alt Hacker NewsI tried an American PPO with $10 co-pay and no deductibles. It was awesome :)
Nobody could tell me what anything would cost, or if the insurance would cover it. But I always ended up paying $10, whether it was a few pills or an expensive MRI I didn't need. Oh, yeah the downside is you can accidentally convince your doctor to get procedures you don't need.
Health care in Denmark is decent. But I've been told, no when I wanted to run some tests. That would never happen on an American PPO :)
I have had go wait, while unpleasant, it's fairly harmless (otherwise they don't let you wait).
So if you're on an great PPO plan in the US, healthcare is great.
Whether the outcome is better for the average Joe, is probably a different question.
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I've had PPO insurance for a few decades. I've been denied tests and procedures many times, even when I had radiologist exams that supported the surgery according to their own rules. I've been forced to wait for procedures on many occasions.
My sister used to cook on private Yachts in the Mediterranean, and mingle with that part of the population that pay 3-5k/month for private insurance, helicopter evacuation and all that. I'm pretty sure they can ask their clinics any unnecessary tests they want, too.