[Yuki Maru Hoshi]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

US is up there with Japan for countries I would not like to live in (obviously not counting war torn countries and the like).

It's nice for a holiday but I'm not living anywhere where, if you come down with a serious illness, you need to start a gofundme for a chance of getting treatment. **** that.

Well thankfully, most people/families are insured through employers and it's usually an 80/20 (80% coverage, 20% you pay), 90/10 plan... Most plans cover treatment and diagnostics 100%. The percentage is usually if you have to do inpatient/outpatient procedures, (edit) but in most cases it's a deductible. ERs are copays, so I've dropped stones that have cost $20,000K to only have a $300 copay (which is higher than average). (edit) Also the overall price is actually marked down... just because it's billed $20,000K, isn't the contracted rate. It's usually far less once Medicare/insurance contract rates kick in.

Usually the lifetime deductibles are like $1million, etc, but it varies widely. Also, the giant bills you see from hospitals are usually from people who have either maxed out or are uninsured or are in some crazy rare instance where their insurance company is a moron.

My mother has severe Dystonia and she's had two brain surgeries fully covered by Medicare which are entirely experimental. My whole family has had a lot of experimental research done because the form of it is so unusual. 100% of that research was covered by insurance. We wouldn't have the research capabilities we have if it weren't for private insurance. Not saying it doesn't happen where the insurance companies **** up, but from what I hear the NHS isn't a picnic either.

Anyway, I've never known anyone but myself who has opened a Gofundme, and it was for a dog I was nursing from being emaciated through a dog rescue I was with and who also needed diabetes testing. But Americans are very charitable... even those horrible Christian people and believe me the hospitals/medical center is floating in money. It's just that you hear the worst cases because that's all the media will cover... they'll never tell you how our system though makes a lot of things that don't happen in other places possible. It's just what it is.


Edit: Oh, as far as Japan, I'd agree (personally). I speak the language and I have had friends there for many years who we communicate daily with. It's not quite Western culture, and I don't really feel like doing English teaching for the rest of my life ... . I was a member at a gaijin forum for the longest time so I knew a lot of expats and we talked about it when I wanted to go into Linguistics. It's got it's issues, but so does any country.

[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by Maru

Well thankfully, most people/families are insured through employers and it's usually an 80/20 (80% coverage, 20% you pay), 90/10 plan... Most plans cover treatment and diagnostics 100%.

I don't know many Americans but the two I do know I consider my best friends. One of those friends couldn't return to America when she fell pregnant because nobody would insure her. The other ones sister got throat cancer after working on the 9/11 clear up operation. She'd paid insurance all her working life. She lives in a modern, fully paid for Manhattan apartment. When she fell ill, her medical records were scrutinized by her insurers before she was rejected. The reason: she'd had thrush in her mouth about ten years previous and hadn't told them. She was suddenly faced with inevitable death if she couldn't get treatment or the loss of everything she owned to pay privately. Fortunately for her the 9/11 trust stepped in. Fortunately she had a charity she could turn to but many don't.

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Maru

Well thankfully, most people/families are insured through employers and it's usually an 80/20 (80% coverage, 20% you pay), 90/10 plan... Most plans cover treatment and diagnostics 100%. The percentage is usually if you have to do inpatient/outpatient procedures, (edit) but in most cases it's a deductible. ERs are copays, so I've dropped stones that have cost $20,000K to only have a $300 copay (which is higher than average). (edit) Also the overall price is actually marked down... just because it's billed $20,000K, isn't the contracted rate. It's usually far less once Medicare/insurance contract rates kick in.

Usually the lifetime deductibles are like $1million, etc, but it varies widely. Also, the giant bills you see from hospitals are usually from people who have either maxed out or are uninsured or are in some crazy rare instance where their insurance company is a moron.

My mother has severe Dystonia and she's had two brain surgeries fully covered by Medicare which are entirely experimental. My whole family has had a lot of experimental research done because the form of it is so unusual. 100% of that research was covered by insurance. We wouldn't have the research capabilities we have if it weren't for private insurance. Not saying it doesn't happen where the insurance companies **** up, but from what I hear the NHS isn't a picnic either.

Anyway, I've never known anyone but myself who has opened a Gofundme, and it was for a dog I was nursing from being emaciated through a dog rescue I was with and who also needed diabetes testing. But Americans are very charitable... even those horrible Christian people and believe me the hospitals/medical center is floating in money. It's just that you hear the worst cases because that's all the media will cover... they'll never tell you how our system though makes a lot of things that don't happen in other places possible. It's just what it is.


Edit: Oh, as far as Japan, I'd agree (personally). I speak the language and I have had friends there for many years who we communicate daily with. It's not quite Western culture, and I don't really feel like doing English teaching for the rest of my life ... . I was a member at a gaijin forum for the longest time so I knew a lot of expats and we talked about it when I wanted to go into Linguistics. It's got it's issues, but so does any country.

The NHS isn't perfect but compared to the US system, it's pretty damn close. So many lives would be lost were it not for the NHS.

When it comes to Japan it's the high suicide rates, the backwards attitudes towards sexual crimes and the whole Karoshi thing that puts me off. I always wanted to go there as a tourist but living there? Nope.

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

The NHS isn't perfect but compared to the US system, it's pretty damn close. So many lives would be lost were it not for the NHS.

When it comes to Japan it's the high suicide rates, the backwards attitudes towards sexual crimes and the whole Karoshi thing that puts me off. I always wanted to go there as a tourist but living there? Nope.

Karoshi is seriously toxic and really quite dystopian... And I honestly think it's an indicator of where we're all headed - or at least where our governments would like us to be headed. Not succeeding in life? Not working hard enough! Work more hours!

But then look at the effects. High suicide rates, on top of deaths literally caused by pure exhaustion, and also sky high unemployment. I mean... It's hardly surprising that you'd end up with high unemployment when those who are employed are ready, willing... Even keen... To work 90 hour weeks.

[Yuki Maru Hoshi]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

The NHS isn't perfect but compared to the US system, it's pretty damn close. So many lives would be lost were it not for the NHS.

When it comes to Japan it's the high suicide rates, the backwards attitudes towards sexual crimes and the whole Karoshi thing that puts me off. I always wanted to go there as a tourist but living there? Nope.

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Karoshi is seriously toxic and really quite dystopian... And I honestly think it's an indicator of where we're all headed - or at least where our governments would like us to be headed. Not succeeding in life? Not working hard enough! Work more hours!

But then look at the effects. High suicide rates, on top of deaths literally caused by pure exhaustion, and also sky high unemployment. I mean... It's hardly surprising that you'd end up with high unemployment when those who are employed are ready, willing... Even keen... To work 90 hour weeks.

Yeah Karoushi would be my other reason. My friend lucked out after a few years and got in with a good company, but before that he was paid peanuts with a smaller company on a salary working 80 hours of OT a week. I'd probably go on strike