Hey all, I’m British so I don’t really know the ins and outs of the US healthcare system. Apologies for asking what is probably a rather simple question.
So like most of you, I see many posts and gofundmes about people having astronomically high medical bills. Most recently, someone having a $27k bill even after his death.
However, I have an American friend who is quick to point out that apparently nobody actually pays those bills. They’re just some elaborate dance between insurance companies and hospitals. If you don’t have insurance, the cost is lower or removed entirely. Supposedly.
So I’m just asking… How accurate is that? Consider someone without insurance, a minor physical ailment, a neurodivergent mind and no interest in fighting off harassing people for the rest of their life.
How much would such a person expect to pay, out of their own pocket, for things like check ups, x rays, meds, counselling and so on?
They also contribute to their FSA which wasn’t really explained, so they did pay for that tooI don’t contribute to the FSA, that’s an automatic part of my health insurance.
Some people contribute separately to an FSA or an HSA depending on their insurance, but that’s not an option for my situation.
You’re right I’m conflating a typical HSA and FSA good correction. Need my morning coffee lol
It’s understandable, the people I work with get them mixed up all the time.
The nice thing about an FSA is that I don’t pay any extra for it. The bad thing is that if I cancel insurance with this company, or change jobs, I lose that built up money and need to start over.
An HSA stays with me, but it requires extra deposits, and more work on the back end to get reimbursed for expenses.