"Affordable" health care 2024 (rent, health insurance, buy)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm old enough for Medicare, with retirement health care benefits from NYS, so I don't need to worry much about health insurance costs, but the cost of family PPO insurance for the rest of us is shocking. My former employer just announced the cost for employee health insurance in 2024. Per month, family plan, 2,500+/m. That's $30G in premiums before deductibles and co-pays.
Crazy. I voted for Obama and supported the idea of "affordable" health care. WTF. Bernie was right. We need universal health care.
Please, don't tell me it's a political issue. We can fight about everything else, but everyone needs health care.
wow. My last employer before retirement three years ago offered three tier plans, the lowest being about $8000 a year premium with a $3600 deductable for me and spouse EACH, although there was a "family deductible of $5k. After the deductable it was an 80/20 plan. Separate deductable for meds . So you were $13k in the hole before getting a penny back. Co-workers were delaying elective surgery (knee/hip replacements) because they weren't going to make their deductables by EOY, hoping that they would meet the deductable in the next year and at least get something back. Physicals were covered, but not diagnostic tests like EKGs, and there was always a bill for several hundred dollars for lab work from the physical. It's disgraceful.
People think universal health care will lead to a decline in services and longer waits for elective surgeries, but many European countries (and Canada) seem to have this down.
The money we(the USA) pisss away on foreign nonsense, illegals, etc, we would have enough to insure every citizen. But this country sucks with handling & managing money.
I'm old enough for Medicare, with retirement health care benefits from NYS, so I don't need to worry much about health insurance costs, but the cost of family PPO insurance for the rest of us is shocking. My former employer just announced the cost for employee health insurance in 2024. Per month, family plan, 2,500+/m. That's $30G in premiums before deductibles and co-pays.
Crazy. I voted for Obama and supported the idea of "affordable" health care. WTF. Bernie was right. We need universal health care.
Please, don't tell me it's a political issue. We can fight about everything else, but everyone needs health care.
Everyone might need health insurance but it is not a right. It’s a luxury. I’m sure all throughout our history, before this complicated corrupt healthcare system we now have existed, you did not get a chance to see a doctor without paying for it. You either had the money or you didn’t. Surely, you would not expect the doctor to work for free, do you? That is absurd. Same with a hospital. It cost a lot of money for that building, electricity and other utilities, employees, etc. they cannot exist if people do not pay them. A mechanic should not fix your car for free because without it, you can’t get to work and will lose your job and be thrown out onto the street. Why should someone’s situation result in someone helping you for free?
Same with the dentist. After high school, nearly no job I had offered any dental. That resulted in me not being able to afford going regularly. The result was that I would only go when I was in extreme pain. Didn’t work out so well in the end. Plenty of root canals. While it would have been nice if there was universal dental care, the rest of society is not responsible to contribute to my dental care.
So, no, it is not a right. Tell your coworkers that they cannot go on any vacations or get the newest cars and cell phones. Not so hard to do. I don’t do it. Many people screaming poverty are far too spoiled with expensive toys and should not complain. And everyone with a brain knew that Obamacare could never work. Too many leeches and not enough contributors. It sounded like a nice thing to do but you need healthy people to sign up to pay for the poor, sick and elderly. Sure, you could afford your nice low premium but good luck paying the $20k deductibles before it kicked in. You’ve all been duped by some stuttering ignoramus.
Now, if you gave me a choice of our country supporting all of the illegal crimson that cross our borders daily or putting that money toward free healthcare only for our citizens, then I am all for that. But I would prefer that we spend none f that money because we do not have that money to spend in the first place. No one should expect anyone to pay someone else’s bills. That is not what this country was about. You want safety, then move to some socialist country. That is the answer. You can’t get freedom and expect a safety net. Of course, anyone can donate to such causes.
I'm in my late sixties, always worked for decent employers, and always had jobs that covered my healthcare. In my early twenties, I paid nothing out of my salary for healthcare - it was a benefit provided by my employer. No co-pays for doctor visits. Then, along came a five dollar co-pay (which I remember complaining about). Then it was ten dollars, then twenty dollars.
Next came the premiums, which started gradually , and by retirement time was $8k with high deductables.
Point is - forty years ago , healthcare was affordable for anyone who was gainfully employed.
What changed ?
As for healthcare being a "luxury or a right", that's a tough one. I'm thankful that I always had access to great healthcare , but there are many less fortunate - people working part time jobs, people who don't have the mental acuity to enjoy a successful career that would provide them with this benefit. No easy answer.
Last edited by lifetimeliguy; 11-22-2023 at 08:11 AM..
Everyone might need health insurance but it is not a right. It’s a luxury. You either had the money or you didn’t.
You want safety, then move to some socialist country. That is the answer. You can’t get freedom and expect a safety net.
With all due respect for your opinion, I do think that health care is a human right, for all of us in this country, not just for residents in socialist countries. And yes, I'm paying for a lot of it indirectly, through taxes and medicare premiums. I don't like the waste and corruption that accompanies the current system, and have plenty of objections to how our current president is handling the immigrant issue. But please, show some compassion and sympathy for working families who are struggling with health care costs for their families.
Medicare for all is a good idea, and it's long overdue.
Food and shelter are also "human rights", by necessity, but you don't just get it simply because you exist, you have to earn it.
With that said, the entire healthcare system in the US is an absolute disaster fraught with greed, corruption, and increasing malfeasance. Makes me wonder why most people keep choosing to participate in it.
Everyone might need health insurance but it is not a right. It’s a luxury. I’m sure all throughout our history, before this complicated corrupt healthcare system we now have existed, you did not get a chance to see a doctor without paying for it. You either had the money or you didn’t. Surely, you would not expect the doctor to work for free, do you? That is absurd. Same with a hospital. It cost a lot of money for that building, electricity and other utilities, employees, etc. they cannot exist if people do not pay them. A mechanic should not fix your car for free because without it, you can’t get to work and will lose your job and be thrown out onto the street. Why should someone’s situation result in someone helping you for free?
Same with the dentist. After high school, nearly no job I had offered any dental. That resulted in me not being able to afford going regularly. The result was that I would only go when I was in extreme pain. Didn’t work out so well in the end. Plenty of root canals. While it would have been nice if there was universal dental care, the rest of society is not responsible to contribute to my dental care.
So, no, it is not a right. Tell your coworkers that they cannot go on any vacations or get the newest cars and cell phones. Not so hard to do. I don’t do it. Many people screaming poverty are far too spoiled with expensive toys and should not complain. And everyone with a brain knew that Obamacare could never work. Too many leeches and not enough contributors. It sounded like a nice thing to do but you need healthy people to sign up to pay for the poor, sick and elderly. Sure, you could afford your nice low premium but good luck paying the $20k deductibles before it kicked in. You’ve all been duped by some stuttering ignoramus.
Now, if you gave me a choice of our country supporting all of the illegal crimson that cross our borders daily or putting that money toward free healthcare only for our citizens, then I am all for that. But I would prefer that we spend none f that money because we do not have that money to spend in the first place. No one should expect anyone to pay someone else’s bills. That is not what this country was about. You want safety, then move to some socialist country. That is the answer. You can’t get freedom and expect a safety net. Of course, anyone can donate to such causes.
Totally get what you are saying and in principle I agree with most. But on the flip Side it’s easy to say this if you have healthcare, if you or a close loved one were say diagnosed with cancer and needed treatment I bet you’d take free care in a second if you didn’t have it
The problem is that the medical industry has the government in its pocket. People did survive without insurance once upon a time, or just had insurance for major medical issues/hospitalizations, because doctors a few generstions ago did not expect to become multimillionaires. Doctors didn't buy and own medical and testing facilities that made them wealthier and then sent patients eith insurance for tests they might really not need. People could afford to pay for a physical or a sick visit without insurance and not have to forgo paying rent to do so.
But the AMA has a lot of power through money that determines who gets and stays elected in this country in return for making sure that they stay wealthy. Along with their pals in the pharnaceutical and insurance industries.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
