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United States24813 Posts
Given the large number of Americans on TL, I'm surprised this hasn't been discussed more. I'm actually not talking about the healthcare debate; I'm talking about options for individuals who need health insurance.
Since college I have been employed with benefits and have not had to pay much for health insurance, so I haven't realized how out of hand the costs are. I just started looking into this to see what all the fuss is about!
The first option for healthcare if you are >~25 and not receiving benefits from a job is medicaid for those with severe financial need. I'm not sure how difficult it is to qualify for this, though. According to someone I spoke to, if you are able to live with your parents (which is nice if you have no income) you aren't likely to qualify for medicaid regardless of if you have zero income or not. Does anyone know more about this?
The second option is to pay for a health insurance plan. In my state, NY, HealthyNY is one option. If you are a student then your campus probably offers their own comparable plan. There are others I'm sure, but what I have found so far costs well upwards of $300/month for an individual plan (this is assuming you don't have a significant other or dependents). [As an aside, cobra for the health insurance I've had for the past several years is well over $700/month]
How the heck are you supposed to afford that when you don't have income? Do you blow what little cash you have until you are absolutely broke and can't pay your car/phone bills, then move from your parents into a cardboard box in an alley, then apply for food stamps and medicaid? That honestly seems counterproductive if the goal is to help the person to get back on their feet and into the workforce again so they won't continue to be a drain on the system.
I know health insurance varies by state, so there might be much cheaper options in other places (like ~75 dollars per month which only covers health emergencies) that are actually affordable and sustainable for an unemployed person for a while, but I haven't found any in my state.
If I understand the new Obama legislation correctly, things are going to change in 2014. Health insurance will become mandatory (not that I like the idea of being completely uninsured, mind you), but there will be new marketplaces for finding affordable health insurance. There will also be more subsidized health insurance options. Can anyone confirm that this is still true as of today?
I guess the goal of my research was to find out what options there are today even though I personally don't need it. So far I'm very unimpressed.
 
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Just to give a little insight ( take my words with a grain of salt ) on Healthcare in Singapore :
Each month, I think 10% of your salary is deducted and placed into a bank account the government creates for you (unless you are self-employed). This 10% will slowly accumulate until the day you stop working. You cannot touch it for recreational uses, you can however, use it to pay for your house, etc. You can also use the money to pay for healthcare. The government already heavily subsidizes healthcare costs, so I guess you are in a way paying for your own health insurance.
There are obviously regular health insurance, but this is the one that is forced unto every working citizen.
I don't know if this is absurd to you, but I am more or less fine with it. I mean, the healthcare services in Singapore are legendary and I don't have to spend extra time worrying if I have enough spare cash for a rainy day.
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USA is famous for having the most expensive healthcare in the world, so not that surprising actually. Regarding what Obama is trying to achieve if you consider USA as a whole then you don't really seem to care about Healthcare? I mean 2/3 of USA are now overweight, nearly 1/3 is obese. Every time I listen to someone from USA debating about Health it sounds like It's novelty and only exists for the super rich and in commercials and you won't achieve it anyway so why even bother. It sounds, at least to me, like it's fiction or not real in USA.
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Micronesia does your employer pay for your healthcare?
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On June 18 2012 00:56 Integra wrote:
USA is famous for having the most expensive healthcare in the world, so not that surprising actually. Regarding what Obama is trying to achieve if you consider USA as a whole then you don't really seem to care about Healthcare? I mean 2/3 of USA are now overweight, nearly 1/3 is obese. Every time I listen to someone from USA debating about Health it sounds like It's novelty and only exists for the super rich and in commercials and you won't achieve it anyway so why even bother. It sounds, at least to me, like it's fiction or not real in USA.
Everyone can get healthcare in the U.S. Even if you don't have enough money to pay for a life-saving operation, you will still get surgery since hospitals cannot legally turn anyone down, even illegal immigrants. The problem is what happens after: do they still have to pay for the bill if they're poor? Do the people who can actually pay for their medical needs have to subsidize those who can't? Does the government have to subsidize them?
The overweight and obesity problem, to me at least, is not a healthcare issue in the sense that only the rich can afford to be healthy. It seems like more of a life-style and cultural problem. We have a ton of readily available fast-food everywhere, and it actually isn't cheaper than other food, it is just quick, easy, and delicious. If we took the time to stop being lazy and ate our own food that we cook, and also just go for a run every other morning or hit the gym a few times a week, the U.S. would be a much more healthy place. Soft drinks are another problem; there is really no need to drink them. They are sugar-water beverages with no nutritional value, and for some reason, people think that drinking diet drinks is OK because they don't have calories. So I think weight issues are not really products of our healthcare system but rather culture and general laziness.
Sorry Micronesia. I don't really know the answer to your question, but thankfully you're a teacher and probably get good health insurance anyway.
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United States24813 Posts
On June 18 2012 01:05 beetlelisk wrote:
Micronesia does your employer pay for your healthcare?
My employers have always paid the grand majority of my health insurance, if that's what you mean. I think I paid a small percentage deducted from my paycheck each year.
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On June 18 2012 01:17 Chocolate wrote:
Even if you don't have enough money to pay for a life-saving operation, you will still get surgery since hospitals cannot legally turn anyone down, even illegal immigrants.
You know there is something amiss when taking care of your countrymen has to be put into law; and in a half-assed way nonetheless.
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Wait, I thought you were a teacher? Doesn't the state subsidize your insurance?
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On June 18 2012 02:28 divito wrote:Show nested quote +On June 18 2012 01:17 Chocolate wrote:
Even if you don't have enough money to pay for a life-saving operation, you will still get surgery since hospitals cannot legally turn anyone down, even illegal immigrants. You know there is something amiss when taking care of your countrymen has to be put into law; and in a half-assed way nonetheless.
I think there is something wrong when there are people who can't afford to survive, even after giving everything they have.
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On June 18 2012 01:17 Chocolate wrote:Show nested quote +On June 18 2012 00:56 Integra wrote:
USA is famous for having the most expensive healthcare in the world, so not that surprising actually. Regarding what Obama is trying to achieve if you consider USA as a whole then you don't really seem to care about Healthcare? I mean 2/3 of USA are now overweight, nearly 1/3 is obese. Every time I listen to someone from USA debating about Health it sounds like It's novelty and only exists for the super rich and in commercials and you won't achieve it anyway so why even bother. It sounds, at least to me, like it's fiction or not real in USA. Everyone can get healthcare in the U.S. Even if you don't have enough money to pay for a life-saving operation, you will still get surgery since hospitals cannot legally turn anyone down, even illegal immigrants.
IIRC, this isn't exactly true. If you get in a car accident, go unconscious, and get rushed to the ER they will fix you up insurance or no, but if you have an issue that isn't immediately life threatening like cancer or kidney/liver failure, if you have no way to pay for it its no go. There are a number of ways to get help paying for treatment from private non-profits and government institutions but many poor uninsured people do not get the treatment they need.
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United States24813 Posts
On June 18 2012 02:34 surfinbird1 wrote:
Wait, I thought you were a teacher? Doesn't the state subsidize your insurance?
I feel like I've already addressed this more than once in this thread, but I'm not really talking about me in particular, regardless.
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EPT
