Health system in USA
#61
Re: Health system in USA
Not available to most Seniors in Mississippi, unfortunately. Neighbor has only an income from social security of $1850 a month. Can't afford supplemental so only has Medicare. Tried to get Medicaid because she needs a knee replacement. Fell and broke the knee cap which was previously replaced. That was last year. Doctor will not replace it because she has no supplemental insurance and her monthly income is over the limit to qualify for Medicaid. Unfortunately, Medicaid is not just federally funded or administered and depends on State funds and requirements.
#63
I approved this message
Joined: Dec 2004
Location: Chicago
Posts: 2,425
Re: Health system in USA
Side note: I work for a large company. Every year, they give me a total compensation and benefits statement that covers their actual costs for having me as an employee. I have a PPO that covers me, my wife and two teenaged children. All of us are healthy non-smokers with clean bloodwork. In addition to the PPO, we pay for dental insurance, vision care insurance, LTC/LTD insurance, and about $4mm in life insurance. For all of this coverage, my company is subsidizing $35K a year. My out of pocket is ~$800 per month + co-pays of about $100 per month. That totals over $45K/year! This is problem with coverage in the US: it's ridiculously expensive. That's the problem we need to solve.
#64
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Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: Health system in USA
Before Medicare was enacted in the '60's, 50% of seniors were bankrupted by their first significant illness. So I am very sceptical of the line that there weren't major problems in the past. There were.
#65
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Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: Health system in USA
Emergency rooms are required to "medically stabilize" you. Nothing more. Yes, some abuse this, but no it absolutely isn't a substitute for reasonable healthcare access.
#67
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Joined: Feb 2010
Location: Temecula, CA
Posts: 4,759
Re: Health system in USA
Had I known how much time I would spend "helping doctor offices correct their billing" (to put it politely), going to said doctors, and paying as much as we do, I would not have come. But you can't turn back time.
RE using ER: as others have said, they will patch up a patient enough to get them back on the street. That is all. Source: ICU RN wife who has raised concerns over releasing of some patients without insurance too early.
#68
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Re: Health system in USA
While of course there is some abuse, qualifying for Social Security Disability is not a quick process. I have known a few people go through the process.
#69
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Joined: Jul 2016
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Re: Health system in USA
Who is dying? Everyone MUST by law be treated at Emergency Rooms. Then they can ignore the bills (plenty of people do), reduce the bills, or get covered by Medicaid or Medicare. I see no one dead on the streets of NYC where I live and we have lots of homeless druggies and mentally ill.
Again, if this is such a problem with America, why are people emigrating here? They need to stay home close to the NHS if that is their priority.
Again, if this is such a problem with America, why are people emigrating here? They need to stay home close to the NHS if that is their priority.
Even if one has Medicare, there are still expenses for coverage and prescriptions that some cant afford.
And further even if one has insurance, it can still be expensive covering deductibles and out of pocket expenses - and the incredible percentage of the economy spent on Medical care compared to other developed countries yet a higher percentage of people don't have affordable access to health care.
The situation is so idiotic, I think some expatriates simply can't imagine system so messed up.
#71
Re: Health system in USA
Hi
My husband, three kids and I are moving to California this summer and don’t plan to come back.
I’m completely unsure of how health insurance works there.
I’m setting up a business so I’m thinking I could insure all of us through the company expenses.
What happens if you just need to see a GP? Does insurance pay for this or do you pay when she see the GP? Do you register with a local GP like in the UK?
Do you have to pay for children’s vaccinations like polio etc?
Do you have to pay for maternity care or is this covered by insurance?
Thanks
My husband, three kids and I are moving to California this summer and don’t plan to come back.
I’m completely unsure of how health insurance works there.
I’m setting up a business so I’m thinking I could insure all of us through the company expenses.
What happens if you just need to see a GP? Does insurance pay for this or do you pay when she see the GP? Do you register with a local GP like in the UK?
Do you have to pay for children’s vaccinations like polio etc?
Do you have to pay for maternity care or is this covered by insurance?
Thanks
There is no healthcare "system" per se, but as you'll be E-2 the answer is go and buy a plan via healthcare.gov These are all private insurance companies, as you won't be eligible for the tax credits you might find it simpler to figure out what plan you want and then call the insurance company directly.
It will not be cheap. And it won't completely cover everything. It is very complex, you have to understand deductibles, co-pays, etc. Prescription drugs are only covered to a limited extent in ACA plans generally. Go to goodrx.com and get the coupons.
BTW, the EB-5 investment limit is going to be raised to $1.8 million at some point in the near future, there are pending regulations for the regional centres but I'll be amazed if they don't apply that limit to regular EB-5 as well at some point soon. And your E-2 business is an existing business, so that money has to be extra money.
Bear in mind the trick with E-2 is that one of you gets an open EAD, so whoever can earn the most money should be the person who gets that and the other person is the principal E-2 investor. That way the person with the EAD can earn money via another job. This will also help mitigate your healthcare problem, because if you get a good job, you will be covered for healthcare through that job.
#72
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 227
Re: Health system in USA
The eligibility requirements seem loose to me. But that's just me, of course.
#73
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Joined: Jul 2016
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Re: Health system in USA
It is a crazy system- I would be willing to bet that if Americans had a better understanding of how the NHS works in practice there would be enough pressure to change the system in the US. A lot of discussions are about those who are uninsured, but even those with insurance face horrendous financial expenditures at times. How could most expatriates grasp the insanity of the insanity health care system when even Americans find it perplexing as well at times.
#74
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Health system in USA
No other country has copied the NHS.
#75
I still dont believe it..
Joined: Oct 2013
Location: 12 degrees north
Posts: 2,777
Re: Health system in USA
Porferic...
As a department head in the nhs, over a 5 year period i had visits from ICT delegations working in health services seeking to emulate our patient processes and systems from:
Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston
Japan
Korea
The Netherlands
Denmark
Norway
Those are the ones i remember.
No system as large as the NHS can be perfect, 1.2 million employees, 200 billion pounds a year, but its outcomes - its bang per buck are undeniably world class.
The cost of the NHS put another way is 800 pounds per user per year. Can you get within a coubtry mile of that? Many civilised countries have a national health service, they tend to cost say 50% more than the uk’s, and in some ways parts of them are definitely better objectively. But none approach the scale and bredth of the NHS.
The busiest database in europe is the central nhs patient record system, 100 million live records, 5000 accesses a second at times.
As a department head in the nhs, over a 5 year period i had visits from ICT delegations working in health services seeking to emulate our patient processes and systems from:
Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston
Japan
Korea
The Netherlands
Denmark
Norway
Those are the ones i remember.
No system as large as the NHS can be perfect, 1.2 million employees, 200 billion pounds a year, but its outcomes - its bang per buck are undeniably world class.
The cost of the NHS put another way is 800 pounds per user per year. Can you get within a coubtry mile of that? Many civilised countries have a national health service, they tend to cost say 50% more than the uk’s, and in some ways parts of them are definitely better objectively. But none approach the scale and bredth of the NHS.
The busiest database in europe is the central nhs patient record system, 100 million live records, 5000 accesses a second at times.