All the talk about Obamacare in the other thread got me wondering, especially since I just changed jobs, all of my insurances changed, medical pretty drastically. My old employer only offered 1 plan, it was very good, low copays, etc. but far more insurance than I needed. Cost ~$140 a month I think.
New employer offers 3 plans, 2 full line plans and 1 high deductible. I went with the high deductable ($2600) which costs $80 a month, but employer contributes $100/month to my HSA. So my net after tax cost is actually negative, gettng more in my HSA than the cost. Thankfully my dentist and eye doc are both in network in the new plans as well.
I have the lower deductible option from my work. The insurance card still says high deductible, i dont know that low deductible exists, previous employer paid fully for my insurance that was better. I pay 40 a pay check
Canada’s health care system is a group of socialized health insurance plans that provides coverage to all Canadian citizens. It is publicly funded and administered on a provincial or territorial basis, within guidelines set by the federal government.
I picked the premium plan, (not the crazy expensive one that lets you do out of network docs), but good enough to cover the stroke I’ll probably have someday
Well, yes, but might I direct you to this, tax rates for the country and respective provinces. There is no free lunch. Obviously the extreme, but if you live in Quebec like ft, your marginal rate can hit 55%. Conversely, in Alberta you top out at 39%. Where you live in Canada drastically impacts your tax bill, and also health care, since it’s run by provinces.
Basically you pay through taxes as the others have alluded to. You will get enough care to keep you alive and relatively healthy, bar dental, thats on you. The good thing is x-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs are free, but there are usually long queues. There are various out of pocket expenses but most are reasonable or affordable. You will not go bankrupt by going to the doctor or hospital. Prescription drugs are on you as well, but these can be covered by employer plans. Employer plans cover what the province doesnt’ cover such as dental and copay drugs and extended healthcare like physio, chiro, etc.
Prescription drugs are not in scope either. We all have private health coverage for that (and ambulances, hospital rooms, casts, medical supplies, etc that aren’t covered by the government).
I pay far less in taxes at my income level than someone in New York state or California or several other U.S. states. So its not really the big tax hit that many Americans say it would be. We aren’t paying Netherlands or Sweden level taxes. Unless you’re in Québec, but former trader’s distinct society comes with insane social benefits like $10 daycare and heavily discounted university tuition.