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Health Insurance

Started by moyer777, August 28, 2010, 08:26:54 AM

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Rico

Quote from: Blackride on September 10, 2010, 07:42:10 AM
One person can provide a good lifestyle for a family. The problem is that we Americans are so materialistic that you need multiple people to support that. I know multiple people in my area that only one person works in the family and provides a very nice life. Are they able to buy multiple flat screen TVs for the House, no , but they don't need that for happiness.

Increases in the costs of goods is not a phenomenon that is new to our generation. It's always been there.

Rico, Did you help her pay for the pills?


Of course there are differences in the way people live and lifestyles but that doesn't account for huge increases these days.  For example look at some basic economic charts on the cost of things like food, fuel, college, medical, etc. compared to say 30 years ago and adjust for inflation even.  It doesn't work compared to the much smaller salary increases (or decreases).  The simple way to put it is your dollar doesn't buy anywhere near what it used to buy.  Actually the low income population is hurt by this even more.  

With regards to the pills, no I didn't help her at the time.  But I donate what I feel I can to several charities each year and also do odd jobs for a nearby condo association of older people.  Well at least when I was back in Michigan.  So I do what I can.  How about you?

Bryancd


Blackride

Ripley: Ash. Any suggestions from you or Mother?
Ash: No, we're still collating.
Ripley: [Laughing in disbelief] You're what? You're still collating? I find that hard to believe.

Blackride

#63
Quote from: Rico on September 10, 2010, 08:50:27 AM
With regards to the pills, no I didn't help her at the time. But I donate what I feel I can to several charities each year and also do odd jobs for a nearby condo association of older people. Well at least when I was back in Michigan. SO I do what I can. How about you?

%10 of all my net income goes to church and it charities. Tithing.

I was not calling you out on that BTW :). My sincere apologies if u or anyone thought that.
Ripley: Ash. Any suggestions from you or Mother?
Ash: No, we're still collating.
Ripley: [Laughing in disbelief] You're what? You're still collating? I find that hard to believe.

jedijeff

Quote from: Bryancd on September 09, 2010, 05:22:17 PM
Keep in mind Jeff, that if you did live here, you would be subject to a lower tax structure and likely a higher wage, so the the additional cost is offset by additional income/lower taxes. Certainly health care needs to be provided to all Americans in some capacity. NO ONE is turned away at a hospital in this country if they don't have insurance. The classic model of private and public health care being available broke a long time ago for many of the reasons I posted previously to account for rising costs. My father was a doctor, a ear, nose, and throat surgeon. The advent of the modern health insurance system dramatically changed the quality of care in this country, in his opinion, for the worse. But it was inevitable. 350 million people and growing makes for a tough situation to manage.

Yes, I look at how much I am taxed, which I think is about a 3rd of my Salary, and I ask where does it go. So a lower tax rater does seem appealing to me at times :) , as with cost of living going up, it is deflating to see how little a person has after taxes. I guess for me, at least I know what ever happens to me, in my work situation, I will always have a certain level of health care provided to me, and I will not be faced with the possibility of deciding on seeking treatment or not and weighing that with an expense I might not be able to afford. Since I work in IT, I always feel a bit uncertain about the future, and the type of position I do, the trend seems to be going to more and more contract type positions.  Those types of positions dont provide benefits and for the type of work I do not a huge increase in pay over what a regular employee makes. At some point, I will be faced with handling my own extended medical, dental, prescription costs, so it will at least be a bit of comfort to know I have at least the basic covered.


Quote from: Feathers on September 10, 2010, 08:36:54 AM
Taking people and corporations out of it for the moment, on the health side we also have the fact that medicine is getting more and more complicated (in terms of chemistry if nothing else).

We treat as routine things that used to be terminal and new conditions come under this umbrella all the time. But this only happens because the complexity of drugs etc increases and so do the associated costs.

When you then re-introduce corporate profit motives and high 'professional salaries' you can see where this is going.

(OK, I'm not a chemist so the talk of the costs of complex drugs is my understanding of matters. It may be incorrect...any chemists here? ;))

I agree Mike, sometimes I worry when business get involved in services, as rising costs, some time do not equate to better services, but more to administration and making certain profit margins.

Like Mike stated for the UK, our system in Canada is far from perfect as well, the wait times are long at times. I know last year, when the H1N1 vaccination issues came up, it was handled very poorly in the province I lived in. With people having to wait for very long time to get the vaccine, shortage of supply, preferential treatment, etc etc etc. When my Wife came to Canada, trying to find her a family Doctor was a challenge, as no one was taking new patients, and she has one now, but would still like to find a Doctor that speaks Chinese. A friend of mine a few years back, had a scary incident, where he had a Motorcycle accident, and nearly lost his leg due to how he was diagnosed, and only him insisting that he felt something was wrong, he was able to get someone else to have a look, and fortunately they admitted him and did not send him home. My Dad required surgery last year for Cancer, and they kept on pushing his date back, that was very frustrating and concerning to the family. Fortunately the Surgery went well, and he is healthy now.

I guess at times Healthcare is what it is, and there is really no perfect solution. It does seem like regardless which country or system you are under, the more you can afford, the better care you will get.