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The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

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Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#71

Post by mancerayder »

jazz3k wrote: post #28
OldSchool wrote: post #10

I worked as consultant at a major west coast-based health insurer in 1993. A family plan, that is, two adults plus any number of children, was $300/month; a figure that wasn't far off from the cost of a studio or 1 BR apartment at that time anywhere but the most expensive coastal cities. Today, that family plan, even as a HMO, can easily be $3000/month. I would guess that mythical apartment is maybe $1200/month now.…

I'm not sure where you live, but I'm a consultant and buy my own health insurance for a family of 4. I pay around $1200/month. This includes doctor visits and prescriptions. My wife had both of our kids on this plan and my deductible was $3,000. "So what happened Health Care" Health insurance stopped being insurance when the government forced them to cover everything. You are paying for risks that will never apply to…

> Health insurance stopped being insurance when the government forced them to cover everything. You are paying for risks that will never apply to you.

Your entire message is extremely localized to your state. In New York State, the state marketplace a, are only HMOs with limited networks, b, are expensive with high deductibles, c) don't have all that much coverage. In California, by contrast, the plans are a lot more extensive.

In many states, no one pays 1200 a month for a family. My COBRA would be 1200 a month, and if I went with a marketplace plan probably closer to 800. Me. Alone.

And yes, paying for risks that don't apply to you is how insurance has to work, or the insurance companies go bankrupt.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#72

Post by mancerayder »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #17
OldSchool wrote: post #10

I worked as consultant at a major west coast-based health insurer in 1993. A family plan, that is, two adults plus any number of children, was $300/month; a figure that wasn't far off from the cost of a studio or 1 BR apartment at that time anywhere but the most expensive coastal cities. Today, that family plan, even as a HMO, can easily be $3000/month. I would guess that mythical apartment is maybe $1200/month now.…

Because your 1993 health insurance covered far less. There was no out of pocket maximum, you were denied for pre existing health conditions, and a surprise bill could show up anytime. Now, you can buy health insurance even if you know your anemic kid will need $1.5M of treatment in the year, and it will only cost you ~$10k to ~$15k per year. To be clear, today’s health insurance premiums are not premiums either, they…

All fine. The only part that I have trouble with in your message is the 1.5M number. Why should something like anemia cost 1.5M a year of treament? And out of that 1.5M a year to the hospital, how much goes to:

a) administration b) health care claims administration (a huge %age of the gap) c) private equity profit numbers

Do we even know? Is it ruly worth 1.5M?

I ask because an MRI costs thousands in the U.S. And if I go oversees and pay out of pocket it costs something like $300 out of pocket - and I'm talking the U.K. here, not Turkey or Mexico. How do you explain that?

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#73

Post by xhkkffbf »

mancerayder wrote: post #70
arn3n wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s the DSA. Organized resistance to the cost of living crisis in NYC has been mostly organized through them, to great popularity.

The DSA has a narrow agenda: Israel is number one, second is immigration, racial and gender issues, maybe a distant other wish is actual socialist principles. In other words, it truly feels as though the left in the U.S., just as the right has done for years, narrowly focuses on culture and social issues... When economic issues should be the focus. "The rent is too high" stuff in NYC is just dressing - they only touc…

Can anyone explain why they're so excited about immigration? It means downward pressure on wages and upward pressure on rents. Yet they claim they're doing it for the good of the current US residents. I can't figure it out.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#74

Post by xhkkffbf »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #56
theoreticalmal wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’d revolt? Against what?

America’s flavor of Capitalism, through politics and policy, to center the human over capital. (Socialism support is ~62% of the under 30 cohort, and 2M voters 55+ age out every year, progress is a function of time and electorate turnover, with progress visible via observing outcomes at election milestones) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46529387 (citations)

The easiest way to do this is to leave the US. Why not go to Cuba? Or Venezuela? Or Russia? The options are out there.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#75

Post by sillyfluke »

xhkkffbf wrote: post #74
toomuchtodo wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America’s flavor of Capitalism, through politics and policy, to center the human over capital. (Socialism support is ~62% of the under 30 cohort, and 2M voters 55+ age out every year, progress is a function of time and electorate turnover, with progress visible via observing outcomes at election milestones) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46529387 (citations)

The easiest way to do this is to leave the US. Why not go to Cuba? Or Venezuela? Or Russia? The options are out there.

Well, if you enjoy Trump era corruption, authoritarian strongman rule, and a great chasm between the haves and the have nots you can go to those countries as well. The options are open.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#76

Post by lux-lux-lux »

mancerayder wrote: post #70
arn3n wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s the DSA. Organized resistance to the cost of living crisis in NYC has been mostly organized through them, to great popularity.

The DSA has a narrow agenda: Israel is number one, second is immigration, racial and gender issues, maybe a distant other wish is actual socialist principles. In other words, it truly feels as though the left in the U.S., just as the right has done for years, narrowly focuses on culture and social issues... When economic issues should be the focus. "The rent is too high" stuff in NYC is just dressing - they only touc…

Really? Because in practice DSA candidates seem very focused on bread and butter issues like affordability, housing, and M4A.

Like, Mamdani was the only NY Dem not talking about Israel, your description is seriously baffling.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#77

Post by mancerayder »

lux-lux-lux wrote: post #76
mancerayder wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The DSA has a narrow agenda: Israel is number one, second is immigration, racial and gender issues, maybe a distant other wish is actual socialist principles. In other words, it truly feels as though the left in the U.S., just as the right has done for years, narrowly focuses on culture and social issues... When economic issues should be the focus. "The rent is too high" stuff in NYC is just dressing - they only touc…

Really? Because in practice DSA candidates seem very focused on bread and butter issues like affordability, housing, and M4A. Like, Mamdani was the only NY Dem not talking about Israel, your description is seriously baffling.

Everyone in his entourage was talking about Israel as one of their top activist concerns, including his wife, and the new folks he just helped get elected. And he made notable 'statements' by avoiding certain events and other things.

That's entirely besides the point - the folks who voted for him voted for him in part because of his Israel stance. I'm sure you know he's in the DSA, and the DSA https://www.dsausa.org/statements/until-palestinian-liberati....

I hope with an open mind you are no longer 'seriously baffled.'

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#78

Post by lux-lux-lux »

tedggh wrote: post #46

It seems that per sf house prices haven’t gone up that much. We romanticize the idea of older generations being able up afford a home, but those houses were a lot smaller than they are today, the average size I think was around 1500 sf, and a family of 5 lived there. Cities were also not as livable as they are today. Take for example NYC in the 1970s and 80s, where a young photographer could afford an apartment in Ma…

Reminder for any ‘houses used to be smaller’ rationalizations of home prices that the median homebuyer is now in their late fifties; these are rich people with decades of inflated wealth buying rich people goods, not a shift in preferences by younger homebuyers.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#79

Post by lotsofpulp »

mancerayder wrote: post #72
lotsofpulp wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because your 1993 health insurance covered far less. There was no out of pocket maximum, you were denied for pre existing health conditions, and a surprise bill could show up anytime. Now, you can buy health insurance even if you know your anemic kid will need $1.5M of treatment in the year, and it will only cost you ~$10k to ~$15k per year. To be clear, today’s health insurance premiums are not premiums either, they…

All fine. The only part that I have trouble with in your message is the 1.5M number. Why should something like anemia cost 1.5M a year of treament? And out of that 1.5M a year to the hospital, how much goes to: a) administration b) health care claims administration (a huge %age of the gap) c) private equity profit numbers Do we even know? Is it ruly worth 1.5M? I ask because an MRI costs thousands in the U.S. And if…

> Do we even know? Is it truly worth 1.5M?

I don’t know what worth means, but the price is the price. I can see all the bills that the insurance company pays the hospital, and the hospital collects $80k per dose of medicines like

https://www.asparlas.com/

And $100k+ for

https://www.blincyto.com/

And $10k to $15k for other infusions (can happen two times per week).

The hospital is owned by the government.

In general, pharmaceutical companies have huge profit margins and profits, and doctors earn a decent amount of money in the US, especially specialists. Also, liability is huge in the healthcare space, with awards in the millions and tens of millions.

>How do you explain that?

Bottom line is a lot of people earn a lot less money in other countries.

Re: The Demoralization of the White-Collar Worker

#80

Post by mancerayder »

xhkkffbf wrote: post #73
mancerayder wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The DSA has a narrow agenda: Israel is number one, second is immigration, racial and gender issues, maybe a distant other wish is actual socialist principles. In other words, it truly feels as though the left in the U.S., just as the right has done for years, narrowly focuses on culture and social issues... When economic issues should be the focus. "The rent is too high" stuff in NYC is just dressing - they only touc…

Can anyone explain why they're so excited about immigration? It means downward pressure on wages and upward pressure on rents. Yet they claim they're doing it for the good of the current US residents. I can't figure it out.

The immigration issue is very much tied to race, for the DSA and much of the Progressive movement. Let us just say it is not Ukrainian immigrants they're losing sleep over protecting.
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