What Do You Think Of This Health Insurance Premium?

Insurance, benefits are only methods of payment. More effort must focused on the cost of actual care, not insurance. Third party reimbursement for health or most other stuff leads to inflation. Part of cost issue is how health care is delivered, it's not just about things like insurance across state lines. Things like clinic style medicine as an alternative must become more prominent for costs to drop.
 

BlondieBoomer said:
But most people outside the U.S. Are dissatisfied with their health care, right? They don't get very good care like we do here.
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That's a Myth that our Health Care Industry constantly tries to foist upon us. The fact is that we pay twice as much as most other nations, and the last ranking by the WHO put the U.S. way down the list....about number 34...in terms of overall results. While it's true that there are some extended waiting periods for treatment of non life threatening issues in some nations, the overall quality of care that those people receive surpasses what we have come to expect. In most nations a high priority is placed upon Preventative health care, so as to find issues before they become severe. Here, our system is based upon Treatment, because Treatment is far more profitable than Prevention.

This report from 2009 sums it all up pretty well....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082101778.html
 

Don M. said:
That's a Myth that our Health Care Industry constantly tries to foist upon us. The fact is that we pay twice as much as most other nations, and the last ranking by the WHO put the U.S. way down the list....about number 34...in terms of overall results. While it's true that there are some extended waiting periods for treatment of non life threatening issues in some nations, the overall quality of care that those people receive surpasses what we have come to expect. In most nations a high priority is placed upon Preventative health care, so as to find issues before they become severe. Here, our system is based upon Treatment, because Treatment is far more profitable than Prevention.

This report from 2009 sums it all up pretty well....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082101778.html
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But I heard the Canadians were coming over the border to get care here that wasn't available in Canada. Trump said during the debates that Canadians, “when they need a big operation, when something happens, they come into the United States, in many cases because their system is so slow, it’s catastrophic in certain ways”. That sounds pretty dysfunctional to me.
 
BlondieBoomer said:
But I heard the Canadians were coming over the border to get care here that wasn't available in Canada. Trump said during the debates that Canadians, “when they need a big operation, when something happens, they come into the United States, in many cases because their system is so slow, it’s catastrophic in certain ways”. That sounds pretty dysfunctional to me.
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"But I heard"...is exactly what our present Health Care Industry wants our people to believe. Here is an article that presents more factual information.

http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-03-2012/myths-canada-health-care.html

Traveling abroad for health care is not a unique occurrence. Thailand, for example, is becoming a major hub for people needing heart surgery. A person can fly to Bangkok, have heart surgery, stay in a luxury hotel during recovery, and fly back to the US for about 1/5th the cost of that same surgery in the U.S.
 
I have Medicare plus a supplement and pharmacy plan. It's somewhat reasonable, considering that it's a platinum plan. Luckily, I get $200 from the state of Florida each month to help pay for it. That is, however, "at the pleasure of the legislature" so it can be discontinued any year now. I'm dreading that. I'm sure when the next big slash comes, the first cut will be in survivor benefits.
 
There doesn't seem to be anything uniform about the Medicare plans around the country. I have Medicare with an Advantage Plan (HMO) here in Texas, and I pay nothing above the monthly Medicare charge to my SS acct. .... it's zero monthly, and that includes a drug plan with Part B.

I've never, to this point, had to test anything outside of routine doctor visits/checkups though, and the occasional drug or shot.
 
Bonnie said:
There doesn't seem to be anything uniform about the Medicare plans around the country. I have Medicare with an Advantage Plan (HMO) here in Texas, and I pay nothing above the monthly Medicare charge to my SS acct. .... it's zero monthly, and that includes a drug plan with Part B.

I've never, to this point, had to test anything outside of routine doctor visits/checkups though, and the occasional drug or shot.
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I have an advantage plan with part B, too, and I also pay nothing above the Medicare premium. I had both hips replaced using this plan, and paid VERY little out of pocket.
 
Just an FYI, it often benefits you to look at private Medicare Supplements if you are over 65. I had two clients in Texas paying $1200 per month for health through the state and they were able to get supplements for both of them for $250/month. Nice thing about Supplements is they usually pay everything Medicare does not and you can go to any Doctor or Hospital.
 
Bonnie, count your blessings. MA plans are great until you start getting sick and then the rubber meets the road. Depending on the plan you could have up to $7200 out of pocket in a single year and be told which doctors you can and cannot see. I always recommend Supplements if you can afford them. You pay a fixed monthly premium, no co-payments, and can go to any Doctor or Hospital in the U.S. that accepts Medicare. Many companies, many options. Explore during open enrollment in October.
 
mrmarkg said:
Bonnie, count your blessings. MA plans are great until you start getting sick and then the rubber meets the road. Depending on the plan you could have up to $7200 out of pocket in a single year and be told which doctors you can and cannot see. I always recommend Supplements if you can afford them. You pay a fixed monthly premium, no co-payments, and can go to any Doctor or Hospital in the U.S. that accepts Medicare. Many companies, many options. Explore during open enrollment in October.
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Some places have better MA plans than others. When "the rubber met the road" for me with my two hip replacements, I paid very little out of pocket total for the two surgeries, including doctors' fees, hospitalization, lab stuff, drugs, etc. My sister is on the same plan, with multiple medical problems, and her experience has been the same. This plan is associated with our largest hospital and its huge network of participating physicians. It's pretty hard to find a physician here who does NOT accept the plan. I've been on this plan for 6 years now.

Wherever you are, it's worth checking into the Advantage plans in your area. They can save you a huge amount of money. You ojust need to be sure you carefully research the plan you are considering.
 
Ameriscot, I totally agree. I am embarrassed that this country does not provide some form of universal health care for its citizens as does most other advanced nations in the world.
 
helenbacque said:
Ameriscot, I totally agree. I am embarrassed that this country does not provide some form of universal health care for its citizens as does most other advanced nations in the world.
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Hang in there...it's only going to get worse. Between Obamacare, and what the GOP is proposing, our health care system is headed for a brick wall. Personally, I don't give it much beyond 2020 before the people of this nation wake up, and demand that Washington moves toward a SP-UHC system. We pay twice as much as most other nations for health care, and the last time the WHO ranked the nations, the U.S. came in at number 37 in terms of overall quality and value of the health care systems.

http://thepatientfactor.com/canadia...zations-ranking-of-the-worlds-health-systems/
 
I hope something changes. You shouldn't be punished for being a hard working citizen and rewarded for messing up your life. My daughter and son in-law have five children. They both work two jobs and are left to using Google to nurse themselves and their children because they can't afford the co-pays after paying ridiculous premiums. In addition to life insurance and disability insurance. I pray for them everyday.
 
Bobw235 said:
Since I retired I've been paying full freight for my former employer's health insurance, which along with dental coverage comes to a staggering $1,604/month for the two of us. It's a good plan for sure, but on top of that have been plenty of out of pocket costs this year.
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I'm in about the same situation. But since I am on Medicare as my primary I get a "break" there. So my cost is $1119 a month to cover my wife plus whatever Medicare doesn't pay of mine. But then I also pay $111 a month for Medicare. It would be $134 except that I caught a "break" from the hold harmless clause. So that's $1240 a month. And that's with me on Medicare plus having the advantage of a lower cost employer group plan for the rest. It's absolutely obscene how much healthcare costs in this country. Why we put up with when virtually the whole rest of the industrialized countries have universal single payer is beyond me.
 
I'm a Canadian. Our health care is not free. We pay higher taxes in Canada but we consider that as premiums spread over the entire population. Canadians are much more satisfied with their system than Americans are with theirs by a long shot.

I doubt the U.S. will ever get away with a 'not for profit' healthcare system because free enterprise is so entrenched.

Americans don't want government interference in their affairs is the way I see it as an outsider.

Wait times are longer in Canada for operations such as knee replacement. But essential treatment? My friend had a heart attack and was taken to hospital and had a stent put in all within an hour. I had cataracts operated on and had to wait because that type of surgery is done by specialists. There aren't that many to go around. Now when it comes to prescription drugs, there used to be busloads coming to Canada to have their prescriptions filled. No longer because the U.S. government put a stop to it. So much for free enterprise.
 
Camper6 said:
I'm a Canadian. Our health care is not free. We pay higher taxes in Canada but we consider that as premiums spread over the entire population.
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I would gladly pay the $13000 a year that I currently pay to Blue Cross in premiums to the government instead in the form of taxes for a system like you have in Canada.
 
Camper6 said:
If you can afford it. If you can't you have nothing over Canada's system. Rich people don't have to worry. Poor people do.
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The point I am trying to make is that I am already paying way more in health insurance premiums than I would pay in additional taxes if we went exclusively to single payer.
 
Camper6 said:
I misinterpreted your post.
The question was, what do you think of these health insurance premiums.

What I think? Outrageous.
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No argument there.

I'd better not get started on our Healthcare system, because when I do I can lose it pretty fast.

"I'm Superfly TNT!"

"I'm the Guns of Navarone!
 
Part of the issue with high INSURANCE premiums and the various plans/possible solutions out there is that they focus on finding money to pay for insurance premiums yet it is the cost of actual CARE that is a big expense factor. COST and/or care issues need to identified first. Part of the problem of cost issues is they have gotten lost if not hidden in a system of third party reimbursements. Someone else is paying for it syndrome perpetuates inflation. That includes service providers and suppliers. Takeout or de-emphasize third party reimbursement and costs will start to come under control.

All this talk of things like single payer or universal health care would basically turn health care workers into pseudo government employees and suppliers would basically wind up with mostly government contracts. Government funded and provider health CARE should be there for a back up plan for those who really really need it. Or for those that would rather PAY the government vs the private sector. But it is/should NOT be the only other alternative.

Rather than search for ways to pay for it find out why it costs so much. Don't just throw money at the problem.
 
Rather than search for ways to pay for it find out why it costs so much. Don't just throw money at the problem.

 Well that's simple. It costs so much because the companies offering it have to make a profit after paying all their expenses and guessing who is insurable and who is not and what to charge those who are at at risk.

That's the problem with 'for profit" health care. I think is outrageous to make money off of sick peoples backs.

The Canadian system. The doctors are basically private businesses. They bill the provincial governments and the provincial governments pay them. The provincial governments also cap the fee that they can charge.

It would never work in the United States. The people of the United States are so inured to free enterprise and competition that they cannot even start to envision a similar proposal where each state takes the same stance as the provinces in Canada.

Also. The billing practices to the insurance companies must be a nightmare when each patient might have a different insurance plan.


 

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