--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <no_re...@...> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "wayback71" <wayback71@> wrote: > > > > When teachers get health insurance for their families as part > > of their benefits., it is valued at $18,000 per year for a family > > of 4 - at least in my neck of the woods. This is traditional > > health insurance, not the disaster type with high deductibles > > that you have, Rick. $18,000 is a lot of money for a family - > > if it is not part of your benefits package at a job. > > To provide some perspective on this, I repeat the > numbers I have posted here several times. In the > US, as a self-employed person who never actually > ever *used* the health insurance I paid for "just > in case" (and thus had no medical history that > would have jacked up the prices), I paid $600 > per month for my policy. > > Then I moved to France. Not being part of the French > system, I had to buy health insurance from a private > insurance company. It cost me 240 Euros ($325). Per > *year*. For that price I actually received better > coverage than I had in the US for $600 per month. > In the rare times that I went to a doctor, I never > had to pay a penny for it. > > In Spain it costs me a little more than I paid in > France, but not very much more. My yearly cost for > full health care coverage *plus* dental is less than > what I used to pay in the US per month, without any > dental coverage there. Again, no visit to a doctor > or dentist has ever cost me a penny out of pocket. > > Bottom line? You Americans have not only been taken > to the cleaners by the insurance companies, the drug > companies, and the medical establishment (for-profit > doctors, HMOs, and hospitals), you're so *used* to > being taken to the cleaners that many of you are > freaking out and panicking and running around like > crazy people screaming "socialized medicine" as the > first steps are taken to *stop* you being taken to > the cleaners. > > The only conclusion I can draw from this is that > America is a nation of masochistic retards.
You know, all we had to do was just copy one of these plans from another country - just copy the thing - the legwork was done already. Reid has them all spelled out in his book, and just about every one of them works. The problem is simply the insurance co's. With them in existence and unregulated, we are doomed. PErsonally, I think drs. deserve some big bucks since they study for so long and so hard, but obviously buying a Mercedes and a home your first year out of medical school means you are earning way too much. The Mayo clinic system works really well for controlling salaries and medical costs, while providing top notch care. Enjoy your coverage in Europe. >
