2 ms·

In which families spend large sums of money on cell phone contracts, DirecTV plans, video games, loading up on debt with high interest to be good consumers of 6

In which families spend large sums of money on cell phone contracts, DirecTV plans, video games, loading up on debt with high interest to be good consumers of 60" televisions, and eating out regularly, but won't save money to buy health insurance.

cagenut 14y ago
The math on that doesn't even remotely add up. A single months COBRA for a family of four could buy most of what you listed. Fully private/non-cobra would be even more, assuming they could even get it.
- adventureful 14y ago
  A family of three can get reasonable health insurance for $500 / month depending on how comprehensive you want it and how low you want your deductible. I see middle class Americans blowing their money on $30,000 vehicles they don't need, and running their credit cards bills to the moon at 10%+ interest rates. People have forgotten that health insurance was never designed to cover sore throats. It was designed for catastrophic coverage. Not to be used when you sprain your ankle, but when you get cancer. When I was 25 years old I was able to get a very good HSA for close to $100 / month. It had a $2,000 deductible, and was not to be used for a stubbed toe, it was for a severe health scenario (thus the "insurance" part, just like car insurance, designed for serious accidents, not a rock chipping your paint). The HSA paid into a tax free account that could cover things like a stubbed toe (tax free so long as it was properly used for health related items). A smart phone contract for three people will put you at $175 to $250 depending. DirecTV is commonly $100 / month if you want much on the setup. Look up how much your typical family can save by not eating out. It's not far off at all to say that a family of three can save $750 to $1,000 / month by driving cheaper vehicles, living in small homes, dropping the crazy cell phone plans, dropping the hyper expensive DirecTV plans, and not eating out. Oh but of course that's unreasonable, that people not live beyond their means. The average white middle class male in America earns $60,000 per year. That person and his wife can EASILY slash enough out of their budget to pay for health insurance. EASILY. The whole point is: Americans have been extraordinarily irresponsible over the last 30 years. Instead of saving, they've spent themselves into oblivion. Affording health insurance is trivially easy for the middle class, but they've chosen not to be responsible. Previous generations didn't make the same stupid fiscal decisions. They bought cheap vehicles and homes half as big, and didn't use credit card debt to live. The only legitimate argument for socialized medicine is for poor people and scenarios where someone has a pre-existing condition.

cagenut 14y ago

The math on that doesn't even remotely add up. A single months COBRA for a family of four could buy most of what you listed. Fully private/non-cobra would be even more, assuming they could even get it.

adventureful 14y ago
A family of three can get reasonable health insurance for $500 / month depending on how comprehensive you want it and how low you want your deductible. I see middle class Americans blowing their money on $30,000 vehicles they don't need, and running their credit cards bills to the moon at 10%+ interest rates. People have forgotten that health insurance was never designed to cover sore throats. It was designed for catastrophic coverage. Not to be used when you sprain your ankle, but when you get cancer. When I was 25 years old I was able to get a very good HSA for close to $100 / month. It had a $2,000 deductible, and was not to be used for a stubbed toe, it was for a severe health scenario (thus the "insurance" part, just like car insurance, designed for serious accidents, not a rock chipping your paint). The HSA paid into a tax free account that could cover things like a stubbed toe (tax free so long as it was properly used for health related items). A smart phone contract for three people will put you at $175 to $250 depending. DirecTV is commonly $100 / month if you want much on the setup. Look up how much your typical family can save by not eating out. It's not far off at all to say that a family of three can save $750 to $1,000 / month by driving cheaper vehicles, living in small homes, dropping the crazy cell phone plans, dropping the hyper expensive DirecTV plans, and not eating out. Oh but of course that's unreasonable, that people not live beyond their means. The average white middle class male in America earns $60,000 per year. That person and his wife can EASILY slash enough out of their budget to pay for health insurance. EASILY. The whole point is: Americans have been extraordinarily irresponsible over the last 30 years. Instead of saving, they've spent themselves into oblivion. Affording health insurance is trivially easy for the middle class, but they've chosen not to be responsible. Previous generations didn't make the same stupid fiscal decisions. They bought cheap vehicles and homes half as big, and didn't use credit card debt to live. The only legitimate argument for socialized medicine is for poor people and scenarios where someone has a pre-existing condition.