[speaker001:] um regarding health care it's funny because I have a sister who lives in Europe and in Europe that's the way it is health care is just
[speaker002:] um-hum they have socialized socialized health care
[speaker001:] right exactly and um the the interesting thing is that it seems that they don't even think about it it's not anything that seems to be um you know costing everybody a lot of money it's not a major topic of conversation it's just something that's done and accepted
[speaker002:] how do they pay for it how is it financed
[speaker001:] well um I think the government subsidizes most of it but I I believe that that again just people are taxed
[speaker002:] oh
[speaker001:] a little bit more but it's just interesting how something you know that we consider just such a major issue is just in such working order there
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] you know what do you feel about it
[speaker002:] well I feel like something needs to be done here and I'm definitely in favor of the government I just think medical you know medical costs have as I've seen over the years just go up and up and up and already just this year
[speaker001:] yes
[speaker002:] you know I'm a single parent and you know I have to pay for medical insurance and it's just outrageous my son you know has got allergies and he's got this and he's got that and he broke his arm I mean and you know it's a thousand dollars here a thousand dollars there
[speaker001:] um-hum um um-hum
[speaker002:] and you know even though the insurance is paying eighty percent of it you're pay an arm and a leg for the insurance first of all and then you're still paying yeah the twenty percent and so
[speaker001:] um-hum the twenty percent and and the sad part is that people to to you know combat this they just won't go to the doctor or they won't fill their prescriptions
[speaker002:] yeah or they can't yeah they just can't
[speaker001:] I mean that you know that's the alternative
[speaker002:] yeah I've been in positions before where I've had to wait a few days you know to have a prescription filled because I just didn't have it
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] and I don't think that that's fair I don't think it's fair you know to the kids and and to the people that are sick and I know that you know
[speaker001:] I know um-hum
[speaker002:] every city has you know their you know their free hospitals or whatever and I know a few people that have had experiences in those
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] I've been fortunate enough not to but I mean you could go down there half dead and still wait you know it's hard to see a doctor from what I've heard
[speaker001:] oh I know I know oh yeah it's true and I don't think that that burden should be put on companies either I don't think that they should have to assume the responsibility of paying for the person's health care
[speaker002:] well yeah there's a lot of people that um you know don't work
[speaker001:] oh yeah um-hum
[speaker002:] you know and don't have it you know any other means they've and so they either don't again don't have it or they have to take it out themselves and pay an arm and a leg for it
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] you know I'm thinking of you know I just did my tax return for the last year you know if your medical bills are more than a certain percent of your income
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] you know it's worthwhile to itemize and and last year I was the first year we reached that mark
[speaker001:] um-hum oh you did
[speaker002:] where my medical where it was worth it to itemize for medical expenses because they were just they were that much of a percentage of my income that it just
[speaker001:] wow um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] you know I just did it it's very frustrating a hot topic for me
[speaker001:] I know well and well you know you're not the only one though um I'm in a situation where when I started my job they were paying full benefits I thought great you know can't get any better and then slowly each year you know now they're down to seventy five percent and then they went down to fifty percent and and I understand they have to do that with the prices going up and up
[speaker002:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker001:] but um you just might as well knock of a couple thousand dollars from your salary you know to pay for this medical care and then I I don't have kids so I'm not worrying about family coverage
[speaker002:] oh at least at least
[speaker001:] but once you get into family coverage it's crazy
[speaker002:] oh it's out it's outrageous and then a lot of companies you know offer you know you can have a certain amount deducted pre tax from your pay check for medical expenses but not covered by insurance but
[speaker001:] it it's just crazy yes
[speaker002:] you know that's something that's something fairly new and not a lot of people take advantage of it but it's you know it's use it or lose it and I
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] know people at the end of the year you know that have had that money checked out regularly and then it's like well let's see I guess I could go get a new of glasses you know
[speaker001:] right they have a hundred dollars to spend in December I know what you mean
[speaker002:] you know get a big crown done you know things like that but
[speaker001:] yeah we do that too we're fortunate though this year somehow how it's only March and we've already used up our entire amount I don't know if that's good or bad
[speaker002:] I know yeah um do you think that that that the insurance and all they've got in Europe does it cover dental or is it just medical
[speaker001:] I don't know um I think it covers a portion because like I said my sister lives over there and they they just they just never have to worry about it I think it might not cover full dental but it does cover some and again it covers you know
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] major things it won't cover cosmetic type things you know if you choose to do something but um it's just like all in it's just all in practice it's all in plan I think that we could learn from that
[speaker002:] yeah what motivates people to go into medicine are the doctors you know how how do the doctors
[speaker001:] I don't know I really don't know I know that they do equally as well there as they do here I mean doctors still have that same status
[speaker002:] they do so they're getting paid
[speaker001:] I don't know I guess they're getting paid for it one way or another and and I would imagine although I don't know maybe there still are private practices there I don't know
[speaker002:] yeah I yeah I don't know either
[speaker001:] I don't know but um it would be great and and if only I mean health is probably the one thing that people should be most concerned with you know especially that makes a good society when people are healthy and they're not you know they're not stealing for money to pay for their doctors' bills
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] you know they're they're going to work every day because they're not sick you know I mean just something that should be more of a priority than it is now
[speaker002:] yeah I definitely agree and I remember back in high school being on the debate team and that was one of the subjects one of the debates should we have you know national health care and I remember debating for it
[speaker001:] yeah um-hum um-hum well at least let them start off gradually you know fine so they won't jump into paying full health care let them pay you know partial and each year just you know let's increase it from there
[speaker002:] yeah yeah right
[speaker001:] I don't know but
[speaker002:] I I don't know it's going to be hard to switch I think that we're going eventually end up end up that way though I just don't see how we can yeah I think it'll take
[speaker001:] um-hum it'll take a while maybe our grandchildren will know it
[speaker002:] I agree it'll take a while but I think we have to be headed
[speaker001:] yeah um-hum
[speaker002:] have to be headed in that direction
[speaker001:] um-hum well it was nice tal king to you yeah maybe one day we'll all have health care
[speaker002:] nice talking to you too first person from not from Texas that I've talked to
[speaker001:] it's what
[speaker002:] you're the first person not from Texas that I've talked to
[speaker001:] oh I know like I said everyone's been in from Texas all righty well take care okay bye-bye
[speaker002:] okay you too bye-bye