2005 Canadian Car of The Year "Category" Winners anounced:
12-12-04 | 12:51 PM
#31
bizzy and Lexusfreak, might want to update your profiles as it says you're in Alabama. 
bizzy, paying for private healthcare insurance if your employer doesn't offer it or if you're self employed isn't quite the waxing that some imagine. I know a 50+ year old woman who's self-employed who pays about $250 a month for a basic package. A 'family' type package could probably be had for about $600 a month. Not cheap, but the difference between 7 and 15% sales tax on a 50K car alone covers a lot of it.
Most people however get healthcare insurance through their employer and pay 'some' of the premium. Where I work I think the employee has to pay about $200/month for a family package (i.e., self, spouse and kids) now. For a single person it's much less. There's also tax-avoiding plans for other 'out of pocket' health and similar expenses that insurance might not cover including day care, braces, chiropractic work, etc.
Also, if you're poor here you have Medicaid (government funded healthcare), and if you're old you have Medicare (government funded healthcare), so all the horror stories we hear about the U.S. are overblown. There is a 'gap' for those who are low income but not low enough to qualify for Medicaid though. To me that is called INCENTIVE to get a better job, but others will disagree.
Would it be easier if we didn't have a confusing variety of health plans? Yes, but I don't want the government running it as they tend to screw up all 'do good' programs and cause all kinds of waste, fraud, and abuse.
bizzy, paying for private healthcare insurance if your employer doesn't offer it or if you're self employed isn't quite the waxing that some imagine. I know a 50+ year old woman who's self-employed who pays about $250 a month for a basic package. A 'family' type package could probably be had for about $600 a month. Not cheap, but the difference between 7 and 15% sales tax on a 50K car alone covers a lot of it.
Most people however get healthcare insurance through their employer and pay 'some' of the premium. Where I work I think the employee has to pay about $200/month for a family package (i.e., self, spouse and kids) now. For a single person it's much less. There's also tax-avoiding plans for other 'out of pocket' health and similar expenses that insurance might not cover including day care, braces, chiropractic work, etc.Also, if you're poor here you have Medicaid (government funded healthcare), and if you're old you have Medicare (government funded healthcare), so all the horror stories we hear about the U.S. are overblown. There is a 'gap' for those who are low income but not low enough to qualify for Medicaid though. To me that is called INCENTIVE to get a better job, but others will disagree.
Would it be easier if we didn't have a confusing variety of health plans? Yes, but I don't want the government running it as they tend to screw up all 'do good' programs and cause all kinds of waste, fraud, and abuse.
12-12-04 | 02:46 PM
#32
Thread Starter
Pole Position
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,379
Likes: 19
From: St. Thomas, Ontario
Originally posted by bitkahuna
bizzy and Lexusfreak, might want to update your profiles as it says you're in Alabama.
bizzy, paying for private healthcare insurance if your employer doesn't offer it or if you're self employed isn't quite the waxing that some imagine. I know a 50+ year old woman who's self-employed who pays about $250 a month for a basic package. A 'family' type package could probably be had for about $600 a month. Not cheap, but the difference between 7 and 15% sales tax on a 50K car alone covers a lot of it. Most people however get healthcare insurance through their employer and pay 'some' of the premium. Where I work I think the employee has to pay about $200/month for a family package (i.e., self, spouse and kids) now. For a single person it's much less. There's also tax-avoiding plans for other 'out of pocket' health and similar expenses that insurance might not cover including day care, braces, chiropractic work, etc.
bizzy and Lexusfreak, might want to update your profiles as it says you're in Alabama.
bizzy, paying for private healthcare insurance if your employer doesn't offer it or if you're self employed isn't quite the waxing that some imagine. I know a 50+ year old woman who's self-employed who pays about $250 a month for a basic package. A 'family' type package could probably be had for about $600 a month. Not cheap, but the difference between 7 and 15% sales tax on a 50K car alone covers a lot of it.
Most people however get healthcare insurance through their employer and pay 'some' of the premium. Where I work I think the employee has to pay about $200/month for a family package (i.e., self, spouse and kids) now. For a single person it's much less. There's also tax-avoiding plans for other 'out of pocket' health and similar expenses that insurance might not cover including day care, braces, chiropractic work, etc.
It did say Canada when I first joined this site last January....not sure what happened. 
12-12-04 | 03:36 PM
#33
Originally posted by Hameed
What would be your 10-best list Bitkahuna?
What would be your 10-best list Bitkahuna?
Best New Economy Car: Kia Spectra Sedan LX
It doesn't say sedan it just says car, so I think the Scion tC is excellent.
Best New Family Car: Mazda6 Sport
I think the Ford 500 is better for a *family*.
Best New Luxury Car: Chrysler 300 C
Um, no, it's not luxurious. I really do think the Acura RL is the most significant new luxury car to come out in a while because of its unique AWD system, traffic monitoring system, huge voice recognition library, and it's very luxurious.
Best New Sport Utility Vehicle: BMW X3 3.0i
Ugh. I don't know if the RX330 still qualifies, but it's significant. This category is huge now. If price doesn't matter the Cayenne is cool, LOL
If price is significant, the Kia Sorento is important.Best New Crossover: Hyundai Tucson
What the hell's a crossover? Not a real SUV but bigger than a car? Would the Dodge Magnum qualify?
Best New Sport Compact: Volvo S40
Zzzz... TSX?
Best New Sports / Performance Car: Ford Mustang
Porsche 997 or Corvette
Best New Minivan: Honda Odyssey
Agreed - the new version is NICE.
Best New Station Wagon: Mazda6 Sport Wagon
Dodge Magnum
Best New Pick-up: Toyota Tacoma
No chance. Ford F-150
Best New Convertible: Mercedes-Benz SLK 350
SL65? LOL
Best New Alternative Power: Honda Accord Hybrid
Pass.
12-12-04 | 08:08 PM
#34
Lexus Champion
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,172
Likes: 0
From: Ontario
Originally posted by bitkahuna
4
Best New Crossover: Hyundai Tucson
What the hell's a crossover? Not a real SUV but bigger than a car? Would the Dodge Magnum qualify?
4
4
Best New Crossover: Hyundai Tucson
What the hell's a crossover? Not a real SUV but bigger than a car? Would the Dodge Magnum qualify?
4
But a crossover vehicle is one that is marketed to people around 20 years old that live an active lifestyle. Such vehicles that fall under this category would be Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Cadd
Car Chat
2
12-08-04 03:01 PM