So I got my new benefits package from the new company yesterday and promptly burst in to tears. I can't believe how fregging expensive they all are, we get to pick from 4 plans one being an HMO and the other three PPOs. I was floored at their costs, one benefit to my previous employer was that they picked a national health care and were able to supplement most of the costs. Not my new one, even with the cheapest bare bones insurance I will be making less....that is right LESS than I did last year.
Is it too late to reconsider this whole prospect?
I am absolutely amazed at how much health care is in America. I am all for socialized medicine like in France, Canada and the UK. Where the government subsidizes that cost of medical care. The reason why prescription drugs are so dirt cheap in Canada as compared to the US is because the government subsidizes the pharmacies so that the cost savings can be passed on to their citizens. That will never happen here, look at medicare and Medicaid. With the new changes in the legislation so many elderly and poverty stricken Americans are struggling to make ends meet. A few months back, NPR had a story about that and they interviewed this elderly woman (I believe that she was in her 80s) saying how she is cutting her medicine in half so that she can afford to eat each month.
It is sicking but, wait....I can't afford to get sick!
2 comments:
I went to a college that had a lot of Canadian students. Among people who could afford it, they would come to America for elective surgeries because it was so much faster.
I can't figure out what I think about America's health care issue. One of the reasons it's so expensive is because we spend so much money on research, which is part of the reason why many people get such good health care. Other reasons it's expensive, though, are that drug companies spend a ton of money on advertising and Americans have a lot of expensive but preventable diseases (e.g., heart disease).
Socialized medicine scares me because, without competition, quality of care is bound to decline. On the other hand, the current system ensures that rich people get the best health care. Do we have a responsibility to the citizenry to ensure universal health care? Is it really a right, or is it a privilege?
I just don't know how to answer all these questions.
I know it is a tough thing to figure out. I just wish generic drugs were more avalible but maybe with a grass roots effort!
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