posted on April 16, 2001 04:15:29 AM new
Our medicare is for people over 65 or who are permanently disabled. We have poverty health care coverage that is state funded. But in our state you have to be way below the poverty level to qualify. Most good companies offer health insurance. The company pays for part of the premium and you pay the rest.
For instance, I pay $76 a month for medical and dental coverage for me and DH. That's pretty cheap and we have great coverage. I've heard from a few places that we have the best dental plan. But when I had a crown put on, it still cost me $300 out of pocket. Most prescriptions for us are $8 and a doctor visit is $10. One of the things I like about our plan is that I can go see a specialist whenever I want, I don't have to get a referral like most plans. We have to use a doctor on the list, but the list is huge. All of the doctors I've had in the past are on it so it was easy. And if your favorite doctor isn't on it, you can recommend them. The worst part about our plan is for lab work, physical therapy and surgeries we have to pay 10%. But the fee is discounted so that helps. I've had to pay $65 for each of the 3 MRI's I had done recently.
posted on April 16, 2001 04:21:46 AM new
Oh no, I'll be on the day shift more than likely. I was on days when I went out on leave. I'd made the jump a year before (so almost 2 years ago). My DH was tired of never seeing me. I'm not particularly a day person though. As you can see I've reverted back to nights since I've been out. It's going to be hard to readjust again. Besides, from what I hear the night shift for my production line doesn't even exist anymore. But I will be part time to start and get extra breaks so I can stretch. I couldn't imagine going back after all this time and go straight to a 12 hour shift! That would really do me in.
posted on April 16, 2001 04:25:50 AM new
Our Medicare is for everyone. It covers you for your doctors visits, most of our doctors bulk bill for your visits, well the normal GP's anyway. If you are going to a specialist you may have to pay a small amount above what Medicare pays out, most times it is only a nominal fee of about $8 to $20 extra depending on which specialist service you are going to.
Our private cover costs me for a family $175.50AU per month, it is a fair amount but we are cover for private hospital, doctor of our choice if we are in hospital, optical, dental and many more things. I have at time thought of dropping out of the private health scheme but we need it and if I dropped out one of us would get sick for sure. LOL
We also have a healthcare card for low income earners, that entitles them to even more benifets , like perscriptions for only $3.20AU and free dental and optical ect. This can be for anyone at all who has a low income, I think it is for about under $300 per week for a family the amount varies depending on whether or not you have dependants or not.
Not everyone can get the healthcare card, we are not entitled to one because we supposedly earn too much. The government tells us so. LOL
[ edited by nettak on Apr 16, 2001 04:29 AM ]
posted on April 16, 2001 04:34:02 AM new
Wow, I'm amazed I managed to stay up this late! At 2:30 I was thinking I wouldn't make it to 3:00. See you got me all involved in a serious topic, LOL!
Let's see, did Pharlap lose her connection or do she fall asleep?
posted on April 16, 2001 04:37:42 AM new
I think her connection must have been cut. Well I am going to have to call it a night as well. I have a few things to do and not a lot of time to do them in. My husband is starting to think I have grown attatched to this damn machine, and has been seen wandering around muttering to himself, so maybe I had better give him some time. LOL
posted on April 16, 2001 05:50:50 AM new
That's it! The packings done for the night.
Just reading all this talk about working conditions, overtime, holidays etc.
It reminds me of the last big industrial time of unrest we had.
The union had called everyone to a mass meeting to report on the progress of negotiations with the bosses.
To thunderous applause the union leader told the masses that they had negotiated a higher hourly rate, increased sick pay, extra holidays, a free pension fund and best of all they only had to work on Wednesdays.
When the cheering subsided a lone voice at the back of the crowd called out,
What, every bloody Wednesday?
Bob, Downunder but never down.
posted on April 16, 2001 06:26:07 AM new
Oooh is everybody gone...I was just going to fill the rest of the world in on what it is like to live in Massachusetts (or as the other states call us Taxachusettes)
We have a 5% sales tax, except on clothing and medicine.
We have a State Income Tax which also includes a tax on Bank Interest, and Dividends.
Then there is the Real Property tax on your home and land.
Personal property tax on automobile, trailers etc.
Of course I collect sales tax for the Governor and report that quarterly.
And my favorite tax of all....if I go to New Hampshire and buy furniture (there is no sales tax up there) I am supposed to report that purchase to Massachusetts so that I can pay what they call a "Use Tax" Oooooh Yeah!
Oh and then there are the sneaky taxes: Toll roads and bridges where you get to pay more money than already built into the cost of gas for the use of the highways (not all)
I am sure I am missing some but that's it for now.
posted on April 16, 2001 03:56:20 PM new
Hi everyone, I'm back at last, all relaxed and rearing to go. We had an absolutely wonderful time, the weather was perfect and so was the company and the grog (and the tim tams). The easter bunny didn't come to me though!!!
I'll have to scan back all these pages that you've all been busy writing, nearly died when I saw them all. I'll do it later to see what you've been talking about.
Thanks Netta, for keeping an eye on Ash, he told me that the Easter bunny came to him at your place.... I'll phone you later.
Well. I've gotta go for now, heaps of dirty washing to do, a bit of unpacking etc. Hope you all had a good easter break and I'll talk to you all soon.
posted on April 16, 2001 10:27:36 PM new
Hi back at ya Sara!
Hi Zilvy, thanks for giving the rest of us a glimpse at other parts of the country. Here we have state income tax and city sales tax on everything but food and prescriptions. Phoenix's rate is 7.5% now, thanks to a prop that passed for a new football stadium, I voted no. We also have property tax and vehicle tax. The vehicle tax is part of our car registration to help disguise it. But we can itemize it on our return.
posted on April 16, 2001 10:29:21 PM new
Oh my goodness, I forgot to say hi and welcome back to Kazanne! It sounds like you had a good time, I'm jealous. Don't feel bad, the Easter Bunny didn't visit me either.
posted on April 17, 2001 12:09:22 AM new
Hello Mouse, how are you doing today?
Looks to me like we all have a whole heap of taxes no matter which country we live in, the governments will get us all one way or another.
Hi Zilvy I am sorry that I missed you.
I am sending a big hug and hello to Enchanted, just in case you are out there. LOL Here is your hug and it has a big Rocker type Smooch to go with it. {{{SMOOOOOOCH}}}
Now it is Rocker's turn, Big Smooooooches to you honey, we all miss you.
Ooopsy!
[ edited by nettak on Apr 17, 2001 12:10 AM ]
posted on April 17, 2001 12:38:18 AM new
Good evening Netta! Since no one was around to play I was off working on another batch of pictures. Only 2 to go! Did you get my email?
posted on April 17, 2001 12:45:01 AM new
Um, duh! I should have checked my email before I asked. Reply sent...
I'm getting there. I still haven't measured a single thing or written up any auctions. But that part should come fast. For me the time taker is the pictures. I'm picky I think because I used to work in the photo field. I'm hoping to launch maybe 20-30 to start with, maybe towards the end of the week. I still don't have my printer set up yet though and that is an important item!
posted on April 17, 2001 12:56:14 AM new
That is a lot more than I ever put up at any one time. The most I ever put up was about 15 I think. But I like to keep track of everything and if I had more than that I probably would forget something or send the stuff to the wrong person, or something silly like that.
I hope you can get them up and running by the end of the week, even if it is only a dozen or so to start with, that is better than nothing.
I went down an posted Pharlap's Peeps today, with luck and the Aussie Postal Service she should have them tomorrow. Now isn't she in for a treat.
posted on April 17, 2001 12:59:14 AM new
LOL, are you trying for cruel & unusual punishment??? I tried them once, that was enough!
I'm always afraid of messing up too. I think the most I've ever had was 30, and they didn't start or end the same day. I just need to get some $$ rolling in here!
posted on April 17, 2001 01:09:53 AM new
Oh well just take it at a pace that you know you can handle.
I will be in and out for a little while as I have a few things to attend too. But I will keep coming back in a checking to see if you are here. I just might take a little bit longer to answer that's all.
posted on April 17, 2001 01:13:30 AM new
Good morning (4 AM for me) - I believe it is mostly ladies. I think I got up too late to catch the Australians. Nettak is right - they take a nip out of your hide no matter where you live. A Greek lady was all indignant with me one day however when she found out we paid tax on our house twice a year or we are put out. She said in America you never own your house - you rent it from the government.
She said in Greece they will tax you if you own houses to rent for income but never your residence.
I live on the edge of the Detroit Metro area and they have a city tax on top of state and federal. I have twice turned down jobs there because of that. Too dangerous to commute through it anyway.
Very interesting discussion tonight. My brother in law Tom and his wife Dora stopped in yesterday to take his Mom to dinner and I was horrified to find they have no health insurance at all. If they ahave a big hospital stay it will ruin them financially.
They are the sort who are always flying off on cosmic adventures that we adults seem able to avoid.
Thanks for the thread.
posted on April 17, 2001 01:20:05 AM new
Hi gravid, nice of you to join us ladies.
It's astonishing how many middle-class Americans have no health insurance. I don't know about there, but here you have to be way below the poverty level to get public health care. My ex-sister in law had 4 kids and was working in a convience store or something (making very little I'm sure). Her kids qualified, but she didn't. Now if she were to get ill, who was going to take care of the kids??
That's one of my biggest worries with DH's company. He seems to feel as soon as it starts making any kind of money, I can quit my job. While I would love to do that, I've heard that health care for small business owners is ridiculous.
posted on April 17, 2001 01:34:59 AM new
Hello Gravid.
Mouse, a lot of Australians do not have private health cover either, but we do have free hospital for anyone who can not afford it, and all Australians are entitled to have a medicare card and with that you can get a lot of doctors' all around our country to bulk bill, so that you do not have to actually pay to see the doctor. Well we do pay because the medicare levy comes out of our taxes, but for those who do not work or are on low incomes and therefore do not contribute to the medicare levy, they still get free doctors' and hospitals.
We do not discriminate against anyone as far as our public hospital system goes, everyone rich or poor, young or old gets to use it, as much or as little as they choose.
We also have to pay what we call rates on our houses. Where I am we pay twice a year, but some places pay quarterly, and the occassional council may only charge you rates once a year, but that would be a whooping great amount.
posted on April 17, 2001 01:45:57 AM new
Being a relatively new homeowner, I'm not sure what all our property tax goes for. But I know it goes towards public schools, police & fire and partially roads I believe. Where I am I'm lucky, my property tax and homeowners & flood insurance comes out of an escrow account I pay into with my mortgage payment. So I don't get the bills directly, the mortgage company does. They adjust my payments yearly based on what the previous year's bills were and what they estimate the raise will be. It's ridiculous that I have to pay flood insurance where I am. I'm in the middle of the city and our sewer system has improved a lot in the past 20 years. But they say we're on a flood plain and are required to have it. Someday I should do something about it...But then again I know how the desert can be, dry as a bone for 20 years and then one big storm could flood a place. If you don't have seperate flood insurance, you're out of luck.
*Edited to add we thought we had to have the flood insurance because there's a canal right behind us. But it has nothing to do with that. Go figure!
~^~ Hippy wannabe ~^~
[ edited by MouseSlayer on Apr 17, 2001 01:49 AM ]
posted on April 17, 2001 01:51:08 AM new
In theory any hospital here should have to take you in. The reality is that if it is not an emergemcy - if you are not bleeding and in pain - they can find ways to refuse to admit you.
The very best hospital in the area can't add beds because they don't allow market forces to control how many beds a hospital can add.
The state will not allow them to add beds if there are unused beds in abother hospital in the area that nobody wants to go to.
If I am ever hurt real bad I would be happy if they can get me past the nice hospital 2 miles from my house and to the one about 8 miles away that is in the county seat. They are in a rough rough neighborhood and summer nights and weekends their emergency room is like the medics station in a war zone. They have people coming in from car wreaks and shot up with all sorts of high powered weapons that the people never see who work in the nice areas so they have the very best trauma center in the state. You can go in there looking like something prepped for a stir fry and they will save you. But for minor surgery I was happy to go to the other because it is like staying in a nice hotel.
Nice furniture and carpets - pleasant colors and better food than most restaurants I go to.
posted on April 17, 2001 01:59:36 AM new
You know the funny thing about some of the private hospitals here, they actually do hire restaurant chefs to cater food for the paitents. In most cases with the private hospitals you can order just about whatever your little heart desires. Well once you are on the mend that is, unless of course you are on a special diet, and even then you have a very wide choice to choose from. LOL
Well I have to say that I am absolutely disgusted with the way some of the members here treat others. Now I don't know the full story of who they thought Fairyblossom was, but my thoughts are that until you can prove someone is not who they say they are, leave them alone. She was not hurting anyone, in fact all I could see was that she was giving a bit of humor and fun to this board and she has been kicked in the teeth and treated like scum. Some of these long time posters need to learn some manners.
posted on April 17, 2001 02:00:58 AM new
Slayer of mice - They are worried about the 100 year flood. If you go up in a plane and look where you are you can probably see the flat on either side of the water course that defines your flood plain. We have a small creek with a gravel bed that runs through our municipal park . It is real easy to see the flood plain for it. There is a flat area that extends most places from 20 meters to as much as 100 meters fronm the bank of the creek until there is an abrupt transition to hilly terrain. Some places it is hard to even see from an airplane. There are places along the Mississippi where the flood plain reaches back 20 and 30 miles. You would not believe it floods that far on each side untill you see it with the water to both horizens.
posted on April 17, 2001 02:03:53 AM new
Yes even if you think someone is a troll you can approuch it with a little light hearted humor - not heavy handed. People will say things from the safety of their keyboard they would never say face to face.
posted on April 17, 2001 02:12:32 AM new
They had no proof that this person was a troll, and they hammered her without reason. That in my opinion is just plain nasty and rude.
Most prescriptions for us are $8 and a doctor visit is $10. One of the things I like about our plan is that I can go see a specialist whenever I want, I don't have to get a referral like most plans. We have to use a doctor on the list, but the list is huge. All of the doctors I've had in the past are on it so it was easy. And if your favorite doctor isn't on it, you can recommend them. The worst part about our plan is for lab work, physical therapy and surgeries we have to pay 10%. But the fee is discounted so that helps. I've had to pay $65 for each of the 3 MRI's I had done recently. 
Hippy wannabe 
~^~
We also have property tax and vehicle tax. The vehicle tax is part of our car registration to help disguise it. 
Ooopsy!
