Health Insurance Costs Unmanageable for Most Americans

[Furn]

You're being taken for a ride by the insurance and medical industries.

Last tax return I did, me and my wife paid a $1800 for the year on about $140k income for Medicare which covers pretty much anything for free.

A friend of mine had stage 3 bowel cancer last year and didn't pay a cent for treatment including a $100k monoclonal antibody treatment and multiple surgeries.

Just go universal like every other 1st world country.

[Zaroku]

I don’t know what a viable solution to universal health insurance is, but I think it’s needed.

[JimRaynor]

You're being taken for a ride by the insurance and medical industries.

Last tax return I did, me and my wife paid a $1800 for the year on about $140k income for Medicare which covers pretty much anything for free.

A friend of mine had stage 3 bowel cancer last year and didn't pay a cent for treatment including a $100k monoclonal antibody treatment and multiple surgeries.

Just go universal like every other 1st world country.

Easier said than done, these politicians are very corrupt and get lots of money from the insurance companies to keep the status quo. Obamacare was a gift to the insurance companies.

[Dip_Slide]

Well I think it's pretty weird to have a fixed price for health insurance. so someone making 100k a year should pay the same monthly payment as someone who makes 20k? How does that make sense? Health insurance over here in Germany is a percentage of your income. I think it's somewhere between 15-20%, if you're not working then you have a minimum amount that you have to pay on your own otherwise you're out of the system and you can probably never get back in. That minimum amount is about 200-250 USD though so I think it's not so expensive.

The 15-20% rule though is a lot in my case considering my current income. They rake in billions every year and for someone in his 20s it's not really worth it but you have no choice. Better safe than sorry. in my case I would definitley prefer the American system where I'd end up paying a lot less than what I'm paying now (if the services are similar), but for someone still looking for a job or something I'd prefer the German system because it's a lot more affordable.

[E10Rifle]

Just go universal like every other 1st world country.

It’s technically the answer, but unfortunately a) almost all the politicians are owned by big business, including pharma and b) most Americans have a virulent antipathy towards socialism and the concept of paying for a ‘free’ system even though they might not be sick themselves is utterly beyond their selfish comprehension.

[TBear]

The way most of us do it is pay a lower premium and have a higher co-pay. So the average family with a
4000$ deductible, spends about 3900$ on medical care and gets some discounts on prescriptions. The insurance companies make out well and make a huge profit. We stay on the insurance because we fear the worst, cancer, heart attack, decapitation etc...

[jaded]

[New England]

i have recently switched plans, i pay about 550 a month with 2000 a year in deductibles. i am a single man. last year i was paying 733 for health and dental. it's a major component of cost, much more than it was even 5-10 years ago.

[New England]

one of the main issues i have when you compare the Us healthcare system to the healthcare systems of other countries is the scope. we have 8-10 times more people.


there's also a lot to be said about how profitable healthcare is in the US, and how that drives innovation and brings in talent. yeah, the rest of the world has cheaper healthcare, but they have inferior healthcare on the top end and they use a lot of drugs and techniques that were developed here and the greatest concentration of medical research in the world is done in my city.

also, annecdotally, the canadian healthcare system is not perfect. i work with canadians and they complain about it all the time. i have a colleague who had a bent finger for almost a year before he was able to get lined up for surgery. they didn't deem it necessary until it got much worse, that's an issue you'll run into when you have socialized medicine. they cut corners literally regarding your health. if his condition hadn't gotten worse he'd likely have been forved to come out of pocket and pay a surgeon down here, or live the rest of his life [as a salesperson who probably types 1000 emails in a week] with a legitimately bent finger.

[AllBoxingAD]

one of the main issues i have when you compare the Us healthcare system to the healthcare systems of other countries is the scope. we have 8-10 times more people.


there's also a lot to be said about how profitable healthcare is in the US, and how that drives innovation and brings in talent. yeah, the rest of the world has cheaper healthcare, but they have inferior healthcare on the top end and they use a lot of drugs and techniques that were developed here and the greatest concentration of medical research in the world is done in my city.

also, annecdotally, the canadian healthcare system is not perfect. i work with canadians and they complain about it all the time. i have a colleague who had a bent finger for almost a year before he was able to get lined up for surgery. they didn't deem it necessary until it got much worse, that's an issue you'll run into when you have socialized medicine. they cut corners literally regarding your health. if his condition hadn't gotten worse he'd likely have been forved to come out of pocket and pay a surgeon down here, or live the rest of his life [as a salesperson who probably types 1000 emails in a week] with a legitimately bent finger.

Canadians do complain about their healthcare all the time.

Wait times in the ER are terrible. Wait times to get that surgery you need. Having a hard time getting your own doctor. So on.

But would they switch if they could? Im betting they wouldnt.

Countries like Canada can have universal health care because they (the citizens) dont view health care as a business. They see it as a birthright.

Americans view everything as a business. Every single thing is a merchandise to be sold.

All this to say it comes down to the people. As long as people dont let ideology get in the way of good ideas.

For now it looks like healthcare is the US' biggest economic challenge.