My Hospital Bill was $119,000 for 5 days

[Monk06]

112. I really feel sorry for Americans what the have to pay to get health insurance. From another thread.

I've interviewed hundreds of Americans for health insurance surveys.

The range of costs I have seen for a couple or family of three is between $4000 -$8000 per year through a combination of premiums, deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance. For non disclosure reasons I can't name the insurance companies.

A Canadian family of four or more pays $1452 per year total for all family members. No deductibles except for drugs up to $2100 after that no deductible for drugs either. Other than that no out of pocket costs such as co-pays and co-insurance.

I am disabled so I pay nothing. No insurance premiums and my drugs which run about $10000 per year are free also.

What that means is that a middle class US family has to earn $10,000 more per year to be at the same standard of living as a Canadian family at the same income level. That's excluding drug costs if my gross calculations are correct.

The most important feature of Canadian health care costs is that companies do not have to contribute a cent towards their employees healthcare. That's why US companies like to open branch plants here. With NAFTA they save billions by not having to match employee contributions to their healthcare.

Another interesting fact, Canada has been threatened with challenges under NAFTA on the grounds that the Canadian government subsidizes the Canadian worker. That's also why the US right wing has the long term goal of forcing the Canadian government to allow private insurance companies back into the market.