Ross
Well-known member
I think they make it appear that they pay that amount, but unless you get an itemized statement, showing the discounts and write offs, you probably wouldn't know.
Got my bill
- Thread starter Chele
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I think they make it appear that they pay that amount, but unless you get an itemized statement, showing the discounts and write offs, you probably wouldn't know.
The big difference though Ross is as a patient you have no out-of-pocket expenses or any deductible that you have to pay. Yes if I were still living in canada I would rather pay for my healthcare out of my taxes and payroll. Here not only do you have health insurance coming out of your paycheck but then you still have deductible's and copays. I am lucky to have a $500 deductible and $1000 out-of-pocket and with the medical bills still coming i struggle to even find that amount to pay. Not to mention the fact that i have so many pills I have to take everyday that I have to find money for. Sure I would have to pay for my medication still in Canada but that is it and your employer normally covers around 80% percent of that too through their prescription and dental insurance in Canada. I feel bad for the people that don't make enough money on their paycheck to have health insurance or my friend who has two kids she has to support and provide insurance for. She has to work as much overtime as she can just to get by and god forbid if anything serious were to happen and either she couldn't work or one of them needed an operation. All things that you wouldn't have to worry about under the canadian system if you got sick or lost your job. I wouldn't have to claim bankruptcy if I didn't have health insurance and needed an operation like so many here have to. That in itself would allow you to focus your energy on more important things like your health. How many people here put off going to doctor for a check-up or if they get the flu because they don't want to pay for it or because they don't want to know if there is something seriously wrong. I put off going to the doctor before I knew that there was something wrong. Sure mine was basically because I thought that it was just a cold that was lingering that would not go away but I have been bugging the husband for months to go and get a check-up and the response is the same every time I ask him. I don't have the money for it. Meanwhile he could have a problem neither of us know about and it could be getting worse when if caught early may be able to dealt with without a huge expense. I have first hand knowledge of both systems and there are so many misconceptions about the canadian's health care system here in the states. I hear some of them from my husband but also on here and at work and that is when I normally chime in. Because unless you have lived in both systems you have no way to compare or back up what you are saying. Maybe the health insurance company doesn't pay nearly what the hospital bills are but if you had to pay it all out of your pocket because you didn't have health insurance I bet that it would be harder for you to negotiate a price drop with the hospital then it is for the health insurance companies. And if you ask me the $1500 that I have to pay every year as long as i have medical problems which now will pretty much be for life could be going towards something that I could use like help pay off my house or car repairs that keep coming. Or things that are also necessity like groceries. My beef isn"t with the level of care or the cost of the prescriptions but it is with the fact that there are co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket that has to be paid on top of the high cost of the health insurance. To cover both me and my husband at my job with the same level of insurance that we have with his would cost me $74 dollars per week. It costs him around $30 to $35. If he were ever to get hurt and couldn't work we would have a very tough time surviving.
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Ross
Well-known member
Oh yes I do. It's not free.
You should never claim bankruptcy over medical bills. In Ohio, they cannot take your house over medical expenses.
Beleive it or not, if you get on the phone, talk to the right people, you'd be surprised at what you can negotiate. Many places will accept what Medicare would pay, which in inself, would chop that price by about 75%. Only problem is, you have to have the money to speak with at that moment.
I am not saying that you yourself don't have co-pays or deductible's or out-of-pocket. I am saying that if you lived in Canada you wouldn't have any of those to worry about except the cost of your prescriptions and dental coverage. Wouldn't that be easier? You would still get great care and would not have to spend a small fortune on what you need.
Ross
Well-known member
Exactly you would still have to have a lot of cash to get a break. And where is someone like you and me supposed to get that cash in order to make that deal? With my husband and I both working we may live a little comfortably but we don't have money laying around. We still have to scrimp and save to do car repairs or things like that. We don't go out very often even to dinner. We normally stay home and cook our own dinner. Not only is it healthier but it is also cheaper. So then when a medical bill comes in like the one I just got for $240 I am still wondering where am I going to get this cash. That would be one less worry in Canada.
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Then they aren't doing it right. Yes as Canadians you may pay more in taxes but the standard of living is higher there too. Minimum wage is even higher. And their economy is booming from what my father tells me. So if you make more on the job, you can afford to pay the tax to cover health care. Sure some of us can't work. But you also do without more when you don't work so therefore you aren't paying the tax. And this is where I say that there are so many misconceptions on the Canadian Healthcare system. Because, everyone down here is taught that the Canadian system is so bad yet when you ask most Canadians such as myself. They would rather keep it the way it is. Yes it is not perfect but to not have $1500 coming out of my pocket every year that I could use for something else would be wonderful. The only bankruptcy you would file up there would be if you got yourself in trouble with credit or things like that. The tax wouldn't force you to claim bankruptcy.
Jackie I agree with you that I wouldn't want to live anywhere else right now knowing what the costs are involved. I do pay for my medical thru payroll deductions and I also have extended medical thru my employer. This surgery will cost me nothing, my prescription drugs are covered up to 80%. For people who are on disability here they have it all covered. Also I get my full pay for up to 3 mths and then 60% thereafter with my employer. Yes I pay into that on every pay cheque but pennies compared to what I will be collecting back when I am off. I feel very fortunate.
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I am so sorry...........I never meant to cause dissention here among members and friends.
Jkm7
Well-known member
I'm in U.S.
Had two OHS in four years.
Paid Nothing for either
Never once was on the phone with my health insurer.
They got the bills
They paid the bills.
That is all there was to it, for me.
I fully understand not everyone is that fortunate but there are a great many that are.
We worked hard for the privilege of selecting which insurance we want, what doctors and hospitals we want, we don't wait on a list in order to get our cath done or for a long surgery list to finally bring our name to the top of the list.
Our system has many problems but so does every other system about which I've read.
None are perfect but for those in other countries to post they feel sorry for us, I think is inappropriate. No need to feel sorry for me. I'll let others speak for themselves.
Had two OHS in four years.
Paid Nothing for either
Never once was on the phone with my health insurer.
They got the bills
They paid the bills.
That is all there was to it, for me.
I fully understand not everyone is that fortunate but there are a great many that are.
We worked hard for the privilege of selecting which insurance we want, what doctors and hospitals we want, we don't wait on a list in order to get our cath done or for a long surgery list to finally bring our name to the top of the list.
Our system has many problems but so does every other system about which I've read.
None are perfect but for those in other countries to post they feel sorry for us, I think is inappropriate. No need to feel sorry for me. I'll let others speak for themselves.
Ross
Well-known member
Your not, so don't worry about it. This subject has been brewing for a long time and last time we tried to have a civil discussion about it, things got out of control. It's just a touchy issue.
Ross
Well-known member
yeah i suppose we would have to do that. lol
I also live in the U.S. I have for almost 10 years now. I have my green card and I have a job and pay taxes and everything else. In my first post I did say that everyone was entitled to their own opinion. And if you love the insurance that's great. I don't have terrible insurance. I could have alot worse. Such as the insurance that my job offers and that is why I chose to stick with my husbands insurance and just pay the $50/month surcharge they instituted this last year. The only point I am trying to get across is that there is good and bad in everything. But I personally have an $1000 out-of-pocket every year plus my medication. It is not easy to come up with that money. And all I am saying is that there is a lot of misconception in the U.S. about the Canadian system. Yes, it is not perfect and there is definitely room for improvement. But there is so much room for improvement here also. And like I have said I have experienced both systems. And my son when he had leukemia was never on a waiting list and his care was impeccable. As mine was here at cleveland clinic. Yes it is a different system but until you have experienced it, there is no way to realize that it is a good system. And you may be one of the privileged ones that don't have to pay a dime but I'm sure with the rising cost of healthcare that the number of privileged ones out there is dwindling. There was a time, that my husband didn't have to pay a penny for health insurance. And it only cost $5 to see the doctor. Now to see my cardiologist it will cost me $50/visit. Big change in less than ten years if you ask me.
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I don't have much to say about "the bills". I think my out of pocket was around 1000 bucks, I thought I got a good deal. Oh, and I liked the william shatner video! 
I don't have much to say about "the bills". I think my out of pocket was around 1000 bucks, I thought I got a good deal. Oh, and I liked the william shatner video!
You may enjoy this version better
james
Well-known member
I have many opinions about the US "health care" plan but, I will offer only this question.
I go out to eat and the menu has the prices on it. I get my car worked on and they have to by law tell me the charges. I go to hospital in the US and ask what something might cost......you never get an answer up front.
Anyhow my insurance company was billed $298k. They paid about $140K. I paid $1400.
I got this stupid GSA card with $600 still on it and my insurance claims I am at out of pocket max. What can I spend this on before the end of the year not to lose the money?
I go out to eat and the menu has the prices on it. I get my car worked on and they have to by law tell me the charges. I go to hospital in the US and ask what something might cost......you never get an answer up front.
Anyhow my insurance company was billed $298k. They paid about $140K. I paid $1400.
I got this stupid GSA card with $600 still on it and my insurance claims I am at out of pocket max. What can I spend this on before the end of the year not to lose the money?
GSA? Is it the same as an HSA, health savings account, where pre-tax funds are put in an account for spending on medical expenses? Depending on the plan you can use funds for things usually not covered by insurance such as lasix surgery or braces. I don't suppose you were thinking about a mouthful of braces, huh? You might even be able to use funds for a health-club membership. If this is through your employer, contact the benefits person in HR or check out the Web site of the ins company for more info. Usually funds can roll over to the next year, but check yours to be sure.
so far this year i have paid $1101.26. And that is without any prescriptions. 656.40 of that was for my home monitor which i was told was going to be fully covered but because it didn't get billed until the new year I ended up having to pay for it. And since my husbands insurance carried over until february 1st of this year because of the strike he had at work last year the 656.40 doesn't even go towards this years deductible. I fought tooth and nail over getting the monitor paid for and the insurance company would not budge even though i was told last december that it was covered. So to make a long story short, I still haven't reached my deductible for this year but yet $1100 has already come out of my pocket and still probably another 1000 before i won't have to pay anymore. My out of pocket is supposed to $1000. Try figuring that one out.
