captmorgan
Banned
$1800, which was way less then what I expected and I got it back from my works insurance when I got home.
Honestly I would pay that all the time to get that level of service and timely care.
-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
My Sister's Insurance Has A $2,000 Yearly Deductible
- Thread starter Bombadil
- Start date
- Status
$1800, which was way less then what I expected and I got it back from my works insurance when I got home.
Honestly I would pay that all the time to get that level of service and timely care.
I will not argue about which country provides the best care. Clearly, Canada's healthcare system is not perfect.
When I went to the ER of a county hospital with three weeks of abdominal pain, I waited 13 hours. They had done a blood and urine test and I waited 13 hours for a doctor to tell me the results.
The experiences are different everywhere we go.
Your wife got a hospital bed, ultrasound, MRI, and neurosurgeon consultation for 1800 dollars? Really?
An MRI alone costs 2500 dollars.
captmorgan
Banned
Im not here to argue, it was mearly an experience I had just recently had. I was just i shock because Ive been on a waiting list hitting almost 18 months now for my shoulder.
The bill came to around $8000 dollars but they offered 75% discount if you paid right away. It was the oddest experience Ive ever had negotiating my hospital bill.
We were in Disney world, I think the hospital was called celebration or something like that.
I went and looked at the bill
looks like the MRI, consultation and ultrasound came to $4774 The bed for lvl 4 emergency care was $1625 then other charges morphine, percocet, iv and so forth.
Do you want to know why they gave you a discount? The price of the care was already inflated for purposes of maximizing profits. But if you paid the total cost of the care, 1800 bucks, right away, they'd accept it.
My ER and physician bill were the same way. The ER bill was 1800 bucks but I told them I couldn't pay that much and without batting an eye, they said, okay pay us 179. Aka, pay us for how much your care was actually worth rather than what we've been told to charge.
As good as the care was, it still stinks of bullshit when hospitals will charge 10 times the true cost of the care they render.
balladofwindfishes
Member
N
NinjaFridge
Unconfirmed Member
All this talk of deductibles and co-pays and all the other shit is weird to me. If I'm sick I just go to the doctor or hospital and they do their thing. Money doesn't come into it.
balladofwindfishes
Member
but you don't have your freedom!
Duane Cunningham
Member
Hmm. Probably both. Our annual meeting is coming up again in a few weeks, I'll definitely look into it.
faceless007
Member
My company (small business <50 employees) must have some awesome negotiators. My deductible is $500.
captmorgan
Banned
Wouldn`t the cost be 40+(income tax%+other tax multiplied by X amount of years)
The Librarian
Banned
Strike out the "above 65" statute from the Medicare amendment to the Social Security Act.
whatsinaname
Member
If I take 1 USD = 1 Pound and apply the UK tax slabs, the effective in-hand income seems to be the same at about 70%? Maybe I am missing other social security type payments the UK people make.
Also look at kmag's numbers.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=50824476&postcount=124
And then there is the money that my employer pays as premiums.
See You Next Wednesday
Banned
So you are saying if you are young, healthy & are at no risk of getting seriously ill, you should spend thousands of dollars every year for years on end on medical insurance.
In the small & utter chance you do get ill during this time, you will have to pay the brunt of the cost, thus negating the fact you have medical insurance that you spent money on for years.
Sadly, you could get totally fucked by medical bills without insurance. Medical insurance is necessary and worth the cost just for the max annual payout and total maximum.
If youre lucky enough to get an HSA plan, thats basically the best retirement vehicle (if it didnt have the shitty fees). So its not terribly bad
Damn, feel bad for you guys whose offices offer shit plans. I pay $220 per month for my and my wife's health insurance and my plan has no deductible. Granted, it's an HMO (United), but it's a nationwide plan and every major medical provider in my city is 'in network' so it's no big deal.
Stop feeling sorry for us and start bashing some heads in. Viva la Revolucion!!!
chicko1983
Member
I pay $200 a month for full hospital and most extras cover in Australia.
I have only had to use my dentist check up for it each year so I feel it is a rip off. I havent been, or needed to go, to a doctor in about 8 years now though.
I know that if I decided to stop being covered, that is when I would get sick.
I have only had to use my dentist check up for it each year so I feel it is a rip off. I havent been, or needed to go, to a doctor in about 8 years now though.
I know that if I decided to stop being covered, that is when I would get sick.
What the fuck kind of insurance is this? What the fuck? Is this really how private health insurance works in America?
no. not all. not most
most have deductibles yes. But most have co-pays for doctors and stuff.
Zoe
Member
It just seems like a bad luck of the draw. Out of all the individual plans Aetna offers in my state, only 1 kind doesn't cover basic office visits before the deductible, and it's an HSA plan. A company that chooses that versus the rest of the plans they offer is pretty shitty.
Wouldn't a good compromise for American health care be: government/taxpayer foots the bill for all preventative care, insurance/individual foots the bill for all treatment? We would improve the health outcomes of all the citizens for a small cost and limit the exposure the tax payer would face to people who abuse the system or the people with rare, catastrophic diseases or ailments.
Plus, it would encourage/force people into developing relationships with doctors/practitioners, instead of attempting to avoid them their whole life and then showing up at an ER room when they get a sinus infection.
Plus, it would encourage/force people into developing relationships with doctors/practitioners, instead of attempting to avoid them their whole life and then showing up at an ER room when they get a sinus infection.
I dont think some of you have actually used your insurance.
Deductible supercedes copay/coinsurance till its met. You get the contracted rate between doctors/hospitals/whatever and insurance company but you still have to pay oop till you hit it. THAT is why you choose higher per pay period premiums for lower deductibles or vice versa. You have to decide for yourself what works out better if you know you are going to hit deductible or not. After deductible is met you have either fixed copays tiered to service, example $20 doctor office/$40 specialist/$60 ER. Or co insurance percantage based typically 80/20. If you go to your Primary Care provider they may take just your copay at the visit but after they submit your bill to insurance company and ins company adjusts for their rates they will submit negotiated rate and what you owe based on deductible. If you didnt reach your deductible expect a bill from the doctor for the amount minus the copay you paid in the mail. Also, actually read your EOBs.
Deductible supercedes copay/coinsurance till its met. You get the contracted rate between doctors/hospitals/whatever and insurance company but you still have to pay oop till you hit it. THAT is why you choose higher per pay period premiums for lower deductibles or vice versa. You have to decide for yourself what works out better if you know you are going to hit deductible or not. After deductible is met you have either fixed copays tiered to service, example $20 doctor office/$40 specialist/$60 ER. Or co insurance percantage based typically 80/20. If you go to your Primary Care provider they may take just your copay at the visit but after they submit your bill to insurance company and ins company adjusts for their rates they will submit negotiated rate and what you owe based on deductible. If you didnt reach your deductible expect a bill from the doctor for the amount minus the copay you paid in the mail. Also, actually read your EOBs.
xxjuicesxx
Member
Mines ~140$ a month. 500$ deductible, low copays, and 100% insured after as long as its in network.
Dental is good too. Got two cavities filled for 45 bucks.
Dental is good too. Got two cavities filled for 45 bucks.
Me too. If I lived near the border I'd just go to the US for medical care.
Very thankful for my insurance. Low deductible covers everything and I needed it. I'm a recent liver transplant patient (not alcohol or hep.c related either. Genetic.) And those bills would have absolutely destroyed me. After suffering for 3 years and nearly dying due to the bad liver, I'm fuckin' glad.
Is it perfect? Nope. But I'll take it.
Is it perfect? Nope. But I'll take it.
In Australia, you have a mix of public and private health. Everyone gets Medicare (the public health system), but you pay a Medicare levy if you earn over a certain amount. This is usually 1.5% tax on your income. You get benefits and 'rewards' if you opt to take out private medical insurance, like subsided premiums. You;re also encouraged to take out insurance sooner in life, as your premiums when you first take out insurance increase with age, and continue at a higher rate.
I pay for private insurance for my entire family - myself, wife, and two sons.
I recently had an operation, and went private. I was charged for the initial consultation with the specialist, then the procedure itself (general and local anaesthetic, then surgery).
Total out of pocket expense to me was AU$300. $140 for the consultation (not covered by our insurance), and $160 'gap' for the operation, so the cost not covered by insurance. If I'd gone public, I would have waited a few more weeks, but it would have cost me nothing.
I pay for private insurance for my entire family - myself, wife, and two sons.
I recently had an operation, and went private. I was charged for the initial consultation with the specialist, then the procedure itself (general and local anaesthetic, then surgery).
Total out of pocket expense to me was AU$300. $140 for the consultation (not covered by our insurance), and $160 'gap' for the operation, so the cost not covered by insurance. If I'd gone public, I would have waited a few more weeks, but it would have cost me nothing.
Freezasaurus
Member
$2,000 deductible? Holy shit. I thought my $400 deductible was irritating, considering it's twice as much as it used to be several years ago.
250 person/500 family. I realize mines good
That's not good. Anything above 0 is wrong.
I researched the operation (vasectomy lol) before going ahead with it, and saw from posts on Reddit where people were talking about their ops. The mind boggling thing was the level of anaesthetic the American posters had was set by their insurance, with no one getting a general, and one dude only getting a topical numbing gel. Fucking hell. I had a general, to knock me out, so they could then shave my nuts and give me a local (right in the ball sack). All the US posters all had to shave their own balls too. What sort of country do you live in that forces a man to shave his own nuts?!
My insurance premium is AU$270 a month. It's high on the scale of premiums, but covers my family for pretty much everything. I have a separate critical illness insurance that covers all the highly expensive items that my insurance doesn't (certain cancer drugs etc). Can't remember how much that costs me a month, but it's not much at all.
A topical is all your really need. All they are doing is cutting two slits in very thin skin and snipping/tying your tubes. It's not a big deal. I talked to my "surgeon" the entire time and never missed a beat.
America is so crazy with risk-aversion they probably don't want to put people under unless they absolutely have to. People still die from anesthesia or could get in a car accident if they try to drive home all dopey. Then the doctors get sued.
Defensive medicine is a big issue in the states.
Doctors refrain from performing exams/procedures to defend themselves and give into patient demands to defend themselves.
I pay $0. SUCK IT THIRD WORLD AMERICA!
You don't pay any taxes?
If I had to be concious during my ball op, I doubt I would have gone through with it.
The point it, not using an anaesthetic just seems to be a US thing, driven by insurance companies. That's not how medical procedures should work. The most effective procedure should be done.
And as for being sued, that another American thing. Not only was I kept under operation post op for 3 hours, they stipulated that I couldn't drive home. They called my wife for me, to let her know to collect me.
Surgery always carries an inherent risk of complications (including death). So it seem crazy to not have anaesthetic thinking you're now immune from any complications.
There you go. Doctor avoiding doing certain things to legally protect themselves, rather than doing what's best for the patient.
What's your income tax rate? I always get this argument from Americans but when I ask them this, they pay more income taxes than me for less back.
Zoe
Member
My tax bracket is 25%, but my effective rate was 11% last year. And I'm in the worst tax position aside from being able to apply student loan interest.
Are you a fat goth?
Zoe
Member
My medical expenses from last year would only amount to another 4%. I'd rather not have another reason to be penalized for being a healthy, single, non-homeowner with no kids.
(Stupid allergy immunotherapy. This year should be half that though)
Zoe
Member
I was wrong, it's actually 2.5% with my premium being 0.3%. Unless you're one of those people who count the employer contribution which I don't agree with, especially not when considering taxes.
You know I don't get this kind of "I got mine!" thinking.
Even if you're Mr/Mrs Health. You're just one accident/tendon snap away/lay off from not being so. I mean have you ever tried to do cobra that's like $1,000+ per month. I'd rather pay even a little more to know that if my company decides to lay me off I don't have to worry.
Aren't you kind of dependent on your employer because of this? God forbid you might lose your job for some reason. Plus wouldn't the massive money your company is paying for health insurance for you guys be better spent either as wages for you or in making the company more profitable and more secure?
I know the same could be said for the taxes that you or your company would pay to support Universal health care instead of insurance premiums but here's the thing. Universal health care systems are cheaper and more efficient than the hodgepodge in the States. You pay more for worse results!
- Status