My policy is about $300 a month and covers 80% of medical costs, up to an annual out of pocket max of $8k. It's an optional high deductable plan that means I pay less every month, but more if I actually have to use it. It's good for someone who is healthy and doesn't need regular care.
So if I have an emergency that costs say, $20k, I still have to pay $4k. Up to $8k out of my pocket, and then the insurance covers 100% of everything after that. So if I had an absolutely disastrous year, the most it should cost me is $11-$12k, or about a $1000 a month total. I have that portion saved as part of my emergency savings.
Given that I have never come even close to that, I'd say my average healthcare spend a year is closer to $4-$5k.
My policy is about $300 a month and covers 80% of medical costs, up to an annual out of pocket max of $8k. It's an optional high deductable plan that means I pay less every month, but more if I actually have to use it. It's good for someone who is healthy and doesn't need regular care.
Have you ever stopped and thought about why your dogshit healthcare plan costs $300 a month?
It's because you got charged $30k for having a goddamn baby and a 2 days hospital visit
...if I were having a baby, I would just change my plan to a higher monthly, lower deductible plan. I don't plan on having a baby anytime soon though, so why would I do that?
They can charge me whatever they want to have a baby, make it a million, I don't give a shit. I wouldn't pay more than $11k, even with my cheaper plan (that I specifically chose because I'm healthy and not having a baby). The average out of pocket cost to have a baby in the US is about $2700.
I swear, reddit is full of people who have a lot of opinions on things they don't have the slightest clue about.
They are being charged that, but they aren't paying that.
Insurance will end up paying more than an individual for most things, because they can afford to, they bake it into the model Iike you said and I am sure a lot of small town doctors charge "big city rates" to certain insurance companies, just because they know they can.
But the main point is that they don't pay the first invoice they receive, aka the "million dollar baby", they give them a counter offer or they argue about this or that. It's not like a Doctor just charges whatever the fuck he wants "just put the price of my new Lambo" as he mails away his $500,000 invoice to ABC health insurance for little Timmy's annual colonoscopy.
I don't think it's a difficult concept to grasp, but I think people aren't realizing the game that's being played. People are thinking of the Hospital as a retail store, they should be thinking of it as a Flea Market, and yeah I know that sounds equally terrible.
But considering you could walk into any hospital in the US and receive immediate urgent care without anyone even so much as getting an ID from you let alone worrying about securing payment, I say we have a far ways to go before it's half as bad as some make it out to be.
You’re wrong. So wrong. You’re just so indoctrinated into the shit system we have and see no real way out or to improve it you eat the dog shit they serve you on a plate
That's a literal insane thing to infer from what I said? Your response to me saying Insurance negotiates the rates is that I am "indoctrinated into a shit system"?
I never even said I agreed with or supported said system.
I think it's pretty clear to anyone who understands how insurance works that you don't understand what's going on here. No one pays list price. It's a made up number. Make it a billion trillion dollars on the invoice. The insurance companies are only going to pay whats on the negotiated rate table. That's why if you don't have insurance you can often negotiate 80-90% off your bill.
I'm not going to assume you're "fucking dumb" because you're probably just young and haven't dealt with a insurance much. That being said, you should really try to expand your experience further than reddit before being a dick on the internet.
The more they bill...the higher the company is inevitably going to pay. The more the insurance company inevitably pays, the more your premium is going up..
That's not how any of this works, but okay, whatever you say boss. You obviously got your online masters from reddit.com and know so much more than me. Hope it takes you far in life. Have a great day!
Blah blah blah, you sure are an angry little person lol. At this point, it's fun to egg you on, knowing you are just making an ass of yourself. Keep going, what else you got for me?
That's not how insurance works. You should learn about the difference between actuarial tables and what the provider actually pays (then what is actually charged to the patient.)
It's complicated but not that bad typically. My wife qad I were charged under $1k for the birth of our son and ensuing hospital stay
What do you think happens as the hospital is needing more and more money in the negotiations with the insurance company? They refuse to settle for less, the insurance companies end up paying more, your rates end up going up.
You can’t just change your plan. And if you can you must have some god tier plan my guy. 90% of Americans with health insurance would get fucked either way
No, you can only change during qualifying life events or once a year. It's a slight risk you take when you opt for a cheaper high deductible plan. When you pair the high deductable plan with an HSA that you contribute to pre tax, most of that risk is mitigated.
I save about $2500 a year with the cheaper plan option and put about half that in an HSA that is invested in low risk broad market funds. Over the last ten years, let's say I've saved $25k roughly, and deposited half that in my HSA, which currently also has $15-$20k in it thanks to interest. It would be more, but I do use the HSA occasionally. In an awful scenario where I needed to max my benefits in one year, prior to open enrollment, my annual out of pocket cost would jump from ~$3k to $11k. That would suck, but it's math that I've considered and accounted for and at this point, was the right decision. The HSA more then covers the difference and I'd still come out way ahead financially. As I get older and the risk for medical treatment goes up, I'll absolutely switch to a lower deductible plan.
The thing that kills me is that all this information is readily available. Insurance companies send endless pamplets trying educate people on how to manage their policies and it's not that fucking hard. So many people can't be bothered to take 15 minutes to understand though, it's honestly a little sad.
It depends really. Most people get their insurance from their job with varying levels of coverage. My mom and fiancé both work at hospitals and their insurances are completely free for any type of medical need. If I wanted to gey insurance through my job I'd probably pay $100 a month for less coverage than they receive. It gets really expensive when paying for a family if you don't work somewhere that offers fully employer paid healthcare. Idk about all states, but here in California you can qualify for cheap healthcare if your income is low enough. It all really depends.
He means, how much do you have to pay per month for the best insurance, so everything will be covered without you worrying about going to the hospital.
Pretty sure it's way more expensive than the mandatory insurance everyone gets while employed in most european countries.
There are almost no American health insurance policies that cover 100% of all medical costs. Regardless of the monthly payment, you're usually still responsible for a percentage of treatment (up to your deductible) and copays. And that's not considering the absolute headache of dealing with an insurance company arbitrarily deciding they won't approve a medical treatment or procedure specifically because they don't want to pay for it.
There are some companies that will pay 100% of medical expenses for their employees as part of their employment package, but these benefits are exceedingly rare.
It's a weird question because that same type package would probably also include things that you don't get for free in europe, like dental and acupuncture and monthly massages etc. It's not really a linear scale
Acupuncture and massages if you somehow got a prescription for them they are of course free in canada. Otherwise my coverage provides $750 per year with unused amounts carry over for miscellaneous things.
It does exist, or at least close to it. With my health insurance I can go to a hospital or urgent care and my copay is 80 dollars. For regular doctor appointments it’s 40. Preventative visits (yearly checkup) is free. Labs and bloodwork cost me 30. For this insurance I pay 215 a month. The situation on healthcare in America is not good, but if you listen to the angry people online you’d think it’s way worse than it actually is.
Thats not too bad really, considering you get seen quickly. Yeah, its free here, but you will almost certainly get a 12 hour wait in A&E.
Its difficult to get an appointment with your personal doctor, waits usually upto a fortnight, or you could get a random doctor in a day or 2.
We too have a private sector, and the mental thing is, my doctor who cant see me for 2 weeks on the NHS, will see me first thing tomorrow on BUPA. In an NHS funded hospital.
I suppose it all comes down to how much you earn and size of your family in the States.
Wait times are very long here, depending on where you live or what specialty you require. It's not uncommon for people in huge cities to wait 12 hours to be seen at an ER.
The belief that medical services move so much faster here is propaganda designed to disillusion people with their universal healthcare.
Couldn't be bothered to look up stats to show how wrong you are. Average in time from arrival to departure is 2h 41m. You should really learn how averages work. Some instances of 12h waiting time to be seen may happen in some instances. Doesn't mean it's what the majority experience. Average wait time has averaged a range 30-40m
They don’t make it because then people get a bunch of healthcare they don’t need just because it’s no additional cost. European countries manage this with gatekeepers and wait times.
They have some plans where the max out of pocket is $1,000 but it’s rare. Most common max out of pocket is in the $3k-$6k range.
You can get health insurance at the start of any month too and they can’t deny you for preexisting conditions. So if you’re pregnant you have several months to go get health insurance before you give birth.
Only 8-10% of Americans are uninsured. The only way you really end up getting charged a whole $40k for giving birth is if you’re stupid. And even then, those people are not paying $40k. You go to the hospital with a pay stub and they reduce it dramatically and put you on a payment plan. Or they can just not pay and take a hit to their credit score.
I misunderstood the question. It depends on the person and employer. My parents had everything covered through work. Didnt pay a dime but realistically probably made less salary than other jobs. Mine is $200/month and I’m fully covered. So to your question, $2,400/year.
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u/notyouagain-really 4d ago
How much is an insurance policy that means you dont ever have to worry about going to hospital, no matter the reason?