ACA kills again

[Gob]

Go home to Blighty, free and easy there.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Oh right, Gob. And what's the waiting time for knee replacement? My mother had to wait for over a year to get a hip done and then another year for the other one.

So let's add the cost of airfare, the cost of staying in the UK for a year waiting, the cost of my wife's lost job (leaving aside family issues)... with a $3400 out of pocket cap on my costs for 2016... I know which one is quicker and cheaper

[Gob]

Just move back, retire..

You have the legal right to start your non-emergency NHS consultant-led treatment within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral, unless you choose to wait longer or it is clinically appropriate that you wait longer.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Just move back, retire..

Love to but I couldn't afford to live there, mate! Not unless I became a Cornishman and lived on a pebble beach in a house made of seaweed and ate my house for every meal... that'd be do-able.

Thinking of which: petrol $1.559 US gallon at 2 stations in Kent OH.... $2.299 everywhere else in Kent. Weird

[Long Run]

The single payer can look good whenever one is confronted with coordination of coverage issues. Say a person is hurt in a car accident. First, the person's health insurance says it is not responsible since there is another insurer that will pay, i.e., one of the auto insurance policies (some states have prevented this, making the health insurer pay then possibly get reimbursed from the auto insurance, but this does not apply to self-insured health plans which can wait for the auto insurer). Then, the auto insurance companies figure out who is responsible based on the driver statements and other accounts. Oh, but wait, if you were on company business, then this is actually a workers compensation claim, and the workers comp may cover first, or does the employer's liability policy? Let's say you finally work it down to the health insurer is going to pay some of the claim, well then maybe there are multiple policies, with husband having his own work policy, but wife having family coverage (let's say she is teacher where family coverage is common), so husband's policy pays first, but wife's policy may pay for some out of pocket and other items husband's policy doesn't cover. Oh, and if you didn't realize that you were supposed to let all the possible insurers know about each other, or did not make a claim to a more primary carrier, you have to repay the lower insurer even if the more primary insurer is no longer covering the claim (e.g., you've run past the time period for submitting a claim). Having fun? Thanks for playing.

Fortunately, it is clear for the vast majority of claims who pays and if there is a secondary insurer. But it is quite the labyrinth for those who fall into these situations.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Been there, done that, got it all paid but not without a hassle/fight.

[rubato]

Just move back, retire..

Love to but I couldn't afford to live there, mate! Not unless I became a Cornishman and lived on a pebble beach in a house made of seaweed and ate my house for every meal... that'd be do-able.

Thinking of which: petrol $1.559 US gallon at 2 stations in Kent OH.... $2.299 everywhere else in Kent. Weird

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co ... ed+Kingdom

Indices Difference Info
Consumer Prices in United Kingdom are 6.06% higher than in United States
Consumer Prices Including Rent in United Kingdom are 1.19% higher than in United States
Rent Prices in United Kingdom are 8.91% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in United Kingdom are 23.91% higher than in United States
Groceries Prices in United Kingdom are 12.88% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in United Kingdom is 13.92% lower than in United States

Looks like the reduction in HC costs offsets any differences in COL. See link for more details.


yrs,
rubato

This is the link for OECD data gob copied above:

http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/heal ... ssItemIds=

[BoSoxGal]

Honestly given my experience with three surgeries in the US, I would have just gone forward with it as scheduled. Another surgeon could have taken over any follow up without much trouble - honestly there barely is any unless complications arise.

But each to his own comfort level, especially regarding such things. Hope it doesn't delay things too much. I was glad to have ACA to see the doc this Monday to be diagnosed with bronchitis/walking pneumonia. I would've stayed home sick another week if not for insurance.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Restaurant Prices in United Kingdom are 23.91% higher than in United States

If they add in the tips we leave for our servers, the difference is nil. (I leave 25% usually)

ETA..ETA
forget what I jsut wrote
I have a reading comprehension problem

[rubato]

Restaurant Prices in United Kingdom are 23.91% higher than in United States

If they add in the tips we leave for our servers, the difference is nil. (I leave 25% usually)

ETA..ETA
forget what I jsut wrote
I have a reading comprehension problem

I agree, I noticed that as well.


yrs,
rubato

[liberty]

I thought that Obama care was going to be the best thing to ever happen to medicine?………… How about a system where the state owns hospitals and people pay according to their income and tax payers make up the difference. Such a system already exist in this country; can you guess where? Why not expand the system across the country?

[Fafhrd]

I thought that Obama care was going to be the best thing to ever happen to medicine?………… How about a system where the state owns hospitals and people pay according to their income and tax payers make up the difference. Such a system already exist in this country; can you guess where? Why not expand the system across the country?

The ACA was carefully sabotaged by the health insurance industry when it was passed. They fully expected it to fail completely; the fact that it didn't confounded their expectations. Over half the States refused to take part in it.

Our nation has been completely taken over by the big financial interests. I fully expect that n about ten years that there will be about ten trillionaires and a bunch of satellite billionaires, everyone else will be working for starvation wages and going deeper and deeper into debt. I won't live that long, thank Ghod.

[Econoline]

From Facebook:

[Gob]

Stealing that!

[Big RR]

The ACA was carefully sabotaged by the health insurance industry when it was passed.

That was exactly my concern when it was being debated and gutted. This is our chance at getting universal coverage, and we are not doing it with the best mechanism possible (or even a sustainable mechanism). So far I haven't seen any groundswell to repeal the ACA, but I haven't seen any groundswell of support either.

[Burning Petard]

Mrs. Clinton had a successful career representing big insurance companies. I feel like I am beating a dead horse, but here I go again.

Again, and again, and again this issue is discussed in the frame of health insurance coverage. Health Insurance is a private, for profit, competitive, capitalistic industry. No insurance company employee ever set a broken leg, replaced a worn out knee joint, did an emergency appendectomy. In the 'capitalistic, free market' system so beloved of so many in America, any business is supposed to be allowed to make a profit, and also supposed to be allowed to go broke and fade into the textbooks of business school. The health insurance industry belongs in the same chapter that discusses Hadecol.

I want health care, not insurance coverage. Every dollar that crosses the finance department of a health insurance company is a dollar that DID NOT go to health care.

snailgate

[Big RR]

While I agree in principle, I would think the diversion of social security funds (and the big overhead of the SSA) has shown just how much money the government can pull from the intended use as well.

[BoSoxGal]

And yet Medicare/Medicaid have a 2% administrative cost compared to 20% in the private insurance industry.

Where is the out of control administrative cost associated with SSA? Or are you referencing Congress's robbing from the trust fund?

[Big RR]

the main thing I was referring to is the raiding of the trust fund for general purposes (as well as the discussion on how to reduce benefits for some). But my recollection (and I'll have to check it if I get a chance) Is that the administrative expense is around 8-10% for SSA in general. Even at that, however, I agree it is better than the private sector.

[kmccune]

They do not care about the poor people ,the only thing a lot of the well off worry about is how to get out of paying their fair share of taxes ,I have did the math ,I pay over 50% of what I earn in taxes ,user fees etc ,why shouldnt the fat cats? ,isnt 50% left over from 13,000,000 - more then 50% percent left over from 13,000 ? I cant believe those "Tea baggers "