Question for my American friends?

[nocooler]

I’m to tired to respond half ass intelligently.

[TexasT]

They fixed The gas can, what could go wrong?

[Steve Wood]

My father told me that during the Depression, the government would come and buy a farmer's cattle to give him some income..then they would shoot the cows rather than hauling them off and feeding hungry people with the meat.  I used to find it hard to believe, but, I have seen some pretty stupid things in my life so I am no longer surprised.

[nocooler]

Steve - I’ve been privately covered. But I have had Medicaid as supplemental insurance, so it basically covered our deductible and copayment. This is how it’s structured here, if you have insurance it makes it better and if you don’t it gets you coverage. If you don’t have insurance you get to pick from a list of private regional providers and Medicaid covers the premiums and you are on the hook for the copayment/deductibles. It helps both insured and uninsured but it favors the working people that have coverage. The government doesn’t decide what’s covered and what’s not the private provider does.

I do qualify for Medicare which is the federal level and it’s straight 80/20 without supplemental insurance and while it’s better than nothing it need some changes to make it good.

[Steve Wood]

All these plans need improvement from what I can see from the people around me here.  Glad you had coverage.  Seems like every month I am contributing to someone that needs help covering the stuff that is not covered.  Small towns are good about taking care of each other.  Large towns seldom have that...

[nocooler]

The can that exploded in my hand was the mid 2000 era revision. It was the one without a side vent which makes the nozzle the vent. It ignited and was sucked up the nozzle and into the tank. I was fucked as soon as I took the cap off. Obviously there was still something hot enough to set it all in motion. I’ve always wondered if a different style can would have had a different outcome, sure it still would have flared, but it might not have turned the can into an instant bomb.

I bought 2 of those cans and I still have one. Makes me nervous everytime I use it, and I’ll probably never let the kids near it. Gas stays fresh in it, no vapors escape until you pop the cap off.

[reality]

From the outside looking in, Why do so many US citizens come north for ''free'' health care and even more get their meds from Can and Mexico?

[nocooler]

From the outside looking in, Why do so many US citizens come north for ''free'' health care and even more get their meds from Can and Mexico?

They can’t afford the healthcare they need. We have a $4000 deductible and then an additional $2000 of copays/prescriptions to meet. $6000 out of pocket a year is a lot of money. At one point my medications alone were $2500 a month.

Chronic conditions are expensive to treat.

[Forzfed]

I think most of us are lucky, myself included!  I have never broken a bone and I don't pop pills for any medical condition.  Insurance is one of those things that is good as long as you don't need it.  Once you start using it they start questioning you about everything!
I remember when I went to MIT(Manitoba Institute of Technology), a couple buddy's and I were upset that the school President decided to put us into a dental and medical plan.  It was an extra $50/term, which really isn't that bad.  My one buddy was even on the news complaining about it!    But in the end I used the dental coverage and a few other things so it actually worked out pretty good.  Medication was 80% covered, full dental cleaning and I think any major dental work was 70-80% covered as well.
One of my friend's was a nurse for the head surgeon here years ago.  This guy did lung, heart transplants, etc.  And would get around $250k for major surgeries.  He implanted 2 lungs into this one girl and that was worth $500k.  He was asked why he didn't go to the States and he said the medical practice insurance was too expense from everyone suing and he does just fine here!
Even though I complain about our system, being fairly healthy I think is a blessing.  But I do feel for those born with major ailments.
My next question is, can you guy's write off medical expenses and insurance coverage on your taxes?

[Steve Wood]

I don't have any so I checked Google   

he IRS allows you to deduct qualified medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income for 2017 and 2018. ... Your adjusted gross income (AGI) is your taxable income minus any adjustments to income such as deductions, contributions to a traditional IRA and student loan interest.

[Forzfed]

I think we always hear about the horror stories, like this one.  I just went to my home page and this popped up.https://khn.org/news/a-jolt-to-the-jugular-youre-insured-but-still-owe-109k-for-your-heart-attack/

[nocooler]

Depends how you pay for the medical care, if its paid out of an hsa that you contribute to with pre-tax funds you are not allowed to claim it as deductions.