4 ms·

Why do you think insurance costs is a big deal? At age 33, I pay 30 USD per month for 100% coverage of any illness, up to 30,000 USD per year, which is enough

by hkai 8y ago

Why do you think insurance costs is a big deal? At age 33, I pay 30 USD per month for 100% coverage of any illness, up to 30,000 USD per year, which is enough even for cancer. That's in Hong Kong. The only problem is American prices. Socialized healthcare is not needed as long as prices are reasonable. If I was an American I'd probably just fly to Thailand for any serious health issues because the cost of flight ticket plus treatment would be significantly less than in the US.

warent 8y ago
Simply because insurance corporations have shareholders to serve. There's just no incentive for insurers to lower prices. It's the nature of corporations to maximize profit. That can be a good thing, but not when health and lives are at stake, which is something that lower class conservatives don't understand the economics of, and upper class business owners profit off of. It's an ugly emergent property of the system we've built. > "If I was an American I'd probably just fly to Thailand for any serious health issues because the cost of flight ticket plus treatment would be significantly less than in the US." What you're describing is called "medical tourism" and it is slowly becoming more popular in the USA but still a fairly niche and underground idea.
bdcravens 8y ago
For most people, that may work, but for many with chronic conditions, most of their cost is medicine to maintain their health, not treatment. (and some medicines could blow through that $30k cap quickly)
matchagaucho 8y ago
The greatest medical expenses tend to be unplanned trauma and emergency room visits. Agreed that medical tourism for general procedures is a great value for many Americans that can afford this alternative.
ransom1538 8y ago
Warning. If you do get sick with cancer do not travel to the US. 2 DAYS in the Emergency room could cost 30k. You would be setup for immediate bankruptcy.

by hkai 8y ago

warent 8y ago

Simply because insurance corporations have shareholders to serve. There's just no incentive for insurers to lower prices. It's the nature of corporations to maximize profit. That can be a good thing, but not when health and lives are at stake, which is something that lower class conservatives don't understand the economics of, and upper class business owners profit off of. It's an ugly emergent property of the system we've built. > "If I was an American I'd probably just fly to Thailand for any serious health issues because the cost of flight ticket plus treatment would be significantly less than in the US." What you're describing is called "medical tourism" and it is slowly becoming more popular in the USA but still a fairly niche and underground idea.

bdcravens 8y ago

For most people, that may work, but for many with chronic conditions, most of their cost is medicine to maintain their health, not treatment. (and some medicines could blow through that $30k cap quickly)

matchagaucho 8y ago

The greatest medical expenses tend to be unplanned trauma and emergency room visits. Agreed that medical tourism for general procedures is a great value for many Americans that can afford this alternative.

ransom1538 8y ago

Warning. If you do get sick with cancer do not travel to the US. 2 DAYS in the Emergency room could cost 30k. You would be setup for immediate bankruptcy.