Did you know there is a national database on all your health records? Just like how your credit rating is reported by the big 3 - Equifax, Trans-Union, and Experian (formerly TRW) - your insurance claims, perscriptions, treatments and the like are recorded for and reported to the insurance industry. Apply for life, health, or disability insurance and this database is tapped first thing.
The company is MIB. They consider themselves as "a defender and guardian for both the insurance buying public, as well as for the insurance industry". They are in fact a centralized clearing house that provides medical and avocation information on people who apply for insurance to insurance companies.Their central purpose is to keep people with health problems from joining the insurance pools of people who have not had health problems. They are watchdogs that consider people with health problems trying to get insurance as "jerks trying to butt in line."
They do offer a free exposure of their records to individuals if you happen to know about them and know how to request it. Basically, you call 1-866-692-6901, their disclosure number, and go through an automated series of verifications of identity and supposedly they mail you the report.
I never used to believe in national health care (ala Hillary Clinton), but I'm starting to wonder. My daughter Ariel is in Slovakia. She's been very sick. She doesn't have insurance or much money.
She went to a doctor there and says she got good care plus strong anti-biotics - all for about 20 US dollars. I'm not sure if this was subsidized by the government or not, but I know I couldn't get that here in the US.
I fell out of the insurance system and haven't had insurance for a number of years due to job changes and not being able to afford premiums, etc. It'll probably be expensive as hell to ever get back in.
I hope I don't get sick. Nor my wife. In the mean-time I'll find out what kind of risk the insurance industry considers me to be when I get my MIB report back.
Big Brother is still watching it looks like.
What a sweet girl you are Alena. Thanks for the stats and comments.
ReplyDeleteFrom just scanning the numbers it looks like Czechs pay not too much more into tax system than Americans. The CZK employer side pays 35% over wages (8750/25000) whereas US employers match the 7% employee must pay for Social Security taxes. Some would say that's a disincentive to hire people - thus less jobs available.
We could probably afford it, but unfortuneatly about a quarter of our national budget goes to Debt/Deficit, nearly half to existing Social programs, and close to a quarter to Military. That leaves virtually nothing left for working people like me.
Its a constant trap here in US for the working person, but Americans are always optimistic, independent, and learn to keep trudging on.
What else is there?
:)