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Comment on U.S. Health Care Prices are the Elephant in the Roomparent

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> and at this point I'm now spending about $10k a year. I realize that doesn't sound like a ton of money

That's more than a third of the median US individual income.

If that was put in a savings account and used for health expenses, is there anyway it wouldn't be a better option? By the time something bad happens, statistically, there should be a fair bit of cash there. It's worth noting that I'm not in the US, and while I know care is expensive in the US, I may be under estimating it.

Unfortunately things are insanely expensive via self-pay. My wife's first pregnancy was in the realm of $25-30,000 if we didn't have insurance.

And that was just a routine pregnancy with no complications...

That's unbelievable - my wife had our child at no financial cost other than taxes and had a terrible experience. If we had used an obstetrician that we paid for out our pocket and she had a Caesarian (I only we had taken that option) it would have cost US$2500 - that's all inclusive with pre birth and post delivery visit and checks. New Zealand.

A friend of mine that had insurance cut off his thumb a few years ago; all told the bill to him ended up being around $80,000. It is unfortunate, but you can't really just save and hope that a tragic thing like that won't happen - it is possible.

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