Err if you think $50,000 a year is enough to cover just a serious injury or illness let alone a catastrophic one you are seriously, seriously misinformed.
If you get really hurt or really sick figure a minimum of $10,000 a day in a hospital. Those people that don't have coverage are just asking to be put into bankruptcy. Just remember that 75% of the people who did go into bankruptcy because of medical bills had health insurance.
I've been browsing through this thread and I don't get it... how anybody could argue against 'proper' health care.
I'm a person who is
generally never sick. Most of the times I don't see a doctor for years... It has been 2 years now since the last time that I needed/wanted a prescription medicine against a fever. But I'm sure I'd have survived without it... only takes a bit longer maybe... It cost (my insurance) maybe 10 bucks. But I wouldn't care to pay for it myself
But there is also another story in my personal history
When I was 1 year old I was healthy
When I was 2 years old I was healthy
When I was 3 years old I was healthy
When I was 4 years old I was healthy
When I was 5 years old I was healthy
When I was 6 years old I was healthy
When I was 7 years old I was healthy
When I was 8 years old I was healthy
When I was 9 years old I was healthy
When I was 10 years old I was healthy
When I was 11 years old I was healthy
When I was 12 years old I was healthy
When I was 13 years old I was healthy
When I was 14 years old I was healthy
When I was 15 years and 1 Month years old I got seriously sick.
I spent almost 1.5 years in the hospital
. The treatment cost a lot more than 100.000? :shock:
But well.. I have the "basic/mandatory" health care insurance and it took good care of me. I got the best treatment that was available... without any discussion.
Me or my parents didn't have to spent a dime on it. The only costs they had was a few liters of gas when they came to visit me in the hospital.
Since I finally got out of the hospital at 16,5 years of age I've never been sick (=
needing medical attention)
Whats the conclusion of that story?
When you're never sick you can not assume that you're not sick tomorrow but only hope you ain't sick the day after tomorrow
Maybe you get in the unfortunate situation to realize that health is the most important thing in your life.
You only realize it when you're hoping to survive. Trust me, it's not a pleasant feeling.
But I'm proud to live in a system, where rich people don't have a real advantage over 'poor' people when it comes to health.
At certain points in your life you can 'choose' to be rich or poor. But health is destiny. Even crossing the street can destroy your health in an instance.
Obviously too many people don't get that and can not think further than a cough and a sneeze.
I think society has a obligation to heal people when there is a treatment. Society has an obligation to give people their old (pre-sick) life back. That makes us humans better than animals who might even kill a sick member of their group. And giving people their lives back can also not be an issue of some green (in the US) printed slices of paper with a number on it.
When society works together it's a relative small price to pay and in everyones own interest. Every one can hope that health insurance will never pay off for yourself. As a matter of fact thats the best thing that happens in your whole life, that health insurance turns out to be uncalled-for!
I even claim it would be the best if health care was free! I think Dubai has this system.
When you're sick you go to the hospital and they take care of you. The hospital is run by the state. They finance the medical infrastructure from taxes and when you need it, you just take it... like a highway or a bridge.
That's not bad imo, because no money gets lost in the "system". Now the insurance company makes profits out of health care money, the hospitals make profits... etc. That just drains money from the systems that could be used way more reasonable.
The state has police people and police cars, tax authority people and nice buildings that they use, military people and tanks and planes and ships... etc, the state has even gardeners to water the lawn in front of official buildings... but why not doctors and hospitals???
I know that sounds "communist" but at least (and only) concerning health care I have no problem with that.
!!!!!!!!