tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-957257570347188011.post6108905865916611037..comments2023-08-22T01:43:05.915-07:00Comments on The Roaming Rider: Finances....The Evil Step Child of Pet Ownership: Part 1Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03346020257901575574noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-957257570347188011.post-44085028200994940082015-07-07T09:38:59.846-07:002015-07-07T09:38:59.846-07:00Human medicine is very expensive. Insurance is a t...Human medicine is very expensive. Insurance is a tricky thing. If you never have a big bill, then you spent more having the insurance in the long run. This is my first major horse incident, so it was a double hit on both my emotions and my pocket book. Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03346020257901575574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-957257570347188011.post-63956151775189847042015-07-07T07:53:05.210-07:002015-07-07T07:53:05.210-07:00I actually had human colic surgery, and was in the...I actually had human colic surgery, and was in the hospital for 2 days. My price tag for that was $18k outside of Boston at a teaching hospital.<br /><br />I have long decided against insurance for Tristan, and have never really regretted not going for it, honestly. I've been ok to cover his problems (including surgery) in cash, and he has a chronic colic issue that meant many really useful things would've been excluded.<br /><br />Thanks for your honesty and your forthright explanations, though. It's always useful to have transparency.Amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16071037752920853786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-957257570347188011.post-75742112350394428762015-07-07T05:18:03.497-07:002015-07-07T05:18:03.497-07:00Most credit card companies are more than happy to ...Most credit card companies are more than happy to up your limit. Start by calling the cards you already carry and have a good history with. When we adopted Wyatt we had to get money fast and so we called our cards and they upped the limit for us. <br /><br />Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03346020257901575574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-957257570347188011.post-19540938998255548732015-07-07T05:12:02.573-07:002015-07-07T05:12:02.573-07:00Wow...I was figuring my 30K was way low, but with ...Wow...I was figuring my 30K was way low, but with your bill I'm sure this would be around the 100k mark as well. Human medicine jumped off the deep end a long time ago and until people start seeing the bills and understanding the charges it won't change or ever be affordable. Sarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03346020257901575574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-957257570347188011.post-67691284604793580632015-07-07T05:10:10.672-07:002015-07-07T05:10:10.672-07:00That is on my to do list once we get things sorted...That is on my to do list once we get things sorted out againSarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03346020257901575574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-957257570347188011.post-16580896907220881622015-07-06T15:33:03.242-07:002015-07-06T15:33:03.242-07:00Thank you for including the comparison to the huma...Thank you for including the comparison to the human medical side costs. So many people don't bother to look at the cost before insurance. My CT scan + ER visit + sutures on my head with the concussion was $2,000. I was in the hospital 1.5 hrs. Insurance only covered $200 of that. I was honestly expecting the total cost to be more though.<br /><br />I wouldn't do colic surgery, which is why my insurance was not higher. It can be up to $10,000 for major medical/surgical with my insurance company. That will be changing after this...but even then, colic surgery is not an option. I agree with you and Dom: I don't think it's fair to the horse. A horse that has colic surgery will have a 50% chance of needing colic surgery again. Not worth it to me. I got it for this type of insanity that you and I are going through. It had already more than paid for itself with Lily's annular ligament injury 2 years ago. 4 ultrasounds, full rads of the fetlock and hoof, multiple vet visits, a stint with cellulitis in that leg, injectable antibiotics, sedatives...it ended up totalling around $3000 when all was said and done. I paid for $600 of that out of pocket. My yearly premium is $350. I kept her insured after that. Her annular ligament on her left hind (same leg as now!) is excluded, and thankfully this injury was higher up...but that's her only exclusion. If you have Gem insured, the exclusion will only be the part of her hoof that was lacerated. So most of her leg would still be covered. ;)<br /><br />I had this general impression that high limit cards were hard to get, but I've never tried to get our limits greatly increased, so we will be doing that after this.Nicole Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09817619834026667737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-957257570347188011.post-78527463043583023722015-07-06T14:15:31.973-07:002015-07-06T14:15:31.973-07:00Sounds like you and I have similar logic and finan...Sounds like you and I have similar logic and finances when it comes to the horses. I would not put a horse through colic surgery and don't have insurance on my guys. I do have a cc with a very high limit that is sitting mostly empty just in case of emergency. When Herbie got hurt and we got a $1000+ deposit, I was lucky enough to pay it in cash, but with the horses, I would use my credit card.<br /><br />As for human medical costs... Mike had a kidney stone shortly after I broke my leg. He was in the ER waiting room for a few hours, but the second his butt hit the chair in the actual OR, the pain passed. He got an x-ray/ultrasound to confirm the stone, and a referral to another Dr. That's it. The bill came to $20,000 (covered by insurance, but still!!!)<br /><br />As for my broken leg... that was over $100,000....Domhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00139769676714813261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-957257570347188011.post-72501958247426424492015-07-06T12:35:39.734-07:002015-07-06T12:35:39.734-07:00Based on you and Saiph's experiences the past ...Based on you and Saiph's experiences the past two weeks, I too am looking at insurance.Crickethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00834640625999522559noreply@blogger.com