OnwardandUpward

Guardian article 2 days ago Too many choices, high costs and bureaucracy: British expats grade American healthcare system 'a pain in the arse' | Money | The Guardian

scrubbedexpat099

To be fair there is nothing the Guardian likes than a dig at the US.

Having said that it is a pain in the arse.

Pulaski

Neither system is perfect. I find the "customer focus" and lack of waiting lists in the US to be preferable to the NHS where the authorities determine the level of resources to be applied to each department/ specialty. ..... To whit: they decided last year that the A&E in Cheltenham would not open at night, requiring that ambulances, and those bringing them self or brought by a friend of relative, drive the the eight miles to Gloucester for emergency medical attention. This was one of the headline matters in the report of poor NHS performance a few days ago.

OnwardandUpward

My step-mum has been waiting a year now for a hip replacement, in UK, so yes, I think there's problems both systems.

I think it was on this thread someone told me to buy bronze obama-care and just use it for emergency...I probably will next year; or just forget the subsidies and pay the full price to have the cover I want.

I feel like I paid more to get a supposedly better 'customer' experience, with the platinum plan- but the best doctors and hospitals aren't on the plan, and where it said you can change GP at any time now it's once a month by the 15th of the month.

Pulaski

Yes, somebody did!

OnwardandUpward

: )

retzie

Wait, is TX sufficiently loopy that the best doctors are not servicing any marketplace plans...?

Btw, I have managed to get a PCP changed outside those restrictions, by pointing out that the one I had had a wait of 3+ months! My impression is that it is just something that needs authorization.

OnwardandUpward

'is TX sufficiently loopy that the best doctors are not servicing any marketplace plans...? ' @ retzie- I picked a doctor but when I could finally access my insurance policy/ card online someone had changed it! I think because the renumeration is less than with private plan patients doctors are restricting the numbers they'll take. My old dr she won't take medicare or medicaid either, but she was very popular- she didn't have to.

Thanks for the advice, I'll try that if necessary.

ACA is not popular politically in TX, Houston has some of the world's best medical facilities though, if you can afford them!

kins

I bought insurance through Obamacare recently and have had no problems - doctor is on the list, cards arrived ASAP, premium paid, everything worked out fine so far.

My kids have gone onto my husband's work-based plan. Today they finally got officially added to his plan (bad data file apparently), and we'll get their ID cards in 7-10 days. Premium was - funnily enough - already deducted despite them not apparently having any coverage.

We're all on Anthem, but my experience has been far better than theirs so far.

Michael

I wonder what Texans would like less if they knew that 40% of the state budget and a significant part of local budgets went to pay for Health and Human Services.

scrubbedexpat099

Or that they were paying twice as much as they should do.

OnwardandUpward

Well I got my insurance card today, and decided to go with the assigned doctor/hospital for now, maybe it'll be fine. I think I'm just wound up to the nth degree by the interminable process and not feeling well...but when I look back at the UK, it wasn't perfect either. Still isn't. I don't think 'obamacare' is a good solution for universal healthcare, but maybe someone cleverer than his administration so far will be able to work it out?

I can't say much about Texas politics or public policy- it is what it is. Feel free to move here and try and bring some rationale down here- it won't make any difference.

I lost friends when I supported ACA and healthcare reform...lost friends when I criticised it...none of it truly rational!

But what I like about Texas is when it counts- people can get things done. We had forest fires in 2011, no question of waiting for FEMA- all necessary supplies were out there within a day or two.

For all the faults- Texans are very functional, practically.

It's funny, growing up in England, that was what we were taught about America- cowboys and Steven Foster songs. When King of the Hill came on British tv I used to joke- I want to live in Arlen Texas!

Well now I do...

I'll report back once I've used the health insurance. It does say on the card btw that it's obamacare and platinum level. Texas government want to make that law to display.

WEBlue

Glad to hear you received your card at last, O&U!

I got mine a few days ago, and happily my present GP is on the PCP list on the insurer's website. I chose him, but am still waiting for my "file" to reflect the choice, as my personal info page in my file still says I haven't chosen a PCP yet. The new system does certainly take some patience....

kins

The old system takes some patience too. My Obamacare policy has been set up without any issues, whereas my husband put the children on his policy through work and we've spent forever chasing them up to make sure the children actually are on his policy. It turns out the data file that was sent was corrupt.

OnwardandUpward

Called my assigned doctor listed on the card/policy...they have no idea why I would because they are closed to new patients.