Curious American Health Insurance

[ME BIGGD01]

Anyone here notice if their health care insuranc eis going up? Mine is renewing May 1st and I am shocked that it's going up along with the co pay doubling from 20 to 40 dollars. Really this has me in a bit of a chaotic state because I just can not see how I can do it under budget. I am paying this out of pocket as it is which before May 1st is around 1200 not including the co pays. Now it will be around 1500 not including the double priced copay. This seems to be happening at the worst time as my wife just started chemo. WTF, is it just me or is everyones going up?

Let me know if you know.

[OUTLAWS WHOCARES]

Mine went up slightly. Not as much as yours. Also yours may have gone up due to your wifes illness.

[ME BIGGD01]

Mine went up slightly. Not as much as yours. Also yours may have gone up due to your wifes illness.

That's what another friend said but everyone who worked at my wifes company has the same plan and it goes up for all of them. Do you think their premium went up because of my wife? I mean I know it cost a lot of money but geez, that's what insurance is for.

I am also wondering if yours went up but because I am in NY it's more expensive.

Anyway so I will include yours as going up also regardless of how much. It went up and that is what I am concerned about.

[Sirc]

I think most people are getting royally ****ed by health care costs. I am. My yearly raise doesn't, and hasn't, even begun to cover inflation and the incredible yearly increase in health care costs. Not to mention the cost of gas. Bottom line - I make significantly less and less every year. That money has got to come from somewhere, and the only place it can come from is money I'd normally place towards retirement. Which ****s up my future. And even that's not going to cover my ass for long.

I've got a serious question here, although it may sound funny. If an American goes to a Canadian hospital, is it still free? Don't Canadians have a free health care system?

At this point, with one son entering college this fall, and another following in another two years, I'm simply not going to be able to cover the costs. And this is with a two-income family.

Screw the war, screw space, screw international aid, screw the national parks, screw the damn government. If we don't get our shit straightened out, and the basic needs of Americans are not met, then nothing else will mean anything and the civil war will be in our own backyards sooner than later.

[ME BIGGD01]

Sirc, I cannot even think about when my daughter goes to school. I do feel for you though and think about it a lot when I get older to retire if I can. First thing I want to do is get out of NY which is by far the dirtiest, most disgusting place and corrupt. Liek I tell Lash and his wife whenthey are here and I take them into Manahattan. Everything is a scam here.

I imagine I will leave this dump and say farewell to my family when my wife goes. I will close down shop, pack up, and leave within the year of that day with my daughter. I see no future here in the state of NY for me or more important my daughter. This place can go to hell as it is.

[Die Hard]

You think you have it bad?!

In the UK the health service is free. Well free isn't exactly true because we all pay for it in an automatic deduction from our salaries which is around the 12-13% mark. Income tax is over and above that.

Trouble is the health service in the UK is in a terrible state. So I and others that are fortunate enough to afford it also take out private medical insurance. Trouble is the private hospitals do not cover accidents and emergencies.

So what happens? Well as an example my daughter took a Hockey stick to the head the other week and the school called an ambulance and off she went to the local hospital. I arrived some 45 minutes later. She looked terrible, blood still coming from the wound and dried blood all over her head, face and clothes. After a total of four and a half hours without anyone looking at her I eventually decided to leave and go to a fee paying A&E centre. (not covered by private health insurance). Once there she was seen, cleaned and the wound expertly stitched up within 35 minutes and that cost me £94. ($200)

Great huh!

[ME BIGGD01]

You think you have it bad?!

In the UK the health service is free. Well free isn't exactly true because we all pay for it in an automatic deduction from our salaries which is around the 12-13% mark. Income tax is over and above that.

Trouble is the health service in the UK is in a terrible state. So I and others that are fortunate enough to afford it also take out private medical insurance. Trouble is the private hospitals do not cover accidents and emergencies.

So what happens? Well as an example my daughter took a Hockey stick to the head the other week and the school called an ambulance and off she went to the local hospital. I arrived some 45 minutes later. She looked terrible, blood still coming from the wound and dried blood all over her head, face and clothes. After a total of four and a half hours without anyone looking at her I eventually decided to leave and go to a fee paying A&E centre. (not covered by private health insurance). Once there she was seen, cleaned and the wound expertly stitched up within 35 minutes and that cost me £94. ($200)

Great huh!

I had this discussion with my wife yesterday about other countries and I was wondering exactly how much total people in other countries pay in taxes compared to their salaries. We are a bit disgruntled really about this whole thing because--and you have to understand this--- it's not just the amount of taxes we pay out of salaries. I mean sales tax is almost 9 cents on the dollar, gasoline is is nuts, and then you have property taxes which is $9000.00 a year. Now calculating all the money I am paying in taxes yearly, you can probably imagine why I am the way I am. Consider how much money one needs to make to just be able to live month to month. Honestly I am worried about this situation because I just can not afford it and I admit that. Understand where I am coming from when I have to pay monthly for my health insurance because I run my own small business. But what is killing me is now the copay is doubling which costs just as much as the insurance plan because my wife goes and gets treatments which every time is 40 bucks a visit. Now she sees 2-3 doctors a week so that's 120 dollars a week just for visits. Then I have to calculate the medicines and pain killers she needs which cost 40 dollars each refill. This is just my wife and as you know having a kid who my daughter is 4 yrs old goes to the ent when she is sick.

I just don't see a way to do this and working more I can not see possible as I work so much as it is. It's frustrating and has had me in a bad mood this past week. My feeling is WTF are people suppose to do to live today? I can honestly understand why people go on shooting rampages. I would probably make a bigger statement if I did not have a daughter to look care for. I do fantasize just killing politician after politician though.