(Untitled)

[stealthava]

Reading this article made me angry. It's an article about "America in decline" that takes a look at the healthcare system, foodstamps, the economy, and so forth, especially in comparison to Europe. The writer says he is an ex-patriate American who has been living in Europe, but the unrealistic way he imagines that things happen here make me wonder

Comments

[cjthrills]

I think I'm obligated, at least a little bit, to defend health care. I get my insurance for free since I'm a student and still included in my parents' benefits, but if I weren't I'd be paying $90/year for basic coverage, and ~$40-50/month for extended health and dental IF my workplace didn't offer it and IF I wanted it in the first place. $50/month really isn't that much. Most people pay that much for cable or a cell phone without thinking twice. My prescriptions alone cost $25/month and they're covered by it, as well as any medical procedures and new glasses every year. I may overpay sometimes by a little bit, but I can't express how great it is to know that if I get into an accident or need surgery, I won't end up $20K in debt or have to make monthly payments for it. And I don't know how it is in Europe, but we get criticized for long waits for procedures sometimes too, but I really think those are just extreme cases that get publicized, just like crazy stuff about people in the US getting turned away from hospitals or losing fingers or limbs and not being able to get them reattached for lack of funds. Like you said, the majority of people without insurance are absolutely fine. Sometimes there may be a small wait for minor surgery, but really, every hospital prioritizes between minor and life threatening surgeries.

Anyway, I second ginni, this was delightful to read and I agree with you so much. I can't believe when I hear people complaining about losing their lifestyles because of the economy, blah blah blah. I can't believe that I so much more financially responsible than people who had real grown up jobs and made a lot of money. It seems like a no brainer to live within one's means and save money in case of an emergency. Oh well.

[stealthava]

I'm not saying that healthcare itself is bad, I just think that the way it's been implemented is bad. My main problem with the US health insurance reforms is the forced-purchase aspect of it. I don't have health insurance because I can't afford it; forcing me to buy something I can't afford doesn't help me out any.

From a non-Canadian, non-European perspective, it seems like socialized healthcare isn't really that different from the new US healthcare reforms. Except instead of paying monthly insurance, they pay high taxes. I don't know the numbers, but I'm curious if other countries' citizens' monthly tax bill (the portion of tax that goes toward healthcare anyway) would come out as more or less than a US citizen's monthly insurance bill.

[stealthava]

I wish LJ allowed editing posts. I just thought of a bunch of questions about Canadian healthcare.

You said that if you weren't covered under your parent's plan, then you'd be paying $90 a year for basic coverage. Would that be paid to a private insurer (like Aflac or Allstate or whoever), or would it be paid directly to the government? Does the government run hospitals directly? If you weren't insured would you be expected to foot the bill yourself? Does Canada have a mandatory insurance program? Sorry for all the questions!

[cjthrills]

It's okay. I'm probably not the expert though, since all I do is fill out forms saying I don't have to pay. =P The $90/year is mandatory and paid to the government. However if you're a student or just really poor you can apply to not have to pay. It's also a sliding scale on the payment. You pay more if you make more, and more for how many dependents you have. Essentially, everyone is insured and it's up to doctors to make claims to the provincial government for basic care. The government funds ~70%

[cjthrills]

Whoops. 70% of healthcare costs while the private sector is about 30%. Paying for private insurance is optional, and usually only people who have it covered by their employers have it, and it covers dental, optical, and more prescriptions. A person would never be expected to foot a bill (and there are no deductibles or anything either) because basic coverage applies to everyone. Only three provinces actually charge premiums (BC, lucky me, Alberta, and Ontario) but they can't deny service if you don't pay. If you are financially able to pay but don't, I THINK you just get fined but still get services, and if you are financially unable then there's no fine. In other provinces it is still mandatory to register and apply for Medicare (the provincial healthcare), but there are no associated costs.

[stealthava]

I actually got a little bit jealous reading this. :P $90 a year for healthcare sounds almost too good to be true; 'round these parts health insurance costs up to a hundred dollars a month. Which is a lot.

[cjthrills]

It CAN cost a whole lot more, mine was special because I was a poor student. I think my parents were paying $50/month for my whole family when my brother and I were kids, but that's still pretty good for complete coverage of four people.

[stealthava]

I like the guaranteed-care aspect of it. Here, even if you have insurance, it's still a crap shoot whether they'll actually pay for anything. A lot of times they'll deny coverage using the excuse that it's a "pre-existing condition", or say that what you have just narrowly falls out of the range of conditions covered under the plan. Or they'll fuck up the paperwork and you get stuck with the bill even though they said they'd pay it. That's happened to me.

Basically I have little trust in insurance companies, and I'd rather have laws to keep them honest and competitive, rather than laws that force me to be their customer and change nothing about them.