Political Discussion

[GritNGlitter]

I am really depressed with how much my healthcare benefits suck this year.

Let's start with Dental, as I had an appointment today.

I have MetLife, same as last year. This year my plan costs me more. However, it provides less coverage. I'm now responsible for 20% of the bill in-network and 40% of the bill out-of-network. Perviously if I was in-network I was 100% covered and if I was out of network I would only owe the difference. If I need to get a filling I would this year have a co-pay which could range from $50 to $750 based on the tooth and filling material. There are over 250 different co-pays listed in the table for fillings alone. Other surgeries have higher co-pays. Root canals are only covered once every 10 years now as well.

Doing the math based on a standard cleaning costing $200, I'm paying more for my dental insurance than I would if I just paid for cleanings. And I still have to pay 20% with insurance.

Now, let's go to healthcare. I'm paying more than ever. My deductible is at an all time record high of $5000. And preventative things such as common labs are no longer covered until after the deductible is met. A cholesterol test at my physical back in May ran up a $290 medical bill for me. And I need to get it retested later this month as it was a little high to see what my next steps are.

High deductible plans with health savings accounts are definitely where the industry overall is going. And dental insurance is all but a joke anymore. It's infuriating. I was charged $400 for an establishing appointment with my primary care doctor. Fortunately my husband's newly-full time job provides Kaiser, and is much more reasonably executed--$30 copay for my recent appointment, free labs, etc.

That politiscales test is one of the most biased and confusing ones I have run across. In all gender/sex questions there is an undertone that men are aggressors and rapists and women are victims. Then they have complete double context questions like, “A good citizen is a patriot”. Like, what exactly are we asking, here? A good citizen blindly follows his country’s leaders? A patriot is one who stands apart and is thus a good citizen? Like, really, what the fuck?

I caught that as well, along with other undertones in the ways they were framed. I’d say that the political leanings of the folks who wrote the questions would fit in quite well with a lot of the folks here.

It's funny that you thought that--as I took it I kept thinking the sex and gender questions sounded like they were created by conservatives, as the phrasing was more like a caricature of left ideas than accurately reflecting them. But there was only one question that posited men are the aggressors in most sexual assaults, which is true, and it only asked something like whether men's biological aggression is sometimes a factor in sexual assaults. It said nothing about the sex or gender of victims.

Funny you mention that. After taking it I discussed some of the wording with one of my coworkers. I said I was forced to put neutral or hesitant for a lot of questions because they lacked context and/or were nuanced ideas.
I think it’s easy if you are willing to answer as a caricature of either side of an issue, if that makes sense.

Regardless, I thought it was interesting and fun. If you present it as a binding reflection of who you are on paper, then I think you’ll be doing yourself a disservice. If you take it with an eye on its limitations and peculiarities then it’s not a waste of time per se.

Although I didn’t read the gender/sex questions so strongly.

Yeah, overall I thought the biggest weakness of the quiz is the lack of nuance. It forced a lot of neutrals and somewhats because the questions were unclear or far too reductive.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

High deductible plans with health savings accounts are definitely where the industry overall is going. And dental insurance is all but a joke anymore. It's infuriating. I was charged $400 for an establishing appointment with my primary care doctor. Fortunately my husband's newly-full time job provides Kaiser, and is much more reasonably executed--$30 copay for my recent appointment, free labs, etc.

I can sign up for a health savings account, but find them a joke. My company puts no portion towards it. It's just whatever I want to deduct pre-tax each paycheck. It gives me no savings, it can just be used towards these kinds of bill. Oh, and get this. It's use it or lose it at the end of the year. How is that even legal?


I think the people who say our healthcare system is a sickcare system, not a healthcare system are correct. The system really doesn't help cover any routine and preventative visits anymore.

 

[AnthonyI]

Politics and Religion, oh boy............but damn if I'm not feeling like we're at the doorstep of having [insert your deity here] wipe the slate clean and starting over again...........maybe, or maybe just calling it on account of it being a failed experiment.

Why are we such a deplorable species??

 

[Joe Mac]

Politics and Religion, oh boy............but damn if I'm not feeling like we're at the doorstep of having [insert your deity here] wipe the slate clean and starting over again...........maybe, or maybe just calling it on account of it being a failed experiment.

Why are we such a deplorable species??

Nah we’re just a species without a predator. We’re growing too big and too fast. That always causes ecological disasters regardless. Look at what happened when they introduced the humble herbivores Rabbits into Australia. And we’re an apex predator which exacerbates it.

We’re on the precipice of an enormous ecological disaster regardless of your beliefs in mythological cloud dwellers. Let’s see if our supposed intellect can override our base animal instinct to use and reproduce. I sincerely doubt it...

 

[GritNGlitter]

I can sign up for a health savings account, but find them a joke. My company puts no portion towards it. It's just whatever I want to deduct pre-tax each paycheck. It gives me no savings, it can just be used towards these kinds of bill. Oh, and get this. It's use it or lose it at the end of the year. How is that even legal?


I think the people who say our healthcare system is a sickcare system, not a healthcare system are correct. The system really doesn't help cover any routine and preventative visits anymore.

I had an HSA with my company's plan--yes, the only benefit is the money being taken out pre-taxes, but mine rolled over each year. That's how I paid for my stupid Dr. appointments. Sounds like you have an FSA? I lost money on those when I was in my 20s. Absolute bullshit.

 

[Twentytwo]

I always joked that my high deductible plan was worthless unless I had to pay for something catastrophic but then I had open heart surgery and I’m only on the hook for 3500 of the near 250,000 I have been charged, So overall I can’t complain but yeah for preventative stuff they suck. My company does give a 1,000 bucks every year in our HSA too which helps a lot. Company I used to work for had 80/20 plan with copays and that was awesome.

 

[noelledemort]

My high deductible plan does cover some preventative stuff, fortunately. At the beginning of the year I had my first gyno visit in probably.. a decade? Because my health insurance totally covered it. It was really surprising to me, I actually didn't believe it. Once I wrapped up the appointment I checked with the receptionist at the desk twice, like, "That's it? I can go now?" Lol.

Also, if any of you all haven't heard of it, I recommend Care Credit. It is a credit card for medical charges only. Most places accept it, and most of those who do will offer some sort of promotional plan. If you put $200 or more on the card in one go, they will offer no interest for anywhere from 6 months to 18 months (depends on the place you are using it). I use it for all my dental bills and my cats' veterinary bills. Those can be big bills due at once and the Care Credit has made it so easy to deal with it. I'm generally not in a place financially where I can pay a $1k bill at once, but I can split it up into chunks over a 6 month period and get it paid off before the promo period ends.

 

[Joe Mac]

Then they have complete double context questions like, “A good citizen is a patriot”. Like, what exactly are we asking, here? A good citizen blindly follows his country’s leaders? A patriot is one who stands apart and is thus a good citizen? Like, really, what the fuck?

I though that was one of the most straightforward and non double context questions going at. There is a narrative that you have to be patriotic to be a good citizen. It’s bollocks. I think patriotism is insidious nonsense: I consider myself to be a very good citizen...

 

[debianlinux]

I am very out of touch with popular narratives and political ideology. There was a time I was in it so much it made me sick. I rather enjoy not being sick. That the survey relies upon knowledge of popular ideologies is probably a big factor in my perceptions of it.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

Just a FYI for anyone who has a credit card with Chase. They sent an update to their terms and conditions earlier this month (Email only if you are paperless, may have gone to your spam folder like mine did) that basically says you agree to waive your rights to participate in any class action lawsuit against them.

You can respond by mail, (written letter) saying you do not agree to this change. Though I have a strange suspicion they would likely close your account(s) if you do so. Like they do when they change interest rates or other fees. You have until the end of the current billing cycle to notify them by mail.

This sounds pretty sketchy to me. It sounds like they are trying to protect themselves from consequences if they do something shady.

 

[AnthonyI]

Just a FYI for anyone who has a credit card with Chase. They sent an update to their terms and conditions earlier this month (Email only if you are paperless, may have gone to your spam folder like mine did) that basically says you agree to waive your rights to participate in any class action lawsuit against them.

You can respond by mail, (written letter) saying you do not agree to this change. Though I have a strange suspicion they would likely close your account(s) if you do so. Like they do when they change interest rates or other fees. You have until the end of the current billing cycle to notify them by mail.

This sounds pretty sketchy to me. It sounds like they are trying to protect themselves from consequences if they do something shady.

Once again a big company taking advantage of the fact we're lazy and NEVER read the fine print.............while it puts the burden on the user, it is a shitty way of doing things and I agree, what the frick is going on that you need this kind of disclaimer/notification?

 

[RenegadeMonster]

Once again a big company taking advantage of the fact we're lazy and NEVER read the fine print.............while it puts the burden on the user, it is a shitty way of doing things and I agree, what the frick is going on that you need this kind of disclaimer/notification?

Also, you don't have a choice on the matter. If you give written notice that you reject the changes they close your account and preserve your current agreement until paid off.

I wonder if this is something the lawyers are doing to cover their asses. I'm willing to bet all the attention Wells Fargo is getting and class action lawsuits have spoked them. I'm sure some of the things Wells Fargo is getting scrutinized for are common practices in the banking industry and Chase likely has been doing the same thing.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

From Motley Fool:



Edit: even in that Twitter thread, people are posting contradictory responses that they got from Chase customer support. They’ve got a mess on their hands.

That's for that info. It's not clear at all in the notice they sent. The close your account might be related to if you don't agree to the changes with increased minimum payments?

 

[AnthonyI]

This made my morning

 

[Joe Mac]

Just to cheer you Americans up things are just as fucked up over here, if not more so.

While you all know me as Irish a lot of you know that I was born and grew up in England. Britain is facing a true crisis with bojo as pm but even worse is the cancer of Jeremy Corbyn on the other side of the house. I have been a labour supporter my whole life and this is the first labour leader I could not vote for.

I was never a huge fan of Alistair Campbell’s but everything he says here runs true for me in relation to the anti Semitic trot. Him and momentum have destroyed a once proud party.

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL: Why I no longer want to be readmitted to Labour

In a frank, honest letter to the Labour leader ALASTAIR CAMPBELL says he no longer wants to be readmitted to the party he's spent his...

www.theneweuropean.co.uk

 

[RenegadeMonster]

Apparently my dental insurance is more of a joke than I thought.

Did realize this, but it has a yearly maximum of 1,000 coverage. Just got the statement from my recent visit and it shows how much of my $1,000 maximum coverage is left after my recent dental visit. Because they did x-rays, if I were to have an other cleaning in December it looks like it would be mostly out of pocket for me. So I moved it to January.

That being said, if I ever needed a dental procedure such as a root canal, does that $1,000 maximum still apply? If so it sounds like I would be paying mostly out of pocket for one. Thank god I don't need one.

 

[RenegadeMonster]

Debate tonight. Who's watching?

Latest polls show that Biden's lead has grown significantly ahead of debate number 2. I'm hoping Biden has an other poor showing so hopefully he can lose ground.

We need change, not status quo.

 

[Twentytwo]

Debate tonight. Who's watching?

Latest polls show that Biden's lead has grown significantly ahead of debate number 2. I'm hoping Biden has an other poor showing so hopefully he can lose ground.

We need change, not status quo.

I agree, but I think if we don't get Biden as the democratic nominee then we get Trump for four more years. To be honest, I think if Pete Buttigieg wasn't gay, he might have a chance. America the great, land of the homophobic, sexist and racist.

 

[ayayrawn]

I agree, but I think if we don't get Biden as the democratic nominee then we get Trump for four more years. To be honest, I think if Pete Buttigieg wasn't gay, he might have a chance. America the great, land of the homophobic, sexist and racist.

If we DO get Joe Biden, we are royally fucked. He's the same kind of milquetoast centrist Hillary was, and he will 100% lose.

 

[AnthonyI]

I'm starting to feel like we're looking for a 4 year band aid at this point just to put the Trump years behind us....hopefully.