Absolutely nothing to do with flying...
Thread Starter
Absolutely nothing to do with flying...
..but I know that someone will know.
I was watching the "West Wing" on Ch4 last night and they were on about health insurance (in the USA of course). I know it's only a TV programme, but I like to think that they get their basic facts right.
They mentioned that a 10% discount on a $10000 package would not be a great deal to someone earning $30000. Just how much does health insurance cost over there? Would $10000 be a years premium? I'm assuming that there are different levels of cover. What happens if you're on a life support machine and you reach the policy limit?
My daughter was out there last year and needed to go to the local ER, and the bill just to sit in the waiting room was $150.
I was watching the "West Wing" on Ch4 last night and they were on about health insurance (in the USA of course). I know it's only a TV programme, but I like to think that they get their basic facts right.
They mentioned that a 10% discount on a $10000 package would not be a great deal to someone earning $30000. Just how much does health insurance cost over there? Would $10000 be a years premium? I'm assuming that there are different levels of cover. What happens if you're on a life support machine and you reach the policy limit?
My daughter was out there last year and needed to go to the local ER, and the bill just to sit in the waiting room was $150.
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: 1 Dunghill Mansions, Putney
Posts: 1,797
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
It depends on what you want covered, your current level of health, how much 'out of pocket' expense you're willing to risk, and whether you're flying in a specific area or nationwide (i.e. 'in network' or 'out of network'). Enjoying fairly good health, I pay about $1750 p.a. for basic coverage (including dental & vision coverage), which is company matched - so $3500 p.a. all told. Double this up for your spouse, and another 60% for each of the kids, i.e. annual cost of $9000 p.a. for a family of four. Premium plans (with lower out of pocket payments or wider network coverage) will easily double this figure.
The specific policy will dictate the number of weeks/months coverage provided for ‘regular’ long-term hospital care. Most of the 'worst case' scenarios (i.e. vegetative state) are free of time limitations, at least under the better policies. And all plans tend to have maximum out of pocket expenses. Most of the tragic ‘pulling the plug’ stories you hear about tend to involve individuals without coverage.
Without coverage, you could face a bill of $1500 for emergency room visits, $12500 for long-term hospital admission, and ~$1000 for a typical minor op.
Most minor doctors' appointments (shots, etc.) do indeed bear a visit cost of $75+.
I/C
The specific policy will dictate the number of weeks/months coverage provided for ‘regular’ long-term hospital care. Most of the 'worst case' scenarios (i.e. vegetative state) are free of time limitations, at least under the better policies. And all plans tend to have maximum out of pocket expenses. Most of the tragic ‘pulling the plug’ stories you hear about tend to involve individuals without coverage.
Without coverage, you could face a bill of $1500 for emergency room visits, $12500 for long-term hospital admission, and ~$1000 for a typical minor op.
Most minor doctors' appointments (shots, etc.) do indeed bear a visit cost of $75+.
I/C
I C
That seems pretty good value as $9000 (equates to about £5200) for a family of 4 . In the UK our "free" National Health Service budget for 2007 is £105.6 billon which if you take the UK population as 55 million works out at about £1920 per head which equals £7680 for a family of 4, 48% more than you pay and we have to wait months for a hospital bed and with luck you won't pick up the MSRA superbug which can kill.
HF
That seems pretty good value as $9000 (equates to about £5200) for a family of 4 . In the UK our "free" National Health Service budget for 2007 is £105.6 billon which if you take the UK population as 55 million works out at about £1920 per head which equals £7680 for a family of 4, 48% more than you pay and we have to wait months for a hospital bed and with luck you won't pick up the MSRA superbug which can kill.
HF
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: UK
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hummingfrog
A simple comparison of healthcare costs between the NHS and the employed insured is misleading:
90% of lifetime healthcare costs are within the last 2 years of life and most people don't die before retirement age.
Insurance policies generally exclude pre-existing chronic diseases, which are inherently expensive to manage.
You're more likely to be fit if you're in work, so you're less likely to need costly healthcare.
Think about getting insurance cover for the elderly or those with chronic illnesses and if you or your family fall into either category, the NHS starts to look like a good reason to stay in - or come to - the UK!
A simple comparison of healthcare costs between the NHS and the employed insured is misleading:
90% of lifetime healthcare costs are within the last 2 years of life and most people don't die before retirement age.
Insurance policies generally exclude pre-existing chronic diseases, which are inherently expensive to manage.
You're more likely to be fit if you're in work, so you're less likely to need costly healthcare.
Think about getting insurance cover for the elderly or those with chronic illnesses and if you or your family fall into either category, the NHS starts to look like a good reason to stay in - or come to - the UK!
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: UK
Age: 60
Posts: 240
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Minor visits are even more in tourist areas.
I had an ear infection 2 weeks ago and needed to go to a walk-in clinic.
Time with nurse anwering basic questions and taking blood pressure: 3mins?
Time with doctor: 2 mins?
Visit cost: $160 for appointment, $40 antibiotic tablets, $20 ear drops.
Insurance is a must!
BW
I had an ear infection 2 weeks ago and needed to go to a walk-in clinic.
Time with nurse anwering basic questions and taking blood pressure: 3mins?
Time with doctor: 2 mins?
Visit cost: $160 for appointment, $40 antibiotic tablets, $20 ear drops.
Insurance is a must!
BW
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Land of damp and drizzle
Posts: 608
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For comparison, my (non-pilot) corporate health cover comes free with my job, and:
- covers my partner for an additional £350ish per year
- ignores any previous medical history
- gives us £1k each per year for basic consultant-type stuff as well as separate cover for major problems
- covers acute conditions but not chronic ones (although the £1k above can be used for those, under some circumstances)
I don't know what it actually costs the company for me, but I imagine it must be something comparable to what I pay to have my partner covered too. The cover is provided by BUPA, which basically means that you need to be seen at a BUPA hospital (or other 'approved supplier).
I also get life and critical illness insurance with my job.
- covers my partner for an additional £350ish per year
- ignores any previous medical history
- gives us £1k each per year for basic consultant-type stuff as well as separate cover for major problems
- covers acute conditions but not chronic ones (although the £1k above can be used for those, under some circumstances)
I don't know what it actually costs the company for me, but I imagine it must be something comparable to what I pay to have my partner covered too. The cover is provided by BUPA, which basically means that you need to be seen at a BUPA hospital (or other 'approved supplier).
I also get life and critical illness insurance with my job.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: lots of different places....
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Insurance an absolute must over here. I'm a contractor now so pay for my wife's and my health insurance, it's about $9000 a year. Before we got it, just before Christmas a couple of years ago, my wife was taken into hospital in an emergency.
4 hours wait, lay in a bed in ER, IV, x-rays and a couple of other tests, released the same afternoon and within the next month the total amount billed to us was in excess of $6000
We mostly only have co-pay and little additional to pay whenever we use the health services now.
4 hours wait, lay in a bed in ER, IV, x-rays and a couple of other tests, released the same afternoon and within the next month the total amount billed to us was in excess of $6000
We mostly only have co-pay and little additional to pay whenever we use the health services now.
