Health Insurance (Camden, Sweden: sales, how much, unemployment)

[Mooseketeer]

My partner and I live in the UK and are considering moving to the US ( just a thought at this stage), maybe Maine, and we were wondering what you have to pay in the US for decent medical insurance which will cover everything, dental etc.. ? Any websites you can recommend, or particular companies, HMOs etc.. ?

We are trying to find out as much as possible as we realise that things we take for granted in Europe such as free universal medical care, and 32 days paid holidays a year ( plus national holidays !) is non existent in the US so we would need to adjust our potential earnings to cover ourselves .
Any help would be greatly appreciated. The US has such a different way of looking at social benefits, it is quite difficult to figure out what's what.
We don't want to end up destitute just because we didn't do our homework and were too naive !
Thank you for all your help.

[irishmom]

Well if you are employed your company writes the policy with the insurer. So some cover more than others. You will find that what you contribute can vary depending on the coverage provided. Also individual states regulate the insurance industry for that state, there are few federal laws governing all states (but there are some) so again depending on where you live will be different. And average policy here costs the employee around $450 a month in contributions (these are pretax) for family coverage (some employers do offer domestic partner benefits some don't)...copays for visits are $15...copays for drugs are anywhere from $10 for generic to $60 for nonpreferred. We don't have an HMO, because I refuse to need referrals for everything...but HMO's are generrally cheaper. So it's all about what your company's options are and how much you want to pay. As for public programs like medicaid, that's a whole different ball game, but you would have to file with the Social services department to get that.

[skytrekker]

Health care in the USA is very expensive-in fact costs are toxic.
If you are lucky to find an employer who covers costs- you will still pay 20%.

Costs for single payer are very $$$$- and are underwritten by greedy Insurance companies who will rate you according to age, and or pre existing conditions.

[BacktoNE]

There are companies that still offer very affordable group policies but they are getting harder and harder to find. Still, anything is better than nothing.

Maine is not a wealthy State, but the trade-offs are well worth the hard work it takes to live there.

[Elcarim]

I actually have a home-based business marketing a Consumer Driven Healthcare product that is basically a discount medical plan. I had a lady tell me the other day that she was recently quoted $900 a month by Unicare for her family of 4. That's the way things are going in the healthcare arena. If you listened to the last Presidential campaign, you heard the word "healthcare" every time either candidate spoke. It's an overwhelming problem in our country today, and is only going to get worse.

We have a doctor of 30 years in our organization who has been working for the last 10 years or so as a consultant to the medical board. It's his job to study the healthcare industry and advise them. He recently reported at our company training seminar that HMOs will be non-existent within 5 years and PPOs will be so expensive, no-one will be able to afford them. We're steadily working on bankrupting Medicaid and state-funded facilities. Our company's membership base has gone from 1.3 million to over 2 million in just the last 2 years. That growth is greatly due to the rising cost of traditional healthcare. It's crazy! But, good for my business!!!

[Mooseketeer]

Thanks to you all, it does help to get "insider" knowledge before we start to seriously make any plans. To be honest the lack of social benefits is the only thing making us think twice about our move to Maine. I guess for Europeans it seems crazy that health care is not free for all and reasonable paid leave mandatory for employers to provide their employees with. We were shocked speaking to a burger king employee on our last visit that she had no paid vacations, no maternity leave ( minimum 6 months on full pay in the UK, 16 months full pay in Sweden), no wonder she seemed depressed !
It is odd that such a rich country as the US provides so little for its hard working inhabitants. I guess that's how the rich get richer and the poor poorer.

Anyway, thanks for all the help, it gives us a lot to mull over.

[skytrekker]

Moose

I agree totally- sadly to say the USA and even liberal New England is not nearly as 'civilized' as you are in the UK and Europe. America is still a rather primitive nation when it comes for caring about its citizens basic human needs.

The state of Massachusetts has taken steps toward 'Universal Health care' With every citizen by law having to purchase Insurance- however the amount they pay per month will be based on income- not a set rate as adjusted by the Insurance company. Its a good first step- California is going in the same direction. The US Government has to take a much larger role however.

Frankly, at this time I would question any Europeans decision to give up free health care to live here- knowing you could loose that healthcare any time.

[maineboy51]

It is very difficult to afford health insurance in Maine unless you have an employer-provided plan. So, it's all about getting a keeping a good job, or starting your own business that employs a fair number of people. Without employment-provided health insurance, the costs are simply astronomical in Maine. I have heard of prices over $1200 per month for a family of four. In Maine, if you are lucky enough to find a good job with health benefits, you keep it.

Some other states are not nearly as expensive for purchasing private health insurance- that is, if you are in good health. Maine regulates the market with such things as "guaranteed issue"; i.e. it doesn't matter if you are sick or well, the insurers must issue the policy. The net result is that many people go without insurance until they are sick, then buy it. This results in very high premiums and a limited number of companies that will issue health insurance in Maine.

So, bottom line: it's all about a good job.

[Mooseketeer]

Maybe you need another Revolution ! Power to the people and all that, kick some corporate butts and regain control ! I find it appalling that any human being should be deprived of health care or education on financial grounds , especially in such a wealthy nation but having travelled extensively through the States, I remember a lot of poverty ( especially in the deep South), not far removed from third world countries which is so sad and quite shocking to your European cousins.

As mentioned before this is a major obstacle regarding our moving to the US but it is good to hear hard truths sometimes...

We are also considering Canada ( Vancouver) which is a lot more generous with social benefits and possibly easier for Brits too.
Maine is still one of our favourite places on earth but maybe living there means us giving up a bit too much. We enjoy a reasonable standard of living here and I think we would find it really hard if we lost everything to bad health or unemployment.
We had considered buying a B&B ( very Cliche I'm sure, please don't mock the dreams of naive European visitors ) and there is one we really like in Camden but there is so much to consider.

[maineboy51]

If you are considering Canada, then do take a good look. If you like Maine, you'll probably like Canada, because as I've said on other posts, Maine is probably the US state which is most like Canada.

You'll pay higher taxes in Canada, but yes, the taxes up there get you a much more generous health insurance program. To qualify for government-funded health insurance in Maine, you have to be financially destitute. (Which, by the way, can happen easily if you get sick, lose your job and then lose your health insurance!) It is approximately illegal to get a long-term illness in the USA; once you lose your job, you can't afford the insurance, and without the insurance, the medical system can quickly bankrupt you. Last year, my wife fell ill while we were traveling; it was hot and she became dehydrated. We visited an emergency room and (thank goodness we do have health insurance) the total charges run up in just three hours were over $5000. Yes, $5000!

Something does need to be done about the health insurance problem here, but the big money pays off the politicians. The insurance companies and the medical lobby are so powerful here that it is very difficult to effect change. However, it is becoming so intolerable now that maybe something will finally happen after the next election.

I have cousins in Canada and overall I think that they are better off. Their payroll taxes are higher and their sales taxes are higher. But on the other hand, their property taxes are a small fraction of what we pay here, and they don't have to worry about sickness making them into paupers as happens here all too often.