Oh, I dunno. Quite a few European and Asian countries have universal health care. Some would argue it's a human right, not an American one.
$10,000? I had a ruptured appendix a couple of years ago... 40 minutes in the OR... total bill... $99,000!!
The point is that under McCain's plan, everyone who goes and shops for insurance, will lose all future coverage (coverage they get from employer insurance) on their pre-existing conditions including all drug prescriptions, etc. And everyone will have to go and shop for insurance because they will NO LONGER HAVE employer insurance. Thats why I called it CRIMINAL health plan.
It's a tricky issue. No one wants to see someone suffer due to a bad break in regard to their health that they can't afford. But at the same time, I don't want to subsidize lifestyles that promote "bad breaks".
I agree with the OP regarding the pre-existing condition issue. Liberals like Pelosi and Hillary talk about the "wealthy and the well" like it's a sin to be either of those. I'm well, thank goodness, but I know that can change in a heart-beat. Yet at the same time I see folks outside on the sidewalk smoking; do I want to subsidize the cost of *their* treatment? Hell no. This is a tough issue and will have to be worked out politically, unfortunately.
So the bum who ruins his liver with alchohol or his mind with meth should get the same rate (i.e., no pre-existing conditions) as the triathlete?
Did you at least have a high-deductible plan that covered most of the costs? I briefly worked in the health insurance field. What killed me was that most people could care less about your scenario (the real reason for having at least a high-deductible plan). They were simply distraught that most self-insured plans didn't offer co-pays and they'd have to fork out $80-$100 for a routine visit.
Well sort of... in addtion to our $800+/mo premium, our plan was about $500 deductible, 80/20 up to a max out of pocket of about $5200 (not including deductibles) in one year... so I paid that and I saw where the insurance company paid the hospital about $30,000. But if I didn't have insurance, the hospital would have expected me to pay the entire amount. I was glad to have the insurance at that point, of course.
Hey look at it on the bright side, if mccain get elected at least you'll know where one of the new bubbles will be... health insurance costs. Can you imagine what health insurance would cost without the weight of a company negotiating behind it? Assuming you qualify for it, under their free to choose rules. Yes indeed, sky's the limit at health r'us, you say what's my premium going to be, they say, how high can you pay?:eek: P.S. I do pay for my own; just don't want others to have to suffer, since I already see how it is (now if only I can find a way to match their yearly premium increases-- criminal).
So you never study diet, you suck down sugar laden drinks, eat sugar laden and nutritionless foods and then you get diabetes. Then the insurance companies don't want to pay for your shit. WTF do I or anybody care? When you are finally dying you will be complaining about McCain's burial insurance policies... I'm laughing now, I'll be laughing then!!