Health Insurance

[Popeye the Sailor]

so far 36 votes. And most of them have health coverage and ride freely.

I need to get my ass some insurance. 

So my buddy Jamie, who's a board member, was dirtbiking one day up in Norcal. The front washed out on him, he got thrown over the bars, and the bike somehow landed on him, breaking his pelvis on both sides.

He had to get a helicopter ride out, and do a nifty stint in the hospital and rehab.

Total cost? Around $100K.


Get yourself some insurance.

[Drjones]

so far 36 votes. And most of them have health coverage and ride freely.

I need to get my ass some insurance. 

Go with the HSA (health savings account) option.  It'll have the lowest premiums and allow you to put money in a tax free savings account that rolls over from year to year.  i.e. 401k for your health, dental & vision care expenses.

[Spidey]

It used to be . . .

Weekends and commute.
Full health insurance through work.  
Disability insurance through work.
Life insurance through work.
Helo ride insurance

And then after we bred, it changed to . . .

Weekends and sometime commute
Full health insurance through work.
Disability insurance through work.
Life insurance through work.  Plus more private life insurance.
Helo ride insurance
Long term care insurance.  

[hbliam]

Wow.  I earn well above average income, and my total tax last year was (checks) $17K, including the paltry medicare levy.  If you're earning the sort of dough that would mean you'd pay $45K in tax, then you bloody well should be.

So your employer pays your health insurance.  What, you think they magic up the money?  It comes out of your paypacket.

Non political, just a discussion on where the money for this mystical socialized medicine actually comes from. And it's not from the 1.5 or 2.5% Medicare tax in AU. "You think they magic up the money."   You are paying for your free medicine big time.

And no, my health insurance does not come out of my paycheck. I actually don't use my employer insurance. My wifes employer pays 100% for both of us so my employer dumps 5K a year into my deferred comp for not using theirs. Yes an argument could be made that we get paid slightly less or one can be made that we get paid slightly more if you counted it. Either way it's tax free money.

I double checked and was off a bit. Using this: http://www.livingin-australia.com/income-tax-australia/   and a currency converter it's actually only $42,315 more  .
No, I shouldn't be paying that much in tax. There is nothing wrong with making money. Granted I don't know how many write offs I would have there or if you guys even have write offs to lower your taxable income.

[hbliam]

How did you come up with the number $45k. I'll be the first to admit I'm no authority on the subject, but from what I found by googling, it's a 2.5% tax for the high income earners that don't have private insurance. That means you would be making $1,800,000.00 a year. That's pretty good money, I wish I made 2.8% of that. Now I suppose that's just federal tax, and there is probably additional state taxes that I'm not accounting for.

It's a 2.5 % tax just for the medicare levy. I'm also adding their income tax levy which is ENORMOUS. Go here and you can see how much they would charge you: http://www.livingin-australia.com/income-tax-australia/

[He Man]

So my buddy Jamie, who's a board member, was dirtbiking one day up in Norcal. The front washed out on him, he got thrown over the bars, and the bike somehow landed on him, breaking his pelvis on both sides.

He had to get a helicopter ride out, and do a nifty stint in the hospital and rehab.

Total cost? Around $100K.


Get yourself some insurance.

theres no way to get medical insurance for when your operating the motorcycle only right? Progressive only offers this "emergency health coverage" that covers when uve exhausted all your own health insurance options...but they only offer it in $1000 increments, and its like $40 bucks per each $1000. so its not worth it at all

[hbliam]

theres no way to get medical insurance for when your operating the motorcycle only right? Progressive only offers this "emergency health coverage" that covers when uve exhausted all your own health insurance options...but they only offer it in $1000 increments, and its like $40 bucks per each $1000. so its not worth it at all

Don't you have health insurance through your school?

[He Man]

Don't you have health insurance through your school?

nope, i was going to apply for it (i posted here about it and all that), but then i actually did go down on my bike. and i stopped riding for a while. and never got it done. Aside from that, i cant enroll since their cut off date is march 31st. every year until fall semester rolls around.

 But since im 22 this year, i just looked into NYS funded health insurance. It looks like i can be the representative of my whole household and get my whole family health coverage through the state. And if not, it looks like i can get myself on it at the very least. I just printed out a bunch of forms to apply. Last year they said i couldnt do it casue i was 21 and "should be" under my parents health insurance, but they dont have any either so it was a moot point. Now it looks like I can apply.

[suzyj]

Non political, just a discussion on where the money for this mystical socialized medicine actually comes from.

Agreed.

• With socialised medicine, health insurance costs come out of people's tax, so people pay more tax.  This stands to reason.
• With capitalist medicine, health insurance costs come either directly from the user, or else they come from the user's employer.
  

In both cases, health care costs come from people's paypackets.  So you're paying for it either way.

Enough for the similarity.  Now for the differences.

Socialised medicine uses tax revenue for funding, so the entire tax base of a country is available.  That means income tax, company tax, payroll tax, etc etc.  The costs of provision are shared amongst the entire population of the country.  That sucks if you earn lots of money, as you effectively have to pay for someone who can't pay for themselves.  Diddums.  The alternative is that the person who can't pay gets no access to health care, or has to make do with third world health care.

Socialised medicine has no profit motive.  The government isn't able to make a profit, and doesn't have shareholders to satisfy, so costs are constrained, keeping the total amount coming out of people's pocket lower.

I always thought that the difference between a society and a rabble was that a society looks after it's people.  I earn more than the average wage.  Not double, but a goodly amount more - enough that I can have an expensive Italian motorcycle as a toy.  That means I pay more tax than many other people.  I'm perfectly relaxed with that, as I see that as my contribution to our society.

[Drjones]

Oh you so don't want to go there SuzyJ.


Must . .  resist . . . the urrrrggggeeeee.

[hbliam]

In both cases, health care costs come from people's paypackets.  So you're paying for it either way.

I may be paying $800 a month. I'm not paying $3500 a month. Big difference.

Enough for the similarity.  Now for the differences.

The alternative is that the person who can't pay gets no access to health care, or has to make do with third world health care.

No, they go to the hospital like anyone else and get cared for at no cost. That's why my $800 cost $800 instead of $200. We don't have third world health care here because we aren't third world.

I always thought that the difference between a society and a rabble was that a society looks after it's people.  I earn more than the average wage.  Not double, but a goodly amount more - enough that I can have an expensive Italian motorcycle as a toy.  That means I pay more tax than many other people.  I'm perfectly relaxed with that, as I see that as my contribution to our society.

Now you are talking politics. Which we can't.

It's great you feel "good" about paying anothers way. Some people think drinking the kool aid is a good idea.  

[muskrat]

you better get disability.  if you take a spill, health insurance aside, who's paying rent/mortgage along with all those lovely bills we collect?   I have the standard 60% of earned income through the company and the rest through a private insurer for a paltry $40/mo.  the most expensive insurance is NONE at all.

[superjohn]

I have full coverage but it'll still cost me more than I'm willing to pay so I try to be careful.