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Old 12-27-2011, 03:05 PM
 
56,988 posts, read 35,198,461 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wapasha View Post
a lot of big businesses, corporations and organizations, would love to unload their medical insurance costs off onto the federal government.
Of course. But i'm describing something different.

In Germany, the corporations don't unload their costs off on the government, but the citizens. The citizens pay into Krankenkasse which is managed by some government agency. And when you're sick, Krankenkasse pays the bills.

Again, the don't force their people into the single payer system....they can opt out and get private insurance. It's a good model.
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Old 12-27-2011, 03:08 PM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
25,947 posts, read 24,745,361 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desertdetroiter View Post
How so?

In Germany, EVERYONE pays in. Then the government pays the bill from that fund. It isn't socialized medicine....the doctors and hospitals are still private.

Furthermore, all Germans can opt out. The fact that few ever do so is telling. That's because if you leave Krankenkasse, you can't come back in. You have to keep your private insurance no matter what. Or, go without insurance and take your chances if you lose your job.

So i don't see why you say that.
I don't think so. If I remember correctly, only people with an income above a certain threshold and self-employed people can opt out. But maybe that has changed meanwhile

Also, it is possible to return from private to public insurers.
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Old 12-27-2011, 03:09 PM
 
Location: Murika
2,526 posts, read 3,004,783 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desertdetroiter View Post
Of course. But i'm describing something different.

In Germany, the corporations don't unload their costs off on the government, but the citizens. The citizens pay into Krankenkasse which is managed by some government agency. And when you're sick, Krankenkasse pays the bills.

Again, the don't force their people into the single payer system....they can opt out and get private insurance. It's a good model.
Unfortunately, it has also caused a two-class system. A privately insured person, for example, will get an appointment at a doctor's office right away. A Krankenkasse patient will often have to wait several weeks.

It used to be different, but the last few years have seen this very disconcerting trend.
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Old 12-27-2011, 03:10 PM
 
56,988 posts, read 35,198,461 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by waterboy7375 View Post
How is the amount payed in based on? If all payed the same I would be game. But lets face it, thats not what proponants of it here are looking for.
That i'm not sure. I don't know if it's on a scale based on what you make, but i do know that it receives few complaints because you don't see the money anyway...it comes right out of your check.

The only downside that you hear most people complain about is that the difference in hospital rooms is fairly stark. You get the basics during a hospital stay if you're in the single payer system, but if you have private insurance, hospital stays are pretty luxurious.
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Old 12-27-2011, 03:11 PM
 
56,988 posts, read 35,198,461 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Neuling View Post
I don't think so. If I remember correctly, only people with an income above a certain threshold and self-employed people can opt out. But maybe that has changed meanwhile

Also, it is possible to return from private to public insurers.
You're probably right. I may have overstated it a bit, but then, private insurance in Germany is VERY expensive. The average worker wouldn't find it worth paying.

However, i didn't know that they overturned the lifetime ban on returning back to krankenkasse. Well, i always assumed that there was a provision just in case you fell into a very bad financial state, but otherwise, i didn't think they allowed you to just willy nilly go back and forth.
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Old 12-27-2011, 03:13 PM
 
Location: West Coast of Europe
25,947 posts, read 24,745,361 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vamos View Post
Unfortunately, it has also caused a two-class system. A privately insured person, for example, will get an appointment at a doctor's office right away. A Krankenkasse patient will often have to wait several weeks.

It used to be different, but the last few years have seen this very disconcerting trend.
Several weeks? I assume that only applies to more remote rural areas as the cities are full of doctors who are happy about any patient.
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Old 12-27-2011, 03:14 PM
 
Location: Murika
2,526 posts, read 3,004,783 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desertdetroiter View Post
You're probably right. I may have overstated it a bit, but then, private insurance in Germany is VERY expensive. The average worker wouldn't find it worth paying.

However, i didn't know that they overturned the lifetime ban on returning back to krankenkasse. Well, i always assumed that there was a provision just in case you fell into a very bad financial state, but otherwise, i didn't think they allowed you to just willy nilly go back and forth.
Yes, Neuling is correct. You need to have an income above a certain threshold to be eligible for private insurance. The threshold is implemented to ensure that everyone can continue to have access to healthcare and not find themselves unable to pay their fees.
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Old 12-27-2011, 03:15 PM
 
Location: United State of Texas
1,707 posts, read 6,211,007 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desertdetroiter View Post
They make very nice money after taxes. They live good, take 6 week vacations yearly, and give out copious amounts of maternity leave. I lived there and supervised local nationals 8 out of the 11 years i worked for Engineering and Housing in Darmstadt, Germany.

Still, they get something for their taxes, so they don't complain.
They do live well, but they do pay very high taxes. My Daughter and Son in law live in Germany, and my wife lived there for 6 years. I think you and I may know more than the average US citizen on the subject.
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Old 12-27-2011, 03:16 PM
 
Location: Wisconsin
37,971 posts, read 22,151,621 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by desertdetroiter View Post
Of course. But i'm describing something different.

In Germany, the corporations don't unload their costs off on the government, but the citizens. The citizens pay into Krankenkasse which is managed by some government agency. And when you're sick, Krankenkasse pays the bills.

Again, the don't force their people into the single payer system....they can opt out and get private insurance. It's a good model.
What upsets me about what 0bama and the dems did, is out of all the different ways we could bring down health care costs, they decided, behind closed doors, to ram their version down our throats, with essentially a prison cell waiting for us if we disagree with them.

Getting back to how the German car companies can get away with paying more in wages, they also could prob not sell at least 3/4 of their cars in the US, because they would not meet our regulations.
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Old 12-27-2011, 03:17 PM
 
56,988 posts, read 35,198,461 times
Reputation: 18824
Quote:
Originally Posted by vamos View Post
Unfortunately, it has also caused a two-class system. A privately insured person, for example, will get an appointment at a doctor's office right away. A Krankenkasse patient will often have to wait several weeks.

It used to be different, but the last few years have seen this very disconcerting trend.
Hmm....but i'm not so sure that it's that much different here when you think about it. A sick German can get care, but routine appointments for specialists require a wait...yes.

But consider this; it's not easy to get an appointment here either. Usually, to see my family doctor will take at least a week if its non emergency in nature.

My wife needed 3 MONTHS to get into a dermatologist. LOL...unreal. When i was having coccyx trouble a few years ago, that took me a month to get into a lower back specialist.

So i'm not so sure that we don't have a 2 or 3 tiered system too.
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