Rush & Costa Rica Yup, this isn't the end, even if it stands up in Court, it's only the 1st step to total Govt control. As far as greedy Insurance companies, look @ the Thread on Profits, #36 on the list of profitable industries with many off radar ones above it.
A total government takeover of the healthcare system?
Ever have a major health issue? Wait until you get older. Look and see what the current system as in store for you, which will be ended today when Obama signs the bill into law:
Example 1.
1. You're on Medicare, You have presciption medical costs of $2701 which unfortunatly means that unless you spend over $6400 on prescription medicine everything in between $2700 and $6400 is at your expense. Think the HMOs are going to help you..think again. Only *some* plans cover drugs and those that do only offer very tight limitations, its not 100% coverage unless you have got a cadillac plan.
You've got $6000 just for all your pills when you retire George? I hope so. Because I sure as hell don't.
Example 2.
2. Your a long term client at my HMO, unfortunatly you are diagnosed with cancer and your policy plan is due to expire next month. You get a letter from me, saying that due to you preexisting condition (the cancer) our lawyers and bean counters say its perfect legal (and profitable) for us to drop you as a patient at then end of your contract even if you had a preexsisting plan with my company. Better yet, suppose me the bastard HMO CEO can prove that you cancer was actually there BEFORE you were my client, and before you were even diagnosed. Ignorence is not an excuse George, if I as CEO can prove your condition happened before you signed your plan with me that IS grounds for me to terminate your contract immediatly.
Until today, all this was perfectly legal.
So let me think as to your statment:
Total Government control of Health insurence? Yessir, Amen, Hallelujah! I say F*** the HMOs. That we we can have a Insurence system that actually provides Healthcare Insurence (like in Costa Rica where Limbaugh is supposed to be moving off to) rather than one whose sole business is the company's bottom line.
Knighttemplar
Ah, well that was abit misleading because you said taxes and not total contributions or the "wedge" as your article stated. I will also point out that except for actual income, living and property taxes the other deductions are visable unless you actually read the deductions on your paystub line by line.
But OK, the difference is that for that 50% your French single male has medical insurence, unemployment insurence, retirement plan and alot of other "extras" which are calculated as part of their total contributions. In the US these extras are seperate and are not counted as part of their tax contributions. If you wanted to do a fair compairson you would have to compare and calculate
all expenses of your American subject and compare it to that of your French one. My father and I ran the numbers a few years ago and if you count all the "extras" in the US that a French person would take for granted the actual number in total comes to about the same.
Ill grant you Americans pay less "income" taxes, but the advantage the Europeans get is that they actually get something for their money. I prefer the Europeans on this its just much less of a hassle...
Example: Last year my 90 year old French grandmother had a minor stroke (she fully recovered, although she had a second one 6 months ago). 7 Days in the Hospital-24 hour care, physical therpy, two ambulence rides, medication, she got the works. Cost out of her Pocket = 0.00 Euros. She paid absolutely nothing, everything was covered 100%. You show me an US HMO that offers the same type of coverage (for an average citizen not a cadallac policy) and Ill eat my shoe.
Thats the difference: private healthcare is for-profit and social healthcare is for-service. If the US ever goes to a single payer system no one will ever want to go back to the old system and the HMOs know this all too well.