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Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive

bloomberg.com

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Re: Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive

#131

Post by colechristensen »

peteradio wrote: post #109
bryan11 wrote: post #102

As employers switch to High Deductible Health Plans where insurance doesn't kick in until one has spent a deductible of several thousand dollars, many people are delaying health care in general. A doctor's visit that once cost a co-pay of $30 is now frequently a cash price from $130 to $400, plus more for lab work. With higher costs and much of them unknown in advance, many skip getting things checked until it seems…

I paid 400 dollars to have a doctor tell me to neti pot my nose after having sinus infection for 3 months. Might not be rational but fuck everything about this system. Who is pocketing all this goddamn money?

Malpractice lawyers and insurance, administrative juggling of data and insurance claims, medical equipment manufactures and certification, doctors (by proxy medical schools and loan providers), practices recovering unpaid bills, and real estate owners.

Re: Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive

#132

Post by mac01021 »

everybodyknows wrote: post #36
jedberg wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would like that system, but unfortunately most of our fellow citizens would end up broke come tax time. Most people simply say "I can spend until my bank account is empty". That's why most people choose impound accounts when they get a mortgage. Because they literally can not budget money for the bi-annual property tax bill, so they have the bank take the money every month. It's also why teachers are offered a 10 c…

IRS actually has a documented policy on the "12-check plan": https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/409a_presentation.pdf Wonder how many teachers understand that the net financial effect amounts to a zero-interest loan from themselves back to the school district?

That example teacher is very well compensated.

Re: Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive

#133

Post by refurb »

sjg007 wrote: post #113
anbop wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you expect that a bank teller has their own apartment? Your own apartment isn’t some kind of birthright. I had roommates until I was 27.

I think it is reasonable as a society that we should have options for living alone that are affordable.. or otherwise pay living wages.

Everywhere in the US? Because that’s not a reasonable expectation in places like SF, NYC or even Irvine.

There are plenty of places in the US where a teller making $15/hr could have their own apartment.

Re: Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive

#134

Post by usaar333 »

bryan11 wrote: post #102

As employers switch to High Deductible Health Plans where insurance doesn't kick in until one has spent a deductible of several thousand dollars, many people are delaying health care in general. A doctor's visit that once cost a co-pay of $30 is now frequently a cash price from $130 to $400, plus more for lab work. With higher costs and much of them unknown in advance, many skip getting things checked until it seems…

> many skip getting things checked until it seems absolutely necessary

True, but isn't that the entire point of hdhps, to minimize unnecessary visits?

They still provide no additional cost annual physicals, so you'll get the required yearly screening.

Additionally, many offices have no cost phone or email advice.

I'm personally quite happy with my family HDHP - and it is nice to have additional retirement savings.

But you have to have a savings mindset; many people don't which is what leads to medical spending increases when a refund comes in.

Re: Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive

#135

Post by brudgers »

peteradio wrote: post #109
bryan11 wrote: post #102

As employers switch to High Deductible Health Plans where insurance doesn't kick in until one has spent a deductible of several thousand dollars, many people are delaying health care in general. A doctor's visit that once cost a co-pay of $30 is now frequently a cash price from $130 to $400, plus more for lab work. With higher costs and much of them unknown in advance, many skip getting things checked until it seems…

I paid 400 dollars to have a doctor tell me to neti pot my nose after having sinus infection for 3 months. Might not be rational but fuck everything about this system. Who is pocketing all this goddamn money?

Through no fault of the author, this comment thread explains the trick. The article talks about US health care access but the discussion quickly goes off into the weeds of the US health insurance market. As soon as we start talking about premiums we adopt business language and metrics and abandon medical language and metrics.

All that money is pocketed by businesses run for profit. It's pocketed because it can be. It can be because untreated a sinus infection can kill you. Not a bad business to be in by the standards of business.

Re: Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive

#136

Post by usaar333 »

burlesona wrote: post #118
Mindless2112 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That tax withholding is the only way that many Americans manage to save speaks more to a lack of self-control than anything else. If Uncle Sam can save a lump-sum for you by deducting from your paycheck, you could have done the same (in fact, better) with a bit of resolve and a bank account.

It's not necessarily that simple. I would say that for most Americans who are cash poor, they intentionally do not optimize their taxes to break even, but rather to ensure they never end up owing the government money at the end of the year. The rationale for this is pretty simple. Even if you're poor, $50 a month in extra income isn't going to make or break you, but an unexpected bill for $600 in April can really mes…

It is still better to save an extra $50 in your own bank account than let the government pay you 0% interest in it.

Re: Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive

#137

Post by scarejunba »

iygghnkufdv wrote: post #114
WrtCdEvrydy wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone who has full time job should have some semblance of independence. I'm dreading the day that homes are just owned by your employer so you can keep the slaves working for you forever.

And then we will live in our cars, and they're already enforcing that as illegal too :)

It's not "they" or "the rich" that are doing this. It's your fellow man that you probably vote along side.

Support for the AMA, support for the insurance corporations, local regressive housing policies. This didn't come from some evil lizard overlord.

It came from your friends and neighbours who have arrayed themselves against you. If you don't want to draw battle lines with them, fine, but right now you're fighting shadows.

Re: Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive

#138

Post by scarejunba »

colejohnson66 wrote: post #126
paulpauper wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would not be nearly enough. U.S. health care spending grew 3.9 percent in 2017, reaching $3.5 trillion or $10,739 per person. That exceeds tax federal income tax revenue by about $2 trillion The us govt already spends so much on healthcare.

The problem isn’t that we don’t have socialized healthcare. The problem is that for some reason, healthcare in this country is ridiculously expensive. We can’t have both; only one or the other. If healthcare is too expensive and you socialize it, the government will be bleeding even more money trying to pay for it all.

The answer is obvious: deregulate. Indian surgeons already perform more heart bypasses more often for a tenth the cost with better outcomes.

Down with the AMA. Probably the organization with the most blood on its hands in peacetime America.

Re: Americans Are Delaying Health Care Until Tax Refunds Arrive

#140

Post by danieltillett »

colejohnson66 wrote: post #126
paulpauper wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would not be nearly enough. U.S. health care spending grew 3.9 percent in 2017, reaching $3.5 trillion or $10,739 per person. That exceeds tax federal income tax revenue by about $2 trillion The us govt already spends so much on healthcare.

The problem isn’t that we don’t have socialized healthcare. The problem is that for some reason, healthcare in this country is ridiculously expensive. We can’t have both; only one or the other. If healthcare is too expensive and you socialize it, the government will be bleeding even more money trying to pay for it all.

You do have socialised healthcare - it is called Medicare, Medicaid and VA. You are of course 100% correct that the problem is the cost of USA healthcare, followed closely by its complexity.
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