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Do what I did six years ago: Marry an Australian and leave the US. I now pay AU $350/month for private medical insurance for my family of five, in addition to b

by jbarham 10y ago

Do what I did six years ago: Marry an Australian and leave the US. I now pay AU $350/month for private medical insurance for my family of five, in addition to being able to access Australia's world-class public Medicare medical system. It's only when you live outside of the US that you realize it has the worst healthcare system in the developed world (unless you're very rich, in which case it's the best, which says a lot about the US political system).

cylinder 10y ago
I chuckled at this being the top comment. I did the same and will be joining you soon in Melbourne! I think the Australian system is the best model for the US to copy, not Denmark or France or what not. But it's never even mentioned here since apparently it's unpatriotic to admit other countries have figured out things we can learn from. It's got the essential public option with the private system running in parallel for those that want it or can afford it (higher incomes are tax incentivized to obtain it). The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is desperately needed in America but the pharma lobby would burn the country down before they allowed that to happen.
FireBeyond 10y ago
"It's only when you live outside of the US that you realize it has the worst healthcare system in the developed world (unless you're very rich, in which case it's the best, which says a lot about the US political system)." As an Australian who moved to the US, this * 1000. Yes, no healthcare is free. But a 1-1.5% increase in income taxes to pay for healthcare is a whole world away from the US situation: - hospital stay in Melbourne, 9 days. Out of pocket, $36 for in room TV rental (this was 15y ago), including take-home meds - kidney stone in Seattle, $8,000+ out of pocket AFTER insurance (and this was good insurance, but admittedly more complex than average kidney stone - surgical removal attempted, infection found, stenting, lithotripsy a week later) How does your average person come up with $8K to deal with a kidney stone? Something many people might have to deal with multiple times in their life, if not annually?
- wapz 10y ago
  Yeah it's ridiculous. I was in the ER in California for 2.5 hours (I got IV and a CT scan). The bill was $4600. I stayed overnight in Japan entering the ER and got IV only and it was $41.

by jbarham 10y ago

cylinder 10y ago

I chuckled at this being the top comment. I did the same and will be joining you soon in Melbourne! I think the Australian system is the best model for the US to copy, not Denmark or France or what not. But it's never even mentioned here since apparently it's unpatriotic to admit other countries have figured out things we can learn from. It's got the essential public option with the private system running in parallel for those that want it or can afford it (higher incomes are tax incentivized to obtain it). The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is desperately needed in America but the pharma lobby would burn the country down before they allowed that to happen.

FireBeyond 10y ago

"It's only when you live outside of the US that you realize it has the worst healthcare system in the developed world (unless you're very rich, in which case it's the best, which says a lot about the US political system)." As an Australian who moved to the US, this * 1000. Yes, no healthcare is free. But a 1-1.5% increase in income taxes to pay for healthcare is a whole world away from the US situation: - hospital stay in Melbourne, 9 days. Out of pocket, $36 for in room TV rental (this was 15y ago), including take-home meds - kidney stone in Seattle, $8,000+ out of pocket AFTER insurance (and this was good insurance, but admittedly more complex than average kidney stone - surgical removal attempted, infection found, stenting, lithotripsy a week later) How does your average person come up with $8K to deal with a kidney stone? Something many people might have to deal with multiple times in their life, if not annually?

wapz 10y ago
Yeah it's ridiculous. I was in the ER in California for 2.5 hours (I got IV and a CT scan). The bill was $4600. I stayed overnight in Japan entering the ER and got IV only and it was $41.