31–40 of 215 posts
This is an inappropriate article for HN.
Unfortunately, you can't comment on his blog, which makes it even worse. Now people feel like they need to post their political views on HN. Not good IMHO.
Silly americans... in my country, it's obligatory to have health insurance and if you cannot afford it, the government will pay your insurance, for god's sake. Not even the most conservative and right-wing politicans who see our freedom in danger when we can't keep fully automatic assault rifles at home anymorehere question this system, because it just makes sense.
Can someone please explain to me the purpose of an insurance company when participation in the pool is mandatory? A policy like this seems like it creates a legislated middle-man that just wastes money.
The provision of the law which stipulates companies must spend 80-85% of premium revenues on healthcare expenses are an obvious giveaway: "you're allowed to make only this much money".
The next steps, after this is settled law (i.e., Republicans stop trying to repeal it), are to narrow those margins, then introduce a national healthcare system for everyone which these insurers must compete with.
It makes even more sense than a single-payer system (which eschews the benefits of competition), but you can bet there will be continuing political drama over healthcare for the foreseeable future...
Even though I've been researching with interest, so far I haven't run across much in the American healthcare system that makes me question my decision (as an American) to move to Denmark. My taxes are higher, but my costs are very predictable, and by design cannot ever bankrupt me: I pay a flat 8% of my income to support the national healthcare system. I won't end up with a charge equal to 20% or 50% or 500% of my in…
Having experienced emergency care in both Denmark and the U.S., this is also the main reason I won't relocate to the U.S. until this is sorted out. I had what was thought to be a broken ankle in Denmark thanks to icy conditions and I was so well looked after, and charged nothing, I was awe inspired and wish there had been some way to pay it back. I sliced a finger in the U.S. and was made to feel like a statistic, wi…
If you're a software engineer or systems administrator or similar type of professional earning a fair living it's not at all uncommon to have completely free health insurance for yourself, and affordable options to cover your family. I haven't worked for a place with an individual premium in 5 years.
Again, not saying the system isn't broken, but rather that there's a reason all Americans aren't vocally supporting the ACA and the president: this is mostly a lower-middle-class-and-below problem
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm Canadian but lets be realistic, there are many things that would cause serious financial hardship due to medical costs in Canada. A friend of mine right now is suffering through intense pain from her teeth that aren't being fixed because she doesn't have money/insurance. She's deciding between healthcare and money. You can also lose your life on a waiting list in Canada. Not much purpose in having $23K in the ban…
Chemo is most definitely covered for me.. just as everything else that would be medically required. http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/msp/infoben/benefits.html#notcov... Nothing you have commented with is based on fact. Edit: OP added a ninja-edit to his comment that included the part about teeth-pain... as my link explains, non-emergency dentalcare is not covered by default.
Most citizens in Canada don't have free (or reduced cost) medication unless they are below the poverty line.
I came out of the hospital with an $800/month medication bill after a diagnosis of colitis, after missing 2 months of work being bed-ridden, while self-employed with no personal health insurance.
In the USA (don't have stats for Canada) there were 4 billion medication prescriptions written by doctors in the USA... in 2011 alone. That equals 13.3 per person (w/ 300 million population) and around $4 billion dollars. Most of those medication bills go to people will serious chronic illnesses and can easily cost >$1000/month.
The effect of paying for medication on a persons financial stability can't be discredited in this discussion.
Hospitals often bill 5x-10x actual costs to make up for the "discounts" that insurance companies force upon them. If you're uninsured and get hit by a huge bill, you need to negotiate with the hospital to bring the amount down. Doubly so, because hospitals have lax tracking of costs, and no one really knows how much your visit really cost. More about this from an actual MD: http://truecostofhealthcare.org/hospital_bi…
Our medical system is the worst of capitalism, and the worst of socialism. Tell me again: Where are the prices?
This is an inappropriate article for HN.
You know what's a huge barrier to entrepreneurship? Needing the insurance that comes with a BigCo job, so you're not ruined financially when your kid gets bit by a bug. I know many people who have this explicit rationale for not founding or joining a startup.
And its terrible reasoning. Existing law already provides for cobra, giving them an 18 month window of coverage in which they can retain your employer's insurance (by paying the full premiums). That's more than enough time to validate an idea and secure insurance in the new company, or fail and spend 6 months finding a new job. Or if you are an engineer, 1 month finding a new job.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Life saving treatment is usually like this all over the world, and in Denmark they will give you a bill unless you're apart of EU, as you'd have the EU health insurance (EHIC), which is free. This card is also valid in countries in the Schengen Area, like Norway, Switzerland and Lichtenstein.
Many countries bill for emergency stays. US emergency rooms definitely send bills, even if it's acute live-saving treatment. Even Canada, which has national healthcare for residents, will bill nonresidents who visit an ER. If you're from another country, you may get away with just not paying one of those bills, because if it's life-saving care they have to provide it before verifying you can pay. But they'll still tr…
Even Canada? Canada by its location would be at acute risk for medical tourism from the US, if it didn't bill for ER treatment. That problem isn't as big for Europe, Australia, etc.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Chemo is most definitely covered for me.. just as everything else that would be medically required. http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/msp/infoben/benefits.html#notcov... Nothing you have commented with is based on fact. Edit: OP added a ninja-edit to his comment that included the part about teeth-pain... as my link explains, non-emergency dentalcare is not covered by default.
The BC government doesn't pay for my insulin. As a type 1 diabetic... yeah, I'd say it is medically required.
http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/pharmacare/generalinfo/generalin...
As a Canadian, I couldn't imagine having to decide between money and healthcare. I don't know how you guys do it... Relevant reading: http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/07/12/how-i-lost-...