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LOL you don't know how old I am, nor do you know my dependent status.
Is your "younger family member" covered under insurance?
Your out of pocket expenses are in the $500-665 range per month. While that might be a lot of money to you, it's not the end of the world either. Could it be better? Absolutely. But why should it be better of the backs of other people?
If your family member is not covered because of pre-existing conditions, then i'm all for finding a solution to that.
Short memory have you dude? You used to post your personal info everywhere, including your pics and relationship status.
You know nothing about my SES, but I assure you it is higher than yours so get off your low-pony.
You are intentionally being obtuse. Yes, my family member is supposedly covered by insurance. Why should anyone have to pay an additional $8,000 a year over and above insurance?
Except for exceptional circumstances, like being 70 and having 3 types of cancer, health insurance is available and affordable. I have shopped around for the hell of it using several different states for comparison and all of the plans were quite affordable. (ie. $80-250 month). Is it the best insurance on the planet? Not neccessarily, but with out of pocket maximums, it's much better than nothing.
Americans spend more money in taxes on government health care than Europeans. Toss in the private spending and insurance and America spends far, far more on health care than anyone else.
After shelling out for a top of the rage model "Its better than nothing" is really not something you should be satisfied with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AeroGuyDC
Millions of American's don't even know how to budget. That they also don't understand their priorities is of no concern to me.
Is it a concern to you that you are paying more in tax for government health care than a European, and unlike Europeans never seeing your money again?
I only go to a doctor if it is absolutely necessary - I cut my arm off, I have severe chest pain, I fell off a tree. Same goes for my wife, same goes for my daughter. I purchased insurance accordingly:
I don't need to have x-number of office visits covered per year with a small co-pay. I don't need prescription drug coverage because I have never had to take a pill more serious than an oxicodone. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't engage in high-risk behavior, I eat healthy food, I exercise. I am healthy as a horse and I am not young.
In other words, I need coverage for catastrophic events and in case of such an event, I don't want high co-pays or any problems. Thus, I am fine with a high deductible plan that covers 100% beyond the deductible. I don't mind paying for the occasional visit to a pediatrician or other doctor. I don't mind paying upfront for my daughter's broken arm. I actually love that, with insurance, the cost of all these treatments is significantly less than without insurance (because insurance companies negotiate a predetermined rate with in-network doctors).
My entire family is covered for less than $300 a month. If I had wanted to include office visits, my coverage would have jumped by roughly $1500 a year. I figured that there is no way, based on past behavior, that we would ever accrue $1500 worth of office visits year after year. Thus, including them simply made no fiscal sense.
I am also quite aware that inexpensive medical treatment is just a short flight away - should it come to that. I have done before and I would do it again - if my condition permitted it and if doing so would cost significantly less than my deductible.
But that's just me. My neighbors see a doctor when their son coughs. They see a doctor when he falls off his bike. They see a doctor when he has a temperature. They see a doctor when the wife cuts her finger with a kitchen knife. They see a doctor if the baby hasn't pooped in two days. Sometimes I think these people just need to move into a doctor's office. Their cost and coverage are accordingly. I find it irresponsible and quite frankly, dumb - but that's how they are and I know that they are not alone. I am always astounded when I hear the reasons why people go to a doctor - it's amazing and would never occur to me. I suppose these people either lack the necessary education or experience to properly assess the severity of an ailment. Or perhaps they simply lack confidence in their assessment.
Others are not in my situation, though. The have pre-existing conditions and simply can not get coverage. They can not afford to pay for any insurance because the coverage they wouldn't be able to eat. The coverage some can afford is absolutely useless.
Thus, my sister in law is not insured. When her baby is ill, she runs to the emergency room. A simple fever doesn't cost me, you, and the rest of the taxpayers a mere $150 as it would if she went to a pediatrician. Instead, because she has no coverage at all and cannot afford to pay herself, it costs us all roughly $2000. Every single time she goes. I, for one, could do without that burden and wish my sister in law could simply go to a regular doctor when she has a concern.
Americans spend more money in taxes on government health care than Europeans. Toss in the private spending and insurance and America spends far, far more on health care than anyone else.
After shelling out for a top of the rage model "Its better than nothing" is really not something you should be satisfied with.
Is it a concern to you that you are paying more in tax for government health care than a European, and unlike Europeans never seeing your money again?
I don't get into the habit of comparing apples and oranges. Besides, I have no idea what quantifiable measures you are using to even formulate an educated response.
Callous to ask why low income people are having kids? Do I really have to explain?
Thank you for providing valuable insight into your mentality. That completely clears up why you believe others should subsidize your insurance.
LOL, people like you always make certain assumptions about posters they disagree with. I have been very successful at what I do and paying for insurance and everything else I need is not really a problem for me. Unlike you, my personal comfort and security has not left me blind to the issues that other people face trying to make their way through life. I can only hope that there will never be a time in my life where I become so bitter and greedy that I lose all compassion for my fellow humans like you and your ilk.
I also noticed that you didn't answer my question. How much do you think someone needs to earn before they are worthy of having kids?
You should really step out of your right wing media bubble from time to time and learn about the actual world that exists around you.
I only go to a doctor if it is absolutely necessary - I cut my arm off, I have severe chest pain, I fell off a tree. Same goes for my wife, same goes for my daughter. I purchased insurance accordingly:
I don't need to have x-number of office visits covered per year with a small co-pay. I don't need prescription drug coverage because I have never had to take a pill more serious than an oxicodone. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't engage in high-risk behavior, I eat healthy food, I exercise. I am healthy as a horse and I am not young.
In other words, I need coverage for catastrophic events and in case of such an event, I don't want high co-pays or any problems. Thus, I am fine with a high deductible plan that covers 100% beyond the deductible. I don't mind paying for the occasional visit to a pediatrician or other doctor. I don't mind paying upfront for my daughter's broken arm. I actually love that, with insurance, the cost of all these treatments is significantly less than without insurance (because insurance companies negotiate a predetermined rate with in-network doctors).
My entire family is covered for less than $300 a month. If I had wanted to include office visits, my coverage would have jumped by roughly $1500 a year. I figured that there is no way, based on past behavior, that we would ever accrue $1500 worth of office visits year after year. Thus, including them simply made no fiscal sense.
I am also quite aware that inexpensive medical treatment is just a short flight away - should it come to that. I have done before and I would do it again - if my condition permitted it and if doing so would cost significantly less than my deductible.
But that's just me. My neighbors see a doctor when their son coughs. They see a doctor when he falls off his bike. They see a doctor when he has a temperature. They see a doctor when the wife cuts her finger with a kitchen knife. They see a doctor if the baby hasn't pooped in two days. Sometimes I think these people just need to move into a doctor's office. Their cost and coverage are accordingly. I find it irresponsible and quite frankly, dumb - but that's how they are and I know that they are not alone. I am always astounded when I hear the reasons why people go to a doctor - it's amazing and would never occur to me. I suppose these people either lack the necessary education or experience to properly assess the severity of an ailment. Or perhaps they simply lack confidence in their assessment.
Others are not in my situation, though. The have pre-existing conditions and simply can not get coverage. They can not afford to pay for any insurance because the coverage they wouldn't be able to eat. The coverage some can afford is absolutely useless.
Thus, my sister in law is not insured. When her baby is ill, she runs to the emergency room. A simple fever doesn't cost me, you, and the rest of the taxpayers a mere $150 as it would if she went to a pediatrician. Instead, because she has no coverage at all and cannot afford to pay herself, it costs us all roughly $2000. Every single time she goes. I, for one, could do without that burden and wish my sister in law could simply go to a regular doctor when she has a concern.
Exactly. You have hit the nail on the head. More people need to approach life like you and your family.
As far as pre-existing conditions are concerned, I am all for finding a solution to bringing these people into the healthcare system.
You're the man, dude. Jesus likes people like you, apparently.
I do try to really, truly live by What Would Jesus Do?
And I'm pretty sure He would want everyone to have equal access to health care. (Seeing as how He didn't ask anyone for their bank balance when He healed them.)
LOL, people like you always make certain assumptions about posters they disagree with. I have been very successful at what I do and paying for insurance and everything else I need is not really a problem for me. Unlike you, my personal comfort and security has not left me blind to the issues that other people face trying to make their way through life. I can only hope that there will never be a time in my life where I become so bitter and greedy that I lose all compassion for my fellow humans like you and your ilk.
I also noticed that you didn't answer my question. How much do you think someone needs to earn before they are worthy of having kids?
You should really step out of your right wing media bubble from time to time and learn about the actual world that exists around you.
This is a strawman argument to the nth degree. I will simply say: When they can afford a child! When else?!
Right-wing media bubble? LOL We don't even have Cable TV because we don't watch TV except the occasional online stream! Rush Limbaugh, etc? A total of 15 minutes in my entire life.
I don't get into the habit of comparing apples and oranges. Besides, I have no idea what quantifiable measures you are using to even formulate an educated response.
Actually, countries are quite comparable. America has an economic advantage in the economics of scale, true. America is bigger, and can expect to do things cheaper, just like Starbucks and Wall-mart can smother mom-and-pop stores. But these things work the same across the first world from Iceland to Japan, so in the end, I am afraid we are just comparing fruit.
And the quantifiable measures are dollars and cents per taxpayer, spent by the governments of nations on health care. They spend less than America, excepting oil-rich Norway.
The red bars are public money, coming from taxes. The pink are what citizens spend privatly after that. Notice how Americans pay more tax money towards government health care than the average European?
Today, government health care in America includes Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Veterans, IH, etc. Each with their bureaucracies, bureaucrats, forms and schemes. Many of which not only do redundant jobs, but often billing and credit checking that is simply not relevant in many other first world systems.
For this massive duplication of effort the American tax payer pays -unsurprisingly, more than the average European tax payer does for their single government program and its one set of bureaucrats. This does not come as a surprise to anyone who has had a job in business or economics. There is also the fact that health care is fundamentally unsuited to market provision.
Basically, having loads of departments with different procedures doing the same job each for a limited number of people is much more expensive than having one that does it for everyone. Extending one program to cover everyone costs less than having umpteen different ones to cover umpteen limited groups. Not surprising, since this is a popular strategy in many of the nations that get good results at half the cost.
The people who pay for the redundant jobs bonanza, the American taxpayer (who is healthy enough to get to work and do his job each day) -should be the cheapest ones to insure, they are on average the healthiest group. Instead the American taxpayer is stuck paying the pink bar after paying taxes for the red one.
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