25 years old and deep in debt

[sbr]

What is that like 16k a year?

16K more than I'm making now, pussy cat.  My COBRA benefits expire at the end of the year, which is suddenly a lot closer than it was last June.    My adrenal glands will not be able to afford the medication that costs more a month than my mortgage payment without coverage.
So, 16K and benefits is better than 0K and no benefits.  Then I'll work my schedule around a 2nd job hopefully.

Tea Party Nation just got a collective chubby.

[Zanza]

Expect around $300-400/month premiums with a $2500-5000 deductible at your age.

Is that Obamacare? If so, you have long way to go towards real socialized health insurance.

[crazy canuck]

Expect around $300-400/month premiums with a $2500-5000 deductible at your age.

Is that Obamacare? If so, you have long way to go towards real socialized health insurance.

Forget socialized medicine.   They have a long way to go towards any sane medical delivery system.

[MadImmortalMan]

Our society is not capable of producing affordable health care. The whole industry is fooked.

[merithyn]

Expect around $300-400/month premiums with a $2500-5000 deductible at your age.

Is that Obamacare? If so, you have long way to go towards real socialized health insurance.

Obamacare only allows people with preexisting conditions to be covered and not charged a premium over those without health conditions. At this point, I don't think it limits the amount of premium a member can be charged. The Republicans wouldn't allow that.

[CountDeMoney]

What is that like 16k a year?

16K more than I'm making now, pussy cat.  My COBRA benefits expire at the end of the year, which is suddenly a lot closer than it was last June.    My adrenal glands will not be able to afford the medication that costs more a month than my mortgage payment without coverage.
So, 16K and benefits is better than 0K and no benefits.  Then I'll work my schedule around a 2nd job hopefully.

Tea Party Nation just got a collective chubby.

Meh, it all goes towards covering garbon's travel expenses anyway.

[Caliga]

Our society is not capable of producing affordable health care. The whole industry is fooked.

It won't happen without socialized medicine, to be sure.  That said, I don't trust our government to put a socialized medicine system in place that'll actually work as opposed to making the situation even worse.  I envy Languishites who live in countries that actually seem to have competent federal governments.

[MadImmortalMan]

Our society is not capable of producing affordable health care. The whole industry is fooked.

It won't happen without socialized medicine, to be sure.  That said, I don't trust our government to put a socialized medicine system in place that'll actually work as opposed to making the situation even worse.  I envy Languishites who live in countries that actually seem to have competent federal governments.

It will need more than that. Socializing it will just shift who is paying for it. We need to reform it structurally.

[Barrister]

Our society is not capable of producing affordable health care. The whole industry is fooked.

It won't happen without socialized medicine, to be sure.  That said, I don't trust our government to put a socialized medicine system in place that'll actually work as opposed to making the situation even worse.  I envy Languishites who live in countries that actually seem to have competent federal governments.

I appreciate your envy, but we have the same problem with respect to spiraling health care costs as everywhere else.

[garbon]

What is that like 16k a year?

16K more than I'm making now, pussy cat.  My COBRA benefits expire at the end of the year, which is suddenly a lot closer than it was last June.    My adrenal glands will not be able to afford the medication that costs more a month than my mortgage payment without coverage.
So, 16K and benefits is better than 0K and no benefits.  Then I'll work my schedule around a 2nd job hopefully.

Tea Party Nation just got a collective chubby.

Meh, it all goes towards covering garbon's travel expenses anyway.

Someone has to pay for them.

[crazy canuck]

Our society is not capable of producing affordable health care. The whole industry is fooked.

It won't happen without socialized medicine, to be sure.  That said, I don't trust our government to put a socialized medicine system in place that'll actually work as opposed to making the situation even worse.  I envy Languishites who live in countries that actually seem to have competent federal governments.

It will need more than that. Socializing it will just shift who is paying for it. We need to reform it structurally.

Socializing is probably the wrong word for it.

If you change your system to a single payor system that fundamentally changes the cost structure because the single payor now has all the clout it needs when dealing with the amount it is willing to pay health care providers.

It is fundamentally different from the kind of cost discipline private health insurance companies engage in which is to deny coverage rather than deal with the cost of the service.

BB's point is well taken that health care is expensive no matter what system you use.  But at the very least a single payor system has the benefit of having some actual cost discipline along with the very great benefit that everyone has access to basic health care. 

[CountDeMoney]

Meh, it all goes towards covering garbon's travel expenses anyway.

Someone has to pay for them.

If I wanted to pay for you to get laid in Europe, I'd rather cut the check directly to you instead of paying for the overhead.  It'd be cheaper.

[Razgovory]

What is that like 16k a year?

16K more than I'm making now, pussy cat.  My COBRA benefits expire at the end of the year, which is suddenly a lot closer than it was last June.    My adrenal glands will not be able to afford the medication that costs more a month than my mortgage payment without coverage.
So, 16K and benefits is better than 0K and no benefits.  Then I'll work my schedule around a 2nd job hopefully.

Tea Party Nation just got a collective chubby.

Meh, it all goes towards covering garbon's travel expenses anyway.

Someone has to pay for them.

I thought your parents paid for them.

[MadImmortalMan]

If you change your system to a single payor system that fundamentally changes the cost structure because the single payor now has all the clout it needs when dealing with the amount it is willing to pay health care providers.

That's true, but it's only a part of the equation. It just squeezes the providers. It doesn't change the cost of medical equipment, or the cost of a medical education. Or the number of doctors that can be trained and enter the market in a year.

[garbon]

Meh, it all goes towards covering garbon's travel expenses anyway.

Someone has to pay for them.

If I wanted to pay for you to get laid in Europe, I'd rather cut the check directly to you instead of paying for the overhead.  It'd be cheaper.

@Raz - I think it'd be very strange if my parents paid for my company to send me on business.