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Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

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Re: Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

#31

Post by lotusleaf1987 »

rikthevik wrote: post #30

I've heard too many horror stories (and from people with supposedly good insurance) to consider moving from Canada to the States. Illness in the family is hard enough without a serious likelihood of bankruptcy. The Canadian system certainly has issues, but for the most part I think it works okay. Can any other Canadians comment on their experiences? Are there any who would prefer American-style healthcare?

Pfff...are you kidding me? Let me give you an example I have mid to mid-premium insurance. I went to a new dentist a while back and he tells me he needs to take xrays which seems normal, only this time the xrays go on, and on, and on. He takes 32 x-rays of my teeth (while I am asking if this is absolutely necessary and he continues to say 'yes, yes it is'). My insurance company denies the bill, passes it on to me for $10 per xray (they covered 8).... Another time I went to the doctor for an ingrown hair, had them give me a cortizone shot and got a bill for "surgery" for $200. It's highway robbery and there's nothing you can do about it. Most Americans just put up with it because they don't know what else to do. You pay for insurance and then the insurance doesn't even cover basic stuff like it should, they try to get you to get so frustrated that you'll give up and just pay it. It's a broken, horrible, frustrating system.

Re: Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

#32

Post by nl »

akl wrote: post #25
aquila wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I fully expect the Republicans to come into the majority in the November elections, and for McCain and Mitch McConnell to keep their shrill promise to gut the Obama healthcare law of its protections. And oh yes, I am a conservative republican.

I find your comment confusing. Do you believe they should be trying to gut the Obama healthcare laws?

I think that anyone who uses the word "shrill promise" to describe something usually doesn't agree with what they are saying.

Re: Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

#33

Post by tdfx »

lotusleaf1987 wrote: post #31
rikthevik wrote: post #30

I've heard too many horror stories (and from people with supposedly good insurance) to consider moving from Canada to the States. Illness in the family is hard enough without a serious likelihood of bankruptcy. The Canadian system certainly has issues, but for the most part I think it works okay. Can any other Canadians comment on their experiences? Are there any who would prefer American-style healthcare?

Pfff...are you kidding me? Let me give you an example I have mid to mid-premium insurance. I went to a new dentist a while back and he tells me he needs to take xrays which seems normal, only this time the xrays go on, and on, and on. He takes 32 x-rays of my teeth (while I am asking if this is absolutely necessary and he continues to say 'yes, yes it is'). My insurance company denies the bill, passes it on to me for…

I recently had something similar happen to me. I've got an individual PPO plan and my "routine checkup" was over $400. It was less than 15 minutes long... insurance company notified me that I am responsible for $171 beyond the $30 co-pay that I was required to pay at the checkup. I'm not sure sure whether to blame the insurance or the doctor, as both are clearly screwing people out of money.

Re: Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

#34

Post by tdfx »

xlorm wrote: post #28
stonemetal wrote: post #3

Health insurance costs me a little over 200 a month(pre income tax) to cover my family(full health, vision and dental). The homeless people thing is much harder to quantify. What do you mean by homeless people everywhere? I was 30 before I ever ran across anyone actually sleeping on the street. There are however homeless shelters were anyone can walk in off the street for a place to stay temporarily.

Where were you living before you were 30?

Definitely not in DC.

Re: Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

#35

Post by all »

anamax wrote: post #29
all wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Note that US GDP is also significantly higher. Maybe I am missing something, but this should mean that the US can afford to do more. No? >No, military spending doesn't account for the difference. I didn't say anything about military spending. Where is that coming from?

> Maybe I am missing something, but this should mean that the US can afford to do more. No? It implies that spending a larger fraction of GDP on healthcare can be acceptable, but you suggested that spending a larger fraction of gdp on healthcare was a bad thing. So, what do you have in mind by "do more"? (Of course, being able to afford to do more and actually doing more are very different.) > >No, military spending…

Okay, I think I see where you are coming from. Let me clarify what I said.

> you suggested that spending a larger fraction of gdp on healthcare was a bad thing.

I was probably in a rush when I wrote 'do more' and so apologise for any confusion. My meaning was not communicated well. If the data say anything, it is that the way the money is spent counts more than how much money is spent. That being said, getting the medical establishment and Big Pharma to take a pay cut is a Herculean task.

> "military spending" is the typical reply

I suppose for some it is, and the US does spend plenty on war. But I would agree with what I understand as your underlying point: The money needs to be spent better before more money is spent on anything.

Re: Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

#36

Post by davidw »

aquila wrote: post #16

Recomendation: Come check out Vienna Austria first. I am a "U.S. Citizen", "born in the USA", whose parents were also "born in the USA". I moved my family to Vienna, Austria 8 years ago. I have for 4 years, owned and operated my own business, a GmbH here. Vienna. The #1 city in the world 2 years in a row. http://www.mercer.com/qualityoflivingpr#City_Ranking_Tables First U.S. City, HONOLULU is at #31 with San Francisc…

My wife and I found the health care in Austria to be excellent too.

Here in Italy, it's good, but a bit 'drab' - the doctors know what they're doing, but sometimes the settings are not so nice, if that makes sense. Whereas in the US, you might get a room to yourself, or with one other person, you might have to share with more people here, and perhaps have fewer amenities.

However, like others have said, there's a huge peace of mind factor. I don't have to worry about insurance at all here. Job, no job, whatever, you get health care, end of story.

It's one thing that makes me quite nervous about going back to the US.

Re: Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

#37

Post by anamax »

all wrote: post #35
anamax wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Maybe I am missing something, but this should mean that the US can afford to do more. No? It implies that spending a larger fraction of GDP on healthcare can be acceptable, but you suggested that spending a larger fraction of gdp on healthcare was a bad thing. So, what do you have in mind by "do more"? (Of course, being able to afford to do more and actually doing more are very different.) > >No, military spending…

Okay, I think I see where you are coming from. Let me clarify what I said. > you suggested that spending a larger fraction of gdp on healthcare was a bad thing. I was probably in a rush when I wrote 'do more' and so apologise for any confusion. My meaning was not communicated well. If the data say anything, it is that the way the money is spent counts more than how much money is spent. That being said, getting the me…

> That being said, getting the medical establishment and Big Pharma to take a pay cut is a Herculean task.

Apart from the obvious cases of fraud (which seem to be concentrated on govt programs) and reducing some of the monopolies (including things that should be OTC), it's not clear that they're significantly overpaid. (Yes, I know about the "marketing" argument, but that includes free drugs to poor people and it's how folks find out that what they have is treatable. I see both as good. And allowing old people to have sex is a good thing.)

We want people buying Cadillacs (and Mercedes) because that's how we get good things in Toyotas.

A lot of US health spending is triggered by things that are outside the healthcare system. The only thing that the healthcare system can do is refuse coverage, and no one will admit to that.

Re: Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

#38

Post by phaedrus »

_delirium wrote: post #13
Lewisham wrote: post #12

Even after all other factors that are mentioned already, the one significant difference I feel (having come to the US from the UK) is one of constant fear. Can I afford to go to the doctor with my co-pay? If something bad happens to me, will my insurance company look after me, or do whatever they can to ensure they don't pay out? If I get a terminal disease, will the co-pay for the medication I need to live as long a…

Yeah, this is the biggest issue for me too (as an American who hasn't lived anywhere else). In particular, the tying to your employment status makes everything complicated and coverage uncertain for everyone except career employees who stay with one firm. For example, I switched from a full-time student to part-time for one semester in grad school. Oops, this means I don't get the student health insurance anymore and…

Can't upvote this enough.

On NPR an economist said that one thing that makes the US economy different (in a good way) from the EU economy is the extreme mobility of our workforce - that when times are tough, a reasonable portion of US people can and will pack up and move to a state where they can find jobs. If that is true, conversely isn't the effect of having health insurance so tightly coupled to employment equally detrimental? I mean it just blows my mind that we tie employment and healthcare together.

Re: Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

#39

Post by all »

anamax wrote: post #37
all wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, I think I see where you are coming from. Let me clarify what I said. > you suggested that spending a larger fraction of gdp on healthcare was a bad thing. I was probably in a rush when I wrote 'do more' and so apologise for any confusion. My meaning was not communicated well. If the data say anything, it is that the way the money is spent counts more than how much money is spent. That being said, getting the me…

> That being said, getting the medical establishment and Big Pharma to take a pay cut is a Herculean task. Apart from the obvious cases of fraud (which seem to be concentrated on govt programs) and reducing some of the monopolies (including things that should be OTC), it's not clear that they're significantly overpaid. (Yes, I know about the "marketing" argument, but that includes free drugs to poor people and it's h…

>A lot of US health spending is triggered by things that are >outside the healthcare system.

Can you give examples of this?

Re: Ask HN: Is USA that bad when it comes to health insurance, etc?

#40

Post by stonemetal »

xlorm wrote: post #28
stonemetal wrote: post #3

Health insurance costs me a little over 200 a month(pre income tax) to cover my family(full health, vision and dental). The homeless people thing is much harder to quantify. What do you mean by homeless people everywhere? I was 30 before I ever ran across anyone actually sleeping on the street. There are however homeless shelters were anyone can walk in off the street for a place to stay temporarily.

Where were you living before you were 30?

Texas( various cities including a few big ones like Dallas).
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