Mega Business Idea!

[Mega]

American Russian brides!
I had this business idea, do you recall the “Mail order bride” thing that was all the rage back say 10 years ago?....Some poor impoverished nice looking young ish female would “offer” herself for marriage to escape a collapsed USSR or some 3^rd World shit hole?

Well, I was thinking….with 43 million Americans on food stamps or working away at Walmart perhaps its time to dust off this business plan. Sort of “Escape from America” sort of thing.

So, we reach out to nice, young ish fit females whom would like a fresh start in another country. Could Be new Zealand or Oz, might be Europe or even Blighty……one with a good welfare state, free healthcare etc…..You get the picture.

Good idea?

Mike

[don]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

America's bimbos haven't gotten the memo yet. Give them time, MEG.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

So, we reach out to nice, young ish fit females whom would like a fresh start in another country. Could Be new Zealand or Oz, might be Europe or even Blighty……one with a good welfare state, free healthcare etc…..You get the picture.[/FONT][/SIZE]

Good idea?

Mike

In America we begin pledging allegiance to the flag by age 5. We are told we live in the greatest country in the world around the same time. Most of us cannot speak a second language. 70% do not have passports. It's insular jingoism, Mike. People on welfare actually believe that the welfare state is bad and the free healthcare means a bureaucrat kills grandma.

[oddlots]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

The computer says no.

[jtabeb]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

People on welfare actually believe that the welfare state is bad and the free healthcare means a bureaucrat kills grandma.

So scary, but so true.

[Alvaro Spain]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

So scary, but so true.

For what is worth, I live in one of those welfare states (Spain), and I would never use free healthcare, excepting for a serious emergency. I pay a private insurance, about $100 per month. Free healthcare means that you wait weeks (or months) before the doctor actually sees you and he will probably dedicate you between 5 and 10 minutes.

The doctors on public free healthcare and private insurance are actually the same people, by the way. Mornings they work public and afternoon private.

[thriftyandboringinohio]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

... I pay a private insurance, about $100 per month...

In the US, for a plan to cover you, your wife, and the children, you would pay at least $1,200 a month, perhaps as much as $2,000 a month.
You would have to pay about $1,000 each year out of your own pocket for EACH PERSON before the insurance benefits will pay a dime.

[Alvaro Spain]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

In the US, for a plan to cover you, your wife, and the children, you would pay at least $1,200 a month, perhaps as much as $2,000 a month.
You would have to pay about $1,000 each year out of your own pocket for EACH PERSON before the insurance benefits will pay a dime.

How is that possible? What has happened to the old supply-demand curve? If doctors charge so much there and make so much money lots of people should be becoming doctors lowering the prices charged, shouldn't it be so? Are there quotas on the number of doctors allowed in the USA?

[shiny!]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

How is that possible? What has happened to the old supply-demand curve? If doctors charge so much there and make so much money lots of people should be becoming doctors lowering the prices charged, shouldn't it be so? Are there quotas on the number of doctors allowed in the USA?

It's possible because insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry make obscenely huge profits, forcing doctors, hospitals and medical laboratories to charge much more than they used to. Doctors here must practice "defensive medicine" because they're afraid of lawsuits if they miss a diagnosis. Unfortunately, hospitals and lab work cost more than most people can afford, so people are forced to buy insurance.

Case in point: a friend of mine had a colonoscopy last week. The doctor gave him a prescription to buy a "medicine" to mix with water and drink the day before the procedure. The "medicine" consisted of nothing more than a gallon-size plastic jug with a measured dose of epsom salts in the bottom of it, for which the pharmacist charged $116.00! After my friend came down from the ceiling he gave the pharmacist his insurance card and the pharmacist revised the bill down to $19.00. Even so, paying $19.00 for what couldn't be more than $2.00 worth of goods is just sick.

It's possible because there are more people employed in various aspects of the cancer industry than actually have cancer. This is why there will never be an officially approved cure for cancer.

It's possible because the pharmaceutical industry aka "Big Pharma" has convinced people that they cannot live without pharmaceuticals. Big Pharma got the new limits for cholesterol set so low that almost no one can achieve it unless they are medicated. Dangerous statin drugs are being given to little children and now there's even talk of putting statins in the water supply because Big Pharma wants everyone in the world taking them.

In the meantime, hypothyroidism is rampant and goes largely undiagnosed and untreated. The list of hypothyroid symptoms includes weight gain and obesity, high cholesterol in spite of a good diet, heart disease, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, exercise intolerance, low libido, hormone imbalances and "female troubles"... all conditions for which doctors prescribe lots of drugs.

One big contributor to hypothyroidism is fluoridated water, pushed on us through municipal water supplies and again promoted by the Big Pharma and the "Healthcare industry".

I attribute the current situation to a combination of corporate greed, politicians and government regulatory agencies that have sold out, and a willfully ignorant public that does not want to take responsibility for their health. People would rather take pills and watch TV than inform themselves and change their lifestyle, and Big Pharma is happy to oblige.

[we_are_toast]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

In the US, for a plan to cover you, your wife, and the children, you would pay at least $1,200 a month, perhaps as much as $2,000 a month.
You would have to pay about $1,000 each year out of your own pocket for EACH PERSON before the insurance benefits will pay a dime.

I'm not sure about this. I have a comprehensive health insurance policy that only costs $175/month.
It covers everything but sickness and accidents.

[don]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

In America we begin pledging allegiance to the flag by age 5. We are told we live in the greatest country in the world around the same time. Most of us cannot speak a second language. 70% do not have passports. It's insular jingoism, Mike. People on welfare actually believe that the welfare state is bad and the free healthcare means a bureaucrat kills grandma.

Dallas Cheerleaders sing the National Anthem

(there's a reason there's 3 and a teleprompter the size of a football field)

[don]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

MEGA's business plan in a nutshell ....

[flintlock]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

I'm not sure about this. I have a comprehensive health insurance policy that only costs $175/month.
It covers everything but sickness and accidents.

Yes, those numbers are about right. I CAN vouch for it.

[thriftyandboringinohio]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

Yes, those numbers are about right. I CAN vouch for it.

I was basing my answer on the prices we paid for a family plan for our employees 2 years ago at my last job (I was on staff and was privy to those numbers). Below is from Kaiser Family foundation, link to full article here. http://www.kff.org/insurance/090210nr.cfm

flintlock, do really get a family medical insurance plan for $175 / month? I know you're good at business, but I have to ask if that's your contibution or the entire premium?

Family Health Premiums Rise 3 Percent to $13,770 in 2010, But Workers' Share Jumps 14 Percent as Firms Shift Cost Burden

About One In Four Covered Workers Now Face Annual Deductibles Of $1,000 Or More, Including Nearly Half Of Those Employed By Small Businesses

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Workers on average are paying nearly $4,000 this year toward the cost of family health coverage - an increase of 14 percent, or $482, above what they paid last year, according to the benchmark 2010 Employer Health Benefits Survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET).

The jump occurred even though the total premiums for family coverage, including what employers themselves contribute, rose a modest 3 percent to $13,770 on average in 2010, the survey found. In contrast, the amount employers contribute for family coverage did not increase.

Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs) continue to dominate the employer market, enrolling 58 percent of covered workers. Average PPO family premiums topped $14,000 annually in 2010....

Given that we're apart by a factor of ten, I wonder if we're talking apples to apples. Perhaps I'm just wrong by that much, but I don't think so.

[Alvaro Spain]

Re: Mega Business Idea!

Shiny,

What I find interesting is that with healthcare costs much lower than yours the average lifespan in Spain (80 years) is higher than in USA (78 years), if my data are correct.

I am sure that in Spain we have less high technology (and high price) diagnosis than you in the USA, but it doesn't seem to be a factor in life expectancy. Perhaps people are being duped behind the high-tech facade?

On the subject of lawsuits, it is not the custom here. Sometimes it happens but not very often. I am sure that having less lawsuits keeps the costs controlled. I find it ironic that a supposed right, such as that of suing your doctor, actually works against the citizen (or consumer if you will) which of course will pay the bills.