robna
chilliwack
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Joined: 11/30/2008
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What is the average price of health care in the U.S.A. for a family of five. I was just talking with my wife in regards to this and she could not beleive that in the U.S.A. you have to pay for just about everything. We pay nothing a month at all o dollars. It goes by what you make in salary for your premiums and while I make decent money in my painting buisness my writeoffs and such make my net income low, therefore free healthcare.I was simply curious as to what the average family pays. We do however have to pay for all prescriptions.
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Orion
Pacific South West
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Well it's not free. The main source of revenue is via your income & sales taxes. Some provinces don't even pay the $54 that we pay here in BC. However if you say you are able to get your taxable income low, make sure you have signed up for the 'Fair Pharmacare' programme. Under this, you can get most of your prescriptions paid for if your income is low enough.
Here is a LINK to the programme.
Where we have the advantage over the US is that with no advertising, no marketing, no profits for the hospitals & insurance companies and much lower malpractice payouts, we can put more dollars into actual health care.
The downside is that with everyone able to be treated here, we have longer wait times for non urgent procedures. It will be the same down there when & if they ever get universal coverage.
Never miss an opportunity to walk on the grass.
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accsys
Green Cove Springs, FL
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From my experience last Summer when I spent a couple of months in your fine country, most things (especially meat and cheese) cost about 20-30% more than they do in the lower 48. A lot of that was due to high sales taxes and I would imagine much of that is to cover health care costs of the country. When sales taxes are high, it also increases the cost of everything as business expenses rise as well.
John & Doris
2006 Four Winds Hurricane 34N, F53 - V10
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jcapps
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a single person between 40 and 50 on a ppo with a 1k deductible ( means the ins pays nothing of the first 1k and only partial of the first 5k) costs about $520 a month.
I would rather pay a 20% tax on cheese
"The great challenge of adulthood is holding on to your idealism after you lose your innocence."
– Bruce Springsteen
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Guest
USA
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Almost nobody knows the answer as the employer generally picks up 50-66% of the insurance premium. From leaky memory, I want to say excellent, low deductable coverage costs around $11,000 a year for a family of 5.
If you think you are paying nothing, you're just kidding yourself. You think all those doctors, nurses and medical equipment is free? Posts like your are what convinces me we need to think harder about how to reform health care. If people perceive it as free it will be abused beyond belief.
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rcr3racing
usa
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Joined: 09/20/2006
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There is no such thing as free health care. Somebody's got to pay for it.
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JayGee
Foothills of the Smokies, TN
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Not trying to argue with you accsys, but I would need to eat a lot of meat and cheese and pay considerable sales tax to match what my healthcare insurance cost me. I know nothing is free, but I sure hope there is some way to stop the continually rising costs of healthcare.
JayGee
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jimbunting
Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Health care in Canada IS NOT FREE.
All Canadians pay for it through our income taxes, and sales taxes on things that we buy.
IT IS " Universal " and that means that every Canadian citizen, and legal immigrant is covered, with no one being " excluded or cut off ". No one in Canada is being forced into bankruptcy, by medical bills, and no one here is making a plea to get funds for their child to get a kidney transplant.
With everyone paying into the plan, and our non profit publically owned hospitals, with local boards of directors, we get the care we need , when we need it.
Don't listen to the US heath insurance lobbyists, Canadians are happy with the care we receive, and no politician in Canada would do anything to change the system. Improve it, yes, but not to reduce it in any way.
Sixty years is the length of time that we have had this system, and we like it just fine.
And , as for that line about "socialised medicine " don't you all ready have that ? Medicaid and social security, I think it is called ? Funny how the right wingers can't get so worked up about having fire departments and Police departments in their towns ? Aren't they examples of "socialised community services " ?
Jim B. Toronto.
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5er4ever
Ontario Canada
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jimbunting wrote:Health care in Canada IS NOT FREE.
All Canadians pay for it through our income taxes, and sales taxes on things that we buy.
IT IS " Universal " and that means that every Canadian citizen, and legal immigrant is covered, with no one being " excluded or cut off ". No one in Canada is being forced into bankruptcy, by medical bills, and no one here is making a plea to get funds for their child to get a kidney transplant.
With everyone paying into the plan, and our non profit publically owned hospitals, with local boards of directors, we get the care we need , when we need it.
Don't listen to the US heath insurance lobbyists, Canadians are happy with the care we receive, and no politician in Canada would do anything to change the system. Improve it, yes, but not to reduce it in any way.
Sixty years is the length of time that we have had this system, and we like it just fine.
And , as for that line about "socialised medicine " don't you all ready have that ? Medicaid and social security, I think it is called ? Funny how the right wingers can't get so worked up about having fire departments and Police departments in their towns ? Aren't they examples of "socialised community services " ?
Jim B. Toronto.
Well put Jim.
We do pay via taxes. I would also suggest that we pay a lot and don't see how much or where it goes. I will say this 'I have never met a poor Dr.' and know a few.
When a country sets aside trillions of dollars for the so-called protection of it's people, it is reasonable to say that the good health of the people must be at the top of the list for a healthy country.
Not all of the interest / investment off the mainland USA is contributing to the health of the people of tha USA. A health care system would.
It is nothing more than greed and political posturing with financial kickbacks that is creating the worlds entertainment right now. All I can say is WOW! If you cannot see the logic follow the financial trail and the companies backing it.
IMHO.
a Post Employment Recreation and Leisure Specialist that believes "The best part of doing nothing is resting up afterwards!".
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Deb and Ed M
SW MI, USA
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Joined: 06/07/2004
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Right now, our premiums (what a perfect word - considering the price...LOL!) are over $900 per month for the two of us. No prescription/vision/dental. We tried to switch to a less expensive insurer, but my hip resurfacing (which resolved the only health problem we had) is considered a "pre-existing condition" and we were denied.
Our health insurance expense is far and away our biggest outlay every month :-( Thank God Ed can take some money from our retirement funds, or we wouldn't be able to afford groceries...although "no groceries" would probably solve the entire dilemmma?
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