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BS: Controlling Health Care Costs - NZ?
| JohnInKansas | 11 Aug 13 - 12:50 PM | |
| Gurney | 12 Aug 13 - 03:18 AM | |
| JohnInKansas | 12 Aug 13 - 05:20 AM | |
| Mrrzy | 12 Aug 13 - 12:18 PM | |
| Gurney | 12 Aug 13 - 04:47 PM | |
| Gurney | 12 Aug 13 - 05:03 PM | |
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BS: Controlling Health Care Costs - NZ?
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Subject: BS: Controlling Health Care Costs - NZ? From: JohnInKansas Date: 11 Aug 13 - 12:50 PM New Zealand's solution for rising health costs? Deport fat people Art Caplan, Ph.D. NBC News contributor 11 August 2013 New Zealand's immigration authorities think they have gotten to the core of solving the obesity epidemic and rising health costs-- deport fat people. A 50 year-old, 286-pound South African citizen no longer has an "acceptable standard of health" to remain in the country where nearly a third of adults are overweight, according to reports. Albert Buitenhuis and his wife, Marthie, 47, moved to Christchurch, New Zealand from South Africa six years ago. They are now facing deportation after their work visas were declined because of his weight. New Zealand immigration authorities cited the demands his obesity could place on New Zealand's health services in terms of cost. When Albert, 5' 8", arrived to take a job as a chef, he topped 350 pounds. Yet he has worked, as has his waitress wife, paid taxes and managed to lose more than 60 pounds, according to The Press of New Zealand. His doctor says Buitenhuis, who has a chronic knee condition, is on his way to getting his blood pressure down and his weight under control. For the first five years, no one seemed to think that Albert could not fit in New Zealand. But, suddenly, the authorities have decided he must leave. His wife, who is not obese, is on his work visa, so she must follow him to the loading dock. The associate immigration minister of New Zealand is expected to decide on the case in the next week. ... John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Controlling Health Care Costs - NZ? From: Gurney Date: 12 Aug 13 - 03:18 AM Not to defend them/us, but a chronic knee condition means that he won't be able to continue with his trade too long, so probably he will be unemployed before long. Chefs can't work in wheelchairs. The national health service in NZ is free, providing your problem is not hugely expensive. Accident benefit is tied to a percentage of the last wage for some time after you lose the job, and unemployment benefit depends on how many dependants there are. Pensions are standard/automatic, about $200 per week. This chap is likely to prove a hard bargain. I'm not arguing anyone's case, just stating the facts. 'Overweight' is subjective. He is actually grossly obese. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Controlling Health Care Costs - NZ? From: JohnInKansas Date: 12 Aug 13 - 05:20 AM It would be hard to argue either way on this, without knowing all the details. One take on it is "nobody's gonna respect a skinny chef" I guess, which maybe is one reason I've never cared much for fancy cooking when there's healthy home-cooked nibbles around handy. The "work visa" (usually called a "green card" in the US) is a frequent subject of lots of disputes almost anywhere one looks, and unfortunately it must be recognized that the news reports don't often give the full story, at least in first reports. I'd expect to see it if there's a follow-up report on this case; but it may just "evaporate" unless somebody starts a petition ... . John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Controlling Health Care Costs - NZ? From: Mrrzy Date: 12 Aug 13 - 12:18 PM I can't decide if I'm not in favor of this... but then again, I'm not that fat. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Controlling Health Care Costs - NZ? From: Gurney Date: 12 Aug 13 - 04:47 PM NZ, and Oz too, have comparatively nurturing health care and social security systems, based on the old British style. In NZ, we pay for it, too, with most people paying about 24% income tax and then 15% purchasing tax (GST, Goods and Services Tax) on everything purchased or hired. That's about 39% tax for poor people who don't have a lot of money to save. The sting in the tail is that GST applies on everything, every time it is sold, so, manufacturer-to-wholesaler, wholesaler-to-retailer, retailer-to-consumer. 3 lots of tax. Two lots of taxing tax paid! The wholesaler and retailer claim it back, but the consumer can't, and pays the triple-inflated price. I was investigated by the GST people once (They found nothing, there was nothing to find.) and they admitted, or stated, that they knew of an item, 60% of the price was GST. It had changed hand a few times before reaching the consumer. Our free health-care is abused by tourists who need unexpected (that would be in italics if I could) surgical operations and are gone before the invoice is presented. We look kindly on residence of families of immigrants, often parents of, who also add to the health bill but haven't financed any of it, being retired before they get here. Australia is getting very sticky about who-gets-what, because they have the same problems, and are even getting hard in Kiwis because people were getting residence here and then going to Oz to avail themselves of THEIR systems. Then there's Legal Aid. Would anywhere else give $2million of taxpayers money to finance an illegal immigrant's challenge of his deportation? Sorry about the tirade, but abusers have buggered up what is one of the best social-systems in the world. Although the Chef isn't perhaps an abuser, just an unlucky punter in the game of life. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Controlling Health Care Costs - NZ? From: Gurney Date: 12 Aug 13 - 05:03 PM Abuser: Someone who cynically sets out to use some system to their advantage, having contributed nothing to it's development and/or running costs. My opinion. Not the opinion of sickly-liberal-do-gooders. |
