I'm getting about 42MPG (US) on my car (a Ford Mondeo Mk3, 2l engine). Mostly I keep my speed to around 110km/h (think that's 68mph).. I have two simple rules I try to follow when I drive, which seems to hold for older and newer cars, diesel or petrol:
1) Don't let the pedal go more than halfway, and if you can barely touch it just to maintain speed where possible.
2) Don't "feather" the pedal. Push the pedal to a certain point and keep it there until the next speed limit/end of intersection/etc, if traffic conditions don't allow this you're going too fast anyway.
If you move up right, you can be at 75mph (roughly 120km/h) and still keep about the same mpg.
I don't use additives, "mileage enhancers", voodoo or whodoo. I don't believe in "hypermiling" either.. just some common sense when driving helps.
I think you're comment is way off base. Do you work for Nestle?!? Seriously. For all we know Similac and all these other "name brands" are being made in China too - just under the radar as you say. Honestly - we don't know where half of ANYTHING is made anymore and if given the opportunity to save a little $$ raising my children with today's economy - I'll take it!!
@lindsey: Everybody dies at some point. If you wait until you're old, that point and the short while leading up to that point is usually quite expensive. The thing is, you won't know if it will be simply expensive or catastrophically expensive. When I get old, which is a while away, I figure the US will either have universal health care or provide very broken healthcare to seniors. The thought of dying years sooner than I want to because I don't have the money is terrifying.
Driving fast is fun, but expensive. Besides driving slowly to save gas, driving a manual car (yes, I have a manual car) is sure to save you gas as well.
There's a very good article on this topic on WSJ called "opting out".
DENVER, Pa. -- Jesse Martin, an Old Order Mennonite farmer here, lives much like his 17th-century Dutch ancestors. He shuns electricity and cars. He believes in self-sufficiency, so he opposes insurance and government aid.
But nine of his 11 children suffer from serious diseases. Desperate to save them, he has tapped into 21st-century high-tech medical care. In the process, he is posing tough questions for the U.S. health-care system and for nonprofit hospitals, which are expected to provide charity care in exchange for tax breaks.
im boiling off my "mash" as i wright. i made it with a recipe from (http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-make-moonshine)i red about a water brown sugar and one packet of levin yeast. i made about 15 litres or so. about 3/4 of a carbouy. anyway i let it ferm, for about a month. till it was damnear done bublin. anyway im boiling it off and im wondering when its done, i have a half a two six full already and i dont know when its done boiling off alcohol and just boiling off water. how much should it make. and am i going to die. i thrw away about the first cup. do i have to worry about methane or ethanol and goin blind. its my first time. thank you.
I'm not sure if you guys have seen this show called 30 days by the guy that did Super Size Me. He went to the hospital without insurance and they charged something like $200 for a bandaid. I think some kind of cap/price regulation needs to be set by the government. If they promoted more competition between hospitals and set price limits then it wouldn't be as expensive for people without insurance. I have gone to checkups that cost $600 before. A 45 minute checkup without any blood tests! I had insurance so it was paid for but I still thought that price was ridiculous. If there is some kind of open price information like Philip said then it would be much more helpful to the consumer and insurance companies.
I think NCUA is the FDIC equivalent for credit unions. So I think it's as safe as the FDIC. I'm not too clear on what the difference is besides the name.
I just KNOW someone here is going to show up and recommend a credit union. My good friend has been pressuring me to join Verity for months, and I've been resisting, mostly because... well, I just feel resistant. But I suppose that they are NCUA-insured - is that as safe as FDIC-insured?
I'll attempt to bridge the cultural gap here, as it were. I won't even make a Tim Horton's joke.
There is a difference in the US between health insurance and health care. Health care is what you get when you go to the doctor. Health insurance is what helps you pay for it. Anyone can go see a doctor, but not everyone will have insurance to pay for it. Health insurance is often offered by employers (for all employes - called a 'group plan'), but the cost is very high for the employer. Employees might be required to pay a certain amount to have insurance as well (including fees when they go to see the doctor, or buy medicine, and the insurance company doesn't have to cover everything) - it really depends on the health insurance plan and who is providing it. If you are self-employed, you have to buy your own health insurance, and if you are on a private plan, health insurance companies can refuse to cover you (they can't refuse you if you are getting health insurance through a group plan paid for by your employer).
Health insurance is not a right in this country. However, health care IS (to a point - keep reading). I don't think that there are many instances in the US in which someone will NOT get treated at in any emergency room. I'm sure that there are isolated cases in which people are turned away and die as a result, but generally, doctors cannot, by law, refuse service to someone who is in dire need of medical help, regardless of their insurance coverage (or lack thereof). Many people also see their regular doctor without having health insurance - they simply pay out of pocket for their expenses.
There are two main problems with this system. The first is that seeing a doctor is damn expensive, and you pay through the nose if (1) you don't have insurance or (2) you have insurance, but your insurance refuses to cover your trip tothe doctor. I've had some pretty lousy insurance during my lifetime (especially as a contractor/freelancer). At one point, I went to see an specialist, because my family doc was oddly clueless about diabetes. My insurance refused to pay for the visit to see the specialist, and a one hour consultation with a doctor cost me $300 in office fees and $700 in lab tests.
Now, at the time, I made enough money to cover the cost, albeit grumpily. However, most people without insurance DON'T make enough money to pay for normal checkups ($300 is a lot of money, and that's WITHOUT any tests), so they avoid the doctor until (you guessed it) they end up in the emergency room with a truly horrible complication.
So, as I've mentioned, the ER can't turn someone away if they are terribly sick. If a very ill person has avoided seeing the doctor for heart palpitations, and then ends up having a heart attack and has to go to the ER, the ER will admit him. He can't pay, but they have to admit him and operate on him. Chances are, he will never pay the hospital, and how could he, anyway? If he can't afford to see a cardiologist about his irregular heart beats, how can he afford the $30-50K that his quadruple bypass is going to cost? He'll have to either declare bankruptcy down the line (or possibly give the hospital fake information when he is admitted).
The result is that the hospital eats the cost of the operation, and then passes the 'savings' along to the average customer. That means that, in order to cover costly ER procedures, my lab fees have to go up, or the cost of seeing an specialist will increase.
It's a lousy situation. The plus side to the American system is that we have some really great care (we have some great doctors, because who DOESN'T want to make at least $100 an hour?), and we get most of our treatments very quickly, regardless of the severity of the situation. I have Canadian relatives who come to the US for treatment, especially for things that require a specialized physician's attention, because it takes too damn long in Canada to see a specialist (up to 9 months to see a neurologist). On the flip side, I sometimes go up to Canada to buy medications - even without any insurance, it's much cheaper to buy inhalers in Canada than to pay the copay on my insurance and buy them here.
So, in summary, health care is not exactly a RIGHT in the United States, but it's pretty unlikely that you would not receive treatment if admitted to the ER. The method for paying for the health care, however, is DEFINITELY not a right, and health care is WAY too expensive here for someone without insurance to indulge in.
There are 4 Things YOUR Bank Doesn't Want You To Know
1) Your Bank Is loaning Your money out to investors and charging them an Interest fee of 5-6%.
Of course this rate may vary but it doesn't even matter in the big scheme of things. There are certain investors who are reinvesting this same money and receiving 1-1.5 percent interest a DAY. Yes I said "A DAY", which amounts to over 30% PER MONTH. Now let's say the reinvest $10,000. Each day they are earning $100-$150 a day in interest seven days a week. Most people could quit their job on that money alone. Even at the lower 1% they make $3,000 on their $ 10,000 in 30 days. In 3 months their initial investment is doubled.
2) Your Bank offers lower lending rates to these investors because these same investors are taking a percent of the Bank's money and quietly investing it for these very same banks. Well, actually it's not the banks money it's yours. I really have to watch myself here because these are very serious people who I really don't want as my enemies although it's probably a little too late for that.
3) Your bank goes out if it's way to find excuses to make you open a Savings account to attach to your checking account. Their favorite pitch is to "protect you from over-draft fees" by adding a savings account to your existing checking account. Checking accounts fluctuate because we use them to pay our bills and attach credit or debit cards to them. Savings account funds pretty much just sit there earning a ridiculously low interest which makes it available for YOUR bank to play monopoly with your money and in return give you a couple of hundred dollars a YEAR if your lucky. Are you starting to get the picture?
4) Your bank and it's investors are not only capitalizing on the insane interest their earning but they are earning free advertising while their money is sitting in these accounts. That's right, free advertising for their business or their Internet website. It's crazy, yet it's true.
I'm a bit confused... I'm Canadian too, and I think I can see how Selja and Canadian Girl aren't seeing eye to eye.
You have to understand that up here we're all entitled to basic care (quality is another story!) In most cases, it's not a "have" versus "have-not" situation. It's usually not a "I'm paying more, therefore I should get more" scenario. It's like our roadways and our emergency services... It's covered by our taxes, and the fact that these services are there and are "free" doesn't make us more or less careless with our lives and health than Americans.
But I get the impression that health care/health insurance in the States is an entirely different philosophy? It's something that can be bought (for those who can afford it) rather than something that's a basic right? That only people who work hard really deserve it while others are basically freeloaders?
Please correct me if I'm wrong. That's just the impression I'm getting. I want to know more.
People like Kelja make me really sad for this country. The almighty dollar trumps humanity for way too many people. Don't get me wrong. I think there are plenty of people who contribute nothing to society even though they could and people that are so stupid it is amazing they continue to live. But way too many people put this insane obsession with "their money" ahead of every single thing that involves our country or our society. If it doesn't personally benefit them it must be bad.
I plan to make my 1st million by using the deserted DIY bldg. for DIY Medical Center. With a few computers (with slots for credit cards),
disposeable thermometers
auto read BP Cuffs that take pulse.
respirometer and pulse oximeter (to check lung function)
some culture sticks (anyone can swab their own throat) etc.
stool specimen collection equip (see above)
and a few other pieces of simple diagnostic equip.
Enter your symptoms, and then utilize the computer prescribed diagnostic equipment.
Then, once computer has diagnosed and prescribed treatment (there are already "doc websites" that help with the diagnosis and prescribing);
go to treatment dispensing zone.
Insert that credit card.
Take your treatment.
Use your savings to go to the gym or on a cruise--whatever.
(Actually, I heard years ago from Phillipine doctor friend that some of this was in practice in Phillipines 1980s.)
@Andrea: I think your comments are hilarious! Part of my family is American.
@Kelja, you raise many good points! I agree that people are careless with things when someone else has to take accountability.
But you still can't convince me that providing universal health care is going to make matters worse. There are a lot of people who work very hard and still can't afford health care if they had to pay for it.
I think it's a fallacy of the middle and wealthy classes that no one works as hard as they do, and that people deserve to be poor because they "don't work hard enough."
It's simply not true. There are people who struggle to make a living. Hard work can't always make up for the lack of money or advantages such as a good education. Sometimes a divorce, job loss or death in the family leaves people in financial straights.
Yes, there are people out there who don't want to work and who take advantage of the system. I'd like to see more done to correct that problem than to cut off people who can't afford care and need it.
Again, you ask why you should have to pay for other people's mistakes. I ask why some should have to suffer for those same people's mistakes.
People in disadvantaged communities and countries find a way to share and provide for others. It's sickening that we can't do the same.
I'd like to second what Stacey07 said for those who mentioned that the healthcare is one (or the major reason) keeping them from freelancing.
I've been independent for over a year now, and I've paid out over $150.00 a month on a private healthcare plan. It was paid for personally, not by my business. As a result, when I did my personal taxes this past April, by entering the total amount I paid into Turbo Tax, it actually took me from having to pay the gov't to getting a refund!
Now, according to my CPA, this is because it's a private plan, not through my business like I mentioned above. But regardless, it was certainly a nice little surprise when I did my taxes!
Getting a billing error corrected isn't the same as shopping around.
Shopping around would have been contacting several different surgery centers and getting bids on your shoulder surgery, then picking the ideal trade-off between the best surgeon versus the best price.
I've actually tried to do that--entirely without success. Nobody knows (or cares) who does the cheapest surgery. The information is unavailable (and what little there is, is incomprehensible).
Now, a certain amount of shopping around did happen--it was done by your insurance company, when it arranged negotiated rates. But that's just another way that people who can't get insurance end up being screwed: If you can't get insurance, you can't get in on the negotiated rates. And, of course, you can't negotiate your own rate, because you're just getting one shoulder surged--the insurance company can bring in dozens of shoulders a year.
We need to make insurance available to everybody. Even sick people.
Oh please! I am Turkish and here is a tally of our beloved neighbors: Iraq, Iran, Russia, Syria, Greece, Bulgaria, Armenia and a couple others we tend to like so, consider yourselves very very lucky.
When I hear "shop for insurance" I think of something very different: surveying a field of products from competing vendors and making a rational decision about which product to buy. An example would be automobile insurance. Consumers can decide on their deductible, whether to get windshield coverage, and so on. If your car is damaged you can get estimates from several repair shops, understand their interaction with your policy, and decide where to get the repairs done if at all. This all leads to a competitive market with generally rational agents, with all the checks and balances that go along with that.
My experience with health care has been that usually there are no options, and when there are it is impossible to get the cost information I need to make a rational choice. So the whole thing fails to function as a market and accountability goes out the window.
I'd call your story an example of holding a bureaucracy to its obligations, which is commendable, but I wouldn't call it "shopping". I have had similar experiences myself, when I've tried to follow all the rules and ended up with an outrageous bill that's taken hours to clear up. Billing and customer service seem to be completely broken. I'm not sure whether it's a matter of impossible complexity or simple negligence; but in either case it tells me that the current system is a failure and needs to be overhauled or replaced.
I'm getting about 42MPG (US) on my car (a Ford Mondeo Mk3, 2l engine). Mostly I keep my speed to around 110km/h (think that's 68mph).. I have two simple rules I try to follow when I drive, which seems to hold for older and newer cars, diesel or petrol:
1) Don't let the pedal go more than halfway, and if you can barely touch it just to maintain speed where possible.
2) Don't "feather" the pedal. Push the pedal to a certain point and keep it there until the next speed limit/end of intersection/etc, if traffic conditions don't allow this you're going too fast anyway.
If you move up right, you can be at 75mph (roughly 120km/h) and still keep about the same mpg.
I don't use additives, "mileage enhancers", voodoo or whodoo. I don't believe in "hypermiling" either.. just some common sense when driving helps.
I've changed my driving habits too. I used drive the same way you used to, but it's worth it to slow down, and probably a bit safer as well.
Andrea, thanks for the explanation! That was great. Very helpful.
And no Tim's jokes? Come on! :)
I think you're comment is way off base. Do you work for Nestle?!? Seriously. For all we know Similac and all these other "name brands" are being made in China too - just under the radar as you say. Honestly - we don't know where half of ANYTHING is made anymore and if given the opportunity to save a little $$ raising my children with today's economy - I'll take it!!
I want one! I WANT ONE! IWANTONEIWANTONEIWANTONE!
(ahem) If you ever do decide to make the "frugiful" bumper sticker, would you please be ever so kind and contact me?
Thank you.
:)
@linsey: Sorry for misspelling your name!
@lindsey: Everybody dies at some point. If you wait until you're old, that point and the short while leading up to that point is usually quite expensive. The thing is, you won't know if it will be simply expensive or catastrophically expensive. When I get old, which is a while away, I figure the US will either have universal health care or provide very broken healthcare to seniors. The thought of dying years sooner than I want to because I don't have the money is terrifying.
Driving fast is fun, but expensive. Besides driving slowly to save gas, driving a manual car (yes, I have a manual car) is sure to save you gas as well.
There's a very good article on this topic on WSJ called "opting out".
DENVER, Pa. -- Jesse Martin, an Old Order Mennonite farmer here, lives much like his 17th-century Dutch ancestors. He shuns electricity and cars. He believes in self-sufficiency, so he opposes insurance and government aid.
But nine of his 11 children suffer from serious diseases. Desperate to save them, he has tapped into 21st-century high-tech medical care. In the process, he is posing tough questions for the U.S. health-care system and for nonprofit hospitals, which are expected to provide charity care in exchange for tax breaks.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB121460367338511945.html?mod=2_156...
im boiling off my "mash" as i wright. i made it with a recipe from (http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-make-moonshine)i red about a water brown sugar and one packet of levin yeast. i made about 15 litres or so. about 3/4 of a carbouy. anyway i let it ferm, for about a month. till it was damnear done bublin. anyway im boiling it off and im wondering when its done, i have a half a two six full already and i dont know when its done boiling off alcohol and just boiling off water. how much should it make. and am i going to die. i thrw away about the first cup. do i have to worry about methane or ethanol and goin blind. its my first time. thank you.
I'm not sure if you guys have seen this show called 30 days by the guy that did Super Size Me. He went to the hospital without insurance and they charged something like $200 for a bandaid. I think some kind of cap/price regulation needs to be set by the government. If they promoted more competition between hospitals and set price limits then it wouldn't be as expensive for people without insurance. I have gone to checkups that cost $600 before. A 45 minute checkup without any blood tests! I had insurance so it was paid for but I still thought that price was ridiculous. If there is some kind of open price information like Philip said then it would be much more helpful to the consumer and insurance companies.
I think NCUA is the FDIC equivalent for credit unions. So I think it's as safe as the FDIC. I'm not too clear on what the difference is besides the name.
I just KNOW someone here is going to show up and recommend a credit union. My good friend has been pressuring me to join Verity for months, and I've been resisting, mostly because... well, I just feel resistant. But I suppose that they are NCUA-insured - is that as safe as FDIC-insured?
Hmmm...I wonder if there is a regulatory body like the FDIC in most other countries?!?! Or a global body that has the same powers?!
My dilemma is that whilst I live in Australia, I have a large amount of money invested in a Finnish and an English bank!
I'll attempt to bridge the cultural gap here, as it were. I won't even make a Tim Horton's joke.
There is a difference in the US between health insurance and health care. Health care is what you get when you go to the doctor. Health insurance is what helps you pay for it. Anyone can go see a doctor, but not everyone will have insurance to pay for it. Health insurance is often offered by employers (for all employes - called a 'group plan'), but the cost is very high for the employer. Employees might be required to pay a certain amount to have insurance as well (including fees when they go to see the doctor, or buy medicine, and the insurance company doesn't have to cover everything) - it really depends on the health insurance plan and who is providing it. If you are self-employed, you have to buy your own health insurance, and if you are on a private plan, health insurance companies can refuse to cover you (they can't refuse you if you are getting health insurance through a group plan paid for by your employer).
Health insurance is not a right in this country. However, health care IS (to a point - keep reading). I don't think that there are many instances in the US in which someone will NOT get treated at in any emergency room. I'm sure that there are isolated cases in which people are turned away and die as a result, but generally, doctors cannot, by law, refuse service to someone who is in dire need of medical help, regardless of their insurance coverage (or lack thereof). Many people also see their regular doctor without having health insurance - they simply pay out of pocket for their expenses.
There are two main problems with this system. The first is that seeing a doctor is damn expensive, and you pay through the nose if (1) you don't have insurance or (2) you have insurance, but your insurance refuses to cover your trip tothe doctor. I've had some pretty lousy insurance during my lifetime (especially as a contractor/freelancer). At one point, I went to see an specialist, because my family doc was oddly clueless about diabetes. My insurance refused to pay for the visit to see the specialist, and a one hour consultation with a doctor cost me $300 in office fees and $700 in lab tests.
Now, at the time, I made enough money to cover the cost, albeit grumpily. However, most people without insurance DON'T make enough money to pay for normal checkups ($300 is a lot of money, and that's WITHOUT any tests), so they avoid the doctor until (you guessed it) they end up in the emergency room with a truly horrible complication.
So, as I've mentioned, the ER can't turn someone away if they are terribly sick. If a very ill person has avoided seeing the doctor for heart palpitations, and then ends up having a heart attack and has to go to the ER, the ER will admit him. He can't pay, but they have to admit him and operate on him. Chances are, he will never pay the hospital, and how could he, anyway? If he can't afford to see a cardiologist about his irregular heart beats, how can he afford the $30-50K that his quadruple bypass is going to cost? He'll have to either declare bankruptcy down the line (or possibly give the hospital fake information when he is admitted).
The result is that the hospital eats the cost of the operation, and then passes the 'savings' along to the average customer. That means that, in order to cover costly ER procedures, my lab fees have to go up, or the cost of seeing an specialist will increase.
It's a lousy situation. The plus side to the American system is that we have some really great care (we have some great doctors, because who DOESN'T want to make at least $100 an hour?), and we get most of our treatments very quickly, regardless of the severity of the situation. I have Canadian relatives who come to the US for treatment, especially for things that require a specialized physician's attention, because it takes too damn long in Canada to see a specialist (up to 9 months to see a neurologist). On the flip side, I sometimes go up to Canada to buy medications - even without any insurance, it's much cheaper to buy inhalers in Canada than to pay the copay on my insurance and buy them here.
So, in summary, health care is not exactly a RIGHT in the United States, but it's pretty unlikely that you would not receive treatment if admitted to the ER. The method for paying for the health care, however, is DEFINITELY not a right, and health care is WAY too expensive here for someone without insurance to indulge in.
Let me add mine:
There are 4 Things YOUR Bank Doesn't Want You To Know
1) Your Bank Is loaning Your money out to investors and charging them an Interest fee of 5-6%.
Of course this rate may vary but it doesn't even matter in the big scheme of things. There are certain investors who are reinvesting this same money and receiving 1-1.5 percent interest a DAY. Yes I said "A DAY", which amounts to over 30% PER MONTH. Now let's say the reinvest $10,000. Each day they are earning $100-$150 a day in interest seven days a week. Most people could quit their job on that money alone. Even at the lower 1% they make $3,000 on their $ 10,000 in 30 days. In 3 months their initial investment is doubled.
2) Your Bank offers lower lending rates to these investors because these same investors are taking a percent of the Bank's money and quietly investing it for these very same banks. Well, actually it's not the banks money it's yours. I really have to watch myself here because these are very serious people who I really don't want as my enemies although it's probably a little too late for that.
3) Your bank goes out if it's way to find excuses to make you open a Savings account to attach to your checking account. Their favorite pitch is to "protect you from over-draft fees" by adding a savings account to your existing checking account. Checking accounts fluctuate because we use them to pay our bills and attach credit or debit cards to them. Savings account funds pretty much just sit there earning a ridiculously low interest which makes it available for YOUR bank to play monopoly with your money and in return give you a couple of hundred dollars a YEAR if your lucky. Are you starting to get the picture?
4) Your bank and it's investors are not only capitalizing on the insane interest their earning but they are earning free advertising while their money is sitting in these accounts. That's right, free advertising for their business or their Internet website. It's crazy, yet it's true.
I'm a bit confused... I'm Canadian too, and I think I can see how Selja and Canadian Girl aren't seeing eye to eye.
You have to understand that up here we're all entitled to basic care (quality is another story!) In most cases, it's not a "have" versus "have-not" situation. It's usually not a "I'm paying more, therefore I should get more" scenario. It's like our roadways and our emergency services... It's covered by our taxes, and the fact that these services are there and are "free" doesn't make us more or less careless with our lives and health than Americans.
But I get the impression that health care/health insurance in the States is an entirely different philosophy? It's something that can be bought (for those who can afford it) rather than something that's a basic right? That only people who work hard really deserve it while others are basically freeloaders?
Please correct me if I'm wrong. That's just the impression I'm getting. I want to know more.
People like Kelja make me really sad for this country. The almighty dollar trumps humanity for way too many people. Don't get me wrong. I think there are plenty of people who contribute nothing to society even though they could and people that are so stupid it is amazing they continue to live. But way too many people put this insane obsession with "their money" ahead of every single thing that involves our country or our society. If it doesn't personally benefit them it must be bad.
I plan to make my 1st million by using the deserted DIY bldg. for DIY Medical Center. With a few computers (with slots for credit cards),
disposeable thermometers
auto read BP Cuffs that take pulse.
respirometer and pulse oximeter (to check lung function)
some culture sticks (anyone can swab their own throat) etc.
stool specimen collection equip (see above)
and a few other pieces of simple diagnostic equip.
Enter your symptoms, and then utilize the computer prescribed diagnostic equipment.
Then, once computer has diagnosed and prescribed treatment (there are already "doc websites" that help with the diagnosis and prescribing);
go to treatment dispensing zone.
Insert that credit card.
Take your treatment.
Use your savings to go to the gym or on a cruise--whatever.
(Actually, I heard years ago from Phillipine doctor friend that some of this was in practice in Phillipines 1980s.)
@Andrea: I think your comments are hilarious! Part of my family is American.
@Kelja, you raise many good points! I agree that people are careless with things when someone else has to take accountability.
But you still can't convince me that providing universal health care is going to make matters worse. There are a lot of people who work very hard and still can't afford health care if they had to pay for it.
I think it's a fallacy of the middle and wealthy classes that no one works as hard as they do, and that people deserve to be poor because they "don't work hard enough."
It's simply not true. There are people who struggle to make a living. Hard work can't always make up for the lack of money or advantages such as a good education. Sometimes a divorce, job loss or death in the family leaves people in financial straights.
Yes, there are people out there who don't want to work and who take advantage of the system. I'd like to see more done to correct that problem than to cut off people who can't afford care and need it.
Again, you ask why you should have to pay for other people's mistakes. I ask why some should have to suffer for those same people's mistakes.
People in disadvantaged communities and countries find a way to share and provide for others. It's sickening that we can't do the same.
Maybe we should just all consider living the Amish lifestyle...
I'd like to second what Stacey07 said for those who mentioned that the healthcare is one (or the major reason) keeping them from freelancing.
I've been independent for over a year now, and I've paid out over $150.00 a month on a private healthcare plan. It was paid for personally, not by my business. As a result, when I did my personal taxes this past April, by entering the total amount I paid into Turbo Tax, it actually took me from having to pay the gov't to getting a refund!
Now, according to my CPA, this is because it's a private plan, not through my business like I mentioned above. But regardless, it was certainly a nice little surprise when I did my taxes!
@Kelja:
Getting a billing error corrected isn't the same as shopping around.
Shopping around would have been contacting several different surgery centers and getting bids on your shoulder surgery, then picking the ideal trade-off between the best surgeon versus the best price.
I've actually tried to do that--entirely without success. Nobody knows (or cares) who does the cheapest surgery. The information is unavailable (and what little there is, is incomprehensible).
Now, a certain amount of shopping around did happen--it was done by your insurance company, when it arranged negotiated rates. But that's just another way that people who can't get insurance end up being screwed: If you can't get insurance, you can't get in on the negotiated rates. And, of course, you can't negotiate your own rate, because you're just getting one shoulder surged--the insurance company can bring in dozens of shoulders a year.
We need to make insurance available to everybody. Even sick people.
Oh please! I am Turkish and here is a tally of our beloved neighbors: Iraq, Iran, Russia, Syria, Greece, Bulgaria, Armenia and a couple others we tend to like so, consider yourselves very very lucky.
Peace at home, Peace on Earth
T'Pol
@Kelja:
When I hear "shop for insurance" I think of something very different: surveying a field of products from competing vendors and making a rational decision about which product to buy. An example would be automobile insurance. Consumers can decide on their deductible, whether to get windshield coverage, and so on. If your car is damaged you can get estimates from several repair shops, understand their interaction with your policy, and decide where to get the repairs done if at all. This all leads to a competitive market with generally rational agents, with all the checks and balances that go along with that.
My experience with health care has been that usually there are no options, and when there are it is impossible to get the cost information I need to make a rational choice. So the whole thing fails to function as a market and accountability goes out the window.
I'd call your story an example of holding a bureaucracy to its obligations, which is commendable, but I wouldn't call it "shopping". I have had similar experiences myself, when I've tried to follow all the rules and ended up with an outrageous bill that's taken hours to clear up. Billing and customer service seem to be completely broken. I'm not sure whether it's a matter of impossible complexity or simple negligence; but in either case it tells me that the current system is a failure and needs to be overhauled or replaced.