I am not doubting Jim Fernandes Health Insurance costs in the USA. However,
the cost of
health Insurance depends on each person's unique situation, including Married
or Single,
dependants etc. I pay a small fraction of what Jim pays for my USA Medical
Insurance, which includes Dental Insurance, Eye Care including Eye glasses and
Opthalmological
services, Prescription and Medical insurance. My Insurance coverage mandates
regular check-ups. If one fails to schedule a regular check up one is charged
25% of the Doctors or Dental fees for the first year. This charge then becomes
15% the following year and then
5 % the year after. Thereafter, there is no charge as long as one goes for his
regular
check ups. All this makes sense to me as the focus is on preventive care and
early detection. Those who are lacadaisical about their health (like Merwyn)
should pay for
such behavior.
I am not sure how much my Insurance will cost under the new Obama plan.
Presumably I will be required to pay towards the dead-beats who do not have
Insurance. Dont get me
wrong. Not everyone without health insurance is a dead beat. But I know of
many people
who have made choices to drop health insurance for other life-style
choices knowing that in the event of an emergency the Government will pick up
the tab, Obama Health Insurance or not.
I also know of a case where an Individual visiting the USA from India suffered
a heart attack and received an emergency heart by-pass surgery and
hospitalization without paying a
penny. Most if not all states have Medicaid plans which take care of
indigent patients .
So these stories of people dying because of lack of medical insurance baffles
me. I suspect that they have a more than a modest income level and made the
choice to drop
medical insurance and the medical safety net meant for indigents did not cover
them ?
Anway, the deed is done (Obama Healt Insurance that is). We will now have
socialized medicine in the USA and a huge bureaucracy to manage it. Lets see
how it all pans out a few years down the road.
