Obamacare = early retirement anyone?

[ReMetau]

Originally Posted by xymotic

Yep, bone behind the pinky, 5th metacarpal. Had to have surgery and pins.

Right before that I broke my Arm, upper humerus right below the shoulder and that was $30k

And a couple years before that an ambulance ride & broken clavicle was $9,000 and they didn't do a damned thing.

Damn. You need to quit stunt driving.

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by ReMetau

Damn. You need to quit stunt driving.

Yeah, I had a bit of a bad run there Apparently dirtbikes can be a little dangerous. Who knew?

[CarlF]

I live in Massachusetts where the Romney version of Obama Care has been in force for years. All those End-of-the-world predictions haven't come true. Taxes haven't gone up. The state budget is balanced. Mass General is still the best hospital in the country according to US News. And my wait to get an appointment at MGH has gone down. Health costs are high but they've always been high because Harvard doctors don't work cheap.

Everyone should just take a breath. Then go sailing.

[xymotic]

Originally Posted by CarlF

I live in Massachusetts where the Romney version of Obama Care has been in force for years. All those End-of-the-world predictions haven't come true. Taxes haven't gone up. The state budget is balanced. Mass General is still the best hospital in the country according to US News. And my wait to get an appointment at MGH has gone down. Health costs are high but they've always been high because Harvard doctors don't work cheap.

Everyone should just take a breath. Then go sailing.

I think most people just really don't understand the health care system except as an intellectual exercise.

If you walk through the double doors at an ER, it will cost you $3,000. Once you go through it it becomes clear how broken it is, real quick-like.

[propellanttech]

More evidence from a different prospective:

How will ObamaCare affect prostate cancer screening?

James L

[Steve W]

I wonder if it would make sense for cruisers to carry the evacuation insurance that would get them back to states if out of country treatment is not covered under Obamacare.

I don't like the idea of so much government control over our healthcare, but my 57 year old wife is completely uninsurable under the current available private health insurance policies due to pre-existing conditions and was forced to retire at 52. We have fantastic group coverage completely paid for by my employer, but I do worry about losing my coverage in the event I lose my job and no Cobra would be available if the company should close. The coverage of pre-existing conditons requirement is a big plus in my view. I'm not as concerned about premiums as having no coverage and losing everything. I have seen it happen and it is not pretty. The option to retire before medicare with full coverage is another huge plus, though it all seems too good to be true and we all know what they say about that.

[keepondancin]

I have to add an Island medical experience. While anchored in Bequia, a boatboy went past the boat, closely and quickly, throwing a wake. Caught Carol of balance and she fell in the cockpit. She hurt her "bad" leg, and we suspected broke a toe or two. Went to the clinic in Bequia, and it was really not where she wanted to get treated. The next morning we sailed to St. Vincent, and she went to the hospital. They wouldn't reat her until I paid. I didn't have any EC, so I gave the a $100 US bill, and said I would change money and pay them in EC. They only had 3 thermometers in the hospital, but nothing to sterilize them, so they took her temp by putting it under her armpit. I went to the bank, and when I came back I paid the bill. Dr was free, only had to pay for xrays. When Carol asked what I paid, and I said $20, she told me how badly we were ripped off, because they told her the xrays should be $7. Two broken toes, but nothing serious with the leg. As we were leaving the hospital, they were unloading a whole truck of crutches, but only three thermometers in the hospital. The next week they did a follow up at no charge. I didn't mind the over charge, I felt they needed the money.

We had a friend hospitalized in Granada, and the hospital doesn't supply food. He had to pay a nurse to bring food in for him, which apparently is common.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Steve W

I wonder if it would make sense for cruisers to carry the evacuation insurance that would get them back to states if out of country treatment is not covered under Obamacare.

Check Dan insurance for divers. You don't need to be a diver and for 70 bucks a year they will fly you home from anywhere!

[sailorboy1]

I think in past threads we have established that as far as health care and cruising goes, you got to get out of the "good old USA"

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by CarlF

I live in Massachusetts where the Romney version of Obama Care has been in force for years. All those End-of-the-world predictions haven't come true. Taxes haven't gone up. The state budget is balanced. Mass General is still the best hospital in the country according to US News. And my wait to get an appointment at MGH has gone down. Health costs are high but they've always been high because Harvard doctors don't work cheap.

Everyone should just take a breath. Then go sailing.

A lot of times when people run around wringing their hands and insisting that the sky is falling, the real issue is that the wrong political party is backing something ... just sayin' (not about you) ... just an observation about how polarized we are.

[propellanttech]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

I think in past threads we have established that as far as health care and cruising goes, you got to get out of the "good old USA"

That is the mindset I'm going with.

James L

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by xymotic

I think most people just really don't understand the health care system except as an intellectual exercise.

If you walk through the double doors at an ER, it will cost you $3,000. Once you go through it it becomes clear how broken it is, real quick-like.

OHHHH yeah. $8,000 in the ER for me for what turned out to be a medication-induced panic attack. $8K (plus the ambulance) -- over a side effect. Oh yeah -- the cost of that medication, per month, in the US? $385 a month. The cost, in Canada, for the same med (generic, not available here)? $85 -- for THREE months. You can bet your bippy I got it from a Canadian pharmacy.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by propellanttech

More evidence from a different prospective:

How will ObamaCare affect prostate cancer screening?

James L

The title shows that it's speculation. We have to give this time to work out. As someone said, look to Massachusetts.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by GaryMayo

I am 56 with medical problems I could work through, or sit down and complain about. In a work state, I prefer to work. Now that the last nails in the coffin have lodged themselves and we have essentially become a socialist country, like it or not, I may as well give in and ride the current train.

I will be applying for disability, federal cheese programs, aid to dependant husbands, geezer assistance, free Obama phone, free housing, free transportation, free cable tv, free tires for my car, free toothpaste, free lunch, free dinner, free pizza by the slice, free softdrinks, free hard drinks, free water, free underwater, free shoes, free petroleum, free pet food, free shingles for my roof, free Christmas trees, and free Christmas gifts for under the tree.

If anyone knows of any other entitlements I am entitled to now that I am one of the members of the bloated useless eaters, let me know, as I am anxious to participate in this new great nation we became last Tuesday.

Is there any free larger sailboat programs I could get in line for?

Anchor? If you're gonna be such a drag on society, there's a place on my bow for you ...

[msponer]

The energy in this discussion is higher than if it was about 'the seaworthiness of various hull shapes.' I characterize those kinds of discussions as being driven by individuals who identify strongly with their consumer choices.

But this "Obamacare." discussion, though high energy, does not have the 'someone is challenging my identity' aspect for many of the individuals here. There's something more powerful and compelling about it in people's minds.

It drives me to believe in memes, with a circular definition that political thought is political completely because it is high energy. But that's not correct -- clearly '1 hull or 2?' is not political, and so I am missing a key part of the taxonomy of people's reactions to thoughts -- there is something fundamentally different about the way these thoughts on "Obamacare." reflect in people's minds. That I don't see why it is so catchy makes me feel it is almost a well evolved hack in our brains.

Does anyone know what it is about political thought that makes it different from '1 hull or 2?'?