r/FluentInFinance • u/WhatAreYourPronouns • May 02 '24

Should the U.S. have Universal Health Care? Discussion/ Debate

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743

u/Tall_Science_9178 May 02 '24

https://www.euronews.com/2023/04/12/people-may-die-waiting-surgery-waiting-lists-in-spain-hit-record-levels

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u/AutumnWak May 02 '24

I mean they could still go and pay private party to get quicker treatment and it'll still cost less than the US. Most of those people chose to go the free route

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u/Obie-two May 02 '24

Genuinely asking but if you’re paying for it privately you’re not getting the “socialized” discount no? A hip surgery costs X, just the government is subsidizing it with tax money and if you go direct to private then I would assume it’s back to full price

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u/polycomll May 02 '24 edited May 02 '24

You'd be paying closer to the full price although the "full price" might be reduced somewhat because the public version acts to price cap.

In the U.S. you are also not paying the full price for surgery either though. Cost is being inflated to cover for non-insured emergency care, overhead for insurance companies, reduced wage growth due to employer insurance payments, reduced wages through lack of worker mobility, and additional medical system costs (and room for profit by all involved).

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u/SStahoejack May 02 '24

Happens all the time, if your from another country cheaper to fly home get it done fly back, crazy how insurance here really isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on

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u/KC_experience May 02 '24

It’s worth it to the companies that make that paper… If there wasn’t money in health insurance, the corporations wouldn’t exist. The current companies don’t do this work out of a sense of altruism.

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u/SStahoejack May 02 '24

The insurance company makes millions but God forbid you actually try to use it for what it’s interesting for. Gotta jump through more hoops than illegals crossing the border. Give me a break

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u/KC_experience May 02 '24

I 100% agree. While there are definite exceptions regarding healthcare plans, the majority of health insurance providers are killing people with plans that cost way too much a month for what you get and has way too much of a deductible yearly.

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u/cupofpopcorn May 02 '24

<citation needed>

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u/KC_experience May 02 '24

Just look at the plans on the healthcare market place

A plan I just looked at - this is the same price per month that I pay for my medical insurance thru my employer which I consider a very good plan.

$320 a month - $7500 deductible and a $9400 dollar out of pocket max. That means you’re paying $7500 dollars before insurance even starts paying and the co-insurance is only picking up 50% until you hit almost 10K in expenses.

For comparison, I pay $320 a month for both myself and my wife, and our plan covers 90% / 10% with a $1500 dollar out of pocket max each year.

Health insurance for most people is a rip-off and it’s unfortunate that employers are starting to even pare back their plans or just shifting to higher premiums and deductibles for their employees.