Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

bloomberg.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 132 posts

Re: What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

#91

Post by NicoJuicy »

devereaux wrote: post #12

I have the best insurance money can buy: a plane ticket to %anycountry (business class if needed) Cost of emergency endoscopic shoulder surgery in a private for-profit hospital in France, when totally uninsured, and paying by credit card: 1900 Eur - including anesthesiologist fee, surgeon fee, facility fee, radiology, drugs, private room etc. So around $2200 total, done the same day, after being arranged by phone. It…

"an educated decision", so you have cancer and spent 9 months abroad for a recurring visit for chemo.

Naming yourselve "educated" is a far stretch. Unknowing would be more appropriate.

Re: What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

#92

Post by devereaux »

FireBeyond wrote: post #81
devereaux wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My spouse had a trip to the ER at one of the most expansive hospital in Spain: 700 Eur, so about $900, all inclusive (radiology + seeing 2 doctors + bandages + the various fees they sprinkle the bill with). Top service. No delay. No hassle. They even provide a translator to follow you around in the hospital and make sure you get a great experience and come back again. Considering the medican income in Spain in around…

The other thing to note is that travel insurance is typically "Only for emergency care while traveling". You cannot use it to travel abroad for non-emergent surgery, nor for anything that might require LTC (long term care).

This is exactly the goal. I would never use medevac option for non emergency care.

My plan is local insurance for non resident for normal non emergency care (we pay for flights) + the option for repatriation in case of emergency surgery required abroad

Re: What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

#93

Post by AndrewKemendo »

SolaceQuantum wrote: post #7

I've tried to understand the circumstances preventing socialized medicine in america. I understand there are arguments against socialized medicine, but they make no sense to me on their face (eg. the idea that long wait times would occur, when wait times for USA and wait times for other first world countries with socialized medicine isn't very differe. The idea that socialized medicine would cause less medicine resea…

It's not a rational argument so it can't be understood from that lens.

Re: What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

#94

Post by NicoJuicy »

devereaux wrote: post #56
onychomys wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's going to be rough on you if you're hit by a car in Chicago and you only have insurance in France. There's a world of difference between emergency endoscopic surgery and a trip to the ED (or ER, or A&E, or whatever your country calls it).

My spouse had a trip to the ER at one of the most expansive hospital in Spain: 700 Eur, so about $900, all inclusive (radiology + seeing 2 doctors + bandages + the various fees they sprinkle the bill with). Top service. No delay. No hassle. They even provide a translator to follow you around in the hospital and make sure you get a great experience and come back again. Considering the medican income in Spain in around…

Proof it, your comments seem delusional. As someone mentioned below, even a ambulance in Chicago costs more than your "educated" decision.

Re: What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

#95

Post by NicoJuicy »

TheLuddite wrote: post #15
devereaux wrote: post #12

I have the best insurance money can buy: a plane ticket to %anycountry (business class if needed) Cost of emergency endoscopic shoulder surgery in a private for-profit hospital in France, when totally uninsured, and paying by credit card: 1900 Eur - including anesthesiologist fee, surgeon fee, facility fee, radiology, drugs, private room etc. So around $2200 total, done the same day, after being arranged by phone. It…

That's a good idea, but what if you cannot travel because of your health?

Do the math/research yourselve, it's not getting the same results.

Even repatriation is only when you are travelling, not going abroad for visiting a hospital.

Re: What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

#96

Post by NicoJuicy »

ahakki wrote: post #68
TheLuddite wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks, that's really surprising...not the stiff upper lip...but the repatriation. I thought it's only for people with residence + VIP client in a bank or something.

Rega offers the service for 25.- a year iirc https://www.rega.ch/en/about-us/faq.aspx?kid=56&gid=250#Frag...

> If travellers have a medical problem while they are abroad.

Just when you are travelling with them in the first place... Not for this use-case, where your fall ill in your home country.

And, nothing there says they will pay you back fully.

Re: What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

#97

Post by NicoJuicy »

devereaux wrote: post #71
henrikschroder wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're basically saying "fuck you, I got mine". Yes, medicine is a business, an industry, and obeys the same rules as other businesses. But the goods it produces, "healthcare", are not like other goods. Demand is infinite, supply is scarce, and on a national level it makes sense to make sure it is distributed on a needs basis instead of a can-afford basis, because that leads to a healthier and more productive populat…

> it makes sense to make sure it is distributed on a needs basis "to everyone according to their needs" - that reminds me of some political movement! Joke aside, I just disagree. It is not the "FYGM" you said. It is reasoning about the problem. Some countries have higher costs. Some have lower cost. Specialization of labor is wonderful - everyone gets richer, even if a country has a net advantage in productivity in a…

It's cheap enough in Belgium, I can stay here.

Others won't go broke even, since the social system supports this...

That's the entire discussion of the article...

I don't even understand how your can also use Belgium wrong, in using it as an argument...

Your previous comment related "common healthcare" to IT-salaries, last time I checked, this isn't anywhere related.

None of your arguments make any sense.

Did you even read anything? All your arguments prove that the US healthcare is flawed, so I don't know why you are even arguing with me.

Re: What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

#98

Post by SamReidHughes »

heydonovan wrote: post #29
ravenstine wrote: post #4

This might be a bit of a tangent, but I'll throw in my perspective as one of those who has been "risking it" for the last 4 months or so. (I won't go into why I'm risking it unless asked) I think it's difficult for a lot of people to justify paying a lot for things that don't provide much of a tangible/measurable benefit. Ideally, insurance would cover a person if something catastrophic happens, but otherwise it's di…

I know this has to do with health insurance, but I feel the same with auto insurance as well. It still feels like burning money. For example, I've been paying about $120/month for car insurance since I was 18, give or take. Never been in an accident. That's about $14k I've given to an insurance company for literally doing nothing.

You should go liability only.

Re: What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

#99

Post by onething »

SolaceQuantum wrote: post #7

I've tried to understand the circumstances preventing socialized medicine in america. I understand there are arguments against socialized medicine, but they make no sense to me on their face (eg. the idea that long wait times would occur, when wait times for USA and wait times for other first world countries with socialized medicine isn't very differe. The idea that socialized medicine would cause less medicine resea…

>...(eg. the idea that long wait times would occur, when wait times for USA and wait times for other first world countries with socialized medicine isn't very differe

Do you have a citation for that?

>...The idea that socialized medicine would cause less medicine research and advancements, when increasingly medicine advancements are coming from countries with socialized medicine-

Can you expand on that? What medical advancements are increasingly coming from countries with socialized medicine? The usual argument is simply that since the US doesn't have the price controls on drugs, that companies make a good deal of their profits from the US market.

Re: What We Learned from a Year of Americans ‘Risking It’ Without Insurance

#100

Post by krapp »

nopriorarrests wrote: post #90
krapp wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Supporting Trump even when he bans bump stocks when one would oppose Democrats doing the same, and believing Democrats will always be worse than Republicans on gun control, is the definition of partisanship. The actual truth is both parties believe in gun control and both parties believe in the Second Amendment. One side just panders to gun owners and the NRA more than the other.

What are their options? Form a third party? And, tbh, democrats do not hold NRA in high regard, so thinking that they always be worse on gun control sounds like a reasonable assumption to me. I mean, I get your point, but guns does not illustrate it well.

I'm just saying, the non-partisan choice would be to treat Trump or any Republican the same as any Democrat, based on their actions and not their affiliation.

As far as their options, it depends on what they want. If they want the complete repeal of all gun laws... no lawmaker is going to support that. Everything else is a matter of negotiation, though.

Post reply on HN