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14 votes
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US President Donald Trump signs executive order compelling disclosure of prices in health care
10 votes -
A year after spinal surgery, a $94,000 bill feels like a backbreaker
6 votes -
Colorado becomes first state in nation to cap price of insulin
11 votes -
I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out why my medication costs $6,600 a month
11 votes -
Going to work in South Africa, with a depression prescription
Good news: I'll be starting my new work in Cape Town, South Africa soon. Not so good news: I have depression, and is currently on the antidepressant Sertraline. My question would be the following:...
Good news: I'll be starting my new work in Cape Town, South Africa soon.
Not so good news: I have depression, and is currently on the antidepressant Sertraline.
My question would be the following:
How are prescriptions of the antidepressant handled in the South African health care system? Can I obtain, from either a GP or a Specialist, a sort of "long-standing" prescription, valid for (say) a few months, that will allow me to refill at pharmacies or dispensing GPs, without me having to be referred to a Specialist each time I need a refill? I understand that recurring examinations by a Specialist are likely necessary, but I don't expect those to be frequent, as my condition is fairly stable now.
Also a related question: I'm otherwise young and physically healthy, not affected by chronic conditions except depression. However, it seems that any health insurance schemes there that cover my condition would be rather expensive. Those policies typically include a broad coverage of chronic conditions, most of which I don't foresee a need. For one like myself, what suggestion would you give in terms of health insurance selection?
Many many thanks <3
7 votes -
Five key things learned from reading 1,182 emergency room bills
15 votes -
New study shows Medicare-For-All savings likely 2.5x previous estimates
15 votes -
You snooze, you lose: Insurers make the old adage literally true – Propublica/NPR investigation into billing and privacy concerns for sleep apnea patients
12 votes -
You snooze, you lose: Insurers make the old adage literally true
8 votes -
Aetna ordered to pay $25.5 million after denying coverage to woman who died of cancer
13 votes -
Sarah Kliff brings transparency to ER prices, one hospital bill at a time
5 votes -
Taken for a ride: MD injured in ATV crash gets $56,603 bill for air ambulance trip
13 votes -
Insulin’s steep price leads to deadly rationing
12 votes -
Pharma chief defends 400% drug price rise as a ‘moral requirement’
8 votes -
The secret drug pricing system middlemen use to rake in millions
5 votes -
Does a generic EpiPen mean lower prices? Don’t hold your breath
8 votes -
When you’re insured but still owe $109K for your heart attack
17 votes -
Insurers can send patients to religious hospitals that restrict reproductive care
9 votes -
The tragedy of the data commons
3 votes -
Health insurers are vacuuming up details about you — and it could raise your rates
10 votes -
‘I can’t afford that’: A viral tweet shows why we need Medicare for all
34 votes -
Trump administration halts $10.4 billion in health insurance payments
9 votes -
Sky-high deductibles broke the US health insurance system
13 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