The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth • Hacker News Board

Re: The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth

#11

Post by cronz » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:16 AM UTC

TomMarius wrote: post #5

jstanley wrote: post #2

> Google tells me that the most common reason for hospitalization in the US is childbirth. Thankfully, here in San Francisco, that would only set me back $15,000 Surely this is not true? Does having kids just bankrupt ordinary people in the US or what? I'm not asking about exceptional cases, like what is the normal way of dealing with having to pay $15,000 just to have a baby climb out of your body, when I'm assuming…

It costs around the same in Europe if you don't have insurance. I'm pretty sure it's the same in the USA - this is the rate that would be charged to your insurance company. Rates are way lower for uninsured people if you ask them and tell them that you're not insured (I got a bill lowered 10 times when I broke my hand); and of course most people have some kind of insurance. To the people downvoting: please read prope…

Haha, what? Childbirth costs 0 € in a public hospital

Re: The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth

#12

Post by gambiting » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:17 AM UTC

chrisco255 wrote: post #7

jstanley wrote: post #2

> Google tells me that the most common reason for hospitalization in the US is childbirth. Thankfully, here in San Francisco, that would only set me back $15,000 Surely this is not true? Does having kids just bankrupt ordinary people in the US or what? I'm not asking about exceptional cases, like what is the normal way of dealing with having to pay $15,000 just to have a baby climb out of your body, when I'm assuming…

Assuming you don't have healthcare insurance, which 90% of Americans do, it would set you back around $3000, according to: https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/considering-baby/financing...

But if I understand it correctly, for some unfathomable reason American health insurance policies usually have a deductible on them - so even if you are insured, you could still be paying few thousand dollars out of your pocket, no? That's insane.

Re: The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth

#13

Post by cowsandmilk » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:18 AM UTC

jstanley wrote: post #2

> Google tells me that the most common reason for hospitalization in the US is childbirth. Thankfully, here in San Francisco, that would only set me back $15,000 Surely this is not true? Does having kids just bankrupt ordinary people in the US or what? I'm not asking about exceptional cases, like what is the normal way of dealing with having to pay $15,000 just to have a baby climb out of your body, when I'm assuming…

Health insurance will cover much of it, but more importantly Northern California is overpriced for medical procedures. Boston is $5,000 less and has equally good hospitals. And St. Louis is down at $6,000 and has really good hospitals as well.

I had a friend who got an appendectomy at Stanford that was paid for by Google (she was on business travel, works in the London office) and the price was obscene, far above what should ever be charged, literally 10x what other hospitals charge. That place is crazy.

Re: The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth

#14

Post by mothsonasloth » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:18 AM UTC

In the UK people's savings have been shrinking for the last 10 years.

Its scary how many people are living hand to mouth, and with banks offering crappy interest rates it is no wonder people are spending rather than saving.

cue : rampant consumerism, payday loans, wage stagnation etc.

Re: The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth

#15

Post by noelwelsh » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:18 AM UTC

Modern societies are supposed to be organised for the benefit of all in society (broadly speaking; obviously there are cases when different people have desires that cannot be reconciled). This is why the government usually sponsors education, for example. All of society benefits from an educated population and hence all of society contributes to the cost of that education. This seems to have been lost in the US (and, increasingly, the UK) and is, I think, the root cause of the problems. I believe the start of the problem was the rise of neo-liberalism, holding the market and competition above all else.

Re: The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth

#16

Post by nelsonic » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:18 AM UTC

jstanley wrote: post #2

> Google tells me that the most common reason for hospitalization in the US is childbirth. Thankfully, here in San Francisco, that would only set me back $15,000 Surely this is not true? Does having kids just bankrupt ordinary people in the US or what? I'm not asking about exceptional cases, like what is the normal way of dealing with having to pay $15,000 just to have a baby climb out of your body, when I'm assuming…

There's a reason for the saying: "The Rich get Richer and the Poor get Children". Perversely having children is a "luxury" many people simply cannot afford.

The happiness a "bundle of joy" should bring to the family is often replaced by additional stress of having to work a "better paying" (but often soul-destroying) job to be able to afford the bigger house, school/education, extra curricular activities like sports/music/ballet and eventually college tuition.

Conrad Bastable's well-researched post could easily have concluded that having kids "too early" will bankrupt a family.

The solution/answer is affordable housing. Housing is the single biggest "expense" for all people/families. Which is why it's the problem I want to tackle personally: https://github.com/dwyl/home

The fact that merely giving birth to a child in SF is $15k is mind-boggling. The "Government" needs to fix that or risk population decline catastrophe which will have many knock-on effects!

SF should follow the model from Finland where young parents/mothers are given cash incentives and all FREE healthcare: https://www.kela.fi/web/en/families

Re: The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth

#17

Post by dagw » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:18 AM UTC

chrisco255 wrote: post #7

jstanley wrote: post #2

> Google tells me that the most common reason for hospitalization in the US is childbirth. Thankfully, here in San Francisco, that would only set me back $15,000 Surely this is not true? Does having kids just bankrupt ordinary people in the US or what? I'm not asking about exceptional cases, like what is the normal way of dealing with having to pay $15,000 just to have a baby climb out of your body, when I'm assuming…

Assuming you don't have healthcare insurance, which 90% of Americans do, it would set you back around $3000, according to: https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/considering-baby/financing...

it would set you back around $3000

That's an average. The problem is the huge variance. Also just because you have heath insurance doesn't necessarily mean your insurance will pick up the tab.

Re: The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth

#18

Post by expertentipp » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:19 AM UTC

One clearly hits a salary ceiling and starting from a certain timepoint one becomes only more vulnerable by switching the jobs. One has no means to push back rising prices other than picking something else but sooner or later the prices simply unify upwards.

Re: The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth

#19

Post by sergiosgc » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:19 AM UTC

TomMarius wrote: post #5

jstanley wrote: post #2

> Google tells me that the most common reason for hospitalization in the US is childbirth. Thankfully, here in San Francisco, that would only set me back $15,000 Surely this is not true? Does having kids just bankrupt ordinary people in the US or what? I'm not asking about exceptional cases, like what is the normal way of dealing with having to pay $15,000 just to have a baby climb out of your body, when I'm assuming…

It costs around the same in Europe if you don't have insurance. I'm pretty sure it's the same in the USA - this is the rate that would be charged to your insurance company. Rates are way lower for uninsured people if you ask them and tell them that you're not insured (I got a bill lowered 10 times when I broke my hand); and of course most people have some kind of insurance. To the people downvoting: please read prope…

No. Prenatal care, childbirth and postnatal care are entirely free in Portugal and in most European countries I know of. In Portugal it's both free and either best or second best in world ranking.

Re: The Bermuda Triangle of Wealth

#20

Post by jstanley » Tue, Oct 09, 2018, 10:19 AM UTC

chrisco255 wrote: post #7

jstanley wrote: post #2

> Google tells me that the most common reason for hospitalization in the US is childbirth. Thankfully, here in San Francisco, that would only set me back $15,000 Surely this is not true? Does having kids just bankrupt ordinary people in the US or what? I'm not asking about exceptional cases, like what is the normal way of dealing with having to pay $15,000 just to have a baby climb out of your body, when I'm assuming…

Assuming you don't have healthcare insurance, which 90% of Americans do, it would set you back around $3000, according to: https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/considering-baby/financing...

So is that the normal case? The median birth results in the parents paying $3000? That still seems absurd.

Do most people just decide to do it at home and take the risk?