Politics All Things Trump

[Euroamerican]

I have a friend who haggles both before and after a hospital event here in the USA.
Before: Shops around or tries to get the VA to pay for it.
After: Tries to delay or avoid paying bills, or pay a bit "now" to get decreases in the final total.

The vast majority of people don't know to look around first, but do try to see what insurance plans cover best for likely procedures when they are shopping for the insurance plan or being asked to make their choice for the next year on their employer-sponsored/supplemented plan.

 

[Fluff]

Not on healthcare. You will get kicked out of the office.

The corporations haggle with each other. The consumer gets the shaft.

And drug companies do indeed charge more in the US than in Europe. The US consumer is in effect subsidizing the price in other countries. This is a fact and it is not arguable. If you don't believe me look it up or live in ignorance.

The reasons that is a fact are a little debatable, but honestly not very much. Almost all of this is pretty out in the open, and has been for decades. This is not new information.

Most drug companies don't even make a shadow of hiding it. Things like this are discussed pretty openly in publicly traded companies. They are factors in earnings forecasts, regulatory clearance, and risk management.

Will the companies do anything to change this situation. Absolutely not.

Will the US government do anything to change this situation. I doubt it.

I don’t doubt yanks are paying more for drugs, but I’m not sure it’s because the good hearted drug companies charge U.K. less. I think you guys are shanking each other.

FYI, the cost of my company health care, to me is £500, which means the cost to my employer is about £2000 PA. That’s pretty much unlimited cover. In addition the NHS will cover me for chronic diseases, plus emergency room, and maternity, from general taxation.

 

[Mark Sman]

Chief, the housing market in the US is bonkers, with big corpos buying houses to keep the prices up and forcing some to rent. Here we have a government housing loan and a cap on rent increases.... We also dont have subsidies for the corpos, thereby, they rely on actual supply and demand. Same with medicine and food, if the price of one commodity increases enough, the government comes in and either checks for actual prices and would even go as far as look for supply to meet the demand and control the prices.

I have seen corporations try that before in the US. It does not last. And something else, when corporations without a track record of real estate operations start buying up residential it is usually followed by a crash.

Seems to happen about every 20 years. Don't know why.

 

[Mark Sman]

I don’t doubt yanks are paying more for drugs, but I’m not sure it’s because the good hearted drug companies charge U.K. less. I think you guys are shanking each other.

Yes, exactly. The shanks are wielded by the corporations with help from their good buddies in the government.

 

[Chazman]

I don’t doubt yanks are paying more for drugs, but I’m not sure it’s because the good hearted drug companies charge U.K. less. I think you guys are shanking each other.

FYI, the cost of my company health care, to me is £500, which means the cost to my employer is about £2000 PA. That’s pretty much unlimited cover. In addition the NHS will cover me for chronic diseases, plus emergency room, and maternity, from general taxation.

I am self employed and pay for my own health insurance privately. You'll be shocked to hear that for me and my wife it comes to $2,400 PER MONTH. Kids get health coverage from their employers. And even at that exorbitant cost, we still have copays and non-covered costs. I do remember when Obamacare kicked in, people like me had their rates triple overnight. That sucked, and they never really came down after that.

 

[Chazman]

I have seen corporations try that before in the US. It does not last. And something else, when corporations without a track record of real estate operations start buying up residential it is usually followed by a crash.

Seems to happen about every 20 years. Don't know why.

It's infuriating. Companies like Black Rock, etc., buying up every house that goes up for sale and turning it into rental property. Kids starting their lives and trying to start a family have a tough time getting into the market. "You Will Own Nothing And Be Happy".

 

[Mike1976]

€183 a month, if below a certain wage or unemployed I would get up to €131 of that back from the government.

+90% of hospital bills are covered, GP is free, for medication I pay a maximum of 25% and I have an additional dental package up to €250 a year that I never really fully use up. It comes with a €385 excess deductible which is the same for every adult, anything above that is covered by the preceding coverage.

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[HorniePonie]

I am self employed and pay for my own health insurance privately. You'll be shocked to hear that for me and my wife it comes to $2,400 PER MONTH. Kids get health coverage from their employers. And even at that exorbitant cost, we still have copays and non-covered costs. I do remember when Obamacare kicked in, people like me had their rates triple overnight. That sucked, and they never really came down after that.

That is a lot of money for sure. In my communist country I pay roughly that kind of sums as taxes per month, which includes full medical coverage and subsidized drugs.

 

[thelistener]

I wouldn't say that as an absolute. I am a free market guy. We seem able to use a somewhat free market to get food and shelter in place.

US government does subside farming?

Companies like Black Rock, etc., buying up every house that goes up for sale and turning it into rental property. Kids starting their lives and trying to start a family have a tough time getting into the market. "You Will Own Nothing And Be Happy".

Might need some socialism to fix that issue since it seems that capitalism brought that you that problem

 

[Chazman]

US government does subside farming?


Might need some socialism to fix that issue since it seems that capitalism brought that you that problem

Actually, they are almost modelling themselves on Socialism. That's why I inserted: "You Will Own Nothing And Be Happy".

I'm not smart enough to know how that should proceed with the housing market. Eventually, the market corrects itself. But at the moment, especially in my area, housing is tough for young buyers.

I'm not opposed to common sense social programs as safety nets, but those must rooted in a Capitalist foundation to work.

 

[Chazman]

That is a lot of money for sure. In my communist country I pay roughly that kind of sums as taxes per month, which includes full medical coverage and subsidized drugs.

Unfortunately, I neither work for a company, am in a union, (public or private) or the government.


EDIT: actually not unfortunately, I made my decision to be self-employed long ago and never regretted it.

 

[NebrHogger]

Even Medicare is expensive. We pay around $800/month for a supplement which covers everything Medicare doesn't. Mrs. H is in poor health, so we really can't drop it.

 

[skaw]

I was wondering...Are the expenses for nursing homes equally high as the medical coverage in the US?

Because thats more and more skyrocketing over here in Germany in comparison to medical coverage.

 

[thelistener]

Actually, they are almost modelling themselves on Socialism. That's why I inserted: "You Will Own Nothing And Be Happy".

Blackrock is modelling itself after socialism by buying apartments?

 

[Chazman]

Blackrock is modelling itself after socialism by buying apartments?

Exactly. They are blocking the American Dream of owning your own home and starting a family. They are buying homes meant for first timers, because they can, exasperating the available inventory and pricing, in order to act as the landlord by restricting young couples/families ability to buy. The effect is almost like central planning.

The market will eventually correct them. But it's tough for now.

 

[thelistener]

Exactly. They are blocking the American Dream of owning your own home and starting a family. They are buying homes meant for first timers, because they can, exasperating the available inventory and pricing, in order to act as the landlord by restricting young couples/families ability to buy. The effect is almost like central planning.

The market will eventually correct them. But it's tough for now.

Its a private company, that's not socialism. You could argue it has a monopoly but thats in no way socialism, only capitalism.

 

[Chazman]

Its a private company, that's not socialism. You could argue it has a monopoly but thats in no way socialism, only capitalism.

They are not quite a monopoly but have effectively dominated and changed the market to control the supply, raise prices and reduce consumer choice. If it's capitalism, it's capitalism gone wrong.

 

[primer]

Panic in the swamp. Quote form Hannity. Fox is having a massacre of old Russia hoax and Russian voting machine hacks, thats what they said after Trump won and their networks were not sued, instead they got pulitzers.... and now its all their turn along with the big table.
Lawyers should be paying Putin a retainer.

 

[Junglejim]

They are not quite a monopoly but have effectively dominated and changed the market to control the supply, raise prices and reduce consumer choice. If it's capitalism, it's capitalism gone wrong.

It's not capitalism gone wrong, it is capitalism in its purest form.

 

[HorniePonie]

They are not quite a monopoly but have effectively dominated and changed the market to control the supply, raise prices and reduce consumer choice. If it's capitalism, it's capitalism gone wrong.

Yeah, in unregulated capitalism large companies tend to end up with government like powers. However they aren't responsible to the people but the share holders and the results are as expected. If you want to regulate capitalism, you often get called a communist.