Heath Insurance Premiums: Employer paying $14,561, Employee paying $6,015

[Teacher Terry]

My sister in Chicago is paying 600/month just for her for Medicare and supplement.

[ApatheticNoMore]

My sister in Chicago is paying 600/month just for her for Medicare and supplement.

chooses too, because she could almost certainly get a Medicare advantage plan if she went that route for less. In fact that's precisely why people go that route. Whether things should be that way or not, almost certainly not, regular Medicare should be cheaper (and that's what improved and expanded Medicare for All, ie the actual bills in the House and Senate that obviously aren't going anywhere now, would do). But I'm just saying I don't think it's people on current Medicare that are bereft of affordable choices.

But the ACA plans, yea getting costly, and I hate those things, because compared to employer coverage, almost no doctors take them for one thing, I've had doctors I've seen in the past specifically tell me "we don't take ACA plans". I hope my current employer coverage turns out better (well it can't get worse at any rate, deductibles and stuff much better).

[Yppej]

I was watching 90 Day Fiance and South Africa also has private hospitals people can stay at if they pay extra out of their own pocket.

[JaneV2.0]

I believe health care has always been for-profit excepting those religious and charitable institutions in the game. I think it's the health insurance element you're referencing, and it only came into play because the government initiated wage freezes during WWII and employers had to be creative in their recruitment efforts by adding non-wage inducements.

It's actually ironic to see today's Socialist/Democrat politicians promote a return to the FDR era big government control platform that created the problem as a solution to the problem.

I also think history is pretty agnostic about that era's high marginal tax rates as they only affected a few hundred or so people. It's equally ironic to hear them referenced as a reason to impose them on everyone.

People--in my memory--used to be able to pay doctor's bills out of pocket because insurance was uncommon and insurance companies weren't yet able to pad costs endlessly. Doctors mostly priced their services fairly. Hospitals in my area were non-profit. I would prefer a system wherein I paid my (hypothetical) doctor directly, and had reasonably priced coverage for anything catastrophic. I would like to see insurance companies pushed mostly out of the picture.

[Alan]

People--in my memory--used to be able to pay doctor's bills out of pocket because insurance was uncommon and insurance companies weren't yet able to pad costs endlessly. Doctors mostly priced their services fairly. Hospitals in my area were non-profit. I would prefer a system wherein I paid my (hypothetical) doctor directly, and had reasonably priced coverage for anything catastrophic. I would like to see insurance companies pushed mostly out of the picture.

Why would your doctor not now allow you to pay out of pocket? It seems that would be easier for them.

I'm not sure what you mean about insurance companies padding costs. I do think doctors business insurance has forced them to add un-necessary tests/consults/etc., to their services but that is mainly to protect them from litigation. Republicans used to talk about tort reform to help address that problem but Democrats called them names and the sissies stopped.

[Yppej]

Insurance companies add a layer of administrative costs that pads the price of service.

[catherine]

Also, to Jane's point, when NO ONE is paying the bill, EVERYONE is paying the bill. Back in the old days, the time that Jane is talking about, if a person was paying the doctor directly out their own pocket, the costs were commensurate with what a person is able to pay. When it got to "Well, who cares, because insurance is covering it?" Big Pharma could raise prices on drugs, and hospitals could be capricious with fees and prices. THEN of course, managed care organizations were called in to save the day, but they added a level of complexity and more external costs--and all of a sudden it's a quagmire. I agree that malpractice insurance adds yet another layer, but that's just one piece of the puzzle.

[LDAHL]

Don't some people in the UK seek healthcare outside the national healthcare system?

Yes, but that’s not a single payer system.

[Teacher Terry]

My sister doesn’t want the advantage plans because you can’t go out of network without a referral if you need a certain specialist that may not be available in your network. Advantage plans have denied referrals and people have died.

[catherine]

My sister doesn’t want the advantage plans because you can’t go out of network without a referral if you need a certain specialist that may not be available in your network. Advantage plans have denied referrals and people have died.

There's a difference between Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplemental. You can take the Supplemental plans wherever you go, which for us has been great, since our time over the past couple of years has been split between NJ and VT.