[paulcole]

> any non-Americans its always important to put this in the context that "waiving" here means you're still paying thousands per month (between employer and individual) in premiums and likely hundreds in various flavors of co-jargons anytime you step the foot in the door of a care provider even for "covered" care.

Where did you come up with “thousands” and “likely hundreds”?

Just so the non-Americans reading this have a data point, I’m a single person with Type 1 diabetes who pays $200 a month for my insurance premium (my employer also pays $200 a month). I also pay about $110 a month out of pocket for insulin, $1500ish a year for my glucose monitor, and pay about $250 total a year in various co-pays to see a primary care physician, endocrinologist, and ophthalmologist (maybe 6-7 visits total. This is on a “Gold” plan (the best offered by my employer).

[aschampion]

The average gold plan in the US is $575 premium per person per month. For the average household that would be thousands. The average monthly healthcare cost across all "levels" is about $975 per person.

[paulcole]

So just to be clear this was pretty exaggerated right?

> "waiving" here means you're still paying thousands per month (between employer and individual) in premiums

I get it that American healthcare sucks but let’s at least try to be accurate about how much it sucks.

[542354234235]

If anyone wants a more useful comprehensive data point. Between Insurance premiums and out of pocket spending for services, the average American spends $4,516 a year. Oddly enough, the US also spends $4,197 a year in public spending, the third highest in the world, without the “costly” universal healthcare. Combined, the US outspends all other countries by a large margin. But with that spending we have less doctors, less doctor visits, poorer health outcomes, and lower life expectancy. But we do lead the world in prescription drugs and expensive diagnostic imaging.[1] We also waste $150,000,000,000 a year on paperwork (highest per capita in the world) because hospitals have to haggle with a bunch of different insures for every single thing.[2]

>In 2013, the average U.S. resident spent $1,074 out-of-pocket on health care, for things like copayments for doctor’s office visits and prescription drugs and health insurance deductibles. Only the Swiss spent more…As for other private health spending, including on private insurance premiums, U.S. spending towered over that of the other countries at $3,442 per capita—more than five times what was spent in Canada ($654), the second-highest spending country…Even though the U.S. is the only country without a publicly financed universal health system, it still spends more public dollars on health care than all but two of the other countries…Higher spending appeared to be largely driven by greater use of medical technology and higher health care prices, rather than more frequent doctor visits or hospital admissions…Despite spending more on health care, Americans had poor health outcomes, including shorter life expectancy and greater prevalence of chronic conditions [1]

[1] https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2...

[2] https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/journal-articl...

[paulcole]

Wow, I'm more average than I suspected. My total is ~5400 give or take a bit.

[542354234235]

>Wow, I'm more average than I suspected.

Story of my life.

[eob]

Your employer is paying the difference for you. As part of their health plan setup, they select what percentage of the plan to cover for their employees and their dependents.

[paulcole]

No. I oversee our HR/benefits. Company pays 50% of premium, employee covers other 50%.