[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by JackN [/i]
[B]Yeah, thank god for insurance (even if it is like pulling teeth to get em to pay their 80 %).
Hospital is coverd 100% after the deductible is met.
I can't imagine paying the whole bill out of pocket...
:eek: [/B][/QUOTE]
She has insurance, but its still going to be 3 grand out of pocket to meet the deductable and co-insurance.
and of course the landlord still wants his rent, and the electric company still wants their money, and there's gas to put in the car...which you still have to make payments on..
which kind of pisses me off, because when we bought the car, for an extra $500 we could have gotten medical benefits, so if either of us was injured, it would make the payments for us, but we figured we'd never need it so why waste the $500...
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by JackN [/i]
[B]Yeah, thank god for insurance (even if it is like pulling teeth to get em to pay their 80 %).
Hospital is coverd 100% after the deductible is met.
I can't imagine paying the whole bill out of pocket...
:eek: [/B][/QUOTE]
Yeah, here in Sweden, the state covers the cost that is above 700 sek ($100) if its a medical bill, but no such thing for dental bills, though there will probably come such a law this autumn, and there is a maximum amount of money that dentists can demand for their practice.
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Entil'Zha [/i]
[B]but its still going to be 3 grand out of pocket to meet the deductable and co-insurance.[/B][/QUOTE]
What is this deductable and co-insurance you speak of?
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Biggles [/i]
[B]What is this deductable and co-insurance you speak of? [/B][/QUOTE]
Gotta pay a $1500 deductable, then $1500 of co-insurance, which means we pay the first $1500 in full, then they cover 80% until we have ammassed another $1500, then they pay ther rest in full.
Nice scam eh?
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
Yeah... I thought the point of insurance was that it was there because you didn't want to have to pay the medical bill.
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Biggles [/i]
[B]Yeah... I thought the point of insurance was that it was there because you didn't want to have to pay the medical bill. [/B][/QUOTE]
I see the smiley, Biggles, but actually thats what socialized medicine is for, though you do still pay for it though higher tax rates.
Insurance is ther in th prevent catastrophic events from becoming financial catastrophes, e.g. fire and life(death) insurance. Medical insurance is mis-named in the U.S. IMHO since it treats routine events the same as catastrophic events. I;m guessing NZ has socialized medicine, since it seems almost every coutry in the world does.
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
We do. However, we also have extensive private hospitals, GP visits are not free, etc. I have health insurance, so if I need a procedure performed, I don't have to pay for it and can get it done at a private hospital rather than waiting in the queues of the public health system. This included getting my wisdom teeth out, an elective procedure that I didn't [i]have[/i] to have. The medical insurance still paid the full cost of the whole thing.
I've always wondered, if all costs are covered, why would anyone put up with queues in the public system hospitals when the private ones are shorter? And whats the difference between private and public in this context?
I'm going to get a septoplasty (a more or less elective procedure) done in the next couple of weeks, and thanks to the health insurance I have through my wife's job, it looks like (I'm still figuring out the exact procedures) I'll be giving them my health card and they'll charge the insurance company directly for the entire slaughter.
Biggles<font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by bobo [/i]
[B]Biggles, thanks for the explanation.
I've always wondered, if all costs are covered, why would anyone put up with queues in the public system hospitals when the private ones are shorter? And whats the difference between private and public in this context? [/B][/QUOTE]
Public is supported by the government (and so ultimately by everyone's taxes). Theoretically, noone has to pay a cent to get whatever care they need through the public health system (although I think most elective procedures may cost something, and it never seems to be completely free for anything else either). If you have an accident, the emergency ward at the hospital won't chuck you out if you have no money. The problem is the long waiting times for many procedures. We also have subsidised medicines for medicines that are needed by enough of the population and/or expensive enough.
Private does not receive any money from the government. It is funded entirely by charging patients for whatever they have done. As far as I know, there are no private hospitals with emergency wards. They tend to stick to specialist care.
Many people, myself included, have health insurance that will cover the costs of getting private care instead of public, particularly for elective procedures. This allows us to have elective surgery when necessary, and means that for both necessary and elective procedures we can go private and get a higher standard of care with shorter queues. The downside to this is the cost, particularly for people who get private care without insurance, or with necessary procedures only insurance. Even people who do have insurance still have to pay that, which is an ongoing cost. But in my opinion it's worth the cost to know that, should I ever need it, I will be able to have any surgery I need without worrying about the huge expense usually involved.
Comments
[B]
I do what I can when I can, and when I can afford it.
;) [/B][/QUOTE]
yeah, well i've got my wife's cancer surgury to pay for, then my daughters teeth to get fixed first,
I need to win that lottery.... course since i dont buy tickets, it could be tough,
Hospital is coverd 100% after the deductible is met.
I can't imagine paying the whole bill out of pocket...
:eek:
[B]Yeah, thank god for insurance (even if it is like pulling teeth to get em to pay their 80 %).
Hospital is coverd 100% after the deductible is met.
I can't imagine paying the whole bill out of pocket...
:eek: [/B][/QUOTE]
She has insurance, but its still going to be 3 grand out of pocket to meet the deductable and co-insurance.
and of course the landlord still wants his rent, and the electric company still wants their money, and there's gas to put in the car...which you still have to make payments on..
which kind of pisses me off, because when we bought the car, for an extra $500 we could have gotten medical benefits, so if either of us was injured, it would make the payments for us, but we figured we'd never need it so why waste the $500...
[B]Yeah, thank god for insurance (even if it is like pulling teeth to get em to pay their 80 %).
Hospital is coverd 100% after the deductible is met.
I can't imagine paying the whole bill out of pocket...
:eek: [/B][/QUOTE]
Yeah, here in Sweden, the state covers the cost that is above 700 sek ($100) if its a medical bill, but no such thing for dental bills, though there will probably come such a law this autumn, and there is a maximum amount of money that dentists can demand for their practice.
[B]but its still going to be 3 grand out of pocket to meet the deductable and co-insurance.[/B][/QUOTE]
What is this deductable and co-insurance you speak of?
[B]What is this deductable and co-insurance you speak of? [/B][/QUOTE]
Gotta pay a $1500 deductable, then $1500 of co-insurance, which means we pay the first $1500 in full, then they cover 80% until we have ammassed another $1500, then they pay ther rest in full.
Nice scam eh?
[B]Yeah... I thought the point of insurance was that it was there because you didn't want to have to pay the medical bill. [/B][/QUOTE]
I see the smiley, Biggles, but actually thats what socialized medicine is for, though you do still pay for it though higher tax rates.
Insurance is ther in th prevent catastrophic events from becoming financial catastrophes, e.g. fire and life(death) insurance. Medical insurance is mis-named in the U.S. IMHO since it treats routine events the same as catastrophic events. I;m guessing NZ has socialized medicine, since it seems almost every coutry in the world does.
I've always wondered, if all costs are covered, why would anyone put up with queues in the public system hospitals when the private ones are shorter? And whats the difference between private and public in this context?
[B]Biggles, thanks for the explanation.
I've always wondered, if all costs are covered, why would anyone put up with queues in the public system hospitals when the private ones are shorter? And whats the difference between private and public in this context? [/B][/QUOTE]
Public is supported by the government (and so ultimately by everyone's taxes). Theoretically, noone has to pay a cent to get whatever care they need through the public health system (although I think most elective procedures may cost something, and it never seems to be completely free for anything else either). If you have an accident, the emergency ward at the hospital won't chuck you out if you have no money. The problem is the long waiting times for many procedures. We also have subsidised medicines for medicines that are needed by enough of the population and/or expensive enough.
Private does not receive any money from the government. It is funded entirely by charging patients for whatever they have done. As far as I know, there are no private hospitals with emergency wards. They tend to stick to specialist care.
Many people, myself included, have health insurance that will cover the costs of getting private care instead of public, particularly for elective procedures. This allows us to have elective surgery when necessary, and means that for both necessary and elective procedures we can go private and get a higher standard of care with shorter queues. The downside to this is the cost, particularly for people who get private care without insurance, or with necessary procedures only insurance. Even people who do have insurance still have to pay that, which is an ongoing cost. But in my opinion it's worth the cost to know that, should I ever need it, I will be able to have any surgery I need without worrying about the huge expense usually involved.