Healthcare Costs in Your Area, Let's Hear About them..

[Guest ReturnOfS]

>Can u explain why the Mayo clinic in Mn, has always a large

>number of cars with Canadian license plates in their parking

>lot? I'am told that while it's free, u could die of something

>else before getting the necessary surgery for whatever u have

>in Canada. In the U.S. if someone needs a Hip replacement

>surgery which is one of the most common procedures for baby

>boomers, you can get it within the week. In Canada or England,

>it's a minimum of 6 to 12 month painful wait!

 

If thats the worse cause scenario with single source universal health insurance from the government, I'd take single source universal health insurance from the government any day.

[Guest ReturnOfS]

I have premiums tken out of my check every pay period. I have no problem with all of that going to the government instead of going to line the pockets of the shareholders and upper-management of a health insurance corporation; especially if it means that every American gets health insurance.

[Guest zipperzone]

>1) Sorry, zip but it doesn't cover "absolutely

>everything". Canadians are charged for a whole host of

>things from drugs to ambulance rides unless they have

>supplemental insurance plans.

 

When I said everything I was referring to Doctor's visits including specialists, hospital stays, operations, x-rays, MRIs, C scans, chemotherapy, radiation - those types of things. Those are the services that are so expensive in the US. Technically you are correct but as most medical problems do not need an ambulance (and they only charge about $40 or $50) it shouldn't be a big issue. As for drugs, in B.C. the government covers a large portion of them applying a sliding sale determined by your income, with the patient being responsible for the first $1000 annualy.

 

So as far as I am concerned it is basically free.

 

>2) Rising health care costs are just as big an issue in Canada

>as they are anywhere else, it just depends on how you look at

>it.

 

True. But it doesn't affect my direct medical costs. Maybe more of my tax dollars are used to supplement the system at the expense of education, welfare and infrastructure improvements but quite frankly I really don't care. My education is bought and paid for and I have never driven over a bridge that collapsed due to rusty rivets. Call me callus - I am.

 

>Even with a

>booming economy, that was a temporary solution at best, but

>with the economic situation as it is now, the federal

>government is now facing its own revenue declines and will

>have fewer 'extra' dollars to share than it had in recent

>years...

 

Perhaps we could send the bill to Washington as it was the idiot child who caused the economic downturn.

 

>I agree with zipperzone that, as a Canadian, I much prefer our

>system of health care to that south of the border.

 

Well I'm glad we agree on something...... :-)

[Guest zipperzone]

>>I really don't know. The figure of 1 billion no doubt

>reflects

>>the exorbitant fees US hospitals charge which would be

>free in

>>Canada - look at deej's report of $800 for an ice pack.

>>

>They're not 'free' in Canada either, zipperzone, it's just

>that the bill goes to your provincial government instead of

>you... see my other post above.

 

Come on now - your nitpicking. I know someone has to pay for them, but when I said they were free, I meant I didn't have to write a cheque for them. And although they are billed to my provincial government, they are covered by my monthly health care premium of $54. If a portion of my income tax is diverted to pay for health care I couldn't care less.

 

In Aug of this year I was in hospital for over two weeks with bladder cancer and a severe case of blood poisoning. If I had to write a cheque for that it would have been in the tens of thousands of dollars. Out of my own pocket I paid absolutely zero.

 

In your previous post you said that drugs were not free and I explained how the province pays for a large portion of them. What I forgot to mention was that any drugs you are given during a hospital stay are covered 100%.

[Guest Delaware Man]

Joseph,

You have been on my mind since I read your post about the horrific interest you are paying on credit cards for med bills. While I do not have an answer I saw an ad on TV today for a credit counseling service that claims to lower interest rates. I think they charge but check around in your area as I bet there is a free credit counseling service in your area they may be able to at least help you lower the interest rate you are paying.

Good luck.

[Cooper]

No wonder the cost of health insurance is so high in the United States. Just look at what hospitals are charging....Last month I went into the hospital for a procedure called cardiac catheterization. My total time in the hospital was 6 hours, the procedure took about 20 minutes. Yesterday, I received the hospital bill for this procedure. The total cost to my insurance company was $10,163. My copay was $75.00.

 

That one charge is just about my entire year's premiums.

[str8baitluvr]

Ad me to the list of the 47 million or so without healthcare insurance. I used to work for a Fortune 15 company and had healthcare benefits.

 

Now, I'm self-employed, early 40's, healthy, non-smoker, etc. I signed up for health insurance with Aetna and they wanted to charge me close to $300/mo and provided virtually nothing in return for it.

 

I see the doctor once or twice a year and maybe get sick once during the winter and she'll write me a prescription. I pay all of it out of pocket and it rarely exceeds $400/yr.

 

Compare that with Aetna wanting to charge me hundreds of dollars a month and sending me regular rate increases for no apparent reason and not providing any increase in service for it.

 

So after a very short period, I cancelled Aetna and have been self-pay ever since. I maintain an HSA. My physician said if I wanted insurance it would be best to just to get a major medical policy vs. routine care.