@briankrebs I am so grateful that I live in a country with free health-care for all

@briankrebs Only way I'm afloat right now as self-employed security researcher/software eng. is because of husband's employer that has great union-negotiated healthcare plan.

Before that, I was spending $800+ on premiums just for myself, while paying for most things out of pocket due to high deductible.

High healthcare costs was the final push to get married after 10+ years together, so I could get on his plan.

@briankrebs This is true in my experience

@briankrebs
Universal healthcare is pro-entrepreneur and pro-worker. However, it’s less beneficial to big business because changing jobs would have reduced friction.

@briankrebs are these plans with the universities? Or some other kind of plan that you qualify for because you’re a student?

@briankrebs phobos turned 10 yesterday. i know exactly these feels

@briankrebs pre-ACA becoming eligible for group plans could also be a reason to join organizations like ACM or IEEE.

Small business startups may also depend a lot on one spouse keeping a corporate job just for the insurance.

I'm amazed that companies haven't pushed harder for nationalized healthcare or Medicare for All just as a competitive thing to reduce their costs.

@briankrebs

What does "inexpensive" mean in the context of US health care plans?
In Austria, students can get health insurance for € 80 per month.

@briankrebs This is the basic problem with the US health insurance industry. The government wants everyone to treat it like a free market product where companies will compete for customers and keep prices under control. But health care is not a typical free market product. You can't wait until broken legs go on sale to get your leg fixed. You can't get accurate pricing information on procedures and medications, and even when you can, your insurance company might not allow you to go to the cheaper facility.

Medicare basically controls what the private insurance carriers will cover and what they will pay for those procedures anyway so the idea that there will ever be true competition is silly.

@briankrebs Thank you! I find myself in a similar situation. Definitely worth checking with nearby colleges/universities.

@briankrebs

when i was living in NV, the law was that if you weren't a company with at least 25 employees or a govt agency, there were no restrictions on how badly insurance companies could screw you. it was basically major medical coverage only at $15k/year...