If you're dying or in critical condition, you'll get treatment now. There is a problem with non-emergency cases taking a long time to go through the system (especially major and complex procedures, because I've never waited anywhere near 7 months). But the solution to this is to stop the provinces from trying to sabotage public healthcare, then train more doctors and make systematic improvements. Not insert layers of private industry middlemen whose life's calling is converting human suffering into cash at maximum exchange rates. Everyone I know here would gladly take our system over yours.
If you have hundreds of thousands in medical bills at once, sure. That's good bang for your buck. If you've been paying monthly for medical insurance, get a tear in your eye that needs surgery, and now how to pay fully out of pocket for that surgery because it still isn't expensive enough for insurance to step in, that's a lot of money.
Of course, the post has no numbers, so it's impossible to judge the quality of the insurance plan. And the deductible isn't exactly a surprise, you know it when you get the plan, so paying this much when you have an emergency shouldn't be a surprise either. It still sucks if you can't afford better.
Don't forget the extra-fun deductible reset button that insurance companies get to hit every year. If your timing is particularly unlucky, you can end up paying that deductible twice (or nearly twice) for some health event.
Doesn't a high deductible policy have lower monthly premium? Couldn't you have paid more for a policy with a lower deductible? The author chose the lower premiums and self insured (bet) they would not need to use it enough to meet the high deductible.
Health insurance in America is criminal. It provides as little service as possible as opaquely as possible via dystopian attrition processes to obstruct you in every way possible. Then its's the most expensive in the world. It's a garbage product. I almost cancel it every year then wonder why I didn't.
I caught a diagnosis of cancer last year. Fortunately, I'm in the US and have a good PPO. I only wiped out half of my emergency savings in the last 12 months. I had the foresight to keep 12 months of expenses on hand, 6 months like they advise is the bare minimum.
Less than three months passed between the diagnosis and when I first got sent to collections.
You wouldn't believe the deluge of bills that come in from doctors, imaging centers, and various labs. If you need to get in an ambulance, you may get bills from both the ambulance company AND the fire fighers who show up and check out the action while the paramedics work. That audience alone set me back $225. I think the ambulance wanted another $200 on top of that. They dinged my insurance $2800. I was driven 700 feet to the emergency room. I don't recall a whole lot, but I asked for and received 7 heated blankets in the ER. $50 each.
The bill that got me sent to collections was for less than $60 for a lab in Texas. They sent two bills that got buried in the pile next to the door. At the time I got the collections call, I found it challenging to walk from my bed to the mailbox. My surgeon wanted me to walk one mile per day. My credit is about 80 points lower now.
I had hoped that the ACA would be a stepping stone to a better health system in this country. It could still happen, but not while we allow corporations to seek rents as we all inevitably fall ill. Until then, OP is right, don't get sick in America.
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[ 3.9 ms ] story [ 17.0 ms ] threadI'm confused, don't you want to reach your deductible as soon as possible? Isn't that when your insurance actually starts paying out?
Of course, the post has no numbers, so it's impossible to judge the quality of the insurance plan. And the deductible isn't exactly a surprise, you know it when you get the plan, so paying this much when you have an emergency shouldn't be a surprise either. It still sucks if you can't afford better.
Translation:
1. I spent the absolute maximum amount of money which can be substantial if you're on a high deductible plan
2. I had a very unhealthy year
Less than three months passed between the diagnosis and when I first got sent to collections.
You wouldn't believe the deluge of bills that come in from doctors, imaging centers, and various labs. If you need to get in an ambulance, you may get bills from both the ambulance company AND the fire fighers who show up and check out the action while the paramedics work. That audience alone set me back $225. I think the ambulance wanted another $200 on top of that. They dinged my insurance $2800. I was driven 700 feet to the emergency room. I don't recall a whole lot, but I asked for and received 7 heated blankets in the ER. $50 each.
The bill that got me sent to collections was for less than $60 for a lab in Texas. They sent two bills that got buried in the pile next to the door. At the time I got the collections call, I found it challenging to walk from my bed to the mailbox. My surgeon wanted me to walk one mile per day. My credit is about 80 points lower now.
I had hoped that the ACA would be a stepping stone to a better health system in this country. It could still happen, but not while we allow corporations to seek rents as we all inevitably fall ill. Until then, OP is right, don't get sick in America.
Takeaway:
Canada is great cost wise, but poor in wait times.
India offers a smorgasbord— you can pay very little, or you can pay more for better service. You get what you pay for.
The US is worst cost wise, probably second to India in wait time, but the best if you have anything outside a plain vanilla medical condition.