Horror stories about American healthcare are rampant, so I thought I’d check in with the personal experience I’ve had, living these past thirty years in Prague, Czech Republic.
Hi Dad -- I don't think you knew at the time, but I spent much of my 40s dealing with Mom's medical debt. While the period where I had to help pay her rent because she only had SS to live on was tricky, at least it gave us a window to clear most of it off the books (for anyone in the US, bill collectors, by law, cannot collect from your SS payments). It was a true nightmare. In the wake of Covid, the for-profit model here in the US has gotten so much worse. I have corporate insurance now, and could even insure Chuck (without having to marry him!) but the co-pays and deductibles are back to as bad as they were pre-ACA. The whole system is creaking apart at the seams.
Yeah well, 35 crowns is pretty hard to beat. And it would be one thing if the services and doctoring talents were second rate, but they're tip-top. The only reason Misha and I got married is because after all the borders came down in Europe, I wasn't allowed to stay here. That and the health insurance--nobody wanted to take me on in my dotage. Who would possibly have thought I'd live this long? Co-pays, deductibles and pre-existing conditions are enough to make Obama Care look pretty good. America has changed so much in my lifetime and yours as well.
Love to all and whatever dogs are lying in corners.
Hi Dad -- I don't think you knew at the time, but I spent much of my 40s dealing with Mom's medical debt. While the period where I had to help pay her rent because she only had SS to live on was tricky, at least it gave us a window to clear most of it off the books (for anyone in the US, bill collectors, by law, cannot collect from your SS payments). It was a true nightmare. In the wake of Covid, the for-profit model here in the US has gotten so much worse. I have corporate insurance now, and could even insure Chuck (without having to marry him!) but the co-pays and deductibles are back to as bad as they were pre-ACA. The whole system is creaking apart at the seams.
Yeah well, 35 crowns is pretty hard to beat. And it would be one thing if the services and doctoring talents were second rate, but they're tip-top. The only reason Misha and I got married is because after all the borders came down in Europe, I wasn't allowed to stay here. That and the health insurance--nobody wanted to take me on in my dotage. Who would possibly have thought I'd live this long? Co-pays, deductibles and pre-existing conditions are enough to make Obama Care look pretty good. America has changed so much in my lifetime and yours as well.
Love to all and whatever dogs are lying in corners.
Dad