November 13, 2007

[fluffy]

Last night I was up a bit late, making more progress on Ratchet & Clank in challenge mode. The prison break scene is HARD. (In challenge mode. It was fairly easy the first time through.)

Still think I'm coming down with something. I should probably find a doctor now that I've had my new residence and insurance for a few months.

qotd: Do you have health insurance? Who provides it? How's the coverage?

I do, provided by my employer. Coverage is decent and the deductible isn't too bad, though I do have to pay a copay. My previous job's insurance was better in some ways, worse in others (it had a much higher deductible but it also had an initial allowance against the deductible which would carry over year-to-year so my annual medical expenses weren't too bad, but they were always changing the rules on what was deductible-free or covered by the allowance, and eventually they got into a spat with the clinic system I went to so it's good I didn't get sick my last two months there since I'd have had to find another doctor AGAIN).

[jimtyrrell]

Workin', and then going to band practice (rescheduled from last night).

QotD: I have health insurance through the company I work for. It's been pretty good the few times I've needed to use it. We just changed it about a month ago though, and I haven't field-tested the new plan.

[Hoblit]

qotd: I've only not been health insured twice in my life twice for a total of 2 years. Right now I'm in one of those years. It's been liberating. More money in my pocket and I hardly ever went to the doctor when I WAS insured.

I got hit by a car in the other year I wasn't insured. But I had Personal Injury Protection on my car insurance and that took care of everything.

I do have to start looking into my health insurance options soon though. I can't go on not being insured. I'm just beginning to have some of those old man symptoms that I may eventually want to see a doctor about.

[HeuristicsInc]

Kinda odd that your car insurance covers you when you're walking, isn't it? Maybe we should have "walking insurance" haha nevermind.
Our work covers medical & dental. M and I work at the same place so I waived mine and am listed as a dependent on her plan for medical and the opposite for dental (we get a credit if we waive). Coverage is ok so far, but this year they switched to a new plan, and we have to pay 10% of stuff in addition to copay. e.g. her allergy shot which costs $14, they send us a bill for $1.40 which is kind of stupid... how much are we spending on postage for these piddly little bills? Also, if you have an actual hospitalization, you're maybe out some thousand (there is some cap on it). Not too happy about that, in general.
-bill

[Caravan Ray]

QOTD:Do you have health insurance? Who provides it? How's the coverage?

What a strange question! I think you'll find that virtually every industrialised nation provides it citizens with universal healthcare.
Oh wait...you're in the USA aren't you? Never mind.....

[jimtyrrell]

You never miss a chance, do ya?

Okay, so you've got health insurance, and the government provides it. How's the coverage? Is it easy enough to go get fixed up when necessary?

[Billy's Little Trip]

[Spud]health insurance is for pussies[/Spud]

[fluffy]

QOTD:Do you have health insurance? Who provides it? How's the coverage?

:lol: :lol: What a strange question! I think you'll find that virtually every industrialised nation provides it citizens with universal healthcare.
Oh wait...you're in the USA aren't you? Never mind.....

You realize that getting the international response was part of why I phrased the question the way I did, right?

[Reist]

QOTD: I'm from Canada. If you want good health care, move here.

[roymond]

Sounds like Bill and I have similar health plans for 2008. We get good dental, free "preventative" coverage, and then 90% for everything else. The deductible is high, but $2000 is covered by my company, then we can use an FSA to pay the remaining deductible with pre-tax dollars. So, a family of 4 pays about $3100 a year. Oh, and catastrophic coverage (well, short of death I suppose) is paid 100%.

[Billy's Little Trip]

QOTD: I'm from Canada. If you want good health care, move here.

[denyer]I'd rather die.[/denyer]

[Caravan Ray]

You never miss a chance, do ya?

Okay, so you've got health insurance, and the government provides it. How's the coverage? Is it easy enough to go get fixed up when necessary?

Buggered if I know. Because,
a) I've never been sick enough to actually need any treatment, and
b) Just in case I ever do, I have private insurance. I'm not going to a public hospital with the rest of the common rabble. I want a private room and wine served with my meals, thank you very much.

[anti-m]

b) Just in case I ever do, I have private insurance. I'm not going to a public hospital with the rest of the common rabble. I want a private room and wine served with my meals, thank you very much.

Hrm... that sort of confirms the fears of all the folks out here who yell, "OMG! National Health care? It's sooooo uncivilized!"

I'd honestly like to know -- is the public system that bad?

[Märk]

QotD: Here in Canada we have a health-care plan which varies from province to province. The one I live in has okay coverage, although it's strictly doctor visits/hospital care (and a few fringe things like chiropractic and physio); you have to pay for prescriptions out-of-pocket, for instance. Oh, and it's expensive, costs me $44/month just for single coverage. I've been to the doctor maybe 4 or 5 times in my life, and I've been paying about $40/month since I turned 18, so that's uh (does some figuring) over 9 grand I've donated to the health care system.
I do have full benefits at work, but it sucks- the dental, for instance, only covers 80%, and it's capped at $1500/year (you can't even get a tooth fixed for that- it's basically a "okay, we'll pay for them to yank teeth out if they go bad" plan) Did I mention, it's expensive? $50/month. So I'm paying close to 100 bones per month for something I never use.

What a country!

[Reist]

Just to make you feel a bit better about the situation, Märk -

It's for the greater good, man - I was in the emergency room once, bleeding from my throat, and I saw all kinds of kids coming in with nasty-looking injuries and sicknesses. A lot of young parents can't afford to pay for their kids mistakes, and I think it's cool how that stuff can be more affordable thanks to people like you.

For how my day's going - it would be pretty solid if my Maki entry was up and running. I'm ready to go to bed though - I'm doing some worship team playing tomorrow.

[sausage boy]

b) Just in case I ever do, I have private insurance. I'm not going to a public hospital with the rest of the common rabble. I want a private room and wine served with my meals, thank you very much.

Hrm... that sort of confirms the fears of all the folks out here who yell, "OMG! National Health care? It's sooooo uncivilized!"

I'd honestly like to know -- is the public system that bad?

Unlike the upper class twit, Ray, I have the common mans health care. Like Ray, I have not had to use it, save for getting flu shots and authentic sick certificates.

Legs has reaped the benefits of Public Health Care for all three of her hospital visits (2 heart attacks, 1 tonsils out). She is still alive, and we are not out of pocket, so I count that as being good.

I suppose it depends on what public hospital you get sent to, as well. Legs' Grandfather is having a horrible time in another Public Hospital. He has contracted strep while there, and had his chest burst open thrice.

[Billy's Little Trip]

A lot of young parents can't afford to pay for their kids mistakes, and I think it's cool how that stuff can be more affordable thanks to people like you.

You are a wise kid Andy. It takes a village to raise a child. If more people thought like that, the worlds would be a better place.

[Caravan Ray]

b) Just in case I ever do, I have private insurance. I'm not going to a public hospital with the rest of the common rabble. I want a private room and wine served with my meals, thank you very much.

Hrm... that sort of confirms the fears of all the folks out here who yell, "OMG! National Health care? It's sooooo uncivilized!"

I'd honestly like to know -- is the public system that bad?

No - the public system isn't bad at all. The only reason I have private insurance is exactly for the reasons mentioned above. If I do get sick - I want a private room, my own television and a menu with a choice of meals and wine. Basically - I pay for insurance because I can, and I will enjoy the extra lilttle comforts should I ever need them. I certainly don't need private insurance - though I do feel a certain social responsibility to insure myself, because I have the means to do so.

Also - we pay for Medicare through our tax sytem. The more I earn, the more my Medicare contribution is. If I have private insurance, I get a rebate and pay a little bit les to Medicare through the tax system.

The actual level of medical care is pretty much exactly the same standard if you are private or public

As Sausage Boy confirms:

Unlike the upper class twit, Ray, I have the common mans health care. Like Ray, I have not had to use it, save for getting flu shots and authentic sick certificates.

Legs has reaped the benefits of Public Health Care for all three of her hospital visits (2 heart attacks, 1 tonsils out). She is still alive, and we are not out of pocket, so I count that as being good.

Several years ago, my wife became very, very ill and ended up in a private hospital in a large regional city in Queensland. A friend of ours who was a senior doctor in the public system came to visit and was a bit shocked at the level of care my wife was receving in the private hospital. She immediately made a few calls and got my wife abulanced around to the public hospital - where the level of care was actually far superior.


Quite frankly, anybody who says "OMG! National Health care? It's sooooo uncivilized!", is what we would call in Australia, a "fucking idiot".



If there is a differential in health care here - it isn't between public and private care, it is between the city and the bush. There is a huge shortage of doctors and nurses in rural areas.

Though many of my family and friends are doctors, I really don't know much about our health system (this stuff bores the shit out me). I think public might suck if you need elective surgery for chronic, non-urgent stuff. You may have to wait a while for a hosptal bed. But if you are sick and you are in a major city - you should be pretty right, private insurance or not.

[fluffy]

You... you're not kidding about the wine, are you.

[Caravan Ray]

You... you're not kidding about the wine, are you.

There are some things I never kid about.

Mind you, I haven't forked out for the full Gold-Class insurance cover. With that, every sponge-bath has a 'happy ending'.

[j$]

There should be a band called Spongebath Happy Ending...

[Hoblit]

Kinda odd that your car insurance covers you when you're walking, isn't it? Maybe we should have "walking insurance" haha nevermind.-bill

I always wondered if the PIP would kick in if I was walking.

I was actually riding my bike home from work. (Saving gas and HIS insurance company wrote me a check for a new bike, gas expenses for having to drive a car to work while not having a bike, and a few other things) I *THINK* the PIP would have covered my injury in any accident involving at least one car.