TurquoiseB wrote: > Ahem. The last time I lived in the US, as a 50-ish > self-employed male with *zero* history of serious > illness or "risk factors," my health insurance premiums > cost me $600+ per month. That's more like $7200 per year. That must've been a co-pay $50 deductible policy. IOW, pretty much what you'd get with most group policies back then. I rode a Cobra until it ran out and had a discussion with an agent from that health insurance company. Because I'm overweight they wanted to tack on a 50% surcharge (which drove my doctor nuts). I mused to the agent "I suppose everyone at (name of insurance company) is slim and trim" knowing from telltale signs of her voice she wasn't. Immediately she started mentioning money saving policies I could have (gee where were those before). So basically I purchased a $1500 deductible policy. Given I also have had few health problems doing the math it doesn't take long to put away some savings for those kinds of deductibles.
I say if the European countries can provide health care for so little so can the US. But the US is a capitalistic cluster fuck with everyone out to get theirs. We are so screwed.