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7 votes
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Sky-high deductibles broke the US health insurance system
13 votes -
Coffee drinkers are more likely to live longer. Decaf may do the trick, too
14 votes -
The marginalisation of Indonesia's LGBT community is fuelling an HIV "epidemic", with HIV rates among gay men increasing five-fold since 2007, according to a Human Rights Watch report
11 votes -
Why is there a 'gaming disorder' but no 'smartphone disorder?'
29 votes -
How to eat right - an extensive and informal Q&A with Mark Bittman and Dr. David Katz
12 votes -
Why Transgender People In Japan Prefer To Be Told They Have A "Disorder"
14 votes -
This Anti-Salt Narrative Needs a Shakeup
15 votes -
The World Health Organization announces it no longer classifies being transgender as a mental disorder
20 votes -
Dining 'al desko': How workplace snacking adds up to thousands of empty calories
4 votes -
The health gap: How women experience the medical system
14 votes -
The health risks of maturing early
6 votes -
Association of Long-Term Risk of Respiratory, Allergic, and Infectious Diseases With Removal of Adenoids and Tonsils in Childhood
3 votes -
LGBT teachers in the countryside are nine times more likely to have mental health problems, says study
8 votes -
How suicide quietly morphed into a public health crisis
19 votes -
Health insurance in the US sucks rocks
In case you don't live in the US and don't know, it is very common for health insurance to be tied to employment. I've held four jobs over the last twelve months. Health insurance has been the...
In case you don't live in the US and don't know, it is very common for health insurance to be tied to employment.
I've held four jobs over the last twelve months. Health insurance has been the most frustrating part of it. I'm married, I have kids. I don't want to go months without health insurance. My wife is self-employed so no employer subsidized insurance for her. We live comfortably so no option for government subsidized insurance.
The cheapest plan with insanely high annual "deductible" of something like $10,000 (the money you have to pay before insurance will pay) I can get independently is around $1000 / month. For comparison, with my current employer, my part of the insurance is around $440 month with a $3000 / year deductible.
During the past year I've four different insurance companies, one of them paid entirely out of my own pocket, no coverage for dental care for a while, no coverage for eye care for a while. Really WTF? Why are teeth and eyes so different from other medical care?
I'm now three weeks into my current position, insurance coverage with this employer began on the first of the month (so after about one week of working) — another gripe, the waiting periods to start coverage; my position before this had me working six weeks before coverage began; this time I had no idea when it would begin until I spoke to HR on my first day. I finally got my new insurance cards yesterday.
So today I decided to try to cancel my out-of-pocket coverage. I have until the sixteenth to cancel for this month. Haha, no. I can't. Not only are the human operators not working today (which granted is a Saturday), but the website is shut down for the weekend. I can't make any changes until Monday.
If the cost to me was the same, or close, I'd just buy my own insurance all the time instead of dealing with the hassles of constant change. But the costs are no-where near close. And I've got college tuition costs coming up very soon, so it's not like I'll have money to spare.
I feel like health insurance in the US is the worst of all possible worlds.
27 votes -
‘Disneyland for Big Tobacco’: How Indonesia’s lax smoking laws are helping next generation to get hooked
4 votes -
India slashes heat-wave death toll with series of low-cost measures. ‘Common sense’ policies such as free water and reflective roof paint save lives as temperatures near 50°C
6 votes -
US President Donald Trump signs 'Right to Try Act' aimed at helping terminally ill patients seek drug treatments
12 votes -
Geofencing too far? Visiting the ER can influence which advertisements you get
9 votes -
New Android homescreen tries to reduce smartphone addiction
15 votes -
Bill Gates: Trump twice asked me the difference between HIV and HPV
18 votes -
The number of people who get diseases transmitted by mosquito, tick, and flea bites has more than tripled in the United States in recent years
11 votes -
ASMR, explained: Why millions of people are watching YouTube videos of someone whispering
9 votes -
Text messaging tool may help fight opioid epidemic
6 votes -
Frightened Rabbit Singer Scott Hutchison found dead at 36
3 votes -
Body found at a marina on the banks of the Firth of Forth confirmed as missing Frightened Rabbit singer
5 votes -
Inside the final days of Robin Williams
3 votes -
The incredibly frustrating reason there’s no Lyme disease vaccine
6 votes -
Can you overdose on happiness? The science and philosophy of deep brain stimulation.
6 votes -
Cocaine deaths are rising at an alarming rate, and it’s because of fentanyl
5 votes