alicat26

I have experienced both UK and US health care systems since birth. Here are some of my observations....

Being born with a cleft palate in the UK my parents had good care for me on the NHS including several repair operations, countless orthodontic appointments until the age of 16, speech therapy and I even had my ears pinned back on the NHS. I shudder to think of what that cost would be if all this happened in the US

While living in the US I used to have insurance pre-crash of 2007. During that time I had an elective surgery which was "free" all I had to pay was a $25 co-pay and the cost of the pain killers. The cost to the insurer was $7,000. This is not something that I would have been able to have done in the UK on the NHS. (Privately yes). I estimate I paid less into the insurance plan than the $7,000 that got covered by insurance.

Now post crash economy have haven't had insurance for 4 years.....

- my husband had a root canal, botched by one dentist, finished by another, cost = $3,000. Could have flown to UK and gone private for that!!

- I know someone who has his own individual health insurance plan, paid $2,000 out of pocket for one psychology appointment - an assessment and report. not covered by his insurance plan. Oh and they want him back for another appointment....sure they do...

We have no health insurance here anymore. 'm fortunate to have not had anything major go wrong I know from reading this whole thread that not everyone is so lucky. I can't wait to get back to the UK and not have to worry every time there's an ache/pain - with credit cards at the ready!!

Unfortunately I do not foresee the US system getting better any time soon, the insurance companies and big pharma has too tight a hold on US politicians. People in the UK have no concept it can be this bad.

sallysimmons

Wow, that's the exact opposite of our experience. After 7 years of 10-20% increases, this year we only got a 2.5% increase. My broker told me that insurers were worried about falling foul of the new regulations on price hikes and that's why our costs were kept low.

Medicaire costs have also fallen this year for the first time in living memory.

bandrui

I find it completely disgusting to read of these massive costs for healthcare and premiums (not to mention people living in tents ) from a country that can pay $3 trillion for a war on 2 countries (Afghanistan and Iraq) who had never declared war on the US. I don't have the figures but am sure that so-called security expenditures are up there too.

fulwood

well im now having to go to bat for my brother and his medical bills. earlier this year I reviewed his plan online. it was an 80/20 w/500 deductible. he paid his bills with my help (paying me back). so now my brother who had cancer and other health issues, works fulltime earning 10 an hour, take home pay about $600 every two weeks has now found out that was an error. apparently his plan is 2k deductible and 60/40 plan. if he uses a out of network provider his deductible is 4k. so my brother whose take home pay is about 15k a year is now looking at having to spend more than a 1/3 of his take home pay on medical bills. it does not inlclude the rent he pays me. they are now haunting him for an extra 2500 dollars. I cannot pay it for him this time. this is the side of america that completely sucks.he cannot work anymore than he does as though his cancer is in remission he does have effects from it that limit his mobility. so effin' annoyed right now..also for his other health conditions he has no choice but to use a non-network due to the specialty required..

bandrui

A mistake? Why do they think it was a mistake? Because he actually had to make a claim?

I think it is wonderful how you are standing by your brother. May you one day reap the bountiful rewards of your selflessness.

fulwood

I am just doing what anyone else would do. No issue is we paid all claims as did company based upon 80/20. So thought all caught up. Now for some reason they are paying claims as 60/40 and he has to come up with all this extra cash for claims we thought we had paid. He is now having claims for example from as far back as January/February being reprocessed. I just have to see what is going on and why claims are now only being paid as 60/40 and deductible 3 times what we it was a beginning of the year.

bandrui

You must have documents somewhere that detail all this, yes? I hope they have made a mistake. Honestly, it really upsets me to hear these stories of US Health Care. Reason enough to get the h..l out of there.

Have you considered both of you heading back to the UK? I think $10/hr is an insult to anyone except as a school holiday job but it beats zip, I suppose.
Surely you would be better off in the UK?

Derrygal

I smell a rat - this doesn't seem quite right somehow. I don't understand how an insurance company can pay claims at 80/20 at the start of the year, and then later on say that your brother has a 60/40 plan plus a higher deductible- it just doesn't seem right. I would definitely fight this. It really is appalling - I hate dealing with health insurance companies, and I consider myself fortunate that I have never been seriously ill. It must be horrible, not only to have to fight a disease like cancer, but also fight with the health insurance company. I just hope that your brother can get this sorted out.

fulwood

Derrygal, I know that is why I have told him to call his insurance company tomorrow to find out about his plan. The only chance I get to speak w/them this week is on Friday when brother and I will be home at same time. other than that we work different shifts. I do think about UK but at this moment it still seems US is best for me at least. My brother has nobody back in UK so he will kind of do what I do. if his medical bills get worse I dont' know what we will do. I do benefits for a living so have better grasp than some of how US system works..Oops sorry Bandrui mentioned about returning to US. I dont need to look back I can see on claims they paid before it said 80%. It's bloody Blue Cross Blue Shield as well one of largest companies in US..

cluedweasel

At the moment, I'm reading through reams of paper because my insurance premium has actually gone down. It's only by $6 per month, but there must be a catch somewhere. Having said that, the buggers always find someway to duck out of paying for anything anyway.

RChappo

That just happened to me! I had to have a "re-treatment" on a root canal last week. My regular dentist referred me to a specialist. The specialist's treatment was pretty well covered and I only had to pay out $234 out of pocket. But now I've used up my treatment dollar allowance for the year so I'm not covered for when my regular dentist puts in the new crown on that tooth. Think the cost is around $1500 - $2000. Incidentally when the specialist took a look at the tooth in question he said "Yes I've seen this kind of poor work from British dentists before" - he didn't realise that it was actually done by an American dentist I used to go to when I first got here!

Can't help feeling that it's all a racket somehow!

Mummy in the foothills

I hope you said something, I hate when I hear that kind of put down.
Our dentist was very impressed at how long our fillings had held up, he said they had been very well done to last so long, finally though they all needed to be replaced and the US dentist seems to have done a lovely job too.

RChappo

Unfortunately I could say nothing because my mouth was filled with implements and he had sharp things in his hands! He went on to say something like "that's what you get for nationalized treatment". I should say that he was a nice guy generally and did a great job. (He told me that Canada had the best dentist's in the world!).

My mother In law is Vietnamese (has US citizenship) and it was cheaper for her to fly to Vietnam and get her dental treatment done than pay what it costs over here - and she has dental insurance! My wife's family are still adamant that there is nothing wrong with the US Heathcare system though.
I don't fathom how they can't grasp that when that kind of thing can happen to them personally.

bandrui

It is this kind of defence of a system which is obviously broken that I find quite baffling.

I can only put it down to brainwashing and toeing the party line because it makes no logical sense.

Mummy in the foothills

That amazes me too, Nice that they can afford to fly MIL to Vietnam for treatment, so others who can't afford to do that should rot It's the "I'm ok sod the rest of you" attitude again.