I have a thought. Since preexisting conditions prevent me from getting health insurance, maybe I qualify for Social Security Disability. Maybe I am disabled but don't know it?
good point Bluehorseshoe ... example, my wife's from Japan, and her description of the healthcare system there leaves the USA model in the dust.. apparently over there, there's much better attention to detail, better patient care, it's less costly and they give broader coverage for more citizens.. here, you read the unneccessary surgeries and the astonishingly high error rate at American hospitals, that has caused so many patient deaths ... from what I recall it's "wrong meds" a top error .. so, 'check to make sure you're really getting the right medicine' when in a hospital .. high costs, inflated prescription drug costs (so many are ordering from Canadian pharmacies instead etc) anybody have other 'where's the healthcare good/bad' feedback?
Bob or cathy, The SS Di is pretty hard to qualify for, if you click around on the first link to Kiplinger's Sept issue they did several pages on healthcare. Somewhere in the issue is a link to the various states and some of the programs they offer. Some people have talked about joining industry or trade groups for coverage. I don't have any insight in to this other than choose wisely as there are a few frauds out there that have been taking advantage of this. One of the things that really bothers me about this is that you could turn to a life of crime or make a few babies and get the gov't to cover you. But whatever you do, don't work and pay taxes and expect anything close.
In Florida if you own your own business you qualify for health insurance under the 2 or less employee plans. However they are ungodly expensive and there are a lot of rules that professional traders do not qualify for exactly. I am going to see what I can do with that...I am waiting for the company to call me back. I was just joking around about the disability. My husband tried to get it and he was turned down with cancer and heart disease and we used a lawyer. Go figure!
I have an uninsured friend and she just negotiates costs on everything as she goes along. She gets unbelievably low costs because the doctors overcharge the insurance companies for everything. She also gets very sketchy care. Her daughter broke her arm and did not get a cast, just a sling as an example. She had to be very careful for a couple of weeks but it worked out fine.
Canada is awesome for this. Everybody gets the same treatment. If you are too poor to pay the premiums ($40 a month) they will be paid for you. You can get extra coverage to cover other things like ambulance rides, prescriptions etc, and thats probably at most $200 per month, but most employers cover that. No bs about going to an approved facility. You hurt, you go to the nearest doctor/hospital. The only time we really get worried about insurance is when we travel outside of canada, have to make sure we have coverage and usually buy it from the travel agent. Ever see John Q Public? That movie was bizarre to a canadian. That shit would never happen. That kid would've had his surgery and been on his way even if his dad was a street bum. It never ceases to amaze me about how the land of the free, land of opportunity/equality has its collective head up its ass about pretty much everything. ( Healthcare, legal system with everyone suing everyone else, iraq, homeland security/patriot act, digital millenlium act... i could go on).
Do you have link to more info on this as I own a Condo in Fl and might be able to declare myself a resident and transfer my biz there. DS
Thanks Ctrader for the information on Canada. The US definitely has it's problems, that's for sure. Banker