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Originally Posted by chassis
COBRA is a joke, like the entire healthcare system in the U.S. The system is utterly broken, a colossal disaster. This is not me talking, this is from billionaires and literati who are in a position to know and say such things. Physicians will agree with this in the right environment/context.
If you are laid off you don't need to take COBRA, you can choose the "Marketplace". See below. The law was revised a couple of years ago to remove the legal requirement to choose and pay for health insurance. Prior to this, paying for healthcare was legally mandated. It is no longer mandated, you can go without coverage if you choose.
Compare the U.S. on any outcome statistic (life expectancy at birth, prevalence of common diseases, etc.) with other highly developed nations, and the U.S. is no better and in many cases much worse. Then compare the total healthcare expenditure per year as a percentage of GDP and the U.S. is at or near the top. Summary: the U.S. has the highest cost (by far) system for no better outcomes, and in many case the outcomes are worse. A complete disaster of a system.
healthcare.gov is known as the "Marketplace". $500/month for a married couple no kids, for a bare bones plan that provides nearly no "benefits" other than limiting maximum financial liability. The deductible is high enough that if you are a healthy person, the cost of paying full retail for normal preventive services comes no where near the maximum out of pocket. This means the plan delivers nothing to you besides limiting your maximum financial exposure.
It's a garbage institution, the U.S. healthcare system. Germany has a far, far better system than the U.S., and in my view the German system should be adopted in the U.S. to the greatest extent possible over a period of years.
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A lot of fair points, and I agree Healthcare system in this country is terribly convoluted and often impossible to navigate. But as a Physician who is certainly not living the high life yet thanks to my massive loans, I refuse to be a government employee and get paid like a government employee. Physician salaries only make up about 7% of total U.S. healthcare expenditures yet we are often blamed by the public for being overpaid. We are a cog in the system whose practice is dictated entirely by greedy Insurance companies and self-serving hospital administrations and politicians. After all the years of shit, sacrificing my entire 20s and the opportunity cost that comes with it, I'm looking out for my self-interest too.