whole host of more catastrophic diseases at a later date. The cost of office visits and medication is much lower over the long run than multiple surgeries and ICU stays when that MI, Stroke, etc hits.

 

[ChiDO]

what he is saying is that it's time people became responsible for their own healthcare. his analogies are not meant to compare cars/houses with people. they're meant to convey the meaning of insurance (financial coverage when a very expensive situation arises). $100 says most people would rather buy an iphone and a $50/month data plan before spending that total on routine healthcare. people nowadays expect the govt to do everything for them so they can spend all of their money on nonessential goods.

Sorry for the confusion in my post, but tjaze has summed it up perfectly. I don't think your TV is the same thing as someone's health, but expecting the government to do everything for us is going down the wrong path.

There was an chain email circulating around a few months ago that showed Michelle Obama who was helping serve food at a homeless shelter and one of the homeless individuals was taking a picture of Michelle serving her food with her Blackberry. Talk about irony.

When you get a chance to go work in free-clinics or hospital ER and see people spend $100s of dollar on unessential items (cell phones, designer shoes/purses, ect) but continue to ignore their health and advice of their physicians is just frustrating.

 

[ChiDO]

Routine office care is much more cost effective to cover, it's exactly what we should be taking care of.

If we can get someone in and identify their hypertension or diabetes early, get it under control, they're at a much lower risk for a whole host of more catastrophic diseases at a later date. The cost of office visits and medication is much lower over the long run than multiple surgeries and ICU stays when that MI, Stroke, etc hits.

I completely agree with this and this would work, however, this is where personal responsibility comes to play. How many of those individuals would buy their perscription drugs (versus paying for their cell phone) or take their medications as prescribed (I stopped taking it because it was an inconvience, made my stomach queezy, ect). That is where the problem lies.

 

[teenmachinery1]

I'm saving my secrets for a deaf man.

 

[NightSwim]

this is where personal responsibility comes to play.

How will promoting "personal responsibility" change anything?

 

[JJMrK]

People need to take individual responsibility for their own health. Part of me wants to side with routine visits being an out-of-pocket expense. You have homeowner insurance to cover you for disaster and car insurance to cover you if you get in an accident, but your homeowners won't pay for the TV that stopped working or for the oil change/brake change. Thus, your health insurance coverage should cover you if you break your arm, but not for your physical checkup. And just like your car warranty, if you don't perform the maintenance required (yearly physical checkups), your warranty is void (some penalty for health insurance).

I agree in theory, but not with the system we have now.

 

[siliso]

We're insured. Still have ~$1000 in unpaid current medical bills, because we have a high deductible and 80/20 after that. Our "Health Savings Account" plan is in fact a Health Debt Account, thanks GWB and consumer choice. I suppose we could have taken personal responsibility and done our daughter's VCUG at home, or saved all of those spare thousands that we light our cigarettes with.

 

[GH253]

Yes, I have been unisured despire being seriously ill, and it doesn't change my beliefs one iota. Healthcare does not suddenly become a right the moment one becomes unisured.

 

[riceman04]

it's funny...technically I am NOT uninsured! However!!!!!!!!!!!!........the stupid insurance company will most likely refuse to cover me for anything that would fit under my "pre-existing condition" for up to 6 damn months!

So I have a freaking pituitary adenoma...specifically called a prolactinoma (since it involves cells in the pituitary responsible for making prolactin). I was diagnosed with this in 2007 while at UPenn. Penn had awesome benefits and I had the opportunity to be treated by one of the leading researchers on pituitary adenomas. I just started medical school here at UCSD...and since over 60 days have passed since I was covered under UPenn's health insurance plan, the insurance company that works with (read: pimps) UCSD to cover its students is refusing to cover me (for at least 6 months).

LOL...well I regularly take a medication called cabergoline that, without medical insurance, costs more than $850 per month. In addition, I meet with an endocrinologist 2x/year and receive a MRI with contrast of my head to ensure the tumor is still shrinking

I have two weeks worth of medication left (from the refill my doc at Penn gave me at the beginning of the summer)...and after I run out I have no idea what I am going to do....

If I do not take the medication regularly my blood prolactin levels will shoot back up to over 1000 (I am around 100 something right now....but the norm for males, especially, is in the teens ), the tumor will grow again, and I will most likely experience debilitating headaches again (ha...this whole problem was the reason why I had to put off applying to med school for one cycle).

Sooooo...technically I have some sort of coverage but my major issue will NOT be covered.

Ohhhh...and I love having to worry about this while trying to adjust to medical school.

Anyways...best of luck to you guys who are applying (and to those studying...already...for the January MCAT)

In the meantime...back to studying I go...first test in 5 days

 

[siliso]

Yes, I have been unisured despire being seriously ill, and it doesn't change my beliefs one iota. Healthcare does not suddenly become a right the moment one becomes unisured.

Right. Either we are a society that bankrupts families with medical bills and rations healthcare based on the wallet biopsy, or we're not. Right now, we are.

 

[riceman04]

I was uninsured fall after graduating until I found employment and their 3 month wait period for benefits ended. It's fine as long as you're healthy and no freak accident happens to you or you don't catch something serious. I was re-insured through my mom during my post-bac prgm (finished in May) and then dropped again Sept. 1 of this year :/ Honestly, lack of health care coverage has been the only downside to "taking time off" after graduation.

What sucks is that I work full-time (for a university nonetheless) and they still haven't responded as to whether or not they're giving us health insurance (since they opted to just not pay us for 6 weeks, I'm going with no...smh). Oh yeah, Cobra costs about $650+ a month, which I legitimately don't have (between applying to med school and not being paid too much to begin with). And I just got a knee injury and have been limping around in pain for a few weeks - hello, natural medicine!

If you see a chick in heels limping around in upcoming interviews, it's me

well I hope I see you!!!!!

We are going to fight if you don't submit an app here...I personally fly out there to fight...

It was weird today when, as I walked out of lab I saw some of the people on the adcomm reading primary statements and secondary essays....kind of surreal...in the sense all my stuff was in that process one year ago....geesh time flies

 

[GH253]

Right. Either we are a society that bankrupts families with medical bills and rations healthcare based on the wallet biopsy, or we're not. Right now, we are.

There is no "we." Society is a non-entity; it's an amalgam of 300 million selfish individuals who go to the polls ever four years to vote on whose money to steal and how to spend it. Society does not bankrupt families- nature does. We can either live in a society that allows men to live their lives in the pursuit of happiness under the condition that they accept the risks inherent in being alive, or we can live under a system that defeats the purpose of life by punishing strength for the sake of weakness.

 

[teenmachinery1]

Right. Either we are a society that bankrupts families with medical bills and rations healthcare based on the wallet biopsy, or we're not. Right now, we are.

"wallet biopsy" = love it!

 

[teenmachinery1]

zzz

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

wow I am the only one who picked never uninsured. But actually I am not too certain if I was insured when I was really young...

Were you born in the U.S.? If so, you probably were insured as a child via Medicaid or a SCHIP plan.

All children in the U.S. are eligible to receive health insurance.

Routine office care is much more cost effective to cover, it's exactly what we should be taking care of.

Holy logic, Batman!!!

You know you're not allowed to actually make sense on SDN.

There is no "we."

"Society" is a non-entity; it's an amalgam of 300 million selfish individuals who go to the polls ever four years to vote on whose money to steal and how to spend it. "Society" does not bankrupt families- nature does.

Go read the Preamble of the Constitution.

 

[GH253]

Go read the Preamble of the Constitution.

While we're on the subject, which amendment authorizes the government to require citizens to purchase insurance?

 

[sustentacular]

...
There was an chain email circulating around a few months ago that showed Michelle Obama who was helping serve food at a homeless shelter and one of the homeless individuals was taking a picture of Michelle serving her food with her Blackberry. Talk about irony.

1.) Cell phones have basically become essential, and even more essential for someone who is homeless.. because they don't have another phone to rely on, and pay as you go phones can be pretty cheap.

2.) Do you think an event such as Michelle Obama serving food at a homeless shelter might draw individuals who are not actually homeless... maybe people just looking to see the first lady and get a picture of her?

3.) There is a program where donated cell phones are given to women who are at risk for domestic violence because even without an active cell phone plan the phone can be used to dial 911 ...and if it has a charge and a camera it can take a picture.

 

[Jolt21]

i was uninsured for a bit growing up. mother kept switching jobs/jobs were too menial to provide insurance. no biggie. just had to be careful. i've never broken anything/gotten seriously ill. **knock on wood**

 

[ChiDO]

1.) Cell phones have basically become essential, and even more essential for someone who is homeless.. because they don't have another phone to rely on, and pay as you go phones can be pretty cheap.

2.) Do you think an event such as Michelle Obama serving food at a homeless shelter might draw individuals who are not actually homeless... maybe people just looking to see the first lady and get a picture of her?

3.) There is a program where donated cell phones are given to women who are at risk for domestic violence because even without an active cell phone plan the phone can be used to dial 911 ...and if it has a charge and a camera it can take a picture.

Well, that might be the case in an ideal world, however, talk to me after you go to clinics and ERs and see this countless times over and over, individuals with the latest high tech gadget but can't buy their medication. You give the benefit of the doubt the first few times, and then it gets old really fast.

Found the chain email:

"Cost of a bowl of soup at homeless shelter $0.00 dollars

Having Michelle Obama serve your soup $0.00 dollars

A homeless person who is receiving government funded meals while taking a picture of the first lady using his $500 Black Berry cell phone... Priceless"

 

[Dr McSexy]

The cost of office visits and medication is much lower over the long run than multiple surgeries and ICU stays when that MI, Stroke, etc hits.

Based on fact or based on assumption?

Of course per individual it's going to be cheaper. But is it truly cheaper to practice defensive and preventative medicine for 250 million+ people when only a small fraction of those people are hospitalized for a serious illness or undergo non-elective surgery or similar?

It could be, but I'm just asking.

 

[premedish]

I think it's interesting that people associate being insured with having good health care. I'm insured, but I can't really go to the doctor due to my $1000 deductible. It's great if I have something really serious happen, but I can't afford to see doctors whenever I please or even when I need to.

You think that sucks. I have a badass insurance policy.... but my deductible is $5000.... So as soon as I find an extra five grand (a year) lying around I will be able to go see the doc.

 

[brooklynblunder]

if you were a child born here, you were insured

however, if you graduated from college, you are out of school, independent and do not have a job that gives health benefits by the january post-graduation, chances are that you are uninsured.

 

[Hoody]

Routine office care is much more cost effective to cover, it's exactly what we should be taking care of.

AND WE HAVE A WINNER!

Well, that might be the case in an ideal world, however, talk to me after you go to clinics and ERs and see this countless times over and over, individuals with the latest high tech gadget but can't buy their medication. You give the benefit of the doubt the first few times, and then it gets old really fast.

Found the chain email:

"Cost of a bowl of soup at homeless shelter $0.00 dollars

Having Michelle Obama serve your soup $0.00 dollars

A homeless person who is receiving government funded meals while taking a picture of the first lady using his $500 Black Berry cell phone... Priceless"

Ever hear of photoshop???

Clearly you have never served uninsured or underinsured people.


Get off your pedestal. And make sure karma doesnt hit you in the ass on the way out (especially if your ass is as big as your head)

 

[JJMrK]

Based on fact or based on assumption?

Of course per individual it's going to be cheaper. But is it truly cheaper to practice defensive and preventative medicine for 250 million+ people when only a small fraction of those people are hospitalized for a serious illness or undergo non-elective surgery or similar?

It could be, but I'm just asking.

Pretty sure he meant on an individual basis.

 

[ChiDO]

AND WE HAVE A WINNER!

Ever hear of photoshop???

Clearly you have never served uninsured or underinsured people.


Get off your pedestal. And make sure karma doesnt hit you in the ass on the way out (especially if your ass is as big as your head)

Talk to me when you get into medical school and start working at clinics.

 

[Hoody]

You don't have to be in medical school to work at clinics that serve uninsured and underinsured people. I've done it for 4 years now.


The air is thin around your pedestal isn't it?

 

[ChiDO]

You don't have to be in medical school to work at clinics that serve uninsured and underinsured people. I've done it for 4 years now.

So you work in this clinic for 4 years and you have never seen individuals who have the latest technology or named brand shoes, yet can't afford to fill their prescription or better yet come to the FREE clinic? Give me a break...

I saw a mom bring in her 2 kids, who were in their teens, to the free clinic as they didn't have insurance. But both kids were on their iphone, one was listing to his ipod, and their mom (with her D&G purse on top of it all) was playing around on her blackberry. (That's at least $300/month in cell phone bills.) And now I am supposed to feel sorry for them that they can't afford the $10 prescription, or better yet, be taxed to oblivion when I get out of residency to provide universal coverage for them?

This is what I was saying previously, personal responsibility. Apparently, everyone in this country expects free handouts and the government to do your work. I did not receive any free handouts nor do I expect to receive any. As much as I disagree with our president, he did say something recently that actually made sense: When he said that it takes hard work to be successful during his school time speech and that YOU need to work hard. Obviously, this message doesn't get through to everyone.

 

[shindotp]

AND WE HAVE A WINNER!

Ever hear of photoshop???

Clearly you have never served uninsured or underinsured people.


Get off your pedestal. And make sure karma doesnt hit you in the ass on the way out (especially if your ass is as big as your head)

Doesn't look like photoshop to me.

And you telling a medical student to serve uninsured people is hilarious. You probably haven't had even 1/100th of the experience he has had with working with the uninsured, yet you claim to know more about serving the uninsured. I have to ask, what the **** do you know?

Seriously, every post of yours sounds like it came from a pretentious 10 year old liberal who has no idea about how the world actually operates. Perhaps it's the overuse of icons in every post that make you seem immature, or maybe it's your blindly idealistic comments.

 

[shindotp]

You don't have to be in medical school to work at clinics that serve uninsured and underinsured people. I've done it for 4 years now.


The air is thin around your pedestal isn't it?

Wow 4 years!?!? Exactly how many hours a week? 2? Please, you're the one on the pedestal. No one gives a s*** about your volunteer work, and it certainly doesn't give you the right to talk like you know more than medical students.

 

[Hoody]

So you work in this clinic for 4 years and you have never seen individuals who have the latest technology or named brand shoes, yet can't afford to fill their prescription or better yet come to the FREE clinic? Give me a break...

I saw a mom bring in her 2 kids, who were in their teens, to the free clinic as they didn't have insurance. But both kids were on their iphone, one was listing to his ipod, and their mom (with her D&G purse on top of it all) was playing around on her blackberry. (That's at least $300/month in cell phone bills.) And now I am supposed to feel sorry for them that they can't afford the $10 prescription, or better yet, be taxed to oblivion when I get out of residency to provide universal coverage for them?

Unfortunately for you, your example is not applicable to the majority of people who are uninsured or underinsured and rely on free clinics for basic and comprehensive healthcare needs. Oh, and that $10 prescription isn't just $10. It will probably cost a lot more if you don't have insurance, yes, even for the generic brands (that is if a generic brand is available). Also, its going to take some $$$ to get that prescription, as in a visit to the doctors office for an exam and follow-ups (which, duh, are not free either).


Now, here is a little scenario for you:

Wal-Mart hires people on at 36-38hrs a week. They do this so that they can refuse health care insurance to millions of their employees who work less than 40hrs a week (so they can make millions in profits obviously). This is common knowledge. These people may be able to afford luxuries like iphones and blackberries (which, by the way, they are offering then at low or free rates these days) but not able to afford healthcare. These people have a right to both luxuries that they can afford with their salaries AND basic effing healthcare. Several of the 3000 clients my clinic serves fall under this category.

Furthermore, no one is asking you do feel sorry for anyone. If you feel such animosity for people while working at free clinics, maybe you should stop working there. It seems like you have too much time on your hands...less criticizing and judging, and more doing. How do you know that the D&G bag isn't fake? Or that those phones weren't gift? Or that the phones are equipet with internet (making the bill 300+ dollars). You don't. So don't assume anything.

 

[Hoody]

Wow 4 years!?!? Exactly how many hours a week? 2? Please, you're the one on the pedestal. No one gives a s*** about your volunteer work, and it certainly doesn't give you the right to talk like you know more than medical students.

Somebody's a wee bit touchy today.....

 

[DrYoda]

Wal-Mart hires people on at 36-38hrs a week. They do this so that they can refuse health care insurance to millions of their employees who work less than 40hrs a week (so they can make millions in profits obviously). This is common knowledge. These people may be able to afford luxuries like iphones and blackberries (which, by the way, they are offering then at low or free rates these days) but not able to afford healthcare. These people have a right to both luxuries that they can afford with their salaries AND basic effing healthcare.

Lol. A right to luxuries. This country is going down the tubes faster by the second.

Luxury-a material object, service, etc., conducive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity: Gold cufflinks were a luxury not allowed for in his budget
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/luxury

 

[Hoody]

This is what I was saying previously, personal responsibility. Apparently, everyone in this country expects free handouts and the government to do your work. I did not receive any free handouts nor do I expect to receive any. As much as I disagree with our president, he did say something recently that actually made sense: When he said that it takes hard work to be successful during his school time speech and that YOU need to work hard. Obviously, this message doesn't get through to everyone.

I actually agree with this. People do need better priority skills and money management skills, life skills, etc. I think that there are definitely people who expect something for nothing and lack any kind of personal responsibility. However, that doesn't mean that all people who use free clinics are this way and they shouldn't be perceived as such.

 

[Hoody]

Lol. A right to luxuries. This country is going down the tubes faster by the second.

You're right....luxury was a bad word to use. But I still think someone who works at wal-mart 38hrs a week has a right to a blackberry or any cell phone even if they can't afford private healthcare insurance. A cell phone could run as low as $45 a month while health insurance could be like $1000+ a month. Big difference...