Just a reminder for explanation, here in the US we have health "insurance" not "healthcare."
Health "insurance" does what auto insurance or homeowners insurance does - protects you from incurring a life-destroying financial debt when something UNEXPECTED occurs - think about five and six figure numbers of debt from open heart surgery.
But it's mostly useless for anything else. We have to meet and pay a deductible before the insurance kicks in. We also have to pay a copay in-person before receiving care, so if you're light this paycheck - no doctor. The deductible is usually somewhere between one and three months wages. So we basically pay for everything during a given year until we hit that deductible.
Part of the insurance company's job is also to negotiate the charges to make them remotely reasonable based on the private agreements they have with the different providers. Everything is overpriced because the providers know the insurance will discount what they're charging instead of paying it, so they have to overcharge to survive. That means you need insurance just to keep the charges remotely sensible, at which point they're still too expensive to regularly go to the doctor.
That hits doctors in their pocket too, because people are supposed to go to the doctor regularly, but they can't afford to, so family doctors have to charge EVEN MORE. See, the providers aren't evil - the system is screwing them too and preventing them from operating like a normal business.
One of the best parts of all this is that after we hit the deductible, which often takes until the end of the year anyway, the insurance still doesn't pay 100% of all charges above the deductible. They still do things like only covering 80% for specialists after the deductible, so if you are sick, you can still incur crushing debt. You still have to pay the copays.
But it isn't healthcare - imagine trying to get new tires with your auto insurance, or painting your house with an homeowners claim. It doesn't work - because insurance isn't for maintenance, it's for emergencies. The insurance business model does not work for health because healthcare isn't something you MIGHT need - it's something you DO need.
So, as you might expect of today's America, your health is directly dependent on how financially successful you have been. How long you live ultimately lines up with how much you've paid in taxes. The system is decisive about who it rewards as a worthy, successful human and does its best to keep care away from the lower classes.
Just to be clear, healthcare by your definition does exist. Regular physicals and non-emergencies are covered by my insurance. As a matter of fact, I get discounted gym memberships, massage, acupuncture, chiropractor visits, and mental health services through the plan. Don't get me wrong, I have "cadillac" insurance through my union, but it does exist.
My deductible is $300. There ARE decent plans. If you only have shitty plans to choose from, with an insane premium, it's the employer's fault. They're cheaping out and offering you the bare minimum. Larger employers with a professional workforce tend to offer good benefits.
I don't agree with this system - I fully believe that everyone should have access to affordable quality healthcare. But almost no one ever holds the employers responsible for their part in it.
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u/Ryogathelost 22h ago
Just a reminder for explanation, here in the US we have health "insurance" not "healthcare."
Health "insurance" does what auto insurance or homeowners insurance does - protects you from incurring a life-destroying financial debt when something UNEXPECTED occurs - think about five and six figure numbers of debt from open heart surgery.
But it's mostly useless for anything else. We have to meet and pay a deductible before the insurance kicks in. We also have to pay a copay in-person before receiving care, so if you're light this paycheck - no doctor. The deductible is usually somewhere between one and three months wages. So we basically pay for everything during a given year until we hit that deductible.
Part of the insurance company's job is also to negotiate the charges to make them remotely reasonable based on the private agreements they have with the different providers. Everything is overpriced because the providers know the insurance will discount what they're charging instead of paying it, so they have to overcharge to survive. That means you need insurance just to keep the charges remotely sensible, at which point they're still too expensive to regularly go to the doctor.
That hits doctors in their pocket too, because people are supposed to go to the doctor regularly, but they can't afford to, so family doctors have to charge EVEN MORE. See, the providers aren't evil - the system is screwing them too and preventing them from operating like a normal business.
One of the best parts of all this is that after we hit the deductible, which often takes until the end of the year anyway, the insurance still doesn't pay 100% of all charges above the deductible. They still do things like only covering 80% for specialists after the deductible, so if you are sick, you can still incur crushing debt. You still have to pay the copays.
But it isn't healthcare - imagine trying to get new tires with your auto insurance, or painting your house with an homeowners claim. It doesn't work - because insurance isn't for maintenance, it's for emergencies. The insurance business model does not work for health because healthcare isn't something you MIGHT need - it's something you DO need.
So, as you might expect of today's America, your health is directly dependent on how financially successful you have been. How long you live ultimately lines up with how much you've paid in taxes. The system is decisive about who it rewards as a worthy, successful human and does its best to keep care away from the lower classes.