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Except UK is a disaster, 6M people waiting for service. Some longer than a year. Heartbreaking stories if you are paying attention.

hotpotamus 5y ago
How many millions are waiting in the US because they can't afford care?
- thrill 5y ago
  The solution to a problem that is not working as well as you'd like is not to jump into a system that's working even worse.
  - wbsss4412 5y ago
    Do you have any proof of that? (That it is worse) Do you have any knowledge of what the typical waiting periods are in the US? How many are postponing care due to inability to cover the costs?
  - c0nducktr 5y ago
    Exactly what I'd say to anyone from the UK thinking of moving to an USA-style healthcare system.
- TrueGeek 5y ago
  Or going into debt because they are paying for care with loans / credit cards?
- onphonenow 5y ago
  My point is simply, if the UK is the "best" example of universal coverage - that's very very very worrisome! I happen to think the UK is not close to the best example.
  - hotpotamus 5y ago
    How would you measure best?
    - onphonenow 5y ago
      Availability of service is number one. Can you even get care at all. If you have to wait a year or more for service, that has a major impact on your life. These are for what in the US are considered relatively routine and available services - things like a pacemaker. Or knee and joint work. “The pain is so bad now I don’t want to live much longer,” she explained. “I get up in the morning [and fear] making it to the bathroom without wetting myself as the pain and stiffness overwhelms me. Then, after losing my dignity, I attempt to make it down the stairs." So we need to begin with just the basics - can you even get care at all - period.
      - hotpotamus 5y ago
        So let's say you're in the US with a failing hip joint and your employer lays you off and takes away your health insurance. Will you still have access to care? I doubt the person above is making it into work every day if they can't even make it to the bathroom.
        onphonenow 5y ago
        There are a lot of lies and falsehoods in your statement. Your employer can't "take away" your health insurance in the US in most cases. If they will stop paying for it in most cases they will send you a letter giving you the option to pay for it. This will cover you for up to 36 months. What you would do is after being laid off is to take advantage of the downtime to get LOTS of care. That's actually pretty common approach, folks max out benefits for 1-3 months then let COBRA coverage drop. I've seen some folks take advantage of the 60 day period to decide to basically go get tons of testing, if nothing comes up they let it drop after 30 days. If they expect lots of costs they keep coverage. Alternatively, a layoff is a qualifying event. You can sign up for subsidized coverage on the obamacare exchanges. For an individual this helps with incomes < $51K, and households of 4 < $106K. For example, if you still have SOME income coming in (let's say $20K per year) you'd do something like a Silver 87 plan. That runs about $3/month. Alternatively, if you fall below certain thresholds in income (ie, laid off with nothing) you would be eligible for medicaid for adults. For an individual this kicks in for incomes below $17,000.

hotpotamus 5y ago

How many millions are waiting in the US because they can't afford care?

thrill 5y ago
The solution to a problem that is not working as well as you'd like is not to jump into a system that's working even worse.
- wbsss4412 5y ago
  Do you have any proof of that? (That it is worse) Do you have any knowledge of what the typical waiting periods are in the US? How many are postponing care due to inability to cover the costs?
- c0nducktr 5y ago
  Exactly what I'd say to anyone from the UK thinking of moving to an USA-style healthcare system.
TrueGeek 5y ago
Or going into debt because they are paying for care with loans / credit cards?
onphonenow 5y ago
My point is simply, if the UK is the "best" example of universal coverage - that's very very very worrisome! I happen to think the UK is not close to the best example.
- hotpotamus 5y ago
  How would you measure best?
  - onphonenow 5y ago
    Availability of service is number one. Can you even get care at all. If you have to wait a year or more for service, that has a major impact on your life. These are for what in the US are considered relatively routine and available services - things like a pacemaker. Or knee and joint work. “The pain is so bad now I don’t want to live much longer,” she explained. “I get up in the morning [and fear] making it to the bathroom without wetting myself as the pain and stiffness overwhelms me. Then, after losing my dignity, I attempt to make it down the stairs." So we need to begin with just the basics - can you even get care at all - period.
    - hotpotamus 5y ago
      So let's say you're in the US with a failing hip joint and your employer lays you off and takes away your health insurance. Will you still have access to care? I doubt the person above is making it into work every day if they can't even make it to the bathroom.
      - onphonenow 5y ago
        There are a lot of lies and falsehoods in your statement. Your employer can't "take away" your health insurance in the US in most cases. If they will stop paying for it in most cases they will send you a letter giving you the option to pay for it. This will cover you for up to 36 months. What you would do is after being laid off is to take advantage of the downtime to get LOTS of care. That's actually pretty common approach, folks max out benefits for 1-3 months then let COBRA coverage drop. I've seen some folks take advantage of the 60 day period to decide to basically go get tons of testing, if nothing comes up they let it drop after 30 days. If they expect lots of costs they keep coverage. Alternatively, a layoff is a qualifying event. You can sign up for subsidized coverage on the obamacare exchanges. For an individual this helps with incomes < $51K, and households of 4 < $106K. For example, if you still have SOME income coming in (let's say $20K per year) you'd do something like a Silver 87 plan. That runs about $3/month. Alternatively, if you fall below certain thresholds in income (ie, laid off with nothing) you would be eligible for medicaid for adults. For an individual this kicks in for incomes below $17,000.