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.