4 ms·

Well, the US has better outcomes for employed, insured and non-overweight folks; dramatically lower wait times, better cancer survival rates and less competitio

Well, the US has better outcomes for employed, insured and non-overweight folks; dramatically lower wait times, better cancer survival rates and less competition for care. Expense is also a nonissue on employer insurance. Unfortunately the US aggregate outcomes are dragged heavily down by an unhealthy population and high barriers to care for the uninsured.

rsynnott 6y ago
> Expense is also a nonissue on employer insurance. My impression was that many if not most Americans would have to pay an excess (not sure of the American term; money paid by an insured party on using insurance) for any medical care with their work insurance. Is this not the case?
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- trefoiled 6y ago
  This is true but complex. It depends on the type of service you receive. As a general rule, you'll need to pay a yearly deductible before receiving insurance benefits for non preventative care. This can be anywhere from $500 to $8000. High deductible plans are commonly referred to as "catastrophic" plans, because the deductible is so high, and the kind of people who purchase them are typically not wealthy, that their owners would only seek care in a true emergency where the service would exceed the cost of the deductible. After paying your deductible you will often also have a "co-pay" which is typically a flat rate based on the type of service. Something in the realm of $25 to $500. After that, many plans have something called "co-insurance" which is a percentage of the bill you are responsible for even if you have met your deductible. Say, 20%. Add all these charges and fees up, you'll keep paying them until you hit your "maximum out of pocket." So as an example, I was hospitalized a few years back in December while on what would be considered a "good" healthcare plan. I paid my $1000 deductible, a $250 co-pay for emergency room care, and co-insurance of several hundred dollars. I stayed a single night in the hospital and received a CT scan. I was given Tylenol, released the next day, and referred to a specialist. I wound up seeing the specialist in January, so my deductible reset. I was given another CT scan, so I had to pay my $1000 deductible again. The total bill for the entire process pre-insurance was in the realm of $80,000. After insurance, I paid $5000, which was my entire life savings at the time. I didn't hit my maximum out of pocket for either year, so I got lucky in a way. I could have had to pay double what I did.
  - rweir 6y ago
    > This is true but complex. It depends on the type of service you receive. I feel this is never adequately priced into these discussions. everything about healthcare in the US is expensive and complicated, even if you "have insurance", even if you have expensive, seen-as-good-insurance.
koyote 6y ago
> dramatically lower wait times, better cancer survival rates and less competition for care. Expense is also a nonissue on employer insurance. Do you have a source for those statements?

rsynnott 6y ago

> Expense is also a nonissue on employer insurance. My impression was that many if not most Americans would have to pay an excess (not sure of the American term; money paid by an insured party on using insurance) for any medical care with their work insurance. Is this not the case?

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
trefoiled 6y ago
This is true but complex. It depends on the type of service you receive. As a general rule, you'll need to pay a yearly deductible before receiving insurance benefits for non preventative care. This can be anywhere from $500 to $8000. High deductible plans are commonly referred to as "catastrophic" plans, because the deductible is so high, and the kind of people who purchase them are typically not wealthy, that their owners would only seek care in a true emergency where the service would exceed the cost of the deductible. After paying your deductible you will often also have a "co-pay" which is typically a flat rate based on the type of service. Something in the realm of $25 to $500. After that, many plans have something called "co-insurance" which is a percentage of the bill you are responsible for even if you have met your deductible. Say, 20%. Add all these charges and fees up, you'll keep paying them until you hit your "maximum out of pocket." So as an example, I was hospitalized a few years back in December while on what would be considered a "good" healthcare plan. I paid my $1000 deductible, a $250 co-pay for emergency room care, and co-insurance of several hundred dollars. I stayed a single night in the hospital and received a CT scan. I was given Tylenol, released the next day, and referred to a specialist. I wound up seeing the specialist in January, so my deductible reset. I was given another CT scan, so I had to pay my $1000 deductible again. The total bill for the entire process pre-insurance was in the realm of $80,000. After insurance, I paid $5000, which was my entire life savings at the time. I didn't hit my maximum out of pocket for either year, so I got lucky in a way. I could have had to pay double what I did.
- rweir 6y ago
  > This is true but complex. It depends on the type of service you receive. I feel this is never adequately priced into these discussions. everything about healthcare in the US is expensive and complicated, even if you "have insurance", even if you have expensive, seen-as-good-insurance.

koyote 6y ago

> dramatically lower wait times, better cancer survival rates and less competition for care. Expense is also a nonissue on employer insurance. Do you have a source for those statements?