[FairfieldLife] Re: US health system ranks last compared to other countries
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, claudiouk [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070515/tpl-us-health-government-politics-10170b4.html More surprising UK ranking good, yet here we think we're in crisis. We think France, for instance, is better looked after.. In an interesting juxtaposition, Michael Moore's new film Sicko is set to premiere at Cannes soon, and since in it he takes on the damn-the- patient-profit-at-any-cost policies of the US health care industry and pharmaceutical industries, he's come under fire from the Bush administration, which is...uh...somewhat in these industries' pocket. They're claiming he violated a trade embargo with Cuba by going there during the filming. Guess they're still pissed off about Fahrenheit 9/11, eh? http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/entertainment/view/276253/1/.html Moore describes the new film as a comedy about 45 million people with no health care in the richest country on Earth. While many may bristle at his tendency to mix comedy and scathing satire with serious issues, I applaud it. The thing that the robber barons of the world hate most is to be laughed at, and Moore helps people to laugh at them. May he continue to make his films, and may the people continue to laugh at those who make a profit from either killing their fellow man (Bowling for Columbine and F 9/11) or just allowing them to die because they don't care whether they live or die, only about profit (Sicko), because when the laughter dies, what remains might be a sense of outrage, and a desire to stop these travesties. As for Michael himself, this article implies that he's well aware of the shoot the messenger tactics that will be used against him, and has hired one of the best PR firms in the business to counter their attacks. I don't care whether one likes Michael Moore and his sensibilities or not; I still believe that the world desper- ately needs more people like him.
[FairfieldLife] Re: US health system ranks last compared to other countries
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, claudiouk [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070515/tpl-us-health-government- politics- 10170b4.html More surprising UK ranking good, yet here we think we're in crisis. We think France, for instance, is better looked after.. I don't believe this report. In the States you pay a little bit of money each week and you get a much faster, and better service.
[FairfieldLife] Re: US health system ranks last compared to other countries
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, claudiouk claudiouk@ wrote: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070515/tpl-us-health-government- politics- 10170b4.html More surprising UK ranking good, yet here we think we're in crisis. We think France, for instance, is better looked after.. I don't believe this report. In the States you pay a little bit of money each week and you get a much faster, and better service. If you can get health insurance at all, that is. And the service isn't necessarily either faster or better. What specifically do you not believe about the report? Just FYI, right before I went on Medicare in February of this year, my group health insurance premiums--single, no dependents-- had been raised to $14,612 a year. That's $281 a week, hardly a little bit of money. Of course, since I work freelance, I had to pay for all of it, no employer contribution, so it was higher than for most employees. But most freelancers have a terrible time getting *any* health insurance, and those who do pay a very substantial percentage of their income for it.
[FairfieldLife] Re: US health system ranks last compared to other countries
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, claudiouk claudiouk@ wrote: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070515/tpl-us-health-government- politics- 10170b4.html More surprising UK ranking good, yet here we think we're in crisis. We think France, for instance, is better looked after.. I don't believe this report. In the States you pay a little bit of money each week and you get a much faster, and better service. If you can get health insurance at all, that is. And the service isn't necessarily either faster or better. What specifically do you not believe about the report? Just FYI, right before I went on Medicare in February of this year, my group health insurance premiums--single, no dependents-- had been raised to $14,612 a year.. Ouch ! That's $281 a week, hardly a little bit of money. So Medicare pays for you? How does that work? Let's see: Cost of $281 a week (?for an extreme case?) = about $6 an hour for the average joe. Cost of goods in general in Western Europe: About $5 an hour MORE than in the US for the average joe. Cost of income taxes in general in Europe: About $2 an hour more than in the US for the average joe. Cost of gasoline in Europe: About $3 an hour more than in the US for the average joe. Cost of decent housing (rent or buy) in Europe: At least $8 an hour more than in the US for the average joe. Cost of decent entertainment in Europe: About $5 an hour more than in the US for the average joe. Think I'll stay with US and just figure out how to earn $5-$10 an hour more over the next 10 years. But I understand your point about people with more health issues, and elderly, and large families (is it that those that don't breed as many children can handle the costs more, or is it that the poor tend to breed more and suffer the consequesnces? -- both I think?) However, there are a lot of back up services and charitable services in the US. But if I was American and sick long-term and unable to pay my health insurance. I would let myself go bankrupt and then go to the National Capital Washington Memorial and die under the statue with my story written in my book. If it is as bad as you say, I think someone, or many people, in America would do the same. Cost of GW Bush and Tony Blair and Cronies Quagmire: Uncountable, unpayable. As for French health care, well.a couple of times in the last few years they had a massive die off of patients due to no air conditioningso, of course, there are less people for the system to pay for. Good system. Kill the weak. Of course, since I work freelance, I had to pay for all of it, no employer contribution, so it was higher than for most employees. But most freelancers have a terrible time getting *any* health insurance, and those who do pay a very substantial percentage of their income for it. I got it no problem as a freelancer and pay about 340 a month (cost: about $2 an hour). OffWorld
[FairfieldLife] Re: US health system ranks last compared to other countries
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: snip Just FYI, right before I went on Medicare in February of this year, my group health insurance premiums--single, no dependents-- had been raised to $14,612 a year.. Ouch ! That's $281 a week, hardly a little bit of money. So Medicare pays for you? How does that work? Complicated. Everyone over 65 who has paid into the system via their Social Security taxes is covered by Medicare automatically and (I think) completely for hospitalization; it will also, for a smallish premium, cover doctor's visits and outpatient stuff up to a point (for physicians who take Medicare), but most people need additional insurance (called Medigap) because there are always some out- of-pocket costs. Medigap policies are offered by private companies, but to specifications laid down by Medicare. You can now also get a private HMO plan through Medicare, which may or may not cost you less and may or may not give you the same service. Some are saying it's a scam, but I didn't take that option, so I'm not up on the details. Then there's prescription drug coverage, which until a year or so ago hadn't been covered at all. Now you can get a private policy if you're eligible for Medicare that covers up to $2,400 per year with copayments; then you have to pay additional costs up to--I forget, $5,000 or something--at which point the policy takes over again. This is called the doughnut hole and is very bad for many people who have to take a lot of drugs or expensive drugs. The drug plan is also a boon to the drug companies because Medicare is prohibited from negotiating prices, and there are other big problems with it too complicated to go into. Even with all this, it's still considerably cheaper to be on Medicare. But it's getting more expensive to the government by the day, and something is going to have to be done to curb costs. Major policy mess. Of course, since I work freelance, I had to pay for all of it, no employer contribution, so it was higher than for most employees. But most freelancers have a terrible time getting *any* health insurance, and those who do pay a very substantial percentage of their income for it. I got it no problem as a freelancer and pay about 340 a month (cost: about $2 an hour). Depends on what state you're in and what kind of policy you want.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: US health system ranks last compared to other countries
authfriend wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: snip Just FYI, right before I went on Medicare in February of this year, my group health insurance premiums--single, no dependents-- had been raised to $14,612 a year.. Ouch ! That's $281 a week, hardly a little bit of money. So Medicare pays for you? How does that work? Complicated. Everyone over 65 who has paid into the system via their Social Security taxes is covered by Medicare automatically and (I think) completely for hospitalization; it will also, for a smallish premium, cover doctor's visits and outpatient stuff up to a point (for physicians who take Medicare), but most people need additional insurance (called Medigap) because there are always some out- of-pocket costs. Medigap policies are offered by private companies, but to specifications laid down by Medicare. You can now also get a private HMO plan through Medicare, which may or may not cost you less and may or may not give you the same service. Some are saying it's a scam, but I didn't take that option, so I'm not up on the details. Then there's prescription drug coverage, which until a year or so ago hadn't been covered at all. Now you can get a private policy if you're eligible for Medicare that covers up to $2,400 per year with copayments; then you have to pay additional costs up to--I forget, $5,000 or something--at which point the policy takes over again. This is called the doughnut hole and is very bad for many people who have to take a lot of drugs or expensive drugs. The drug plan is also a boon to the drug companies because Medicare is prohibited from negotiating prices, and there are other big problems with it too complicated to go into. Even with all this, it's still considerably cheaper to be on Medicare. But it's getting more expensive to the government by the day, and something is going to have to be done to curb costs. Major policy mess. Of course, since I work freelance, I had to pay for all of it, no employer contribution, so it was higher than for most employees. But most freelancers have a terrible time getting *any* health insurance, and those who do pay a very substantial percentage of their income for it. I got it no problem as a freelancer and pay about 340 a month (cost: about $2 an hour). Depends on what state you're in and what kind of policy you want. And how much deductible. My policy is around $240 a month but then they add a 50% surcharge because I am overweight plus I have a $2500 deductible. Policies for self-employed people aren't as good as group policies either. This is a crime but then most big business is run by organized crime anymore anyway. My doctor had a fit over the 50% surcharge, he could see 10-15% but not 50%. Once you get down to what weight they think you should be (within about 10 lbs) if you stay there or under for 6 months they'll drop the surcharge. I think for this country we need to erase the blackboard and start over again. It's way too screwed up to fix.
[FairfieldLife] Re: US health system ranks last compared to other countries
The U.S. Health System is sick because it is a regulated monopoly. What we need is LESS government, not more. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, claudiouk claudiouk@ wrote: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070515/tpl-us-health-government- politics- 10170b4.html More surprising UK ranking good, yet here we think we're in crisis. We think France, for instance, is better looked after.. I don't believe this report. In the States you pay a little bit of money each week and you get a much faster, and better service.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: US health system ranks last compared to other countries
To my knowledge it is not that much regulated at all. In fact it is a free for all for privatized health care. So called competition isn't working. In fact privatization of many things that WERE once government regulated have proved to be a disaster. We seem to have mafia run healthcare. shempmcgurk wrote: The U.S. Health System is sick because it is a regulated monopoly. What we need is LESS government, not more. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, claudiouk claudiouk@ wrote: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20070515/tpl-us-health-government- politics- 10170b4.html More surprising UK ranking good, yet here we think we're in crisis. We think France, for instance, is better looked after.. I don't believe this report. In the States you pay a little bit of money each week and you get a much faster, and better service.
[FairfieldLife] Re: US health system ranks last compared to other countries
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Once you get down to what weight they think you should be (within about 10 lbs) if you stay there or under for 6 months they'll drop the surcharge. So why don't you do that? the lower weight is heathier, increases longevity, lowers risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc. And you pay 1/3 less than you are now. Sounds like a deal.
