Wondering how many Canadians cancelling trip south

BarbaraOK wrote:

John&Joey wrote:
LOL...Tequila.


At 65 a US person doesn't get free health coverage. Just up to an amount the government will pay, anything over is our responsibility. Last winter was a park benefit for someone that was going broke with physical therapy that wasn't covered. We also do not get assisted living beyond a month, after that it's our cost . Of course we can buy insurance to cover the gap for both.

I guess your and mine Medicare are different. Once Medicare approves a charge, they pay 80% and then the patient pays the other 20% or their supplemental insurance pays that. You never pay more than the 20% of what Medicare determines is the appropriate fee, no matter what the original charge was, assuming that you are going to a physician/hospital that accepts Medicare patients.

Or am I missing something?

Barb

What you are stating is what is known as "consignment." A doctor does not have to follow those rate structures. They can charge whatever they want and the person will have to come up with the rest. I'm guessing you have extra insurance. Next time you go into the hospital ask only for SS "consignment" rates and see how far you get.

John&Joey wrote:

BarbaraOK wrote:

John&Joey wrote:
LOL...Tequila.


At 65 a US person doesn't get free health coverage. Just up to an amount the government will pay, anything over is our responsibility. Last winter was a park benefit for someone that was going broke with physical therapy that wasn't covered. We also do not get assisted living beyond a month, after that it's our cost . Of course we can buy insurance to cover the gap for both.

I guess your and mine Medicare are different. Once Medicare approves a charge, they pay 80% and then the patient pays the other 20% or their supplemental insurance pays that. You never pay more than the 20% of what Medicare determines is the appropriate fee, no matter what the original charge was, assuming that you are going to a physician/hospital that accepts Medicare patients.

Or am I missing something?

Barb

What you are stating is what is known as "consignment." A doctor does not have to follow those rate structures. They can charge whatever they want and the person will have to come up with the rest. I'm guessing you have extra insurance. Next time you go into the hospital ask only for SS "consignment" rates and see how far you get.

Many people do not understand the consignment concept, but yes it is what it is. If a medical professional "agrees" to accept the Medicare rate, then they can charge up to 115% of the agreed rate and you are responsible for the overage and Medicare will only pay 80% of the agreed rate, not the 115%. Some and I emphasize SOME of the supplement carriers will pay the overage, but not all. I have been caught in this consignment trap twice, so I know just how it works. I have a current bill for $52.40 that is the 115% over charge and I have to pay it.

Beer is certainly cheep in USA but dairy and chicken have climbed to CDN prices.

The solution seems obvious. Drink more beer.

I used to work with an older guy and any time a problem came up he would always say "In a hundred years it wont matter". Keep packing those bags and checking those lists. You dont want to be kicking yourself with a big sloppy snow covered boot!!!!

There are a lot of people in the energy sector who are depending on us to help them raise their families. It's our job as rv'ers to show em how to dispose of some disposable income. Don't wimp out now. They need us.

I'll be crossing the big Mac soon and headed across MINI sota and beyond. Yeehah.

Wait until you see the egg prices!

Barb

...Some and I emphasize SOME of the supplement carriers will pay the overage, but not all...

As crazy as this may sound, what killed our health care system was health insurance. If people had to pay everything out of pocket the medical charges would look a lot different today. You wouldn't be reading how the Canadians pay 1/10 our price for quality care.

Much too easy to sign that piece of paper saying you have health insurance, and never questioning the charges or the quality you're getting in return. As long as we're not digging into our wallet, we seem to accept mediocrity.

Some doctors will work only for "consignment." They are far and few between and seem to be the cream of the crop. I had to go through all that with my in-laws a few years back. They only had SS at that point in time.

rjxj wrote:
"Canadians enjoy free medical care all their lives". Nothing is free. While my wife worked in the medical field for many years she often commented about how many Canadians visited the good old USA for health care. Anyway, back to the subject. Don't go and get cheap now, I'm old, you may be old and the window is only open for so long. Get back down here to visit again and enjoy warmer weather. :)

Well we pay taxes of course, but everyone gets basic care. It can vary from province to province. My wife has breast cancer and she is getting A1 care from one of the best Cancer facilities in North America, the new state of the art cancer hospital here in Abbotsford. Its even been attracting oncologists form the US (Story) All no cost to us. Maybe we are lucky but we certainly have no complaints

We were sitting in a restaurant in Melaque Mexico last spring and there was a sad looking woman sitting at the next table. We invited her over. She said her & her husband had RVed down there for years form Ontario. the previous year he got sick & died on their way back through the US. He had stage 4 cancer and never told her. He was unable to get travel insurance and never told her that either. The medical bill came to $80,000, by the time she was through. Her son made the hospital a 20K take it or leave it offer and they took it.

Tequila wrote:
He had stage 4 cancer and never told her. He was unable to get travel insurance and never told her that either.

I feel really sorry for the woman but what a doofus (I can think of more descriptive words) that guy was.

Personally, I don't want Emergency MEDICAL Insurance - I want Emergency ACCIDENT Insurance.

Fortunately I'm healthy - it's unlikely anything MEDICAL will happen that requires a hospital stay in US. I'm old enough that if I have a heart attack in the US, just let me die. OTOH, if I'm out on my Harley and some DOOFUS in an SUV cuts me off because they're texting, fix me up (if there's enough left to reassemble).

Well he wasn't thinking for sure, played Russian Roulette & lost. I see Canadians in Mexico taking chances transiting the US all the time. A lot of them just rely on Canadian medicare to pay any possible expenses in Mexico, which it will for the most part, except for American run hospitals down there, it won't cut it. I was in Hospital in Mazatlan for 3 days in Spring and my Canadian medicare was enough to cover a specialist & private room. (about $800). It was a nice hospital & excellent care. My extra travel insurance did not have to pay anything. A lot of Mexican auto insurance also covers medical evacuation, Lewis & Lewis cover medivac to Vancouver, BC. Transiting the US without coverage is foolish however, even if a medical condition does not get you, you could have an accident. The fly in the ointment is that most travel insurance companies in Canada will not cover you unless you are physcically in Canada when you buy the insurance, then they charge you the same rate as if you were going to be in the US all the time. You can get around that southbound by buying 2 overlapping policies, but its northbound that is the issue. I am looking at a Mexican insurance company that will cover people northbound in the US.

The other fly in the ointment is that when you buy travel insurance you had better tell them about every condition you have, or have had, or they will use it an an excuse not to pay out even if that condition is unrelated. That is one good reason medivac insurance is good, you can spend as little time in a US hospital as possible, assuming you can fly, and minimize the risk of a huge bill they wont pay.