Disputes about medical insurance

Alexander Genis: Trump's defeat in Congress, who, contrary to the desire and promise of the president, did not cancel the Obamovsky health -preservation reform, indicates how acute the issue of medical insurance in the domestic policy of the United States is. It is not surprising that disputes are underway not only in the Congress, but also in every family. This is told by the new radio duck Vladimir Morozov from his author's cycle “Extraordinary Americans”.

Vladimir Morozov: Today I am visiting the Dolan family. Evening. The younger children 12-year-old Connor and 10-year-old Sean made lessons and got the right to sit at the TV. 17-year-old Mackenzie removes the dishes that remains after dinner and joins our conversation. Which, as it were, continues the argument in America, the dispute about the desire of President Trump to suspend the influx of immigrants to the country.

Mackenzie: I would say that first of all we should take care of the Americans, and only then we can think about the invitation of people from other countries to the country. I agree with Trump's decision to suspend immigration. It is necessary to improve the lives of our own citizens before we can accept refugees from Syria and other countries.

Vladimir Morozov: At a school where Mackenzie is an excellent student, the White House immigrant policy has its supporters and opponents. But at home, parents of Jeff and Sarah with their daughter agree.

Sarah: I am a housewife, waitress and coordinator for raising funds for the school. So, I have three jobs. I am a waitress at the Hotel of the Six Flag Park. Yes, the park of atrazsens is operating there only in the summer, but the hotel is year -round and it has a water sports center in it.

Vladimir Morozov: Sarah, in the summer I asked you for advice on how to raise certain vegetables and I know that by education you are an agronomist-organ-soda. Why don't you work by profession?

Sarah: I received a diploma in college in South Dakota. For 25 years she worked as a gardener and a landscape specialist. And when we moved to the state of New York to the village of Corinth, it turned out that very little was paid for this work here, and it became physically difficult for me to deal with it.

Vladimir Morozov: She is 43, Jeff's husband is 46 years old. Sarah, what are you going to do when the children grow up and get out of the house? Probably says Sarah, I’ll go to study again, maybe for a veterinarian ...

What a veterinarian you are! I do not see a cat or a dog in your house!

Sarah: We have three cats. Where did they go? They always hide at first when someone is unfamiliar. Give them about 5 minutes and they will seem. LAUGHTER.

Vladimir Morozov: It is known that the Americans are reluctant to talk about their income. Therefore, if you do not want, you may not answer. But I have to ask. How much does it come to you a year?

Sarah: If we consider what we get before taxes, then the family income is about 90 thousand dollars a year. Did we have to receive help from the government? No. Never! We pay for everything ourselves.

Vladimir Morozov: Did you have the right to any government assistance?

Sarah: No, we did not rely on any help, for this our income is too high. And you thought that we are heroes who refuse all help? No! But, let's say, if I had lost my job, then we would probably have relied on grocery coupons and something else, but a little.

Vladimir Morozov: However, when the children were small, you probably sat with them at home?

Sarah: No, I worked. And who then stayed with the children? We hired a nanny. At what age did the children sat with the nanny? From a month. Was I afraid to leave children with a stranger? No, I was not afraid. After all, we were not invited from the street. They talked with friends, with other parents in whom these women had previously worked. That is, they looked for a person with solid recommendations, talked in detail with the applicants and only then made a decision.

Vladimir Morozov: In addition, at that time Sarah had her own business, she worked as a gardener and landscape specialist. She itself made up her work schedule. And if necessary, I could be at home all day. Or started work very early to return home when her husband left for work. When he was returning, she left.

So, the income of the family is 90 thousand a year for two adults and three children. And what expenses are the main ones that you have?

Jeff: The first is the costs of health insurance - 1700 per month. The second rental fee is 1100 per month. In our area, this is an average market price. Who is we renting a house? At the church, a pastor used to live here. The third cost is for cars. But everything has already been paid for my pickup, and only a thousand dollars remained for Sarah for Surah. Let us give, and then we will have only one debt left - the one that I took in the bank to get an education.

Vladimir Morozov: Sarah and Sarah borrowed to study at college. I did not have to count on parents. Her mother and father have poor farmers. Jeff's father was a worker at the factory. Mother Housewife, who became an adult teacher. She studied at college at the same time as I, Jeff says. Now he is an architect. He receives 74 thousand a year. 16 thousand brings Sarah home. To what category do they attribute themselves to the middle class or to its lower edge? In this matter, the spouses do not converge. Therefore, I will say for them that in our state of New York the average income of the family is about 55 thousand dollars a year.

So, your basic healthcare expenses? But what will happen to him now? The Republicans promised to cancel the system introduced by President Obama, however, however, that there was no replacement for her yet?

Jeff: If the Republicans do not come up with anything, but simply cancel the Obamaker, then the market itself will find ways. And at least it will become no worse than it was before Obama. Some inconvenience associated with perestroika are possible, but gradually everything will be settled.

Vladimir Morozov: And what will happen to those people who had not had insurance before and received it only from Obama? No, Jeff answers, you ask the wrong question.

Jeff: The fact is that those people who, from the point of view of the federal government of the Democrats, were considered low -income and received insurance from Obama, they all had insurance before. Because in each state there is a special medical care fund for families who need it.

Vladimir Morozov: In this place of our conversation, one of the cats joins her. She sits on the table right near my microphone and begins to rub her back against him. Mackenzie picks up the impudent and takes her to the second floor to his room.

Jeff, and your company? Does it help you pay for the family’s medical expenses?

Jeff: Today, most companies cannot afford to buy insurance for their employees. As a rule, they cover only a small part of its value. How much do they give me? My company pays me about 8 percent of my earnings.

Vladimir Morozov: And you guys are not afraid that while the republican ones cancel the Obama system, will the prices of medical services take off to heaven?

Sarah: this will not happen. Why? Because there is competition. If one insurance company is too high, then people will leave it to other companies. The first will burn out, while others will survive, because they will offer lower prices.

Vladimir Morozov: What are you so amicably against the Obama system? What is not suitable for Obamaker?

Jeff: Previously, we paid for medical insurance of the whole family $ 700 a month. But then the Obamaker system entered into force, and they began to take 1600-1700 per month from us for a family.

Vladimir Morozov: But why did the amount increase so sharply? I heard complaints from other people. What's happened?

Sarah: And this is what happened to the insurance. After the introduction of the Obama system, not all Americans wanted to buy insurance. Someone said that he could not afford it. But basically they were young people who still do not think about any diseases and therefore the costs of medicine seem unnecessary to them. After the introduction of “Obamaker”, the government convinced these people that now they have the right to insurance. And taking into account their low earnings, they received it for free. This is an additional expense for insurance companies, they need to somehow compensate for it. And they shifted the financial burden on the shoulders of other people. For someone’s free insurance, I pay, my family pays. Our contribution has grown more than doubled. And we are not the only one. That is, the middle class, working people pay for insurance for the lower part of the middle class.

Vladimir Morozov: Sarah, I spoke with your conservative muzh, he believes that Obama deliberately deceived the Americans, promising them that the costs of insurance would not increase, but will lower. But I don't think so. It seems to me that Obama and his advisers simply failed to foresee unwanted consequences.

Sarah Dolan completely agrees with me. And Jeff remains alone.

Jeff: And I think that he knew and foresaw everything. You hold Obama by the simpleton. And he and his advisers knew that the reform would put everything upside down. That the costs of medicine in people will increase and then the Americans will demand that a single source of health consumption costs. And the government will receive what the leaders of the Democratic Party always dream of - the government will take control of all the costs of citizens' health and liquidate private insurance companies. And they compete with each other, which restrains prices in prices. But if we will not pay contributions to various private companies, but taxes to the government, then it will be out of competition, will set any prices in its arbitrariness and the bureaucrats will begin to distribute to whom to provide what kind of medical services.

Vladimir Morozov: So, after all, the prices and cost of costs for medicine are still growing! The insurers themselves lift them up, and some people call them parasites.

Sarah: I do not see parasites in them. They pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to hospitals and doctors. Insurance companies give work to a large number of people. And rising prices are logical. You look at the equipment of hospitals. Every year it improves and becomes more complicated. Hospitals pay a lot of money for this. The current equipment simply cannot be compared with what was 30 years ago. For example, in the field of special surgery.

Vladimir Morozov: Private companies help to insure not only health, Jeff says, the architectural company in which I work is also bought. The insurance policy has hospitals and doctors with private practice.

Jeff: Doctors buy insurance not the case if one of the patients sues them.

Sarah: If a doctor is sue for a little mistake, this can ruin him, literally destroy his whole life.