You know the sad thing many very qualified doctors do not participate in any insurance plans. So if you have a 2k bill and the insurance company says it is worth 750 you are stuck with the 1250. I'm convinced the health insurance crisis will dwarf the property tax problem or any other problems.
Supply and demand. An aging populace with ever more complex and expensive healthcare options, an increasing lifespan, and an inflexible supply of doctors. Time to move to Canada.
OR better, time to move the Canadian model to the US. IMO, our healthcare system is a disgrace: It costs 50% more than the countries with much better outcomes and does not insure a significant number of people. Just one example: Emergency rooms get used for routine care because the feds passed a law saying it must be so. Paper work costs are estimated at about a third of total costs. The list of screw ups is endless. The free market, IMO, has failed badly. DS
Well in theory I am libertarian; however, my grandmother lived in Canada for years and swears that the healthcare was, in practice, equal with the US.
monee we're you been. i'm a member of united healcare choice and every doc in america is amember. if the bills 2k then the ins compnay pays it. there's a contract between insurer and doc so you enver get charged for more
Consumer Reports rates health insurance companies BTW. I recall reading up on what they had to say a while back, there were just a handful of companies that had highly rated service. I have insurance currently through my 9 to 5 and I have friends that have no insurance and negotiate with the doctors, their overall care is slightly less and their overall cost is a lot less. If I go self employed I will probably be paying for all the small stuff and insuring for the catastrophic stuff through a highly rated insurance company.
http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ehi/index.html i bought mine via these guys. its a great site for comparisions. good luck, surfer
Anyone jumping on the HSA bandwagon? It actually looks like a good deal to me. Basically, you just buy a high deductible health care plan, and you can invest up to your deductible every year. And it's tax deductible and it grows tax free. Lots of choices about what you can invest in, basically the same rules as IRA investments. I got the following from the HSA4america website- ============================================== A Health Savings Account is a tax-favored savings account combined with a qualifying high-deductible health insurance plan. By allowing you to deposit tax-deductible funds into a health savings account that you can use to cover medical costs, Health Savings Accounts enable you to take control of your own health care decisions. One of the key aspects to health savings accounts is a system that is responsive primarily to individual consumers, rather than to third-party payers. This concept is known as consumer driven health care. First, you must have a high-deductible health insurance plan that qualifies to be partnered with an Health Savings Account. These plans are available through various insurance companies, depending upon what part of the country you live. The plans are all similar in the fact that they have deductibles between $1,000 and $5,100 for singles, and between $2,000 and $10,200 for families. Once your insurance policy has become effective, you may begin to fund your Health Savings Account. A Health Savings Account allows you to legally avoid federal income tax by saving 100% of the health plan's deductible, up to $2,650 for singles or $5,250 for families, into your Health Savings Account. Whatever you deposit into your account up to April 15, is an "above the line" tax deduction for the previous year's income taxes, meaning you get a federal income tax deduction for money you put in even if you take the standard deduction and donât itemize deductions. If your employer makes a Health Savings Account contribution for you, it is âexcludedâ from income, and not subject to any income tax or FICA. Either way, this will immediately reduce your federal income tax due for the year. Most states also allow you to take a state income tax deduction for HSA contributions. To see if your state offers tax deductions, please see our HSA State Income Tax page. ============================================== Just google "HSA" and you'll get plenty of info- Don-
Skip the dental, usually much better to just pay as you go for those services rather than get insurance. Have a friend that's a dental hygienist and that's her advice. Just brush your teeth and get cleanings at least once per year ($50) and you should be good to go. HSA's are the way to go if you are relatively healthy and just want to protect yourself against major illness. Just my .02
Try seeing if how many well known surgeons are on their list. Hey if I was a well known highly skilled above average surgeon it would not be necessary for me to be told by the insurance co. what I can charge. http://www.scoliosis.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-369.ht