Polls – South Africans in Austin

Medical Costs In The US: Outrageous Or Justifiable?

John Els — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 23:03:42 +0000

Medical costs in the US are high! Anybody who has recently made a trip to the ER, been hospitalized, or even had some routine medical tests done, will agree.

The question is, are high US medical costs simply out of control or are they justifiable?

A friend who recently visited us from South Africa (i.e. no US health insurance) got sick on a Saturday evening. All of the symptoms pointed to the possibility of meningitis.

After a quick call to our family physician, we took off to the ER of a newly-built hospital not too far from where we live.

Upon arrival at 8 p.m., the ER staff immediately tended to our guest and provided all of us with masks just in case it was meningitis. Our guest was put in a room in the ER. Some blood tests and a CT scan were done. Our guest was also put on a drip to provide liquids and given some pain medication.

In total, the attending physician spent maybe 20 minutes with the patient, and the nurse spent maybe an hour, if that long. In the end, with long periods of waiting alone in the room, we were sent home at about 1 a.m. with a prescription for some medication. Luckily, no meningitis.

The service was excellent, but then came the bills. The cost of this little excursion to the ER… a little over $8,000.

A Comparison of Medical Costs

Earlier this week, a family member of ours fainted and was taken to the ER of a private hospital in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Some blood tests, an EKG and a CT scan were done. Everything was found to be in good order, but to be safe, it was decided to take our family member up into the High Care unit of the hospital for the night.

All went well and the patient was sent home the next morning.

By all accounts, this hospital also provided excellent care. The cost for the ER care and a night in High Care? R14,000 or a little over $1,500 at the current exchange rate.

That is less than 20% of the cost of our trip to the ER here in the US!

US Medical Costs: Outrageous or Justifiable?

Before this second ER incident with our family member took place, I looked at the $8,000 bill for the first ER incident and simply could not see where $8,000 in value comes from.

$8,000 provides housing for a family for many months. It can buy a used vehicle that can be driven for a few years. It can buy food for a family of four for at least a year. How is it possible that 5 hours in an ER, with not much more than basic care provided, can cost $8,000?

After the second ER incident took place, it confirmed in my mind exactly how outrageous the cost of medical care in the US can be.

As our politicians like to remind us prior to each election, our medical care system is broken. It is not that the service is bad, but rather that the medical costs to patients are out of control.

I am not convinced that simply forcing everybody to have medical insurance is the solution. The crazy high medical costs will simply find its way back into the pockets of the American people in the form of high insurance premiums.

What Do You Think?

So what do you think about medical costs in the US? Is it outrageously high or can it be justified? Take our poll below and leave a comment…

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Poll: What Were Your Main Reasons For Leaving South Africa?

John Els — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:53:12 +0000

Over the past 20 years, hundreds of thousands of people, and by some estimations, more than a million people have been leaving South Africa and settling in other countries.

Some might say, “So what? People have migrated for thousands of years and will continue to do so in the future!”

The thing is, South Africa’s emigration rate has been higher than what can be described as “normal migration” and there has been significant concern over the so-called “brain drain” – skilled people leaving.

Given the audience of this website, many of the readers of this blog fall into the category of people who have left South Africa in recent years to build a new life in another country, including the United States.

Ever wondered why? What are expats’ main reasons for leaving South Africa?

To all of you South African expats who have permanently settled elsewhere, I ask this… (Pick up to 2 answers, but if you have only one reason, pick only one.)

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Poll: Is South Africa’s State Mining Company the start of Nationalization?

John Els — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:52:28 +0000

Last year, South Africa’s ANCYL leader, Julius Malema started making a lot of noise about nationalization, and specifically, the nationalization of the mines, a major source of revenue for the country, and the possible establishment of a state mining company.

At the time, as this article suggests, South African President Jacob Zuma said that nationalization is not ANC policy, and that the ANC has not shifted its policy on nationalization.

Yet, a mere 4 months later, Jacob Zuma launched a state mining company!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that exactly what Malema was talking about, and that Zuma said was not ANC policy?

Zuma says that this is all about building a strong, mixed economy and that local communities will benefit from the mining operations in their area. I sure hope this is true because the recent service protests seem to suggest that there may be some doubt over how much the local communities have really benefited from ANC rule.

People like Julius Malema, who have extravagant lifestyles, and there are others (Jacob Zuma’s son being an example), have ensured that they make a lot of money off state operations by having state contracts awarded to companies that they have a big financial stake in… Jacob Zuma’s son already has interests in a South African mining company. No doubt, a lot of money will be made off contracts awarded to them by the state mining company.

With all this being said, the question is…

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Poll: Is Racial Tension Mounting In South Africa?

John Els — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:59:56 +0000

In this recent article published in News24, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, the rector of the University of the Free State, is reported as saying that racial tension is building in South Africa, comparing it to a volcano waiting to erupt.

Prof. Jansen says he senses a lot of anger developing amongst young white South Africans, who are often faced with messages like, “only Blacks may apply [for a job]” or “it’s just a matter of time before we take your farms” as a result of BEE or other proposed government actions.

Prof Jansen and South African Deputy President, Kgalema Mothlanthe, who was also a speaker at the same event, reportedly feel that the vision of a united, non-racial society set out in the ANC’s Freedom Charter started waning soon after the ANC came to power.

The question now is…

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Polls: South Africa & Soccer World Cup 2010

John Els — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:25:45 +0000

On the eve of Soccer World Cup 2010 that is being held in South Africa this year, I was wondering how South Africans living abroad feel about sports’ biggest event and the fact that it is held in South Africa this year.

While soccer is a hugely popular sport around the world, not all South Africans are soccer fans. Some may not care to watch SWC 2010 whether it is held in South Africa or not. Others may be very excited about it and can’t wait for it to start.

South Africa has many good points, but it is also known to have very high crime rates. That was one of the reasons for very lackluster ticket sales in Europe. A lot has been said about the crime, and the South African government has gone to some lengths to assure people that they will be safe during SWC 2010.

So, now my questions to you are…

About Soccer…

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About The Crime…

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These polls will remain open until July 11, 2010.

I want to wish South Africa the best with the hosting of Soccer World Cup 2010. I hope some very good things come from it!

Poll: SA President Jacob Zuma & Women?

John Els — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:56:17 +0000

South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, has a long history with the ladies and he adds more episodes on a fairly regular basis.

Zuma is a polygamist. In January 2010 he married his 5th wife, and no, the first four wives are not deceased (except for wife #1), and neither is he divorced from them. He is apparently also already engaged to what will be wife #6.

Zuma has fathered 20 children so far, if news reports can be believed. Some of them have been with his wives, but certainly not all of them. For example, the latest one, #20, was born to the unmarried daughter of a friend of Zuma’s in October 2009.

His sexual exploits have landed him in hot water on at least one occasion. A few years ago he was charged with rape after non-consensual sex with a HIV-positive woman. In this incident he famously claimed that the shower he took after the deed safe-guarded him against contracting the virus! He was eventually acquitted, but the sex still took place.

Now the question is…

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Poll: Should The Old South African Flag Be Banned?

John Els — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:05:04 +0000

The flag on the right, the old South African flag, has been the subject of a lot of controversy since it was replaced in 1994.

The controversy usually seems to be stirred up at rugby matches where one or two spectators wave the old flag among a sea of people waving the new flag.

If the old flag is displayed at a prominent rugby match where it can also be seen on TV (like the recent Super 14 Final), the controversy is even bigger and politicians love to jump on the condemnation-wagon.

Until now, display of the flag was merely condemned, but after the recent incident at the Super 14 Final, there have been calls (by politicians) for the flag to be banned.

While banning the flag might not imply that it would be illegal to own the old flag, it would imply that it would be illegal to publicly display the old flag in South Africa.

Generally, those who support banning the flag say it is a symbol of oppression to them, and those who are against banning the flag say it was simply the flag that they grew up with.

The question now is:

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Other than voting yes or no, also tell us what you think about this. (Keep in mind that this is a sensitive subject to many, so let’s keep it civil.)

Poll: Give Up SA Citizenship?

John Els — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:27:13 +0000

Many of us (South Africans living in the US) get green cards that eventually lead to qualifying for US citizenship.

Once you reach that point, the question becomes, “Do I give up my South African citizenship, or do I go for dual-citizenship?”

There are some issues with both options…

Giving Up SA Citizenship and having US Citizenship Only

You will be regarded as a foreigner in South Africa and will need to get a visa when you visit SA. (This is not a problem for the usual short-term tourist visas. You get those at the airport.)
If you ever decide to move back to South Africa, you will need to apply with the SA govt for residence status and to regain your citizenship, i.e. you won’t simply be able to show up and settle.
You will not have to go through the whole process of renewing your SA passport every few years, a process that can at times be frustrating.
When visiting South Africa, since you will be there as an American, you will able to get assistance from the US embassy in the case of an emergency.
You will no longer be subject to South African laws, e.g. possible military conscription obligations, or not being able to take your US-bought firearm into South Africa.

Keeping your South African Citizenship (Dual Citizenship)

You have to renew your SA passport every few years. (As I said, sometimes the process can at times be frustrating.)
You can go back to South Africa at any time you choose, whether to visit or live.
When visiting South Africa, you have to enter South Africa as a South African (i.e. on your SA passport). This means you can’t take your US-bought firearm with you on a hunting trip because you won’t have a South African firearm license for it. You also won’t be able to get assistance from the US embassy in the case of an emergency.

There are probably more issues to consider, but these are the general ones.

So my question to you is this:

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Tell us what you think, and feel free to add your thoughts as a comment below!