Medical Healthcare medical monthly premiums are going to get increased!

[StatusNomadicus]

I'm not getting any younger and I foresee more and more health issues.

today is always the best day to stop eating processed foods, avoid Seed Oils, quitting tobacco, refraining from more than 1 alcoholic drink a day, and to exercise at least 15 minutes, 7 days a week!

70-Year-Old Ohio Woman Runs Insanely Fast Marathon in Chicago

Jeannie Rice smashed 3:30, set an age-group world record, and makes her granddaughters proud.

www.runnersworld.com

 

[StatusNomadicus]

cartel pricing to me.

and if Congress doesn't block it, less restrictions to the free market will allow for a couple entrepreneurs to come in and demolish the racket by offering better prices/services (i'm imagining an Uber of healthcare)

 

[Rico Suave]

and if Congress doesn't block it, less restrictions to the free market will allow for a couple entrepreneurs to come in and demolish the racket by offering better prices/services (i'm imagining an Uber of healthcare)

I never see any new players entering the market with the difficult labor laws and incredible taxes that Argentina has. Just about every single entrepreneur that I have talked to, told me their business failed in Buenos Aires. It is a horrible place to do business.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

the difficult labor laws and incredible taxes that Argentina has

hopefully this becomes "had" once Congress stops blocking Milei:

follow @BowTiedMara for good real-world analysis. he has a Substack, too.

 

[Betsy Ross]

Adding to the anxiety, not only are we facing a hefty 39.8% increase next month, but now I've received an email from OSDE mentioning an additional 28% hike in March. But hey, silver lining alert! It could have been worse, just twice the increase from last year. Our new government seems to be flexing its muscles, or maybe its chainsaw, in the battle against inflation.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

Adding to the anxiety, not only are we facing a hefty 39.8% increase next month, but now I've received an email from OSDE mentioning an additional 28% hike in March.

hey friend, you're one of the top 10 useful contributors here, serious question: i'm uninformed about health insurance in other countries other than when i was required to have it in the USA for various jobs over the past couple decades...i haven't paid for anything at a medical place in BsAs yet, so how possible is it to exist without one of these wide-ranging insurance plans?

i planned to be uninsured, just like i was once i left my last 'real' job - i don't wear glasses, i have no meds, i don't have any crazy health issues (late 30s), and when i feel my teeth are dirty i go pay a small amount to get them cleaned by a hygienist (in the US it was like $75 and in Thailand like $15 a few years back). i don't have any specific questions, but mostly just a general, how many people like me are there, just paying cash/credit card for services as they need them?

especially if premiums are so crazy, why not pay cash at a private place? i use ZocDoc.com in the States. and of course some people have 17 medications, and the Sick culture of the USA makes it normalized to be 40% bodyfat and needing Statins and diabetes meds, but i'm not asking about the preventable conditions that people choose to maintain...how much cheaper would it be for you and similar Expats to just cancel their plans and pay a la carte?

 

[earlyretirement]

Adding to the anxiety, not only are we facing a hefty 39.8% increase next month, but now I've received an email from OSDE mentioning an additional 28% hike in March. But hey, silver lining alert! It could have been worse, just twice the increase from last year. Our new government seems to be flexing its muscles, or maybe its chainsaw, in the battle against inflation.

Yep. I just got to my office and I also got this notice that my staff just gave me. Huge increases in a short amount of time.

 

[Betsy Ross]

and if Congress doesn't block it, less restrictions to the free market will allow for a couple entrepreneurs to come in and demolish the racket by offering better prices/services (i'm imagining an Uber of healthcare)

I don't see this. Argentina is not a country that many entrepreneurs would want to start a company in. Milei is trying to change things but IF he is successful this will take many years. I don't see healthcare changing soon.

I never see any new players entering the market with the difficult labor laws and incredible taxes that Argentina has. Just about every single entrepreneur that I have talked to, told me their business failed in Buenos Aires. It is a horrible place to do business.

I agree with you. I also know many people who tried businesses hear and failed miserably. Many business places now are almost at a break-even point.

hey friend, you're one of the top 10 useful contributors here, serious question: i'm uninformed about health insurance in other countries other than when i was required to have it in the USA for various jobs over the past couple decades...i haven't paid for anything at a medical place in BsAs yet, so how possible is it to exist without one of these wide-ranging insurance plans?

i planned to be uninsured, just like i was once i left my last 'real' job - i don't wear glasses, i have no meds, i don't have any crazy health issues (late 30s), and when i feel my teeth are dirty i go pay a small amount to get them cleaned by a hygienist (in the US it was like $75 and in Thailand like $15 a few years back). i don't have any specific questions, but mostly just a general, how many people like me are there, just paying cash/credit card for services as they need them?

especially if premiums are so crazy, why not pay cash at a private place? i use ZocDoc.com in the States. and of course some people have 17 medications, and the Sick culture of the USA makes it normalized to be 40% bodyfat and needing Statins and diabetes meds, but i'm not asking about the preventable conditions that people choose to maintain...how much cheaper would it be for you and similar Expats to just cancel their plans and pay a la carte?

Thanks for the nice post. You can always go pay at a private clinic. I am not sure on rates but for sure they will be less expensive than the USA. They will be at local prices. You can always call and ask to get a cash price on a procedure and they can tell you. You can go to a public hospital (as of now) and get treated free but it might take several hours. Milei is trying to change it so healthcare isn't free unless you pay taxes here.

I think many expats are just cash pay if something happens. But worry is cancer or some serious illness. Under that scenario I would not want to go to public hospital where you might die waiting. I can't say which is the right plan. If you are young and healthy you may want to go cash option but most reasonable people don't want to go bankrupt if they have a serious illness.

 

[Faith]

Yep. I just got to my office and I also got this notice that my staff just gave me. Huge increases in a short amount of time.


View attachment 1511

Yes ours also went up!

 

[StatusNomadicus]

If you are young and healthy you may want to go cash option but most reasonable people don't want to go bankrupt if they have a serious illness.

okay so you are paying for a private medical plan in case you get diagnosed with cancer or you're hit by a car?

 

[Katyx]

okay so you are paying for a private medical plan in case you get diagnosed with cancer or you're hit by a car?

I am young but I wouldn't dream of not having medical coverage. For me it is if I get pregnant, get sick, accident or just getting sick. You would be shocked how expensive things are in the USA if you get sick and don't have coverage. I think some people are ok with this but I have friends that rolled the dice and most of them had to declare bankruptcy.

 

[Billy Goat]

I just got my February bill for my Swiss Medical and it went up 22.5% for next month. That is only top of a 39% increase for January!

 

[Avocado]

Finally some judges are blocking Milei's crazy rate increases. People must fight back against this crazy increases.

Nuevo revés para el DNU de Javier Milei: la Justicia concedió una cautelar contra el aumento de prepagas

La resolución llegó luego de una denuncia contra la empresa de medicina prepaga Swiss Medical y dejó sin efecto los aumentos realizados desde que entró en vigencia el decreto.

www.ambito.com

 

[Jeep]

Rates are skyrocketing. My last bill was 178,000 pesos. That is before the next 30%+ increase that they said February will be. I have OSDE 410 plan. When I first got it a few years ago it started out at 32,000 pesos. I can't even remember what the exchange rate was back then to be fair.

 

[Bill]

Hi forum!

My mom is moving in with us soon, and she's turning 69 soon. I need recommendations for a good health insurance plan. Currently, she is spending about $400 a month in the USA, and we want to cancel those policies and use the money here. Ideally, we're looking for a comprehensive plan like Swiss Medical, OSDE, or Medicus. Alternatively, we're open to plans tied to specific hospitals like Italiano, Alemania, Otamendi, Trinidad, or Finochietto.

The prices I've heard range from $350 to $1,300 USD, and I'm just trying to get a rough idea, given recent price increases, without having to visit multiple places and fill out lengthy health histories. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks.

 

[JoeTrip]

I just talked to one of my friends that told me their healthcare bill went up almost 40% in January and it's going up 31% in February. That seems crazy to me.

 

[GlasgowJohn]

I just talked to one of my friends that told me their healthcare bill went up almost 40% in January and it's going up 31% in February. That seems crazy to me.

Its certainly crazy but they think they can get away with it.

Al the big players say that they were not allowed to increase kast year with Alberto but my premium went up in line with inflation.

In USD , I paid the same in December 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. Everyone no matter what plan got a high 30something % increase in January and advice of a further whack on the wallet in February.

I reckon a lot of people will downgrade their pln or walk away.

 

[JoeTrip]

Its certainly crazy but they think they can get away with it.

Al the big players say that they were not allowed to increase kast year with Alberto but my premium went up in line with inflation.

In USD , I paid the same in December 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. Everyone no matter what plan got a high 30something % increase in January and advice of a further whack on the wallet in February.

I reckon a lot of people will downgrade their pln or walk away.

Yes if they keep up with these increases one would have to assume many will just cancel their plans. At a certain point you reach a tipping point where they will get cancellations but maybe that is their goal?

 

[GlasgowJohn]

Only God knows what the plan is…

But here are my thoughts, for what it is worth.


Right now, we are all paying to see doctors, get analyses and tests and if we are not too well, get operations and be looked after in decent surroundings.

Getting appointments to see our favorite doctors is always a problem; sometimes you have to wait from two weeks to three months to see your doctor of choice. Clearly this isn’t good enough. If I want to see my cardiologist of choice, the plan tells me two months if I call his private surgery they say come in a weeks’ time and that will be 10 dollars , sir .

Ten bucks is not a problem unless you are paying 300 a month to keep your plan going.

I am convinced that within a few months, all plans will be converted to analyses, tests and hospital stays only. If you want a check-up or a normal appointment with a specialist, you will pay for it.

Makes a lot of sense, I think.

You will only go to see the doc if you have a problem – i.e. it’s not a day out to see your friends .



Some of my friends who work in sales in OSDE, tell me that sales are dreadful and many people are late with payments. They are expecting layoffs before the end of February

 

[StatusNomadicus]

I am young but I wouldn't dream of not having medical coverage. For me it is if I get pregnant, get sick, accident or just getting sick. You would be shocked how expensive things are in the USA if you get sick and don't have coverage. I think some people are ok with this but I have friends that rolled the dice and most of them had to declare bankruptcy.

i've lived in the USA for years on and off without medical insurance. i don't spend money on medical stuff; i am/was young, and if i was a female i would plan a pregnancy, and if i didn't plan it and was anti-abortion, i'd get insurance after i learned i was pregnant. you have 9 months to get a good plan, yeah?

if i get sick, i sleep and drink water and take vitamin C/D/K. there's almost nothing that will cause a healthy person that exercises and eats meat/veggies to be hospitalized. i'm not shocked at the cost of the USA...there's a ton of government intervention and monopoly-making by setting prices artificially. i got a hernia surgery that would have cost like 45,000 USD and it ended up costing me 10k (had decent insurance at the time). it was routine and preventive (half of men get hernias, and a huge percentage are fat and have no idea they have a small hernia), and if i didn't have insurance i would likely have tried to pay cash or flown to Thailand for a scheduled surgery (like how many Canadians go to the USA for private healthcare). how many friends do you know have gone bankrupt?? i've never met a single person that is young with no lifestyle issues, that had to declare bankruptcy for medical bills. even if you are hit by a car and survive, they have to care for you. deal with the rest when you're out, since you can always negotiate less (or do the bankruptcy part i guess; it might be more advantageous to do when you're in your 20s).

it's really not that uncommon for healthy people to just cash-pay for blood labs and teeth cleanings. what else could you possibly need? i would bet my medical expenses from 2023 were $150 USD. i'm almost 40. the cost of a gym membership and vitamins and eating clean is certainly a money-saver in this regard.