Keeping it simpler…at what cost for what services for what security for health care?

rdan

My Cobra payment comes to $1,654.44 per month for a premium health insurance plan that includes medication benefits and somewhat low deductibles ($25 Dr. visit and $75 emergency room visit). This is for a consortium of towns and is not for tiny business groups which MA also has, so it is not an individual policy. (Real cost came in a bit higher than predicted from the chart) This is an increase of about $210/month from last year at $1444/month. I am not allowed to switch to a cheaper plan in the array offered by the town. The median cost of a family plan in MA was $650/month in year 2001. Plans are some of the best in the nation but are hardly out of sight as a US average of about 12,300 for a national average year 2008 (add what premium increases for 2009-2010?)

The stimulus has a provision to pay for 65% for individuals terminated involuntarily (laid off, program terminated)for 9 months.

Keeping it simpler as a vision of healthcare, John Cory asks in Perspective:

Organization for Economic Development (OECD) report:

Total health care spending per person as of 2007:

US: $7,290

UK: $2,992

Japan: $2,581

Canada: $3,895

France: $3,601

The average OECD expenditure: $2,964

Now, this health care spending gives the US a sort of neutral bang-for-the-buck result. We do better in some areas and not so good in others.

O.K., got it.

Next question: If other countries spend less than half of what the US spends (on average) with good results, where does all our money go?

I don’t get the style of stating our concerns as laid out by the media, although I get the care we have as consumers for our own well being. But if the cost of health insurance is passed along to consumers in the form of higher taxes (public employees) or higher prices (companies of over 50 employees) and the bailing out of the market by under 50 employee size companies…something is going to break.