North Korea and US politics

[slotplayer]

I can see the problems, thanks for posting it as I do not know all specifics of the ACA. I agree, single payer is absolutely the way to go.

However, IMO, all insurances are big Ponzi schemes, they wouldn't work any other way. The basic rule for all types of insurance is - as many as possible pay in, as few as possible take out. This means car insurance is not much different to healthcare.

You need a broad spectrum of people paying to make it affordable for all.

something happened to the Healthcare system, not really sure what unless its just aging baby boomer population.

I had employer based insurance up until 2004 when I decided not to go back to high tech. In the late 1990's for the family plan back then it was inexpensive, I'm not 100% sure but I think it was something like $16 for 3 people each bi-weekly pay period.

Auto insurance used to go down a little every year as the car aged. I'm about $850 a year for 2011 SUV, in the past few years its been going up about $30/yr. I brought it up with the agent and we both laughed.

Auto glass is cover 100% here though, the lawn people broke my passenger window last year, called a glass company, the next day they came and popped in a new window, all I did was go out and sign.

 

[Harry_BKK]

The thing is how much does an american primary care physician or a specialist earn and how much do the same professionals earn in germany, france, holland etc.. are drugs or treatments more expensive in the US etc. I think it could be a good idea for a comparative study to be undertaken. What is the healthcare system in malaysia like Harry?

No clue, to be honest.

I know the Singapore system very well which I think is pretty good, if not the best in Asia. Everyone has an individual CPF account which covers Medisave, retirement and other things. A fixed percentage is locked for Medisave and retirement, the reminder can be used to pay for education of the kids, buying a house, unemployment (limited) etc....basically stuff that the government supports and sees as beneficial for its citizens. Once you retire you can opt to have the entire unblocked amount + retirement funds paid out in a lump sum or you go for monthly partial payments.

20% (split 50/50 with the employer) from your salary goes every month into the account. Everyone is free to deposit extra money into it at any time. Plus the government dumps some money on top, e.g. for each child they match $1 : $1 up to a certain amount going in.

However, it is not perfect. If you're never seriously ill and had high contributions all your life, then you're absolutely fine. The problem starts when e.g. you depleted your Medisave part, because then you have to pay the entire medical bills. You can buy additional private insurance to cover that but that doesn't work easily when you have a family of 4 or 5 and just a normal salary.

Thailand introduced a few years ago a basic healthcare program for everyone. I think they contribute like THB500 from the salary every month. It only covers though basic stuff.

As for myself, I left the general healthcare system decades ago and went without insurance for a long time. Later then, because of my son, I signed up for a private insurance plan which currently takes appr. US$400 every month from my pockets. Nothing fancy, but sufficient should I ran into health issues. I don't need a single room or other such perks when I am sick

 

[Harry_BKK]

something happened to the Healthcare system, not really sure what unless its just aging baby boomer population.

I had employer based insurance up until 2004 when I decided not to go back to high tech. In the late 1990's for the family plan back then it was inexpensive, I'm not 100% sure but I think it was something like $16 for 3 people each bi-weekly pay period.

Auto insurance used to go down a little every year as the car aged. I'm about $850 a year for 2011 SUV, in the past few years its been going up about $30/yr. I brought it up with the agent and we both laughed.

Auto glass is cover 100% here though, the lawn people broke my passenger window last year, called a glass company, the next day they came and popped in a new window, all I did was go out and sign.

The aging population is the biggest problem for all government welfare programs as they all rely on a pyramid system, the wide bottom representing the young generation. That has changed dramatically throughout the developed nations. US, Germany, UK etc, all have far too low birth rates to sustain the programs properly. Plus, we live longer, leading to higher per-capita costs for health care programs at the top of the pyramid.

The problem in the US is amplified by the much higher cost for drugs, medical treatments etc. Don't know exactly why that is the case.

 

[mack341]

No clue, to be honest.

I know the Singapore system very well which I think is pretty good, if not the best in Asia. Everyone has an individual CPF account which covers Medisave, retirement and other things. A fixed percentage is locked for Medisave and retirement, the reminder can be used to pay for education of the kids, buying a house, unemployment (limited) etc....basically stuff that the government supports and sees as beneficial for its citizens. Once you retire you can opt to have the entire unblocked amount + retirement funds paid out in a lump sum or you go for monthly partial payments.

20% (split 50/50 with the employer) from your salary goes every month into the account. Everyone is free to deposit extra money into it at any time. Plus the government dumps some money on top, e.g. for each child they match $1 : $1 up to a certain amount going in.

However, it is not perfect. If you're never seriously ill and had high contributions all your life, then you're absolutely fine. The problem starts when e.g. you depleted your Medisave part, because then you have to pay the entire medical bills. You can buy additional private insurance to cover that but that doesn't work easily when you have a family of 4 or 5 and just a normal salary.

Thailand introduced a few years ago a basic healthcare program for everyone. I think they contribute like THB500 from the salary every month. It only covers though basic stuff.

As for myself, I left the general healthcare system decades ago and went without insurance for a long time. Later then, because of my son, I signed up for a private insurance plan which currently takes appr. US$400 every month from my pockets. Nothing fancy, but sufficient should I ran into health issues. I don't need a single room or other such perks when I am sick

By the sounds of it, if you have a chronic condition which needs a lot of treatment, tests etc.. you could be in difficulty and need extra money for when your medisave runs out. Makes me think perhaps the NHS is a better system but it does needs a real good looking at and overhaul. we spend 640 million a year on outside management consultants on top of the nhs bureaucracy. how many nurses or doctors could be trained or hired instead of the unnecessary waste. I wonder how china copes, with its big population and also high pollution and large number of smokers.

 

[Harry_BKK]

By the sounds of it, if you have a chronic condition which needs a lot of treatment, tests etc.. you could be in difficulty and need extra money for when your medisave runs out. Makes me think perhaps the NHS is a better system but it does needs a real good looking at and overhaul. we spend 640 million a year on outside management consultants on top of the nhs bureaucracy. how many nurses or doctors could be trained or hired instead of the unnecessary waste. I wonder how china copes, with its big population and also high pollution and large number of smokers.

There are some supplemental programs from the government to alleviate costs of chronically ill people but yeah, you still take most of the brunt with the bills. Good reason to try and stay healthy as long as possible or you better have some private insurance back-u to fill the gap.

China is simple: you are sick, you pay...you can't pay, you die.

 

[slotplayer]

The aging population is the biggest problem for all government welfare programs as they all rely on a pyramid system, the wide bottom representing the young generation. That has changed dramatically throughout the developed nations. US, Germany, UK etc, all have far too low birth rates to sustain the programs properly. Plus, we live longer, leading to higher per-capita costs for health care programs at the top of the pyramid.


The problem in the US is amplified by the much higher cost for drugs, medical treatments etc. Don't know exactly why that is the case.

yes, all of it is a pyramid scheme, but the cycle will start to reverse once the generation using the most benefits starts to die off.

The reason I hear is US big pharma uses the US market to recoop the billions invested to develop a medicine. Then they offer it overseas as "an additional revenue/market place stream", basically gravy, thus other countries like Switzerland (the example country mentioned) are able to negotiate excellent pricing.

 

[Harry_BKK]

yes, all of it is a pyramid scheme, but the cycle will start to reverse once the generation using the most benefits starts to die off.

The reason I hear is US big pharma uses the US market to recoop the billions invested to develop a medicine. Then they offer it overseas as "an additional revenue/market place stream", basically gravy, thus other countries like Switzerland (the example country mentioned) are able to negotiate excellent pricing.

Not really sure that applies as pharmaceuticals are huge global corporations where R&D is done in multiple locations across the world. That argumentation has been brought up / amplified by Mr. T, however, I haven't read enough about the pricing issue to make a qualified answer. But we know, that Mr. T tries to pin all US problems on outside "powers". Hence, highly doubtful that it is actually true.

Personally, I think they just charge in every country as much as they can get away with.

 

[Steviedoo]

Wow, what an explanation for his statement after the meeting with Vlad, probably the worst possible

"In a key sentence in my remarks I said the word would instead of wouldn’t. The sentence should have been: 'I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia'. Sort of a double negative. I think that probably clarifies things pretty good on itself."

Only that just minutes earlier he said:

"Could be other people also. There's a lot of people out there."

So which is it?

BTW, reading from a written transcript this time, nicely put together by his press team so it can sound at least somewhat credible, which it isn't as his statement in the Helsinki presser had more than just the one sentence where he claims to have misspoken.

Trump is helping the Russians dismantle the USA.

 

[slotplayer]

Not really sure that applies as pharmaceuticals are huge global corporations where R&D is done in multiple locations across the world. That argumentation has been brought up / amplified by Mr. T, however, I haven't read enough about the pricing issue to make a qualified answer. But we know, that Mr. T tries to pin all US problems on outside "powers". Hence, highly doubtful that it is actually true.

Personally, I think they just charge in every country as much as they can get away with.

I heard it on the business news way before T came on the scene.

 

[Harry_BKK]

I heard it on the business news way before T came on the scene.

I still don't think that to be 100% true because I can't imagine a global pharmaceutical would go through the trouble to have 100's of different prices for every country.

Some 33 years ago, I worked the night shift for a pharmaceutical reseller for three weeks during school holidays. I was putting drugs order together for shipping and most had the prices on the collection sheets. Deliveries were to all possible countries and I hardly ever saw big price differences.

I just looked at Aspirin prices (the Bayer original) and found that they are lower in the US. 300 tablets for $16.99 at Walgreens, in Germany you get 100 tablets for appr. $12.00.

Only one example, but I am pretty sure just like with the selective highlighting of tariffs, there are outliers in pharmaceuticals and all other industries.

If you take the tariffs Mr. T keeps bringing up, especially the 10% on cars the EU is charging, you will see that overall they are on average around 2 - 3%. On some products the US is charging higher tariffs and on others the EU. Taking all 99 tariff chapters together, it balances out.

 

[slotplayer]

 

[slotplayer]

I still don't think that to be 100% true because I can't imagine a global pharmaceutical would go through the trouble to have 100's of different prices for every country.

Some 33 years ago, I worked the night shift for a pharmaceutical reseller for three weeks during school holidays. I was putting drugs orders together for shipping and most had the prices on the collection sheets. Deliveries were to all possible countries and I hardly ever saw big price differences.

I just looked at Aspirin prices (the Bayer original) and found that they are lower in the US. 300 tablets for $16.99 at Walgreens, in Germany you get 100 tablets for appr. $12.00.

Only one example, but I am pretty sure just like with the selective highlighting of tariffs, there are outliers in pharmaceuticals and all other industries.

If you take the tariffs Mr. T keeps bringing up, especially the 10% on cars the EU is charging, you will see that overall they are on average around 2 - 3%. On some products the US is charging higher tariffs and on others the EU. Taking all 99 tariff chapters together, it balances out.

I was Googling around reading some articles but they offer different reasons.
Some said the National Healthcare Systems had greater bargaining power.

 

[Harry_BKK]

I was Googling around reading some articles but they offer different reasons.
Some said the National Healthcare Systems had greater bargaining power.

That is true indeed for one part of the pricing. However, the big pharmaceuticals are working wit a maze-like system of rebates/discounts etc that makes it virtually impossible to know what price would be fair for a particular drug.

 

[goatwack]

Pharmas are legalized scammers, a large part of why the NHS is ailing, and why healthcare will never be allowed to get truly reformed in the U.S.

Look at the cost of cancer treatment pills alone, no amount of R&D justifies £/$100,000s per supply

 

[Steviedoo]

And the reason for posting this video was to show what exactly?

That Putin wants better relations with the usa?
That we should believe that putin had nothing to do with election meddling?
And so this makes trump’s performance at Helsinki correct and ok. And let’s not forget trump corrected himself so we should all be ok with it.

 

[slotplayer]

And the reason for posting this video was to show what exactly?

That Putin wants better relations with the usa?
That we should believe that putin had nothing to do with election meddling?
And so this makes trump’s performance at Helsinki correct and ok. And let’s not forget trump corrected himself so we should all be ok with it.

Why not post it?

 

[weesie]

Auto insurance used to go down a little every year as the car aged. I'm about $850 a year for 2011 SUV, in the past few years its been going up about $30/yr. I brought it up with the agent and we both laughed.

Auto glass is cover 100% here though, the lawn people broke my passenger window last year, called a glass company, the next day they came and popped in a new window, all I did was go out and sign.

Car insurance is a big rip-off any more. Several years ago before I quit driving, I had an older car, it was paid off, so I opted for liability only. It was $30 to $35 a month. Then out of no where it jumped by 50%. I thought "What fresh hell is this?"".

I called my agent and was informed that they currently had started including a persons credit rating on their rates. Lower credit rating, higher insurance premium. Bullshit if you ask me. I think at the time I was having some financial issues but I never ever had a claim (in years) and I never ever missed a payment. The fact that car insurance is legally required in my state means they can hose you every way from Sunday and get away with it if you have the least little financial issue on the books. Crooks, the lot of them!

 

[Harry_BKK]

What hilarious days in the WH trying to clean up the Helsinki mess.

Shows they are not just pretty bad in telling the truth but also hopeless at cleaning up a mess they themselves created.

One aide doesn't know what the other says, then Mr. T having a "both sides 2.0" moment regarding Russian meddling, later walking back from the previous walking back argument and even worse, proving yet again that he is really clueless. His interview with Tucker clearly showed it, when they talked about why Tucker should send his son to defend Montenegro because of the NATO Article 5.

Mr. T had this gem up his sleeve: "Montenegro people are very aggressive people, they may get aggressive...and congratulations, you are in WWIII" --> mindblowing that a US president does not even know the simple basics of NATO.

--> First, implying, that a nation with some 600,000 people and an army of less than 2,000 soldiers would attack Russia, is just hilarious
--> Second, Article 5 is only referring that other NATO allies have to come to the defense if a country is attacked but not when that country is attacking another country.
--> Third, Montenegro did not ask for any assistance when their Prime Minister was nearly assassinated by Russians when they were negotiating to join NATO.
--> Fourth, the only country that activated Article 5 in over 70 years is the US

But hey, the NATO is now in tip-top shape since the last summit and the relationship with Russia better than ever before. Of course, none of that has a scintilla of truth.

Mr. T regarding Putin and Russian meddling: "I let him know we can't have this. We're not going to have it. And that's the way it's going to be".

Is he that naive or just plain stupid? As if a decade-long KGB agent will just do as he is told by a foreign president.

P.S. And changing his attitude towards North Korea. There is suddenly now "no hurry" in all the brimborium with NK. IMO, Mr. T preparing the public slowly for a failure to denuclearize NK.

 

[slotplayer]

Car insurance is a big rip-off any more. Several years ago before I quit driving, I had an older car, it was paid off, so I opted for liability only. It was $30 to $35 a month. Then out of no where it jumped by 50%. I thought "What fresh hell is this?"".

I called my agent and was informed that they currently had started including a persons credit rating on their rates. Lower credit rating, higher insurance premium. Bullshit if you ask me. I think at the time I was having some financial issues but I never ever had a claim (in years) and I never ever missed a payment. The fact that car insurance is legally required in my state means they can hose you every way from Sunday and get away with it if you have the least little financial issue on the books. Crooks, the lot of them!

They haven't done that here yet, there is a merit rating though.

 

[Steviedoo]

And mr trump,according to several news stories today knew that Russia was responsible for meddling in the election almost immediately after he was elected. And he’s been saying that Russia had nothing to do with it...In Helsinki was the biggest betrayal,then he took it back and added it could be other people, lots of people...so even in correcting his misspeak...he denies it.

 

[Steviedoo]

What hilarious days in the WH trying to clean up the Helsinki mess.

Shows they are not just pretty bad in telling the truth but also hopeless at cleaning up a mess they themselves created.

One aide doesn't know what the other says, then Mr. T having a "both sides 2.0" moment regarding Russian meddling, later walking back from the previous walking back argument and even worse, proving yet again that he is really clueless. His interview with Tucker clearly showed it, when they talked about why Tucker should send his son to defend Montenegro because of the NATO Article 5.

Mr. T had this gem up his sleeve: "Montenegro people are very aggressive people, they may get aggressive...and congratulations, you are in WWIII" --> mindblowing that a US president does not even know the simple basics of NATO.

--> First, implying, that a nation with some 600,000 people and an army of less than 2,000 soldiers would attack Russia, is just hilarious
--> Second, Article 5 is only referring that other NATO allies have to come to the defense if a country is attacked but not when that country is attacking another country.
--> Third, Montenegro did not ask for any assistance when their Prime Minister was nearly assassinated by Russians when they were negotiating to join NATO.
--> Fourth, the only country that activated Article 5 in over 70 years is the US

But hey, the NATO is now in tip-top shape since the last summit and the relationship with Russia better than ever before. Of course, none of that has a scintilla of truth.

Mr. T regarding Putin and Russian meddling: "I let him know we can't have this. We're not going to have it. And that's the way it's going to be".

Is he that naive or just plain stupid? As if a decade-long KGB agent will just do as he is told by a foreign president.

P.S. And changing his attitude towards North Korea. There is suddenly now "no hurry" in all the brimborium with NK. IMO, Mr. T preparing the public slowly for a failure to denuclearize NK.

I think the montenegro comment just didn’t come out of nowhere...he’s helping Russia.

 

[Harry_BKK]

I think the Montenegro comment just didn’t come out of nowhere...he’s helping Russia.

Russia was totally against Montenegro joining NATO. The reason is that Russia is friendly with Serbia which has no access to the Mediterranean Sea and now with Montenegro the entire coast is running through NATO countries.

 

[Steviedoo]

Yesterday the White House quietly released a budget report estimating the 2019 deficit will exceed $1 trillion.
Gee wonder why.

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They will blame obama ....

 

[mack341]

This is also an interesting background article on america's deficit:

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Overall the debt is 21 trillion, so if it goes up every year by another trillion I can't see how its sustainable, I think the annual interest paid in 2017 is about 470 billion dollars but this includes billions paid to us government trust funds as they're creditors as well. The world is so debted up its madness, where will it all end?

Also it says in the article that non mortgage consumer debt is 4 trillion and the student debt is 1.4 trillion, given this I would say its difficult to understand predictions of growth but maybe its down to demographics and there are a lot of teenagers about to become adults in a couple of years who will spend and borrow lots more money...

Edit: apparently the uk's debt is 1.78 trillion and the annual interest is 48 billion, I think our overall debt is still going up each year.

 

[slotplayer]

This is also an interesting background article on america's deficit:

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Overall the debt is 21 trillion, so if it goes up every year by another trillion I can't see how its sustainable, I think the annual interest paid in 2017 is about 470 billion dollars but this includes billions paid to us government trust funds as they're creditors as well. The world is so debted up its madness, where will it all end?

Also it says in the article that non mortgage consumer debt is 4 trillion and the student debt is 1.4 trillion, given this I would say its difficult to understand predictions of growth but maybe its down to demographics and there are a lot of teenagers about to become adults in a couple of years who will spend and borrow lots more money...

Edit: apparently the uk's debt is 1.78 trillion and the annual interest is 48 billion, I think our overall debt is still going up each year.

I believe Clinton balanced the budget and actually had a small surplus. Of course every year I used to get a small refund up until Clinton, that was the first year I had to send in additional $$. I didn't follow politics back in the 1990's so really never knew why until I did some research.

Then Bush and Obama, now Trump

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