Re: [Goanet] Thank you, Mr Obama
--- Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php --- -- Original message -- From: Gabe Menezes gabe.mene...@gmail.com On the cost being paid by Jim - it depends on how many people are covered and the ages therein. He has got children being dealt by paeditricians, as well as one who escaped the World Trade Centre inferno! Any aged parents to boot? Gabe Menezes. Hello Gabe, I don't want to make my age public (unless you want to find that on your own), but I can state that I wasn't yet born, when the last major social benefits overhaul took place in the US. That overhaul took place when Medicare legislation was signed back in 1965. My young family and I, have zero medical issues - other than usual children's shots and annual physicals. In the US, it does not matter whether you have one child or 10 children, the cost of insurance for all kids is the same - meaning, someone like myself who has two kids pays the same as someone who has 10 kids. I could live without insurance and pocket the money, but that would mean, I'd become another of those nephews that Ms Viviana Coelho was talking about :( . The insurance cost that I stated previously, is a TYPICAL insurance cost for a family of four in the US. New York being a little more expensive, might have a small markup to cover the extra cost of living. Single persons pay the least for their coverage. If folks on GoaNet aren't accustomed to the kind of costs I am talking about, its because they are either single, have no kids whatsoever under their plan, or their employers absorb most of the cost. Alternatively, they may not be purchasing any coverage - I know many Goans who don't and are relying on a government bailout to pick up the tab, incase of a catastrophic event. Its a good thing that Mr Obama rounded up all these bums under his plan and would now be forced to comply or risk getting a visit from the tax man (IRS). In the US, the older parents cannot be included in the medical coverage of their working children. That group is either covered under AARP, Medicare, employers (if they still have a job that provides medical benefits), self funded or a combination of these entities. In a worst case scenario, their cost is absorbed by Medicaid - which is another government funded program for the really poor. I am not 100% certain, but I believe, if you are a senior citizen, the insurance costs are probably subsidized through plans available through AARP or Medicare. I strongly believe everyone should pay their fair share for medical coverage - just like how we pay our taxes and just like how we purchase auto insurance. We should also curb the abuses by the insurance carriers - and chop their appetite for getting ultra rich on the backs of hard working families. This is what Obama care is all about. Jim F New York.
Re: [Goanet] Thank you, Mr Obama
--- Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php --- Jim Fernandes amigo...@att.net wrote: [1] I could live without insurance and pocket the money, but that would mean, I'd become another of those nephews that Ms Viviana Coelho was talking about :( . [2] The insurance cost that I stated previously, is a TYPICAL insurance cost for a family of four in the US. New York being a little more expensive, might have a small markup to cover the extra cost of living. [3] I strongly believe everyone should pay their fair share for medical coverage - just like how we pay our taxes and just like how we purchase auto insurance. [4] We should also curb the abuses by the insurance carriers - and chop their appetite for getting ultra rich on the backs of hard working families. COMMENT: I re-posted the above to emphasise the points made (very correctly) by Jim. Both Viviana and Vivian are probably unaware. I agree with much of what Marlon has written on the subject - in his latest post. Part of the problem is that Insurers' are actually brokers who re and re and re-insure with Mega Insurers like (say) Lloyds. It is a risk-spreading and money-creaming exercise. If anything happens e.g. Hurricane, Earthquake All costs go up. Every event is used by the 'greedy' (and the agents) to rake in some more profits. These are the chaps that the Pubbies support. On the Dem side is the huge bureaucracy, unions, trial lawyers who also milk the system. In the middle are the health-care professionals and patients. Just in case there is a notion that only large families with many medical problems have High Insurance premiums, here is an exchange between a client (party of 2) who has never claimed (and hopes he never has to) and the insurance representative: Q: In a previous correspondence, I had asked about No Claim reductions in premiums. You promised to check. Grateful for update A: I'm afraid that we do not give any reductions on renewal premiums --sorry for any delay of the answer to your question. good wishes jc
Re: [Goanet] Thank you, Mr Obama
--- Sign the Petition requesting The Honble Minister of State for Environment and Forests (I/C) to maintain the moratorium on issuing further environmental clearances for mining activities in Goa http://goanvoice.org.uk/miningpetition.php --- J. Colaco wrote: 1: That having been noted, would you say that the level of taxation in Canada is significantly higher than that in the USA. jc, Every year, I file a tax return in both Canada and the US. Every year, regardless of my income, I get a refund of a few dollars from the US tax authority. In other words, the US tax rates are marginally lower than that of Canada. 4: I am surprised that in Canada, one can be fined for missing an annual check up. Is this true in the country of 'Malette v Shulman'? Does this mean that an individual is forced to provide consent to a doctor for an annual physical exam (or risk a fine)? To make this clear, the doctor is allowed to charge his patient for missing the annual exam. The reasoning is that doctor was deprived of his income and thus s/he is now allowed to charge the patient in lieu of the fee the doctor would have got from the govt. If the patient does not want to pay, the patient is free to change doctors. venantius j pinto wrote: Seriously---did you really not know the cost of insurance in the U.S., and the basic permutations of what one gets in the US for what one puts out in the US? Perhaps you were attempting to draw a composite picture, and hopefully did not really find what you Jim said---too funny. Its not funny and not a joke bro. Its very real. People we know are in trouble in various ways. v, When I was working in the US, 20 years ago, my health insurance premiums were $150 per month. When I got laid off, the insurance company was kind enough to inform me that they would now provide the same insurance for $300.00 a month. My health situation had not changed. All that had changed was that I had become jobless. The insurance company felt that it was a good moment to er, capitalize on the situation. I understand that the US population has got bigger since I left and since there are more people buying health insurance, the premiums must go higher, but I was totally totally astounded when Jim F. pointed out that it now cost him $15,000 annually to insure his family. Another way to view this scenario, since the province provides our health services, I have an extra $15,000 a year to save or spend, just because I live in Canada and not the US. I have a faint feeling that if all this info has just come to your notice, then you must be relieved that the cards life dealt you placed your being in Canada, or perhaps for good reason you made a decision not to come to the U.S. I actually earned two degrees in the US before I moved to Canada. The reason I moved here is because there is a social life in Toronto. The additional bonus for me is that the people I grew up with in Tanzania, all live within 45 minutes from where I do. Jim F and Dr. J Colaco to his superb credit as a doctor---both put it well. Just in case you are not aware of it, Dr. J. Colaco is both a doctor and a lawyer. Obama is only a lawyer but he gets the fact that you reduce medical expenses by prevention of diseases, rather than by treatment. Those who do not understand this are the very people who are bitching about the new health bill. Mervyn1108Lobo __ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/
Re: [Goanet] Thank you Mr Obama
On 29 March 2010 06:38, Venantius J Pinto venantius.pi...@gmail.com wrote: Dear Mervyn, Seriously---did you really not know the cost of insurance in the U.S., and the basic permutations of what one gets in the US for what one puts out in the US? Perhaps you were attempting to draw a composite picture, and hopefully did not really find what you Jim said---too funny. Its not funny and not a joke bro. Its very real. People we know are in trouble in various ways. I have a faint feeling that if all this info has just come to your notice, then you must be relieved that the cards life dealt you placed your being in Canada, or perhaps for good reason you made a decision not to come to the U.S. Jim F and Dr. J Colaco to his superb credit as a doctor---both put it well. venantius j pinto COMMENT: I was fortunate that my employer (Bank of NewYork Mellon) had us covered with Travellers Insurance co. We did however have to pay an excess on each claim that we made. Another thing, we had a percentage sum deducted each month, from our salary, for a charity, which was a pet of the Chairman! The United Way Charity - one could opt out - none would dare though. -- DEV BOREM KORUM Gabe Menezes.
Re: [Goanet] Thank you, Mr Obama
Mervyn Lobo mervynal...@yahoo.ca wrote: Jim F, I am astounded by the price you have to pay for health insurance for your family! This is an extremely heavy burden. You may be aware that the provinces here in Canada guarantee the health care of their residents. I found a letter from my family doctor informing me that from now on he would be charging $60.00 for a missed annual check-up. The comprehensive check up is free but missing it is now going to cost me money. COMMENT: 1: That having been noted, would you say that the level of taxation in Canada is significantly higher than that in the USA. 2: In Scandinavian countries, the level of taxation is much higher - but the citizens of those countries are said to be happier because their health, education and retirement are well looked after. (Chacha Alfred0 may wish to confirm). 3: The problem with many countries is that (a) increased bureaucracy = a waste of money (b) the ones who are trained to make decisions i.e. the health care professionals, are not the ones who always make the decisions. (c) politicians and the lobbywallas waste money on unprovoked guerras. (Mario may deny the premise of this statement - and so be it) 4: I am surprised that in Canada, one can be fined for missing an annual check up. Is this true in the country of 'Malette v Shulman'? Does this mean that an individual is forced to provide consent to a doctor for an annual physical exam (or risk a fine)? Where will the 'socialist system' stop when it comes to patients' rights? Can they force you to have a termination of pregnancy or a tubal ligation / vasectomy because you have (say) 5 children? (I know that the 5 children family would be welcome but this is just an example) jc
Re: [Goanet] Thank you, Mr Obama
On 29 March 2010 12:54, J. Colaco jc cola...@gmail.com wrote: COMMENT: 1: That having been noted, would you say that the level of taxation in Canada is significantly higher than that in the USA. 2: In Scandinavian countries, the level of taxation is much higher - but the citizens of those countries are said to be happier because their health, education and retirement are well looked after. (Chacha Alfred0 may wish to confirm). 3: The problem with many countries is that (a) increased bureaucracy = a waste of money (b) the ones who are trained to make decisions i.e. the health care professionals, are not the ones who always make the decisions. (c) politicians and the lobbywallas waste money on unprovoked guerras. (Mario may deny the premise of this statement - and so be it) 4: I am surprised that in Canada, one can be fined for missing an annual check up. Is this true in the country of 'Malette v Shulman'? Does this mean that an individual is forced to provide consent to a doctor for an annual physical exam (or risk a fine)? Where will the 'socialist system' stop when it comes to patients' rights? Can they force you to have a termination of pregnancy or a tubal ligation / vasectomy because you have (say) 5 children? (I know that the 5 children family would be welcome but this is just an example) jc RESPONSE: Missed Doctor's appointments cost the NHS a bundle here; so some Surgeries charge £20 for missed appointments. Viviana, it seems is out on a limb, suffering from gun shy syndrome; Goveia, whom she could rely on in the past, has gone with the wind. Come back Mario, all is forgiven. What about the free radios given in India to perform sterilisation? That episode cost Indira a bit and some more... On the cost being paid by Jim - it depends on how many people are covered and the ages therein. He has got children being dealt by paeditricians, as well as one who escaped the World Trade Centre inferno! Any aged parents to boot? -- DEV BOREM KORUM Gabe Menezes.
Re: [Goanet] Thank you Mr Obama
[1] Jim Fernandes wrote: A few weeks ago, I purchased a new plan which includes about similar benefits as the plan I bought in 2001, but it now cost me some $15,000 a year (actually $12,000 but I have to pay another $3,000 deductible, before the insurance punks begin to pay out, in case of a medical problem). [2] Mervyn Lobo mervynal...@yahoo.ca wrote: Jim F, Is this some kind of April Fools joke? RESPONSE: Dear Mervyn, Where is the joke in what Jim has written? The only part Jim has inadvertently (perhaps) missed out is the following: After the $3000 deductible is met, the insurance companies (depending upon the network policies) will cover 60-80% of what they term as reasonable charges. A particular health insurance company's version of 'what is reasonable' has zip to do with what has been agreed as reasonable by the AMA. And -never mind what Viviana writes- (and I believe both Marlon and Jim have alluded to this) There is NO such thing as free health care. Somebody (else) is paying for the free-ER care which is mandated by law. jc
Re: [Goanet] Thank you Mr Obama
Mervyn, I am serious about the cost of insurance here in the US, my man. The cost is ridiculously high and out of line! The plan I got, is sold by Oxford (Freedom Plan). You can probably go online and request for a quote yourself. If you still don't believe me, I'll show you my cancelled checks, if we happened to meet down the line ... and beer is on me. Don't get me wrong ... one could get cheaper plans. I could get one for about $10,000 - if you call that cheap, but none of our existing doctors - whether my kids pediatricians or the primay care physicians would accept the cheaper plan. I asked the pediatrician why would he not accept it and the answer he gave me was that, the insurance punks would pay him hardly any money on the cheaper plan. So he told the cheapo insurance guys to take a hike. I am sure Dr J Colaco and the other physicians on GoaNet are fully aware of what's happening with the healthcare cost in the US. Its high time that everybody share the cost of healthcare - the individuals who can afford it and the corporations who want healthy workers. Jim F New York. -- Original message -- From: J. Colaco jc cola...@gmail.com [1] Jim Fernandes wrote: A few weeks ago, I purchased a new plan which includes about similar benefits as the plan I bought in 2001, but it now cost me some $15,000 a year (actually $12,000 but I have to pay another $3,000 deductible, before the insurance punks begin to pay out, in case of a medical problem). [2] Mervyn Lobo mervynal...@yahoo.ca wrote: Jim F, Is this some kind of April Fools joke? RESPONSE: Dear Mervyn, Where is the joke in what Jim has written? The only part Jim has inadvertently (perhaps) missed out is the following: After the $3000 deductible is met, the insurance companies (depending upon the network policies) will cover 60-80% of what they term as reasonable charges. A particular health insurance company's version of 'what is reasonable' has zip to do with what has been agreed as reasonable by the AMA. And -never mind what Viviana writes- (and I believe both Marlon and Jim have alluded to this) There is NO such thing as free health care. Somebody (else) is paying for the free-ER care which is mandated by law. jc
Re: [Goanet] Thank you, Mr Obama
Jim Fernandes wrote: I am serious about the cost of insurance here in the US, my man. The cost is ridiculously high and out of line! Jim F, I am astounded by the price you have to pay for health insurance for your family! This is an extremely heavy burden. You may be aware that the provinces here in Canada guarantee the health care of their residents. This weekend, as I was gathering the documents for my tax returns, I found a letter from my family doctor informing me that from now on he would be charging $60.00 for a missed annual check-up. The comprehensive check up is free but missing it is now going to cost me money. I guess the govt is serious about cutting costs. They know that the cost of treating any medical condition is drastically lower when the disease is identified early. Don't get me wrong ... one could get cheaper plans. I could get one for about $10,000 - if you call that cheap, but none of our existing doctors - whether my kids pediatricians or the primay care physicians would accept the cheaper plan. I asked the pediatrician why would he not accept it and the answer he gave me was that, the insurance punks would pay him hardly any money on the cheaper plan. So he told the cheapo insurance guys to take a hike. The time I really get annoyed is when I read about people with insurance who wind up with horrendous bills when their health insurer refuses to pay. I guess you have seen plenty such stories on 60 minutes about people who had to sue before their insurance company paid for their treatment. This is a uniquely American problem, driven by the need for profits, I guess. I am sure Dr J Colaco and the other physicians on GoaNet are fully aware of what's happening with the healthcare cost in the US. Its high time that everybody share the cost of healthcare - the individuals who can afford it and the corporations who want healthy workers. A few days ago, I was reading about this car manufacturer who decided to locate its factory in Canada, rather than in the USA, because the local govt would bear the cost of health expenses. They would be saving $600 on the costs of each car by locating in Canada. Once again, I must congratulate President Obama and the democrats for the super work done on this new health plan. However, without universal health care, US residents are nowhere close to receiving the health care that the residents of all other western democracies enjoy. Mervyn1110Lobo __ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/
Re: [Goanet] Thank you Mr Obama
Jim Fernandes wrote: A few weeks ago, I purchased a new plan which includes about similar benefits as the plan I bought in 2001, but it now cost me some $15,000 a year (actually $12,000 but I have to pay another $3,000 deductible, before the insurance punks begin to pay out, incase of a medical problem). Jim F, Is this some kind of April Fools joke? Mervyn1106Lobo __ Make your browsing faster, safer, and easier with the new Internet Explorer® 8. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/
