Your costs are too high?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSjGouBmo0M
Got a Brit/American wedding coming up in the Family soon, so anything like that is great ammo... Thx Rich. :)
>Got a Brit/American wedding coming up
We try not to let that happen, but the laws have been relaxed somewhat.
RC, I was surprised they let him in the country, but he came in while there was a labour govt.
He's not a bad lad, if he has a few strange turns of phrase :)
>He's not a bad lad
From the South, then. Otherwise ....meh.
I was amazed at the cost difference.
Hip replacement almost 10x in the US than in UK.
>I was amazed at the cost difference.
We opted for cheap gasoline, so they make it up on healthcare.
Medical tourism is becoming a financially viable option for many.
Funny RC -- I used to always say "We provide all the defense spending for Western Europe so they can build the schools and hospitals with all the money they don't spend on bombers and tanks" but I've been at a loss since the end of the Cold War.
Now I'll have the cheap gas line.
And then there's this
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/borowitzreport/2013/10/millions-flee-obamacare.html
>funny
I was only half-joking. Rent a mid-size Mercedes and take a 1000-mile drive around western EU and it'll quickly dawn on you that paying for universal healthcare digs into wallets one way or another. I'm sure I funded the citizens of a small town in Spain for a decade or two.
NFFC, Rumbas, Torben & I have spent many hours comparing notes on our respective taxmen. In the end, for the average 'decent income' bracket it seemed like it was a wash.
The Affordable Care Act (Or is it now called Affordable Care Law) is far from ideal.
However, one thing I do like is that people who could not get health insurance now can. I am one of those people.
I am physically fit. I run, walk most places and ride my bike. I have blood pressure on the low end of normal. I do not smoke or have diabetes as many people in this country do. I eat right.
But alas, I take antidepressants (and probably will for the rest of my life.) My dose has not increased in the 5 years I've been taking them. I am stable.
While I have always paid for those out of my own pocket, I was told by several insurance companies that they could not give me health insurance because of this pre-existing condition. I was told if I stopped taking antidepressants for 18 months, they *might* be able to allow me insurance or I *might* be allowed into my state's "high risk" pool.
Let me say that again: my health, which many people would love to have, is considered "high risk."
I think health insurance companies are screaming against this law because they have to take everyone. And frankly, f### em.
Another thing:
In the early 1990's I dated a guy who worked the claims department of Kaiser Permanente in California (Health Insurance place.)
He said that his department was told that all claims on the first instance of request should be denied. Why? 1. Insurance companies can squeeze a few more cents of interest out of the payments sent to them. 2) Because maybe, people wouldn't fight to get their claim paid.
This was back before the "pro consumer" laws of dealing with insurance companies were in effect, and dealing with the insurance company was REALLY difficult to get them to look at your claim again.
That's a great video, I like the series.
Grnidone, I'm with you on that one. It is amazing that it is 2013 and we are still the only first world nation on earth that has a sizable population that can not get health insurance because of pre-existing conditions. This is one point where I think the Brits and Canadians have it right. Frankly, I'd rather have a single payer system instead of the Affordable Care Act, but I think it is a huge step in the right direction.
There are issues with The British NHS, but you know, when you need help... when you are really poorly, they are fantastic.
Almost Every time. But then humans are involved, so it will never be perfect.
I think both grnidone and littleman are on the right track: we do need to insure our citizens with pre existing conditions and this is an evolutionary step towards some sort of single payer system. Affordable Healthcare act will be amended once unforseen problems become apperent.
I've been paying my own health insurance for years, with a huge deductible. My premiums just wentup another $100 per mo. which makes me want to investigate the plans in the ACA, to see if I can get a better deal.
The cool bit, that is little known, is that I don't just have to register and look online, I can go to an insurance broker and have them crunch the numbers and explain it to me. I may well try that.
Anyway, grnidone, good luck, I hope you find suitable coverage!
It's worth noting that even though Canada spends a smaller proportion of its GDP on health care than the US does, we have a longer average life expectancy.
The fact that our basic health coverage does not come and go with our employment status gives Canadians more freedom to do things like switch jobs or start a business. I'm convinced that makes the country more productive as a whole, as well as improving the quality of life for ordinary individuals / families. A Canadian family doesn't need to fear being bankrupted by medical costs.
When I count my blessings Canada's Medicare system is high on the list.
>I'm convinced that makes the country more productive as a whole
Agreed, particularly for the "entrepreneurial class" that is the lifeblood of development, be it tech or otherwise. Back at Wmw when a member would ask about going out on his own one of the first questions was EU or US? If EU, it was probably worth a shot. US? ...massive risk financially, with the cost of insurance being 25-35% of their available income.
Absolutely. My brother went out on his own as a consultant and had more work than he could handle and liked the work, but because of having had thyroid cancer, his insurance cost was $20,000 per year with a $10,000 deductible. He ended up taking a job with one of his clients.
I often explain it like this. Every system has its problems, but if I were trying to design the dumbest possible system for funding health care, I would set up like this:
- your insurance is tied to your job. lose your job and you lose your insurance
- it's prohibitively expensive to get insurance without a large company behind you unless you're very healthy and don't really need insurance expect in event of accident.
- costs are hidden because you have no idea how much your insurance actually costs your company who passes that cost onto you in the form of lower wages
- if you can't afford insurance, you're cut off low-cost preventative care, but you can walk into an emergency room and get care for the same issue at ten times the cost and force everyone who does have insurance to pay for it.
That's quite a system!
I have a younger brother, 58, who is disabled. I've been dicking with the HealthCare.gov application process for 3 days now. With 19 years of experience hanging crappy websites, I believe I am exceptionally qualified to judge crappy websites ...damn! this is one fucked up mess!
<added>
Looks like they have chatbots for help:
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[3:14:49 pm]: Welcome! You're now connected to Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat.
Thanks for contacting us. My name is Aidris. To protect your privacy, please don't provide any personal information, like Social Security Number, or any other sensitive medical or personal information.
[3:15:06 pm]: RC
ok
[3:15:19 pm]: RC
I have been phone verified by Experian but my application still says I must upload documents. When I try to upload a 65k .jpg file of my drivers license it gives an error message and says try again.
[3:16:05 pm]: Aidris
Hello. How may I help you?
[3:16:20 pm]: RC
I have been phone verified by Experian but my application still says I must upload documents. When I try to upload a 65k .jpg file of my drivers license it gives an error message and says try again.
[3:16:47 pm]: RC
Repeat tries also fail
[3:18:37 pm]: Aidris
Thank you for your patience.
[3:19:07 pm]: Aidris
Thanks for your interest in the Health Insurance Marketplace. We have a lot of visitors trying to use our website right now. That is causing some glitches for some people trying to create accounts or log in. Keep trying, and thanks for your patience. You might have better success during off-peak hours, like later at night or early in the morning. We'll continue working to improve the site so you can get covered!
[3:19:46 pm]: Your chat session is over. Thanks for contacting us, and we hope we've answered your questions. Have a great day.
[3:19:46 pm]: 10/4/2013
OMG. Seriously, RC, that is one of the worst things I've seen!
we have doctors receptionists which do largely the same thing :)
Seriously - thats not good.Although with (presumably) millions of people trying they were always going to have load issues
I have a big family and two minor pre-existing conditions, at one time I was paying $1,400/month for coverage with a very high deductible and the only reason why I was able to qualify for that insurance was because I carried it over from a previous employer.
One thing we did that helped cut our rates was to form a small business in my wife's name and then have her higher me. This way we qualified under a group plan even though the group was essentially one family coverage. I don't know if this would work in every state, but it works in California. Rates were basically cut in half. Talking to an insurance broker it looks like our rates will be reduced under the ACA and that we won't have to do this approach anymore.
RC a lot of states set up their own ACA sites. Though, I bet most of the red states don't.
California's: https://www.coveredca.com/
NC did not sign up for the medicaid expansion so we use the federal exchange and website.
'Healthcare' is all about money and politics.... and when it comes to politics, I am eclectic, and take from both sides of the isle. In the last 5 years or so, you will see me side more with Ron Paul, than either party. But here I think I'm on my own...
I think a government should:
1.) Ensure that its constituents are free to do whatever they want, as long as it doesn't affect anyone else's rights, or the environment.
2.) Offer 'free' education to its citizens, of all ages.
3.) Protect the environment for future generations/No 'Tragedy of the Commons'
4.) Offer a stable organization/network/framework upon which to operate
5.) Pay for 'free' healthcare for those in need, by allowing the person to choose their provider, from among non-profit companies with contracts with the govt, at fixed and agreed up rates, for services rendered. This would ensure that providers who do a good job will get business, and those that don't fall out of the system.
...
RC:
I past that info on "from an anonymous source" to my anonymous friends in California.
Blue Cross PLANS to increase Ruth Ann's premium by $200 per month and increase her deductible by $1000
MOTHER Fxxxxxxxxxx
New thread...off topic.
We don't need no STINKING maternity coverage !